Zorky CRM vs Potok
Potok (T-Bank, formerly Tinkoff) is a universal enterprise-grade HR system: it fits hiring across IT, retail, blue-collar and government. Zorky CRM is a specialised tool built specifically for IT recruiting: it collects candidates from Telegram on its own and transparently explains every score. If you run a small or mid-sized IT agency in CIS or Europe, see the comparison below.
| Feature | Zorky CRM | Potok |
|---|---|---|
| Where jobs and candidates come from | ✓Public sources — Telegram channels and job sites across CIS and Europe, collected automatically | Pulls from hh.ru, SuperJob and aggregators. No Telegram channels |
| Candidate matching and score explanation | ✓Match score from 0 to 100 across five signals — skills, role, level, job intent, location. The breakdown is visible alongside the score | Smart scoring exists, but at the level of "fit / partial / no" — no breakdown |
| Candidate database with history | ✓Custom tags, call and email history with outcomes, candidate reservation by recruiter, verification mark, freshness hints | Candidate database with tags; no unified structured contact history out of the box |
| Focus on IT in CIS and Europe | ✓The system is tuned for the IT market and CIS/European sources | Universal system for any hiring — IT, retail, blue-collar, government. Not IT-specialised |
| Pipeline stages and interview scorecards | Drag-and-drop candidate board, stage history, score breakdown. Interview scorecards — on the near-term roadmap | ✓Out-of-the-box configurable interview scorecards, interviewer reports |
| Integrations (messengers, calendars, HR systems) | Basic: Telegram notifications, spreadsheet exports. Email and calendar sync — on the near-term roadmap | ✓Out-of-the-box integrations: Slack, Telegram, Google and Outlook Calendar, HH, 1C-ZUP, Salesforce |
| Maturity and certifications | Young project (2026). Data protection in place, ISO certification not yet | ✓Backed by T-Bank, has enterprise customers, in the market since 2018 |
| Stage and custom-field configuration | Pipeline stages are fixed: application → screening → interview → offer → start | ✓Stages and fields are configurable per industry — banking, retail and others |
When to choose Zorky CRM
- IT agency with 2–20 recruiters and a budget up to $500/month
- Candidates come from CIS Telegram channels — that is our main source
- Explainable AI matters so you can tell the client "here is why this candidate scored 84"
- You do not need features for other industries (retail, blue-collar) — IT only
- Comfortable working independently, without a dedicated account manager
When Potok is the better fit
- In-house hiring team at a large company (100+ hires per quarter)
- You need out-of-the-box integrations with 1C-ZUP, Salesforce, corporate calendars
- Hiring across several industries at once — IT and non-IT in one system
- Enterprise procurement requires ISO or SOC 2 certification
- Budget is several thousand dollars per month, the stability of a large product matters
Key differences in detail
1. Specialised tool vs universal system
Potok is a universal system for any hiring. For a large company that is a plus (one system across IT, retail and blue-collar), but for a specialised IT agency it adds noise: features for other industries get in the way. Zorky CRM is built narrowly for IT — the system is tuned to IT technologies, roles and levels. Fewer features, but each one sits closer to the IT recruiter's actual work.
2. Telegram collection as an advantage
In CIS IT recruiting, most candidates and jobs are published on Telegram — in channels, groups and comments. Potok does not use this source (its focus is hh.ru and SuperJob). For Zorky CRM this is the primary source: Channels and sites are collected around the clock. Such a network cannot be replicated quickly.
3. Pricing for a small agency
Potok is sized for enterprise customers — minimum packages target agencies of 50+ recruiters. A small agency of 3–5 either overpays for unused capacity or does not fit the terms. Zorky is built for teams of 2 to 20 recruiters.