Best AI CV Screening Tools in the UK (2026 Comparison)

The best AI CV screening tools for UK hiring teams in 2026 are Marxel (best for transparency and speed), Oleeo (best for enterprise high-volume), Pinpoint (best UK-founded ATS with screening), and HireVue (best for video + CV screening). Each offers GDPR-compliant processing, but they differ significantly in explainability, pricing, and target audience.

The average UK job posting attracts hundreds of applications (see Adzuna's UK labour market reporting). For popular roles in London or remote-friendly positions, that number can easily pass 500. Manually screening at that volume means 20+ hours per role — and by CV #80, your evaluation quality has dropped measurably.

AI CV screening tools promise to fix this. But the UK market has its own considerations: GDPR compliance, UK Equality Act obligations, pricing in pounds, and local support. Most "best of" listicles are written for the US market and ignore these entirely.

This guide compares the tools that actually matter for UK-based hiring teams in 2026 — what they do well, where they fall short, and which one fits your specific workflow.

What to Look for in a UK CV Screening Tool

Before the tool-by-tool breakdown, here's what separates useful AI screening from glorified keyword matching:

Explainability

Under UK GDPR, candidates have a right to meaningful information about the logic behind automated decisions that significantly affect them. Black-box AI that gives you a score but can't explain why creates compliance risk.

Look for tools that show their reasoning — which criteria matched, why a candidate scored high or low, and what was unclear. This isn't just about regulation. It's about trusting the output enough to act on it.

Skills-Based Matching (Not Keyword Bingo)

Keyword matching is the oldest trick in CV screening. It's also the most flawed. "JavaScript" and "JS" are the same thing. Five years of React implies competence with component-based architectures. Keyword systems treat these as separate checkboxes.

Modern tools use semantic understanding — grasping that skills cluster together and that experience in one area implies capability in related areas. This is where the real screening value lives.

Speed With Quality

Processing time matters, but only if quality holds steady. A tool that screens 500 CVs in two minutes but misses qualified candidates because it only checks for keywords is worse than manual review.

The benchmark: 200 CVs should take under five minutes with explainable, auditable results.

UK-Specific Considerations

GDPR compliance — data processing agreements, right to explanation, data retention policies
UK Equality Act 2010 — screening criteria must not indirectly discriminate on protected characteristics
Pricing transparency — watch for USD-only pricing that fluctuates with exchange rates
Data residency — where candidate data is stored and processed matters for some organisations

The 8 Best AI CV Screening Tools for UK Hiring Teams

1. Marxel

Best for: Teams who want transparency and speed without enterprise complexity

Marxel takes a different approach to CV screening. Rather than simple pass/fail or ranking, it sorts candidates into four action-based buckets: Aligned (book interview), Potential (human review needed), Hold (follow-up question required), and Unclear (likely reject). Each decision includes detailed reasoning — which criteria matched, what raised concerns, and what remains unclear.

Speed is a standout: 200 CVs screened in roughly 4 minutes. Under the hood, Marxel uses 168 skill categories for semantic matching, understanding that "React" and "React.js" are the same thing and that years of JavaScript experience imply competency with related frameworks.

A weighted rubric system lets hiring teams set priorities before screening begins. Upload a job description plus optional briefing notes from hiring manager conversations, review the AI-generated rubric, adjust weights, then process the batch.

For "Hold" candidates, Marxel auto-generates follow-up questions — flagging employment gaps, vague experience descriptions, or unclear credentials. This turns screening from a binary filter into a structured evaluation.

UK fit: Built with GDPR compliance from the ground up. Pricing in GBP. CVs are never used for AI model training.

Pricing: Free tier (25 CVs/month), Starter at £49/month (200 CVs), Pro at £149/month (1,000 CVs). No credit card required to start.

Limitations: Not a full ATS. Handles screening exceptionally well, but you'll need separate tools for job posting, interview scheduling, and offer management.

Learn more: How Marxel works | Pricing details

2. Rippling

Best for: Companies wanting recruitment bundled with HR, IT, and finance

Rippling is a comprehensive workforce platform that happens to include applicant tracking with AI-powered features. Their recruitment module uses AI to gather and synthesise interviewer feedback, producing visual candidate overviews for faster decision-making.

The real appeal is the unified platform. If you're already using Rippling for payroll, IT provisioning, or expense management, adding recruitment keeps everything in one system. The AI features focus more on structured feedback than CV-level screening — think interview analysis rather than application filtering.

UK fit: Strong UK presence with GB-specific compliance features. GDPR-ready with UK data handling.

Pricing: Custom quotes only. Rippling doesn't publish pricing publicly — expect enterprise-level costs.

Limitations: The AI screening is part of a broader platform, not a specialist tool. If you only need CV screening, you're paying for a lot of features you won't use. Implementation timelines tend to be longer than standalone tools.

3. Oleeo

Best for: Enterprise high-volume hiring (retail, hospitality, public sector)

Oleeo is a UK-headquartered platform built specifically for organisations that hire at scale — think hundreds or thousands of roles simultaneously. Their AI includes "Intelligent Selection," which scores candidates using advanced analytics and historical hiring data.

The headline numbers are impressive: application to interview in 35 minutes, application to hire in 3 days. They serve NHS trusts, police forces, and major UK retailers like Marks & Spencer, so their compliance and UK employment law understanding runs deep.

Their SkillsAssess module handles skills-based evaluation, and the platform includes built-in bias detection designed to support diversity hiring goals.

UK fit: UK-headquartered with deep public sector experience. Strong GDPR and UK Equality Act compliance. UK-based support team.

Pricing: Not publicly disclosed. Enterprise sales process — expect custom quotes based on hiring volume.

Limitations: Built for enterprise scale. If you're an SMB screening 50-100 CVs per role, Oleeo is likely overkill in both complexity and cost. Implementation requires significant setup.

4. HireVue

Best for: Enterprise teams combining video interviewing with CV screening

HireVue built its reputation on structured video interviews and has expanded into CV screening. Their AI evaluates both written applications and video responses, creating a unified candidate score across multiple touchpoints.

The platform integrates deeply with major ATS platforms (Greenhouse, Workable, iCIMS) and offers extensive customisation. For companies already using HireVue for video interviewing, adding CV screening is a natural extension. Their scale credentials are strong — Delta Air Lines reports saving 6,743 hours by replacing phone screens.

UK fit: Enterprise compliance capabilities including GDPR. Used by UK-based multinationals. Published research on bias auditing.

Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing only. Not accessible for SMBs or agencies without significant budget.

Limitations: Video-first heritage means CV screening sometimes feels secondary. The platform's real strength is structured interviewing — if you only need CV screening, there are more focused options. Pricing puts it out of reach for most small teams.

5. Pinpoint

Best for: UK companies wanting an ATS with built-in screening automation

Pinpoint is a UK-founded ATS (based in Jersey) that includes automated screening as part of its broader applicant tracking platform. It filters candidates based on configurable requirements, automates interview scheduling, and handles bulk communication via email, SMS, or WhatsApp.

Where Pinpoint shines is bridging high-volume and corporate hiring in one platform. Multi-location organisations can set different workflows by region or department while maintaining centralised reporting. Customer results include a 55% reduction in time-to-hire and 60% improvement in candidate satisfaction.

UK fit: UK-founded with UK phone support. Built for multi-location UK organisations. Strong GDPR compliance.

Pricing: Not publicly disclosed. Requires a pricing request.

Limitations: Screening is one feature among many — it's not a specialist AI screening tool. The AI capabilities are less sophisticated than purpose-built screening platforms. Best value if you need a full ATS, not just screening.

6. TestGorilla

Best for: Skills-first hiring where assessments matter more than CV content

TestGorilla takes a fundamentally different approach. Rather than screening CVs, candidates complete skills assessments from a library of 350+ tests covering programming, cognitive ability, personality, and language proficiency. The AI then matches assessment results against role requirements.

This sidesteps many CV-screening pitfalls — unconscious bias toward certain universities, keyword gaming, and formatting preferences. It's screening based on demonstrated ability rather than self-reported experience. They also offer AI resume scoring as a secondary feature.

With 5 million candidates assessed annually and a talent pool of 2M+ pre-tested candidates, the platform has significant scale.

UK fit: Available in the UK market. Tests available in multiple languages. GDPR-compliant data handling.

Pricing: Free trial available. Paid plans from approximately £85-95/month per user (converted from USD pricing).

Limitations: Requires candidates to complete assessments upfront, which adds friction and can reduce application completion rates. Not a direct CV screening replacement — it's a different methodology entirely. Works best for roles where skills testing is practical (technical, cognitive) and less well for senior hires where track record matters more than test performance.

7. ResumeScreening.ai

Best for: Budget-conscious teams wanting simple, fast screening

ResumeScreening.ai offers straightforward AI screening: upload a job description and CVs, receive a ranked candidate list within seconds. The platform has processed over 144,000 resumes and supports PDF, DOC, DOCX, and bulk ZIP uploads.

The standout feature is flexibility — you can use their credits system or plug in your own OpenAI API key to remove limitations entirely. For technically comfortable teams, this makes it one of the most cost-effective options available.

UK fit: Platform is accessible from the UK. Data transfer uses end-to-end encryption. Users can delete submitted data on demand.

Pricing: Free tier (5 resumes per upload). Paid plans from approximately £8/month (converted from $10 USD). BYO OpenAI key option removes limits at API cost only.

Limitations: Minimal explainability — you get rankings, not detailed reasoning for each decision. No rubric customisation. Basic compared to tools with semantic matching. The "bring your own API key" approach means screening quality depends on the underlying model, which you don't control. Limited GDPR documentation compared to EU/UK-focused tools.

8. CVViZ

Best for: Budget-conscious SMBs getting started with AI screening

CVViZ offers AI screening at a fraction of enterprise prices. The platform parses CVs, extracts skills, and ranks candidates against job requirements. It's straightforward, functional, and affordable — a solid entry point for teams exploring automated screening for the first time.

UK fit: Available in the UK market. Basic GDPR compliance.

Pricing: From approximately £20/month (converted from ~$25 USD).

Limitations: Less sophisticated AI than premium options. Limited explainability. Good for getting started, but may limit you as volume grows or as your screening needs become more nuanced.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	Marxel	Rippling	Oleeo	HireVue	Pinpoint	TestGorilla	ResumeScreening.ai	CVViZ
Primary focus	CV screening	Unified workforce platform	High-volume hiring	Video + CV screening	ATS with screening	Skills assessments	CV ranking	CV parsing
AI approach	Semantic matching + rubric	Feedback analysis	Intelligent Selection	Behavioural + content	Requirement filtering	Assessment matching	LLM-based ranking	Pattern matching
Screening speed (200 CVs)	~4 minutes	N/A (not primary use)	~35 min to interview	Moderate	Moderate	Assessment-dependent	Seconds (basic)	Fast
Explainability	Detailed per-candidate reasoning	Feedback summaries	Score-based	Score-based	Basic filtering	Assessment scores	Ranking only	Limited
Free tier	Yes (25 CVs/mo)	No	No	No	No	Free trial	Yes (5 CVs)	Limited
UK pricing (starting)	£49/mo	Custom	Custom	Custom	Custom	~£85/mo	~£8/mo	~£20/mo
UK headquarters	No	No	Yes	No	Yes (Jersey)	No	No	No
Best for	SMBs wanting transparency	Companies on Rippling	Enterprise volume	Enterprise video-first	UK multi-location	Skills-first hiring	Budget/DIY teams	Budget SMBs

How to Choose: Decision Framework

You're a recruitment agency handling multiple clients

Consider: Marxel or ResumeScreening.ai

You need speed, flexibility across different role types, and clear reasoning you can explain to clients. Standalone tools win here because you likely already have your own systems. For agencies handling high volumes, see our guide on how to screen 200 CVs in a day.

You're an in-house HR team at a growing UK startup

Consider: Marxel or Pinpoint

If you need a full ATS with built-in screening, Pinpoint gives you everything in one UK-based platform. If you already have an ATS and just need better screening, Marxel slots in alongside your existing tools with a free tier to test.

You're a large enterprise with 500+ hires per year

Consider: Oleeo or HireVue

Integration complexity matters at scale. Oleeo's UK public sector experience and HireVue's enterprise track record reduce implementation risk. Both handle the compliance requirements that come with large-scale hiring.

You want to move beyond CV-based screening entirely

Consider: TestGorilla

If you believe CVs are a poor predictor of job performance (there's evidence for this), skills assessments offer an alternative. Best for roles where you can test for the skills that matter.

You're on a tight budget and technically comfortable

Consider: ResumeScreening.ai or CVViZ

Both offer functional screening at low cost. ResumeScreening.ai's BYO API key option is particularly cost-effective if you're comfortable managing an OpenAI account.

UK-Specific Compliance Considerations

GDPR and Automated Decision-Making

Under UK GDPR (Article 22), candidates have rights regarding automated decision-making. If your AI screening tool makes decisions that significantly affect candidates without meaningful human involvement, you must:

Inform candidates that automated processing is being used
Provide meaningful information about the logic involved
Offer the right to obtain human intervention
Allow candidates to contest the decision

Practical impact: Tools with clear explainability (showing why a candidate was scored a certain way) make compliance straightforward. Black-box tools that output rankings without reasoning create risk.

UK Equality Act 2010

Your screening criteria — whether applied manually or by AI — must not indirectly discriminate on protected characteristics. This means:

Review AI-generated rubrics before processing to catch potentially discriminatory criteria
Ensure "years of experience" requirements don't disproportionately exclude younger candidates or career changers
Be cautious with location-based filtering that could correlate with ethnicity
Audit screening outcomes periodically for demographic patterns

Data Residency

Some UK organisations (particularly public sector and regulated industries) have requirements about where candidate data is stored and processed. Check whether your chosen tool:

Stores data in UK or EU data centres
Transfers data outside the UK (and if so, under what safeguards)
Provides a Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
Allows data deletion on request

The Honest Reality of AI CV Screening

No tool is perfect. Here's what realistic expectations look like:

What AI screening does well:

Consistent application of criteria across hundreds of CVs
Speed that makes screening 200 CVs in a day actually feasible
Catching qualified candidates that human reviewers miss due to fatigue
Structured evaluation that's auditable and explainable

What it doesn't replace:

Human judgment on culture fit and team dynamics
Nuanced evaluation of career narratives and growth trajectories
The final hiring decision — AI screens, humans decide
Relationship building with candidates

The best approach combines AI efficiency with human oversight. Use AI to handle the volume problem, then invest your time where it matters most — talking to the candidates who've been identified as strong fits.

Sources

ICO: AI and data protection guidance — UK AI/data protection compliance guidance
UK GDPR (legislation) — Legal context for automated decision-making and transparency
Equality Act 2010 — UK anti-discrimination framework
Adzuna UK job market report — UK job market and application-volume context
Marxel pricing — Current Marxel plan limits and pricing