Choosing the right HR tool can feel like navigating a complex maze. With so many platforms claiming to “revolutionize recruitment with AI,” how do you separate marketing buzz from measurable impact?

Two prominent names in the HR tech space are Lantern AI and Impress AI. Both offer powerful solutions, but the way they apply it and the value they deliver are very different.

This in-depth comparison will break down the key differences between the two tools. We will explore their features and examine ideal use cases to help you make an informed decision that enhances your talent-acquisition strategy.

Introducing the Contenders: Lantern AI and Impress AI

Lantern AI is a conversational AI interviewer that automates the early screening process and engages candidates 24/7. Lantern AI's two way AI interview nature gives hiring teams the opportunity to showcase company culture and answer candidate FAQs automatically, creating a more authentic and engaging experience for both sides.

Lantern AI is favored by organizations looking to handle high volumes of applicants efficiently and provide immediate, consistent communication from the first point of contact.

Impress AI, on the other hand, is primarily a recruitment automation platform that integrates AI into certain workflow components like screening and chat-based Q&A. While it offers helpful automation for early-stage candidate engagement, its functionality centers around chatbot-style AI assistance, not full interview simulation or deep contextual evaluation.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

While both HR tools use AI to improve recruitment, their feature sets reveal different core philosophies. Let's compare them across the functionalities that matter most to HR professionals.

Interview Intelligence: Where Lantern AI Stands Apart

Most HR tools today still rely on static, one-way recorded interviews, where candidates record scripted responses to pre-set questions. The problem? Those responses are often practiced, memorized, or even purchased from online prep platforms. Recruiters end up evaluating delivery, not depth.

Lantern AI solves this problem head-on.

Its conversational AI interviewer conducts two-way, adaptive video interviews, asking follow-up and clarification questions in real time. This ensures every candidate is truly understood, and every answer is verified for substance.

For example, if a candidate gives a vague answer like, “I improved team efficiency,” Lantern AI can follow up with:

“Can you describe how you measured that improvement?”

That capability gives recruiters actual insight into thinking patterns, communication style, and problem-solving ability - all before the first human interview ever happens.

Impress AI, by contrast, doesn’t conduct real interviews. Its system uses AI to support chatbot-based Q&A and pre-screening automation. It helps manage high volumes efficiently but doesn’t replicate the natural back-and-forth of a true interview or analyze verbal and behavioral cues.

Candidate Assessment

Lantern AI: Offers advanced, multi-faceted screening capabilities. The platform’s AI goes beyond simple keyword matching, using contextual analysis to understand a candidate's skills, experience, and potential fit. It can screen thousands of resumes in minutes, generate AI candidate reports, and rank and shortlist the most qualified individuals in one platform. This process has reduced manual effort by 85% and eliminates unconscious bias from the initial review stage.

Unlike keyword-matching tools, Lantern AI evaluates how candidates respond - tone, logic, confidence, reasoning - not just what they say.

Impress AI: Primarily uses AI-powered chatbots to screen candidates. These bots engage applicants in structured conversations, asking pre-set questions to qualify them based on job requirements. While effective for high-volume roles, this approach can sometimes feel impersonal and may not capture the nuances of a candidate's profile as effectively as a deep resume analysis.

Candidate Experience Meets Employer Branding

Lantern AI: Lantern AI transforms the traditional asynchronous interviews into two-way AI conversations. The system doesn’t just ask preset questions — it listens, responds, and even asks follow-up or clarification questions when needed, ensuring every response is meaningful and complete. 

But Lantern AI isn’t just an interviewer - it’s also a storyteller for your brand. Lantern AI can introduce your culture, mission, and work environment during the interviews. It can even answer candidate FAQs like “What’s the growth path in this role?” or “How flexible is your hybrid policy?

For candidates, the experience is frictionless. There’s no need to create an account or log in, eliminating unnecessary barriers and allows them to focus entirely on performing their best, not dealing with logistics.

What is usually a one-sided process turns into a mutual discovery experience, giving candidates clarity and connection while allowing companies to market themselves.

Impress AI: Can provide instant engagement. Its chatbots are available 24/7, meaning candidates can apply and get initial feedback anytime. This instant response system is a plus for candidate satisfaction in the early stages. However, the experience is largely automated and may lack the personalization that builds a deeper connection with top talent.

Employer Experience

Lantern AI is designed with simplicity and speed at its core - for both candidates and employers.

Setting up an interview takes less than a minute, and the platform is so intuitive that there’s virtually no learning curve. From creating assessments and sending invitations to reviewing candidate responses and making final hiring decisions -- everything happens seamlessly within one unified platform, requiring minimal clicks.

This streamlined workflow not only saves recruiters time but also creates consistency and transparency across the entire hiring process, allowing your team to focus making the right hiring decisions, faster.

Integration and Scalability

• Lantern AI: Built for seamless integration with your existing HR tech stack, including 30+ Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS). This ensures a smooth workflow and a single source of truth for all your hiring data. The platform is designed to scale with your organization, supporting everything from a mid-sized company's growth to a large enterprise's global hiring needs.
• Impress AI: Also offers integrations with popular ATS platforms. Its chatbot-centric model is highly scalable for handling massive application volumes. However, integrating it as one piece of a larger, more complex HR ecosystem can sometimes require more custom configuration compared to an all-in-one suite like Lantern AI.

The Verdict: Why Lantern AI is the Superior Choice

While Impress AI is an excellent HR tool for automating top-of-funnel engagement, Lantern AI offers a more complete and strategic solution for modern HR teams.

Recruitment in 2026 is about more than just managing high volumes of applicants. It’s about making smarter, data-driven decisions that impact the entire organization. Here’s why Lantern AI comes out as the top HR tool: 

1. Strategic vs. Tactical: Impress AI provides a tactical solution to a specific problem. Lantern AI provides a strategic platform that improves the entire talent acquisition lifecycle, from  screening to candidate experience and analytics.
3. Holistic Candidate Experience: A great candidate experience isn't just about a fast response. It's about feeling seen and valued. Lantern AI's blend of automation with personalized communication helps build stronger relationships with top candidates from start to finish.
4. Future-Proofing Your HR Function: As your organization grows, your needs will become more complex. Lantern AI is built to scale with you, offering a robust, all-in-one platform that eliminates the need to stitch together multiple point solutions.

If your goal is simply to automate chatbot conversations, Impress AI can be a choice. But if you are looking for an HR tool that transforms your talent acquisition function, reduces costs, and makes hiring a strategic advantage for your business, Lantern AI is the clear winner. It empowers you not just to fill roles faster, but to hire better.

TL;DR

Both Lantern AI and Impress AI streamline candidate screening, but they cater to different recruitment needs.

• Impress AI handles chatbot-based screening and early engagement. Efficient, but limited to surface-level Q&A.

• Lantern AI goes beyond automation with real, two-way AI interviews that think, listen, and respond like a human recruiter. It uncovers how candidates actually think, while automatically showcasing your company culture and values

If you’re ready to turn hiring into a strategic advantage that attracts, understands, and secures top talent in 2026, Lantern AI is the clear winner.

See more comparisons:

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• vs VidCruiter
• vs Kira Talent