Comparison · 2026
5 Best Predictive Index Alternatives for Skills Assessment
Criteria Corp, Wonderlic and SHL compared with Predictive Index on price, anti-cheating and candidate drop-off, and which one fits which kind of hiring.
The short version
The most widely used Predictive Index alternatives are Criteria Corp, Wonderlic, SHL and Hogan Assessments, plus Cohesyve — which is our own product, so weigh this page accordingly. Predictive Index itself is strongest for organisations that want a consistent behavioural and cognitive profile across hiring, team design and management, and have trained practitioners to interpret it. The right choice depends on what you need to measure, not on which tool has the longest feature list.
- Criteria Corp — Validated aptitude and personality tests with self-serve setup. Subscription; check their site.
- Wonderlic — Quick cognitive-ability screening. Subscription; check their site.
- SHL — Enterprise psychometrics with published validation. Enterprise; contact sales.
- Hogan Assessments — Personality assessment for leadership selection. Custom; contact sales.
A 30-minute call where we build an assessment for a role you are hiring now, so you can compare it with Predictive Index on your own candidates.
The Predictive Index (PI) is a behavioural and cognitive assessment platform used to understand how people work and whether they fit a role and a team, positioned as “talent optimisation” rather than skills testing. It is widely used for hiring, team design and management development. Teams look for an alternative when they need to know whether a candidate can actually do the job, when they want something self-serve and role-specific rather than a trait profile, or when the practitioner training and subscription model is more than they need. This guide compares the best Predictive Index alternatives for hiring teams, including Cohesyve.
Why teams look for a Predictive Index alternative
- It measures behavioural drives and cognitive ability, not whether someone can perform the work
- Getting value depends on trained practitioners interpreting profiles
- Subscription covers a platform used beyond hiring, which teams focused on selection may not need
- Behavioural profiles are a poor primary filter for skills-heavy roles
- Teams want a signal tied to the specific job description, not a general pattern
What Predictive Index does well
The Predictive Index offers a short behavioural assessment that maps a person’s workplace drives, a cognitive assessment, and a platform for using those profiles across hiring, team building, engagement and management. Its hiring use is about fit: comparing a candidate’s behavioural pattern to a target profile for the role. It is well established, quick for candidates to complete, and sold as a subscription, typically with practitioner certification for the people interpreting results.
Best for
Where Predictive Index falls short
- Does not assess job skills; a strong profile says nothing about whether someone can do the work
- Value depends on interpretation by trained users
- Priced and packaged as an organisation-wide platform, not a hiring tool
- Target profiles can encode the current team rather than what the role needs
- Not designed for technical or analytical evaluation
Cohesyve vs Predictive Index
Cohesyve is our product. This is the comparison as we see it — check it against a trial of both.
| Cohesyve | Predictive Index | |
|---|---|---|
| What is measured | Whether the candidate can do the work of the role | Behavioural drives and cognitive ability |
| Basis | A unique assessment generated from your job description | A standardised behavioural assessment and target profile |
| Interpretation | Rubric-based scores your team reviews directly | Profiles interpreted by trained practitioners |
| Pricing model | Volume-based subscription from $199/month, no seat fees | Platform subscription; check their site |
| Scope | Hiring assessment | Hiring, team design, engagement, development |
| Pricing model | Transparent subscription sized to hiring volume | Platform subscription; check their site |
| What it measures | Job-specific skills and judgement | Behavioural pattern and cognitive ability |
| Question uniqueness | Unique assessment generated per candidate | Standardised assessment |
| Setup time | Under 5 minutes, self-serve | Quick to send; interpretation needs training |
| Role coverage | Any knowledge-based role | Any role, via behavioural fit |
| Candidate time | Varies by role; a preview of the work | Short behavioural assessment |
| Free trial | 10 free candidates on signup | Check their site |
| Contract terms | Monthly or annual, cancel anytime on monthly | Annual subscription |
Cohesyve
See the difference on one of your own roles
Paste a job description and Cohesyve builds a role-specific assessment with a scoring rubric. Ten candidates free, no card, so you can run it beside Predictive Index on a live req.
The other Predictive Index alternatives
Criteria Corp
Subscription; check their siteBest for Validated aptitude and personality tests with self-serve setup
Key difference Broader test types, hiring-focused
Wonderlic
Subscription; check their siteBest for Quick cognitive-ability screening
Key difference Cognitive first, lighter on behavioural profiling
SHL
Enterprise; contact salesBest for Enterprise psychometrics with published validation
Key difference Deeper batteries and governance, heavier procurement
Hogan Assessments
Custom; contact salesBest for Personality assessment for leadership selection
Key difference Personality depth for senior roles
Which one should you pick?
Choose Cohesyve if
- You need to know whether a candidate can do the job before you interview them
- You want a role-specific signal from the job description, not a trait profile
- You want scores your team can read without certification
- You hire for skills-heavy roles where fit is secondary to capability
Choose Predictive Index if
- You want one behavioural framework used across hiring, teams and management
- You have trained practitioners and a target profile for each role
- Fit and working style are the main things you are selecting on
- You value a very short candidate assessment
Common questions
Does the Predictive Index measure skills?
No. It measures behavioural drives and cognitive ability and compares them to a target profile. It does not tell you whether a candidate can perform the specific tasks of a role, which is what a skills or work-sample assessment is for.
What is the best Predictive Index alternative?
For behavioural and cognitive profiling with self-serve setup, Criteria Corp and Wonderlic are the common alternatives; SHL for enterprise depth. If what you actually need is evidence of ability, Cohesyve generates a role-specific assessment from a job description — it is our own product, so compare on a trial.
How is Cohesyve different from the Predictive Index?
They answer different questions. PI describes how someone tends to work. Cohesyve shows whether they can do the work of your specific role, through a unique assessment generated from your job description and scored against a rubric. Self-serve, no practitioner training, priced from $199/month.
Can I use both?
Yes, and many teams do: a skills assessment to establish capability, then a behavioural profile to inform fit and onboarding. Using a behavioural profile as the primary filter for a skills-heavy role is where teams tend to go wrong.
Cohesyve · Skill assessments for hiring
Try Cohesyve against Predictive Index on a live role
We'll build an assessment for a role you're hiring right now, so you can compare the candidate experience and the results side by side rather than taking our word for it.
1,500+
assessments completed
50%
faster time-to-hire
90%
completion rate
5 min
from JD to assessment
No credit card · 10 free candidates · Plans sized to your hiring volume
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