Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are one of the most common types of recruitment automation technology. These systems are used by recruiters to collect and track the recruitment process in a hiring database. Tracking begins as soon as a candidate applies for an open role and continues throughout the hiring process so recruiters and hiring managers can all easily access details on which stage a candidate is in and collaborate in the recruitment process.
With so many candidates competing for so many open positions, this type of solution is invaluable for staying organized, not to mention for ensuring you don’t accidentally lose track of someone who’s an awesome fit.
Applicant tracking systems have many different features, from career sites to sourcing extensions and even video interviewing, so consider your needs carefully when choosing your ATS. If you need applicant tracking software, here are the top options available today.
The top 10 applicant tracking systems at a glance
- Recruiterflow – The best overall ATS software
- Trakstar Hire – The best ATS for analytics and data-driven hiring
- Workable – The best ATS platform for tech hiring
- Greenhouse – The best ATS for mid-sized businesses
- Recruitee – The ATS provider with the best customer service
- BreezyHR – The best free option for applicant tracking
- Zoho Recruit – The best ATS for value
- Lever – The best ATS for engaging passive candidates
- JazzHR – The best ATS for startups
- BambooHR – The best ATS for large or enterprise organizations
Full reviews: The best ATS software
Recruiterflow
Recruiterflow is an applicant tracking and CRM software for recruiting and staffing agencies. With Recruiterflow’s automation engine, you get a marketing automation software but built for recruiting. Users can create advanced rules to automate actions to deliver a better candidate experience, maintain pipelines and nurture their top candidates. Users can also track their candidate pipelines, post jobs and run email sequences on Recruiterflow.
Pricing
- Base: $99 per month per user
- Pro: $109 per month per user
- Advanced: $129 per month per user
Pros
- Designed specifically for staffing and recruiting agencies
- Both self-serve and live chat customer service and support options
- Recipes allow for easy automation of manual tasks
- Feature rich and highly customizable
- Excellent value for the price
- 14-day free trial available
Cons
- Some limitations with messaging integration
- No mobile app
Trakstar Hire
Formerly Recruiterbox and now part of the Trakstar platform, Trakstar Hire is the definition of a modern ATS. It features a fully web-based platform that has an intuitive and simple interface. In addition, it has many features for sourcing (customizable career sites, one-click job posting, auto-creation of candidate profiles) and interviewing (calendar integrations, candidate email templates, auto-responders) that are not always found in even the most up-to-date applicant tracking systems.
Pricing: Starts at $250 per month
Pros
- Wide variety of options for candidate engagement and follow-up
- Top notch customer service
- Flexible and adaptable
- Strong data analytics features
- Intuitive tracking across all stages of the recruitment process
Cons
- Some users find the interface too busy
- Could be better at communicating updates and changes to the platform
Workable
Workable is noted for its full feature set, easy learning curve, top notch customer support and a new sourcing tool called People Search. Their suite of products uses proprietary AI to automate time-consuming tasks like sourcing, screening, and communicating with candidates, and offers seamless integration with all the major job boards. Pricing for Standard and Premier plans is based on the size of your team, with the lowest prices available for teams of 20 or fewer.
Pricing
- Starter: $189 per month (up to 20 employees, 2 active jobs)
- Standard: starts at $313 per month (unlimited active jobs)
- Premier: starts at $628 per month (unlimited active jobs plus hiring plan)
Pros
- Manage and view multiple jobs on a single dashboard
- Easy to move candidates through stages of the hiring pipeline
- Excellent team collaboration tools
- Good variety of email templates and communication automation features
- Proactive and responsive customer service team
- 14-day free trial available
Cons
- Can be tricky to connect to Outlook calendars
- Sometimes runs slowly after an update
Greenhouse
Lauded for its intuitive user interface and beautiful design, Greenhouse.io receives consistently positive reviews by everyone who adopts it. In addition, they have an iOS and Android app that lets you use it on the go. Pricing for Greenhouse is dependent on the number of employees and is available on request.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Integrates easily with other systems like LinkedIn, DocuSign, Outlook, and many others
- Handle all aspects of hiring from sourcing through onboarding in one platform
- Scalable workflows let the software grow with your business
- Good customization options for candidate profiles
- Fast and easy application and interview scheduling processes for candidates
- Excellent reporting tools
Cons
- Boolean string and search function could be improved
- The extent of customization options can be overwhelming for some new users
Recruitee
Known for their incredible customer service (their founder replies to emails on Sundays!), Recruitee takes collaborative hiring to the next level: everyone in your team from the least tech-savvy to the most nerdy can work on hiring together with this cloud-based ATS. In addition, Recruitee provides beautiful careers sites for your employer brand, candidate-friendly application forms that you can fully tweak and world class sourcing tools.
Pricing
- Start: $199 per month (5 job slots)
- Grow: $249 per month (unlimited job slots)
- Optimize: Pricing on request
Pros
- Transparent collaboration and communication features
- Intuitive to use, even for beginners to recruiting software
- Robust reports section for easy access to helpful data
- Helpful and responsive customer support team
- Can try it for free for 18 days (no credit card required)
Cons
- Prone to lagging, especially after updates
- Doesn’t integrate well with some popular CRMs
BreezyHR
BreezyHR earned rave reviews and built a loyal user base almost as soon as it was founded in 2014. Now that it’s been around for a few years, it’s known as one of the best ATS platforms for its amazing customer support, smooth UI and end-to-end functionality. Overall, it’s a great example of how you build recruiter software that actually inspires you to do your job.
Pricing
- Bootstrap: Free (1 position or pool)
- Startup: $157/month
- Growth: $273/month
- Business: $439/month
Pros
- Excellent option for small to mid-sized companies
- Create customizable applicant pipelines
- Simple and intuitive setup, even for those who have never used an ATS
- Seamless integration with popular recruiting platforms
- Responsive account team
Cons
- Reporting functionality can be limited
- Some features are lacking, such as candidate sorting and references
Zoho Recruit
It’s rare to find a fully-featured free option in the ATS market, which is the first reason that Zoho Recruit stands out. Its built-in AI assistant, Zia, is also a helpful tool for automatically comparing candidates and matching them to open jobs. It also includes all of the time-saving features you’d expect from an ATS, including career sites, customized job listings, and automated candidate messaging.
Pricing
- Forever Free: 1 active job
- Standard: $25 per user per month (100 active jobs)
- Professional: $50 per user per month (250 active jobs)
- Enterprise: $75 per user per month (750 active jobs)
Pros
- Easy and automated candidate communication
- Lots of customization options
- Google Chrome extension extracts resumes from any website
- Excellent value, especially for smaller businesses
- Seamless integration with other software in the Zoho ecosystem
- Paid versions have 15-day free trial and money back guarantee
Cons
- Interface feels outdated
- Some features require add-on cost, such as the video interviews and client portal
Lever
Considered one of the top recruiting tools, Lever is an end-to-end recruitment platform with features such as one-click sourcing, two-way email sync, and @-mentions that you will not find in many of their competitors. As an ATS, it is an excellent choice for companies with high-volume hiring needs. The dashboard includes a resume database with sophisticated automation and talent analytics features, making it easy to compare candidates on the qualifications and traits that matter most to your business.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Automates several common recruiting tasks to streamline the hiring process
- Easy to use with comprehensive Lever University training and help features
- Integrated interview scheduling and planning tools
- Simple onboarding with little training needed to get started
- Over 350 third-party integrations
- 14-day free trial available
Cons
- Some users report difficulty getting in touch with customer support
- Limited customization of users and reports
JazzHR
JazzHR is a powerful recruiting tool that definitely performs above its price point. It’s a user-friendly platform to automate time-consuming hiring tasks and empower your team to find and hire better talent. Its features include automatic syndication of open roles to job boards, easy interview scheduling, and data-driven insights from its comprehensive reporting.
Pricing
- Hero: $75 per month
- Plus: $269 per month
- Pro: $420 per month
Pros
- Great choice for small or mid-sized businesses
- One-click candidate sourcing
- Dynamic job post creation and automated messaging templates
- Responsive and helpful customer support team
- Good value for the price
Cons
- Can take a long time to set up customizations
- Some features can be slow to load
BambooHR
With BambooHR, you can integrate all aspects of your talent acquisition in one easy to navigate interface. It also integrates well with other HR software, including payroll, benefits, and onboarding tools. The Candidates tab is one of its most noteworthy features, allowing recruiters to compare candidates easily at a glance and offering a good variety of filtering and sorting options to speed up the process of finding the right applicants.
Pricing: Starts at $108 per month
Pros
- Functional and fully featured mobile app
- Customizable candidate pools and automated workflows
- Straightforward interface is easy to navigate
- Built-in syndicated job posting
- Integrates well with LinkedIn and other social media sites
Cons
- Customer support is only available during limited hours
- No automatic candidate matching
Workday
https://www.workday.com/en-us/products/talent-management/overview.html
With Workday, recruiters can review all candidate profiles at once on any device. They make it easy to select and move a high volume of candidates, as well as process offers in bulk, improving the speed and efficiency of the workflow. With the help of machine learning and interactive dashboards, Workday claims you can make better hiring decisions.The Workday recruiting solution works seamlessly with the rest of Workday, allowing for a smooth transition from the planning stage to onboarding.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Wide range of configuration and customization options
- Approachable and intuitive interface
- Real-time data analytics
- Integrates with many popular third-party apps
- Mobile app for accessing hiring information on the go
Cons
- Implementation and initial training can be challenging
- Reporting tool could offer more flexibility
Recruit CRM
With Recruit CRM, recruiters can do pretty much everything including sourcing candidates, sending emails, setting up interviews, collecting updated CVs, parsing resumes and collecting feedback from clients. It also has a built-in CRM, automatic job board posting and boolean search.
Pricing
- Pro: $85 per user per month
- Business: $125 per user per month
- Enterprise: $165 per user per month
Pros
- End-to-end system designed for executive search and recruitment firms
- Very reasonable pricing for the functions it offers
- Dedicated and responsive support team
- Dynamic and user-friendly layout is easy to tailor to your workflow
- Integrates seamlessly with a range of tools and sites, including LinkedIn, Slack, and Outlook
Cons
- Reports section could be improved
- No option for automated text engagement with candidates
Avature
https://www.avature.net/candidate-relationship-management/
Avature helps you nurture candidates with short, mid and long-term engagement strategies to grow your relationships with them. Avature workflows can include condition-based actions that keep automatic communications personalized and relevant. It also lets you build, share, reuse, and manage a library of fully branded and customizable email templates that can be combined with fine-tuned segmentation for relevant campaigns.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Top choice for data-driven recruiters and teams with complex hiring needs
- Flexible platform is easy to customize it to your needs
- Seamless workflow automation
- Support team takes a collaborative approach to resolving questions and issues
- Excellent reporting features
Cons
- Extensive features can take a while to fully learn
- Connecting with support can sometimes be slow
Radancy
This global SaaS platform aims to help employers and staffing agencies optimize and simplify their talent acquisition. Their multifaceted, automated process makes it easy to increase the visibility of your job postings and educate candidates about your open roles, making use of data to personalize applicant experiences and capture more talent for your pipeline.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Ideal for data-oriented recruitment teams
- Broad range of features for both new talent marketing and employee referral tracking
- Offers social management and employer brand development services
- Customer service is responsive to requests and feedback
- Programmatic job advertising is effective at attracting more candidates
Cons
- Contracts often require a lengthy commitment
- Can take a while for new users to fully get to know the program
Jobvite
Jobvite is an all-in-one software solution for your recruiting needs. Serving a range of customer sizes from startups to enterprise customers, Jobvite offers tools that go beyond your typical ATS including Jobvite Refer (tool for sharing job openings in your employees’ networks) and Jobvite Video (on-demand video interviewing). It also offers automatic interview scheduling, robust data insights, smart job recommendations, and a fully functional mobile app so you can review candidates on the go.
Pricing: starts at $400 per month
Pros
- Excellent mobile app
- Wide range of integrations with social networks and other recruitment software
- Manage all your job posts and candidates in one place
- AI learns from your recruiting to improve as you use it
- Easily captures candidate feedback
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface
Cons
- Some features can have a steep learning curve
- Higher level administrative and configuration options can be tricky to find
Paycor
https://www.paycor.com/hcm-software/talent-acquisition-solutions/
Paycor uses resume parsing and scanning tools to produce the most accurate results with no manual work. Candidates don’t have to waste time on manual data entry and recruiters can know they are capturing all relevant information from candidates while improving application rates.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Equally functional for small and large companies
- AI platform that sources passive and active candidates
- Integrated onboarding and payroll software
- Automates a range of hiring and payroll tasks that are time-consuming to do manually
- Customer service team is responsive to feedback
Cons
- Reporting platform is confusing to navigate
- System can be slow and require refreshing to load properly
Bullhorn
A staple of the ATS market, Bullhorn has many enterprise customers and large recruitment agencies as customers. It has many fans among those who use it on a daily basis but note that the price point is definitely geared towards larger customers.
Pricing: 4 plan levels (Team, Corporate, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus), pricing available upon request
Pros
- Streamline your workflow with an ATS and CRM all in one platform
- Strong candidate engagement automation options
- Robust candidate management features, including resume parsing and pipeline tracking
- Easy customization of jobs and candidate profiles
- Wide range of integrations
Cons
- Complexity of the program can give it a steep learning curve
- System can be prone to occasional lags or slow loading
Rival
https://rival-hr.com/product-suites/rival-recruit/
Rival’s OpenHire offers a user-friendly and cost efficient tool that allows for a streamlined process for managing candidates, job opportunities, backgrounds, interviews and all feedback, while also allowing for the customization of your careers portal to blend in with your website.
Pricing: starts at $3 per month
Pros
- AI-enabled candidate sourcing from 700 million embedded candidate profiles
- Generative AI job description creation
- Excellent customer service and support
- Smooth and intuitive implementation
- Great value for the price
Cons
- Interview scheduling tool doesn’t work with all devices
- Some users feel the interface is clunky
iCIMS Nurture
https://www.icims.com/products/talent-cloud-applications/candidate-relationship-management/
With iCIMS Nurture, you can see who’s hot or cold with candidate activity that’s automatically tracked and logged. You’ll also know who’s most interested so recruiters can prioritize their outreach. You can engage new candidates – and re-engage passive ones – with targeted, automated messaging that builds relationships through frequency. This creates a pipeline of active leads that iCIMS promises will fill open positions faster.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- User-friendly and straightforward interface once you get used to the program
- Customizable workflows let you tailor the interface to your needs
- Wide variety of useful integrations
- Add-on features like TextRecruit expand the ways you can engage with candidates
- Quick response from the customer service team
- Platform is mobile-friendly
Cons
- Can take some time and effort to learn how to use the program effectively
- Costs more than many similar programs
HireEZ
HireEZ’s AI engine will screen applicants based on your hiring project’s candidate persona with no manual effort or unconscious bias involved. HireEZ’s method for initial screening will rank all candidates/applicants inside a project. You can easily integrate your ATS or CRM with HireEZ, then import stale past applicant profiles through a file upload or direct API. HireEZ uses data fusion technology to refresh past applicant profiles with data from across the entire open web. Refreshed profiles are added to your talent pool, and its AI sourcing surfaces best-fit past applicants for your open roles.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Efficient workflow automation features and automatic candidate matching
- Strong analytics for making data-driven hiring decisions
- Automated multi-channel outreach
- Provides access to over 1 billion candidate profiles
- Integrates smoothly into your existing tech stack
Cons
- Price may be too high for smaller businesses
- Some users report issues with bounced emails to candidates sent through the system
SmartRecruiters
https://www.smartrecruiters.com/
Like most modern applicant tracking systems, SmartRecruiters has features such as multi-channel Recruitment marketing, collaboration tools and built-in automated processes. However, what sets it apart are its integrations, 250+ services ranging from job boards to sourcing tools to background checks, all of which are available in its Marketplace.
Pricing: starts at $39 per month per user
Pros
- Great tool for sourcing and identifying talent
- Interface is seamless and visually appealing
- Calendar integration supports self-scheduling interviews
- Posts on all job boards, including niche job boards
- Functional mobile app
- Strong customer support
Cons
- Navigating between jobs and candidates can be tedious
- Finding the right features in settings menus can be a challenge
Oracle Talent Management
https://www.oracle.com/human-capital-management/talent-management/
Oracle’s Talent Management is a widely used recruitment platform, with a candidate-centric communication approach, making the hiring process easier and faster for candidates, recruiters and hiring managers. The software helps small and medium businesses manage their hiring information, and make informed decisions.
Pricing: Starts at $5 per employee per month
Pros
- Great for international hiring (available in 190 countries and 26 languages)
- Simplified, candidate-centric experiences
- Connect with candidates through LinkedIn right in the software interface
- Create personalized landing pages and automatic messages
- User-friendly and easy to configure
Cons
- Can be challenging to connect with customer service
- Interface customization options and content fields are limited
Phenom
Offering many features similar to its competitors, the Phenom Talent Experience Management platform’s main differentiator is its unique ability to turn visitors to your career site into potential applicants even if they don’t fill out your job application.
Pricing: Available upon request
Pros
- Automated candidate sourcing and resume parsing
- AI-driven candidate matching and filtering
- Integrated interview scheduling
- In-depth analytics and insights into your hiring process
- Good integrations for common job boards, such as Glassdoor and Google Jobs
Cons
- May not be suitable for larger enterprises or global companies
- Some features require an additional add-on cost and separate implementation
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