Eightfold vs Maki for enterprise teams choosing an AI hiring layer
Eightfold vs Maki is a closer contest than most. Both sell enterprise AI agents for screening, interviews and interview notes on top of your ATS. Pick Maki if validated skills assessment and usage-based pricing matter most. Pick Eightfold if you also want sourcing, rediscovery and internal mobility on one talent model.
Eightfold vs Maki, side by side
Cells paraphrase makipeople.com and eightfold.ai as read on 5 October 2026.
| What you are comparing | Eightfold | Maki |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Agentic talent intelligence across hiring, development and planning | The intelligence running your hiring end to end, from intake to hire recommendation |
| Finding candidates | Sourcing, talent rediscovery, CRM and a Candidate Agent | Not described; Maki starts once candidates are in your ATS |
| AI interview | AI Interviewer: conversational interviews in 24+ languages | Mochi: adaptive voice screening by web or phone, scored on a fixed grid |
| Skills testing | Functional, coding and language checks inside one 360 Interview | Shiro screens across 300+ skills; Ken runs deep assessments across 400+ |
| Human interviews | AI Interview Companion on Zoom, Meet and Teams | Tomo, an interview co-pilot on Zoom, Teams and Meet |
| Bias audit | Third-party audit results for AI Interviewer and its matching model | Mochi audited by Holistic AI under NYC Local Law 144, with signed reports |
| Pricing model | Quote after a demo; no pricing page | Usage-based credits per candidate interaction rather than licences, quoted |
Both vendors quote privately. Ask each for the cost of the same annual candidate volume.
Where they overlap and where they split
On the middle of the funnel, the two read almost alike: an AI that screens or interviews every applicant at any hour, and a silent co-pilot that sits on human interviews and drafts structured notes. Both say recruiters, not the AI, make the final call.
The split is at each end. Before applicants arrive, Eightfold sources and rediscovers people; Maki's pages start at intake once a job exists. After the hire, Eightfold keeps going into internal mobility and project staffing, while Maki stops at a hire recommendation card with a confidence level and risk flags.
Agent by agent
Both vendors name their agents. This maps each job to the product that does it.
| Job | Eightfold product | Maki agent |
|---|---|---|
| Answer and engage applicants | Candidate Agent on SMS, WhatsApp, web or voice | Mochi answers role questions from recruiter-approved documents |
| Screen every applicant | AI Interviewer | Shiro for skills, Mochi for voice |
| Assess high-stakes hires | 360 Interview in one session | Ken, role-calibrated late-funnel assessment |
| Book interviews | Eightfold scheduling | Kumi, scheduling from your ATS |
| Support human interviewers | AI Interview Companion | Tomo |
Choose Eightfold if, choose Maki if
Do
- You want sourcing and rediscovery in the same platform as screening
- Internal mobility and workforce planning are part of the brief
- US federal work requires FedRAMP Moderate authorisation
- Identity checks through ID.me or CLEAR matter for remote roles
Do not
- Validated assessments across hundreds of skills are central to selection
- You want EU data residency by default
- You prefer paying per candidate interaction over licences
- Candidates should be able to do the screen by phone call as well as web
How Maki plugs into your ATS
Maki describes a five-step integration loop. Eightfold says only that its AI works directly with your ATS.
- Configure a stage Pick the ATS stage where candidates should do their Maki screen or assessment.
- Invite automatically Reaching that stage triggers the invitation, and the relevant Maki agent takes over.
- Sync progress Invited, started and completed statuses flow back to the ATS as they happen.
- Return results Scores and proctoring data land in the ATS beside the existing candidate record.
- Auto-progress Candidates who meet your criteria can move forward; Maki says no one is ever rejected automatically.
One strength and one limit each
- Eightfold strength: sourcing, interviewing and internal mobility read one shared talent model
- Eightfold limit: no standalone assessment library is described next to the AI interview
- Maki strength: deep, audited assessments with EU data residency and usage-based pricing
- Maki limit: its pages describe no way to find candidates who have not applied
Rollout time
Maki says integrated, branded and live in under 2 months, covering legal, configuration, training and review. Eightfold's AI Interviewer page talks about a 1 to 2 week activation. Ask both what is included in that window.
If you need to find candidates as well as screen them
A fixed rubric per role, with questions that adapt live to each candidate.
Maki screens applicants you already have; Eightfold adds sourcing at enterprise scale. A smaller team could look at The Cognitive, which searches ~900M public profiles with verified emails and phones, then runs a live 10 or 20 minute AI video interview scored 1 to 5 per criterion, with overall written feedback, transcript and recording.
Keep reading
Eightfold review · Eightfold alternatives · Maki review · Maki alternatives · AI interview scoring
Frequently asked questions
Is Maki better than Eightfold?
For selection science, Maki goes deeper: separate skills screening, voice screening and late-funnel assessment agents, each scored against fixed grids and bias-audited. For breadth, Eightfold covers more, adding sourcing, rediscovery and internal mobility to its AI Interviewer. Pick Maki to judge applicants; pick Eightfold to manage talent end to end.
Eightfold vs Maki pricing: how does each charge?
Neither publishes figures. Maki pairs an enterprise platform with usage-based, credit pricing for its AI agents, charging for candidate interactions rather than licences. Eightfold has no pricing page and quotes after a live demo. Ask both to price the same yearly applicant volume.
How does Eightfold AI Interviewer compare to Maki's Mochi?
Both run adaptive conversations with follow-up probing. Mochi is a voice screen by web or phone that checks eligibility, motivation, availability and language, scored on a fixed grid. Eightfold's AI Interviewer runs fuller first-round interviews, including coding and functional checks through 360 Interview, in 24+ languages.
Do Eightfold and Maki both have an interview co-pilot?
Yes. Eightfold's AI Interview Companion and Maki's Tomo both join human interviews on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, guide the interviewer quietly and produce structured notes afterwards. Tomo ties its notes to competencies set at intake; the Companion drafts feedback aligned to the scorecard.
Which works better with SAP SuccessFactors or Workday?
Maki names native integrations with SAP's talent suite and Workday, and says it is an official native partner of iCIMS, among 30+ ATS and HR systems. Eightfold says its AI works directly with your ATS and highlights an Oracle partnership. Ask both for references on your exact system.
Can Maki source candidates like Eightfold?
Not on the pages read. Maki's workflow starts at intake and runs through screening, assessment, interview and hire recommendation for people who have already applied. Eightfold includes sourcing, talent rediscovery and a CRM in its recruiting suite.
Which is better for European hiring?
Maki hosts in the EU by default, says it is GDPR compliant and EU AI Act ready, and holds ISO 27001. Eightfold lists ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and SOC 2 and runs its AI Interviewer in 24+ languages. Check data residency options with Eightfold if EU hosting is a requirement.
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