2025 Executive Talent Mapping Software Comparison
Avature vs Clockwork vs MapX vs Talentis vs Linkedin Recruiter
For any in-house executive search or talent intelligence function, the platforms you choose play a critical role in your team’s efficiency and success.
There are several well-established platforms in the market that look to have features relevant to leadership and executive recruitment —LinkedIn Recruiter, Talentis, Clockwork Recruiting, MapX, Avature, and BoardEx — each with their own strengths. In this article we do a side by side comparison against the specific demands of executive-level hiring, talent mapping, and succession planning strategy to help guide on what might be the most appropriate platform for you.
Comparison Criteria
We’ve focused on ten areas commonly evaluated when selecting executive hiring platforms:
Search Functionality & Data Relevance
Job Title & Company Classification
Talent Intelligence & Analytics
Candidate Assessment Tools
Org Chart Visualisation
Reporting & Stakeholder Presentation
Access to Human Expertise
Fit for Executive Hiring Teams
Third Party Integrations
Pricing
1. Search Functionality & Data Relevance
MapX
Built around a focused dataset of ~22 million leadership profiles from companies with 100+ employees. Searches are highly targeted, making it fast and relevant for leadership hiring.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Offers the largest global talent pool with strong filtering options. Particularly useful for broader sourcing needs but requires manual refinement for exec-level targeting.
Talentis
Designed with executive search firms in mind, with strong coverage and intuitive UX for leadership roles. Suited to retained search workflows.
Clockwork
Primarily a project management tool for executive search, it’s often paired with external databases for sourcing.
Avature
A highly customisable enterprise ATS/CRM with broad talent management features, including sourcing modules. Strong system, but not tailored specifically to executive hiring.
BoardEx
Specialises in board-level connections and relationships. Very effective in that space, but with narrower candidate coverage outside of boardrooms.
✔ Best for exec-focused sourcing: MapX
✔ Best for broad reach: LinkedIn Recruiter
✔ Best for board visibility: BoardEx
2. Job Title & Company Classification
MapX
Uses a proprietary algorithms to classify job titles by function and specialism—optimised for leadership hiring. Also categorises companies by structure, ownership, size and sector for richer talent mapping.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Offers keyword and Boolean-based job title search. Flexible but requires manual curation to combine function and organisational context.
Talentis
Includes standardised job titles and a clean UI for searching senior candidates. Well-suited for straightforward searches.
Clockwork / Avature
Classification depends on how data is imported and structured—configurable, but not tailored out-of-the-box for leadership categorisation.
BoardEx
Excellent at identifying relationships and connections between senior professionals but less detailed in terms of job title taxonomy, career patheways and function-specific mapping.
✔ Best for multi-dimensional role searches: MapX
✔ Best for connection-driven insight: BoardEx
3. Talent Intelligence & Analytics
Platform Summary
MapX
Offers built-in analytics on location, diversity, sector experience, functional background, and organisational exposure. Developed by practitioners of talent intelligence.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Provides high-level insights on talent pools (e.g. location, education, company size) but with less specificity for exec hiring.
Avature
Highly customisable with strong reporting and dashboard capabilities—great for enterprise-level talent teams but often requires setup.
Talentis / Clockwork
Designed more for sourcing and project execution than for integrated analytics. External tools typically used for reporting.
BoardEx
Strong company and board-level intelligence. Ideal for succession mapping at the top table.
✔ Best for executive talent analytics out of the box: MapX
✔ Best for board succession insight: BoardEx
✔ Best for enterprise dashboard customisation: Avature
4. Candidate Assessment Tools
MapX
Features ‘Fit to Brief’—an AI-driven scoring engine that ranks candidates against up to six hyper-specific criteria (e.g. brand marketing experience + investor-backed + international exposure). Speeds up review and shortlisting.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Manual profile review is required. No native scoring functionality.
Talentis / Clockwork / Avature
Candidates can be tagged and rated manually. More workflow-focused than assessment-driven.
BoardEx
Prioritises relationship insights and board positions—assessment typically handled externally.
✔ Best for rapid profile analysis: MapX
5. Org Chart Visualisation
MapX
Provides up to date org chart views showing seniority, diversity, reporting lines, team structures, and hiring patterns. Designed to inform succession and talent strategy.
BoardEx
Offers relationship-based maps, particularly strong for tracking board interlocks and governance structures.
LinkedIn / Talentis / Clockwork / Avature
No org chart visualisation—structure must be inferred manually or built externally.
✔ Best for leadership team mapping: MapX
✔ Best for board-level relationship mapping: BoardEx
6. Reporting & Stakeholder Presentation
MapX
One-click export to branded PowerPoint slides—includes market insights, top targets, profile summaries, commentary, and contact details. Fast and presentation-ready.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Exports basic profile data but not presentation-friendly. Manual compilation required.
Avature
Supports reporting but requires template configuration and doesn’t automatically generate stakeholder decks.
Talentis / Clockwork
Project updates can be exported, but not designed for stakeholder presentation.
BoardEx Provides company-level and individual summaries—used more for relationship reporting than talent search decks.
✔ Best for stakeholder-ready talent maps: MapX
7. Access to Human Expertise
MapX
Includes access to MapX’s in-house research team—offering credits for bespoke market mapping and executive search support. Unique hybrid model.
LinkedIn / BoardEx
Purely self-serve platforms. Research support not included.
Talentis
Research support available on request through partner network.
Clockwork / Avature
Platform only—internal team executes the work.
✔ Best for flexible research augmentation: MapX
8. Fit for Executive Hiring Teams
MapX
Designed specifically for executive TA teams, internal search, and succession planning. Combines talent mapping, analytics, sourcing and presentation in one tool.
LinkedIn Recruiter
A staple for most talent teams. Great reach but less specialised for exec-level complexity.
Talentis / Clockwork
Popular with executive search firms for project tracking and delivery. Less common in in-house settings.
Avature
Enterprise-scale system suitable for large TA teams managing end-to-end recruitment. Exec search capability is configurable but not native.
BoardEx
Strong tool for corporate governance, board succession and investor-focused leadership insights. Complements TA but doesn’t replace it.
✔ Best all-round fit for internal executive hiring: MapX
9. Third-Party Integrations
MapX
Able to integrate with various Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and HR tools upon request and tailored to organisational needs.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Offers integrations with numerous ATS platforms through its Recruiter System Connect feature, allowing users to access LinkedIn data within their ATS environment. Notable ATS partners include Jobylon and Dynamics ATS.
Talentis
Provides a Chrome extension that enhances sourcing capabilities across the web and integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Word for streamlined communication and reporting. Specific third-party integrations are limited but compensated by its web extension functionalities.
Clockwork
Supports integrations with various tools, including Microsoft Azure Active Directory for Single Sign-On and Okta for streamlined user access. Additionally, offers connections with AI platforms like Metaview to enhance recruiting conversations.
Avature
Provides a comprehensive Integration Framework with multiple options: Self-Service, Full-Service, and Off-the-Shelf integrations, allowing organizations to build and manage their ideal tech stack. Integrates with various HR tools and platforms.
BoardEx
Offers integrations with CRM systems such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365, enabling users to access executive profile data within their existing workflows. Also provides a Developer API for custom integrations.
✔ Best for Enterprise integrations: Avature
10. Pricing
MapX
Offers tailored pricing based on organisational needs, including factors like user seats and required features. Provides a hybrid model combining product access with expert research support. For detailed pricing, direct consultation is recommended.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Pricing varies based on the package: Recruiter Lite starts at $170/month for a single license, with discounts for multiple licenses. Recruiter Corporate pricing is customized based on organizational needs and requires direct consultation with LinkedIn.
Talentis
Offers promotional pricing with options for monthly or annual contracts. A free one-week trial is available without commitment. Specific pricing details are provided upon request.
Clockwork
Provides a single plan with all features at $149 per user per month when billed annually. This includes tools for client collaboration, team management, data management, and business development.
Avature
Pricing is competitive within the talent management market, approximately $8-14 per employee per month (PEPM). Additional costs may arise for extensive configuration and customisation.
BoardEx
As an enterprise solution, pricing is determined by factors such as chosen products, organization size, data access methods, and license term. Direct consultation is necessary to obtain specific pricing information.
Final Thoughts: The Right Tool for Your Executive Hiring Strategy
Each of the platforms in this comparison brings real value—and choosing the right one depends on your priorities, context, and goals.
If you're looking for:
Broad, high-volume sourcing → LinkedIn Recruiter
Relationship intelligence at board level → BoardEx
Customisable ATS or CRM functionality → Avature
Workflow and project tools for retained search → Clockwork / Talentis
...these platforms are solid options.
But if you want an all-in-one solution designed specifically for leadership and executive talent mapping—with deep search, built-in analytics, real-time mapping, stakeholder-ready reporting, and expert support—MapX stands apart.
👉 Want to see how MapX compares in action?
Book a live demo and explore how MapX helps you find, map and engage the right executive talent—faster, smarter, and with more impact.