vsMarvin Recruiter vs Firefish
Timesheets to invoice in one tool vs a UK recruitment CRM without invoicing
Target : UK agencies, perm, contract and temp
Marvin
Firefish
Weighted score: ✅ = 1, 🟡 = 0.5, ➖ not counted. A criterion the vendor does not document publicly is left out of both scores.
In summary
Firefish is a recruitment CRM built for UK agencies. Its plans follow the desk: Core for perm, Scale adds contract, Enterprise adds temp with a shift scheduler and rate and time clock. Timesheets progress through client approval, Match AI and outbound sequences run from the CRM, and add-on modules (portals, websites) start at £150 per module. Firefish does not issue invoices itself. Marvin goes from the half-day timesheet signed by the client to the day-rate invoice in the same tool. Marvin does not run PAYE or RTI payroll, decide IR35 status or handle hourly timesheets.
Why Marvin against Firefish
The decisive strengths that tip a decision.
Day-rate invoices drafted from approved timesheets — Firefish reviewers ask to "invoice through the database"
Contractor self-service space: assignments, monthly timesheet, expenses, invoices
AI note-taker and LinkedIn sourcing included in the Suite plan
Feature — Marvin vs Firefish
Honest functional audit — every cell is sourced from the competitor's official site and public reviews.
What Firefish does better
We're not telling a one-sided story. Here's where Firefish keeps an edge.
Built for UK recruitment agencies, with temp shifts and a rate and time clock on Enterprise — Marvin works in days and half-days only
Strong review scores on Capterra UK: 4.6/5 overall, 4.7/5 for customer support
Job board integrations — Marvin has no UK job boards today
What reviewers criticise about Firefish
Capterra UK: 4.6/5 from 291 reviews (seen 5 October 2026).
“I would like to be able to invoice through the database”
“The 30 day notice to terminate the accounts is a bit of a struggle”
“Sometimes it's difficult to pull the relevant data needed in standard reports”
Pricing — what's included
Marvin Recruiter
Pro £129, Suite £169 / user / month billed annually (£149 and £199 billed monthly); 12-month commitment, including when paid monthly
Included with Marvin
Pro: Desk (ATS, CRM, outreach, missions and timesheets, invoicing) and Career (career site). Suite adds Scout (AI sourcing), Note (AI interview notes) and Board (client portal).
Firefish
Core, Scale and Enterprise on quote; add-on modules from £150 per module
Sources
- Firefish home page (checked 5 October 2026)
- Firefish pricing (checked 5 October 2026)
- Capterra UK reviews (checked 5 October 2026)
Last reviewed: 5 October 2026
Migration & onboarding handled for you
Painless switch — no data loss, no rebuilding your database.
Full database transfer (candidates, clients, missions)
Deduplication clean-up included (LinkedIn + email + phone)
Dedicated CSM throughout onboarding
Let's talk about your goals
30 minutes to understand your challenges and show you how Marvin can transform your day-to-day.