Live2026
Recruitment SaaS
RateCalc.io
Margin clarity for recruiters
Quote to cash for UK recruitment agencies: itemised rate proposals, Terms of Business signed online, and aged receivables from Xero.
North West · Software · AI
We build thehive.
MCR Labs is a software & AI studio in the North West of England. We design, build and ship our own products, then let each one feed the swarm.
Product design✦
Full-stack engineering✦
AI & automation✦
Recruitment tech✦
Multi-tenant SaaS✦
Data & billing✦
Brand & identity✦
Rapid prototyping✦
Product design✦
Full-stack engineering✦
AI & automation✦
Recruitment tech✦
Multi-tenant SaaS✦
Data & billing✦
Brand & identity✦
Rapid prototyping✦
The studio
Wedon'tsellhours.Webuildproducts.MCRLabsisaNorthWeststudiowheresoftwareandAIcompound.Everytoolweshipsharpensthenext.Onehive,manycreations.
What we do
A studio that ships
We design, build and run our own software products end to end.
Software engineering
Full-stack web products that work on any phone, from first prototype to production.
AI & automation
AI where it earns its place: reading documents and filling in the details, so people check rather than type.
Product & design
Brand, UX and interface design that make software feel fast, modern and genuinely good to use.
Cloud, data & payments
Multi-tenant architecture, secure data, billing and payments, the plumbing that lets products grow.
The swarm
Products from the hive
Each product is run by MCR Labs. Distinct products, one engineering culture.
Founding agencies2026
Recruitment Platform
HiveRec
Recruitment CRM with pay and bill
A recruitment CRM with pay and bill for UK temp agencies. Register, vet, book, approve hours and bill in one place, with right to work, AWR and working time checked as you go.
- Checked before it's booked: right to work, documents, working time and the AWR clock, on every booking.
- Pay and bill built in: approved hours become pay and bill runs and invoices.
- Both sides connected: a client portal for approving hours, and a worker app with nothing to install.
StatusReleased 30 September 2026. No agency pays yet, and we are looking for founding agencies.
0
Products live
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Sector packs in HiveRec
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Incorporated
How we work
Idea to product, on repeat
01
Spot the gap
We build for the market we know: UK recruitment. Real problems we've lived, not decks we've dreamt up.
02
Prototype fast
From idea to working product in weeks. We ship small and let usage tell us what's next.
03
Engineer for scale
Modern stack, built for many customers, AI where it helps. Built to hold up when the swarm grows.
04
Feed the hive
Every product sharpens our tooling and our craft. Wins compound across the whole lab.
Lab notes
What we've been shipping
Oct 2026HiveRec
hiverec.io goes live
HiveRec gets its own website. Agencies can book a demo and ask about a founding place.
Sept 2026HiveRec
HiveRec released
Our recruitment platform goes live at app.hiverec.io. SRS Recruiting, a UK driving agency, is its design partner.
Sept 2026Studio
mcrlabs.io goes live
The studio has a home. One place to follow everything MCR Labs is building.
May 2026Studio
MCR Labs Ltd incorporated
MCR Labs Ltd is incorporated in England and Wales, company number 17228923, to build and run software products.
Talk to the lab
Questions about HiveRec or RateCalc.io, or an idea for a partnership. Let's talk.