§ The result
softgarden leads SeekOut by 8 points.
softgarden scores 42 and SeekOut 34 under rubric v1.0, an 8-point gap across the ATS-integrated and Sourcing cohorts. The 7 criteria split 6 to 1 in favour of softgarden: softgarden is ahead on Data Governance Disclosure and SeekOut on Bias Audit Transparency. SeekOut takes the heaviest weighted swing, Bias Audit Transparency at 18% (SeekOut 40, softgarden 22), 100% of the weighted advantage it builds, while the widest raw gap is on Customer Documentation, SeekOut 35 to softgarden 58.
Vendor profile
SeekOut
Sourcing platform aggregating public profile data into a searchable talent index, with AI-assisted candidate matching and outreach.
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
SeekOut 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 | SeekOut | softgarden |
|---|---|---|
| Price tier | Enterprise | Mid |
| Headquarters | US | DE |
| Founded | 2017 | 2001 |
§ What decides it
The criteria that move the gap, heaviest swing first.
18% weight · 23% of the movement so far
Bias Audit Transparency
SeekOut 40 · softgarden 22
3.2 weighted points to SeekOut
15% weight · 44% of the movement so far
Data Governance Disclosure
SeekOut 35 · softgarden 54
2.9 weighted points to softgarden
12% weight · 60% of the movement so far
Post-Market Monitoring
SeekOut 25 · softgarden 44
2.3 weighted points to softgarden
8% weight · 73% of the movement so far
Customer Documentation
SeekOut 35 · softgarden 58
1.8 weighted points to softgarden
12% weight · 85% of the movement so far
Human Oversight Design
SeekOut 45 · softgarden 58
1.6 weighted points to softgarden
20% weight · 95% of the movement so far
Article 11 Technical Documentation
SeekOut 35 · softgarden 42
1.4 weighted points to softgarden
15% weight · 100% of the movement so far
FRIA Support
SeekOut 25 · softgarden 30
0.8 weighted points to softgarden
Weighted delta is the raw difference times the criterion weight, so the 7 figures above sum to -7.4 — the difference between the two totals before either is rounded. Shares are of 13.9 points of movement counted without direction. The table below rounds each side to a whole number first, so its Δ raw total reads -8 beside that -7.4.
§ Category-by-category
Raw score per criterion, with weighted delta.
Δ is SeekOut minus softgarden.
| Category | Weight | SeekOut | softgarden | Δ raw | Δ weighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Article 11 Technical Documentation | 20% | 35 | 42 | -7 | -1.4 |
| Bias Audit Transparency | 18% | 40 | 22 | +18 | +3.2 |
| FRIA Support | 15% | 25 | 30 | -5 | -0.8 |
| Data Governance Disclosure | 15% | 35 | 54 | -19 | -2.9 |
| Human Oversight Design | 12% | 45 | 58 | -13 | -1.6 |
| Post-Market Monitoring | 12% | 25 | 44 | -19 | -2.3 |
| Customer Documentation | 8% | 35 | 58 | -23 | -1.8 |
| Total | 100% | 34 (F) | 42 (F) | -8 | -7.4 |
§ 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 | SeekOut | softgarden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cited | Absences | Audit / hosting | Cited | Absences | Audit / hosting | ||
| Article 11 Technical Documentation | 20% | 1 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 6 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| Bias Audit Transparency | 18% | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| FRIA Support | 15% | 0 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| Data Governance Disclosure | 15% | 1 | 0 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 7 | 0 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domain |
| Human Oversight Design | 12% | 1 | 0 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 5 | 0 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| Post-Market Monitoring | 12% | 0 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domain |
| Customer Documentation | 8% | 1 | 0 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 2 | 1 | Sources on the vendor's own domain |
| All criteria | 100% | 5 | 4 | Sources on the vendor's own domain | 31 | 5 | Audit reportSources on the vendor's own domain |
SeekOut has 9 evidence rows across 7 of 7 criteria — 5 with a source URL, 4 documented absences; softgarden has 36 evidence rows across 7 of 7 criteria — 31 with a source URL, 5 documented absences.
Provenance
The scores above are documented by 45 evidence rows on file for these two vendors: 9 for SeekOut, across 1 distinct source domain, and 36 for softgarden, across 3 distinct source domains.
- Rubric
- v1.0
- SeekOut 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