SHL is the reference point for validated psychometrics. BolderBrain takes assessment results the rest of the way: into development plans, into training decisions, and into evidence that the training worked.
Three patterns come up again and again in conversations with L&D and HR leaders.
Enterprise psychometrics come with enterprise pricing and implementation. If your question is about a 200-person team's development plan, you are buying validation depth you will not use.
The output is designed to inform hiring and promotion decisions. Nothing in the product takes the next step and assigns the development work.
Consultative deployment suits large enterprises. Smaller teams need to be running assessments in days.
Same eleven categories we use on the full comparison, scored the same way.
| Capability | BolderBrain | SHL |
|---|---|---|
| 360° Multi-Rater Feedback Self, peer, and manager assessments with configurable templates | ||
| Cognitive ability testing Numerical, verbal, spatial, and logical reasoning | ||
| EQ (Goleman-based) Testing Emotional intelligence across 5 domains | ||
| Psychometric (Big Five/OCEAN) Full personality profiling with validity checks | ||
| TNA / Training Needs Analysis Gap-driven training identification and planning | ||
| Pre/Post Training Impact Measure training ROI with paired assessments | ||
| AI Coaching & Insights Personalized AI-generated development narratives | ||
| Automated Action Engine Post-assessment dev plan with streak tracking | ||
| 9-Box Talent Grid (Auto-Suggest) Evidence-based talent mapping from assessment data | ||
| Skills Inventory Heatmap Real-time competency gap visualization | ||
| Single Integrated Data Model One platform connecting all assessment data |
Based on publicly documented product capabilities at the time of writing. A blank cell means the capability is not part of that product's documented surface, not that the vendor cannot deliver it as a service.
A comparison that only goes one way is not worth reading. These are the cases where we would tell you to stay.
If you need selection decisions that stand up to legal or regulatory scrutiny, SHL's research base and norm groups are the strongest argument in the category.
Comparing a candidate or an employee against a genuine global norm group is something a young platform cannot honestly claim.
Procurement, security review and integration questions are well-trodden for them, which shortens large-company buying cycles.
Results generate concrete weekly actions with streak tracking, so a manager does not have to translate a psychometric report into a plan.
Pre and post assessments around a training programme produce a measurable delta per person and per competency.
Annual seat licences are on the pricing page. No custom quote to find out whether the platform is in budget.
Bring the assessment you already run and we will map it to the same eleven categories, then show what the development side looks like with the data joined up.
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