§ The result
Eightfold AI leads softgarden on all 7 criteria.
Under rubric v1.0, Eightfold AI (Sourcing) opens a 22-point lead on softgarden (ATS-integrated), 64 (D) to 42 (F). Of the 7 criteria softgarden wins none, and the narrowest lead Eightfold AI holds is on Human Oversight Design, Eightfold AI 60 to softgarden 58. Bias Audit Transparency is both the widest raw gap and the heaviest weighted swing — Eightfold AI 85, softgarden 22 — and at an 18% weight it carries 51% of the weighted advantage Eightfold AI holds across the 7 criteria on that side of the table.
Vendor profile
Eightfold AI
Talent intelligence platform offering candidate matching, internal mobility, and career-site personalization on top of a deep-learning talent graph.
Vendor profile
softgarden
softgarden is a German cloud applicant tracking system (multiposting, career sites, applicant management and onboarding) with optional AI features: AI-Assisted Applicant Matching, which highlights applicants who closely match a job's requirements, and a newer LLM-based Screening Assistant, which scores each applicant against screening criteria.
§ The record
Eightfold AI is filed under Candidate sourcing AI, softgarden under ATS-integrated AI. They record no secondary category in common.
Both are in scope of EU AI Act, Colorado AI Act and NYC LL 144. Only softgarden is in scope of Illinois HB 3773.
| Record | Eightfold AI | softgarden |
|---|---|---|
| Price tier | Enterprise | Mid |
| Headquarters | US | DE |
| Founded | 2016 | 2001 |
§ What decides it
The criteria that move the gap, heaviest swing first.
18% weight · 51% of the movement so far
Bias Audit Transparency
Eightfold AI 85 · softgarden 22
11.3 weighted points to Eightfold AI
20% weight · 81% of the movement so far
Article 11 Technical Documentation
Eightfold AI 75 · softgarden 42
6.6 weighted points to Eightfold AI
15% weight · 91% of the movement so far
FRIA Support
Eightfold AI 45 · softgarden 30
2.3 weighted points to Eightfold AI
15% weight · 95% of the movement so far
Data Governance Disclosure
Eightfold AI 60 · softgarden 54
0.9 weighted points to Eightfold AI
12% weight · 98% of the movement so far
Post-Market Monitoring
Eightfold AI 50 · softgarden 44
0.7 weighted points to Eightfold AI
12% weight · 99% of the movement so far
Human Oversight Design
Eightfold AI 60 · softgarden 58
0.2 weighted points to Eightfold AI
8% weight · 100% of the movement so far
Customer Documentation
Eightfold AI 60 · softgarden 58
0.2 weighted points to Eightfold AI
Weighted delta is the raw difference times the criterion weight, so the 7 figures above sum to +22.2 — the difference between the two totals before either is rounded. Shares are of 22.2 points of movement counted without direction. The table below rounds each side to a whole number first, so its Δ raw total reads +22 beside that +22.2.
§ Category-by-category
Raw score per criterion, with weighted delta.
Δ is Eightfold AI minus softgarden.
| Category | Weight | Eightfold AI | softgarden | Δ raw | Δ weighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Article 11 Technical Documentation | 20% | 75 | 42 | +33 | +6.6 |
| Bias Audit Transparency | 18% | 85 | 22 | +63 | +11.3 |
| FRIA Support | 15% | 45 | 30 | +15 | +2.3 |
| Data Governance Disclosure | 15% | 60 | 54 | +6 | +0.9 |
| Human Oversight Design | 12% | 60 | 58 | +2 | +0.2 |
| Post-Market Monitoring | 12% | 50 | 44 | +6 | +0.7 |
| Customer Documentation | 8% | 60 | 58 | +2 | +0.2 |
| Total | 100% | 64 (D) | 42 (F) | +22 | +22.2 |
§ Evidence
Cited sources and documented absences, criterion by criterion.
An absence is a finding, not a blank: the reviewer looked for a named artefact and recorded that it is not located. Where a source sits is a fact about hosting only.
| Criterion | Weight | Eightfold AI | softgarden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cited | Absences | Audit / hosting | Cited | Absences | Audit / hosting | ||
| Article 11 Technical Documentation | 20% | 3 | 0 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 6 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| Bias Audit Transparency | 18% | 3 | 0 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domainSources on a separate domain | 3 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| FRIA Support | 15% | 2 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 3 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| Data Governance Disclosure | 15% | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domain |
| Human Oversight Design | 12% | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| Post-Market Monitoring | 12% | 1 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domain |
| Customer Documentation | 8% | 2 | 0 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 2 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| All criteria | 100% | 13 | 2 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domainSources on a separate domain | 31 | 5 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domain |
Eightfold AI has 15 evidence rows across 7 of 7 criteria — 13 with a source URL, 2 documented absences; softgarden has 36 evidence rows across 7 of 7 criteria — 31 with a source URL, 5 documented absences; some documentation or audit rows for Eightfold AI sit on a domain separate from the vendor's own site.
Provenance
The scores above are documented by 51 evidence rows on file for these two vendors: 15 for Eightfold AI, across 2 distinct source domains, and 36 for softgarden, across 3 distinct source domains.
- Rubric
- v1.0
- Eightfold AI last reviewed
- May 21, 2026 · HireAIScore editorial team
- softgarden last reviewed
- September 25, 2026 · HireAIScore editorial team
HireAIScore scores are editorial research, not legal advice, and no vendor pays for placement, scoring or removal — see the methodology, conflicts policy and terms.
§ Where next