The 16 Best Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) in Q4 2023
The best ATS software - tried and tested by our HR experts. Get pricing details and pros & cons, plus perspectives from professionals who use these ATS systems every day.














ATS software helps HR and recruiting teams organize recruitment data during the hiring process. Tasks that can be automated or streamlined by ATS systems include managing careers sites, posting jobs, collecting applications, communicating with candidates, collecting interview feedback, and sending offer letters.
Our experts have painstakingly researched the list of top applicant tracking systems below (and regularly updated it since it was first published in 2018). The featured vendors all have something that makes them the "best." For some, it's modern feature sets such as automation, best-in-class APIs, and customization. For others, it's price point or ease of implementation. Whichever it is, you can be sure we've covered it.
Best Applicant Tracking Systems
To find the best ATS software, we participated in product demos, gathered user and expert feedback, and leveraged in-house knowledge to assess each product's performance on core functions, including candidate screening, job posting, resume parsing, interview scheduling, and analytics/reporting. More broadly, we believe that the most essential components of a top-notch ATS are UX/UI, candidate experience, and integration:
UX/UI: Your TA team and talent pool will spend a lot of time using this tool, so our criteria include a stringent test for a good user interface. For example, posting a job should take less than 30 seconds, syndicating this job to job boards should be a simple push of a button, and viewing applicants should be as intuitive as using Trello.
Candidate Experience: We evaluate for features that enhance the candidate experience, like personalized communication, easy interview scheduling, and self-service portals for application status updates. Your TA team is your public relations team, so it is critical to equip them with tech to ensure your reputation among all candidates, regardless of your hire or no-hire decision, shows up on Glassdoor in a positive light.
Integration and Compatibility: Consider the platform’s ability to integrate with other tools in your HR ecosystem, like HRIS, CRM, background screening, and job boards. Limited integrations can be a massive drag on ROI: manually entering data or downloading CSVs from your candidate assessments tool to be uploaded to your ATS is suboptimal. Seamless data exchange and workflow is the goal.
For more information our methodology, read this article on how we evaluate HR tech vendors.

Pinpoint

Pinpoint is a sophisticated ATS with a sleek and intuitive user interface that offers numerous integrations. One standout feature is its career site builder, which is built specifically for in-house talent acquisition and HR teams at rapidly expanding companies.
PROS
- Pinpoint is an agile ATS that is highly customizable and values collaborative hiring.
- It’s got a simple and transparent pricing structure.
- Pinpoint offers unlimited jobs and team members in all of its plans.
- Their customer service team is highly praised by users.
- The career site builder is very robust, allowing teams to attract and convert the right talent.
- There are over 100 HR software integrations to choose from, and Pinpoint’s team is adding 3-5 every month.
- Pinpoint is an agile ATS that is highly customizable and values collaborative hiring.
- It’s got a simple and transparent pricing structure.
- Pinpoint offers unlimited jobs and team members in all of its plans.
- Their customer service team is highly praised by users.
- The career site builder is very robust, allowing teams to attract and convert the right talent.
- There are over 100 HR software integrations to choose from, and Pinpoint’s team is adding 3-5 every month.
CONS
- The employee onboarding module costs extra
- Cost prohibitive for budget-conscious teams
- No free version or free trial offer
- The employee onboarding module does cost extra.
- It isn’t the best fit if you’re looking for the cheapest ATS.
- There isn’t a free trial or free version at this time.

Pinpoint has been the talk of the town in the applicant tracking system space for having one of the best feature-set an ATS could have built in. We tested the ATS to see that for ourselves, and here is what we found:
We agree with the majority of users that Pinpoint is friendly to both the recruitment team and candidates. The ATS is easy to set up and has a clean UI, with useful automation and a straightforward career site builder. Non-IT users can easily customize career pages. When there are any questions popping up in their heads, there’s a customer support team they can reach out to via live chat, phone, and email and get help quickly.
Another highlight of Pinpoint’s ATS is its employee referral tool. The platform has done a great job of making the referral process simple and transparent to all team members by notifying them of available referral roles, plus links they can share with their network by just copying and pasting. The tool will also keep track of how many candidates they referred and how much they’ve made from referrals in the platform for review.
Pinpoint’s integration capability is quite impressive. It has over 100 pre-built integrations and also offers open API. However, bespoke integration is available exclusively for Enterprise plan users. As for use cases, while ATSs, like Manatal, have lower pricing and are more favored by recruiting agencies, Pinpoint is a favorite for in-house recruitment at mid sized businesses and fast-growing teams.
CoinShares, Pathways Global, Grant Thornton, Icario, Pivot Energy.
- Pinpoint pricing starts at $600 monthly when billed annually.
- Teams wanting enterprise features, such as multi-page career sites, multi-lingual support, custom integrations, and help on data migrations, will start at $1,200 per month.
- Discounts are available for startups with fewer than 50 headcounts.
Best For
Pinpoint is a wonderful ATS for in-house recruitment for growing teams (at least 30 openings per year). It’s also a great choice for businesses looking to increase recruiting team productivity through a better career site, talent CRM, and integrations with their favorite HR Tech.
We have configured a recruitment process and attached email templates to every stage of it, allowing us to rapidly communicate with candidates in a standard way, at all stages. We share CVs with management within the tool and capture feedback. We use the tool to invite candidates for assessments, and for booking the assessments in [usually via MS Teams which PinPoint integrates nicely with]. We upload interview notes to the candidate area in PinPoint, and sometimes make a phone interview guide within the tool, to enable us to use a more robust scoring mechanism if anticipating higher volumes of direct applications.
Pinpoint is also used to store/bank candidates for future roles. We have created and implemented a bespoke tagging approach to find people quickly. We have also tagged candidates for reasons not to progress, and can report on that. This gives an opportunity to fine-tune adverts for future positions if we uncover particular rejection themes. It is also used for reporting on things like the diversity of applicants and candidate volume.
It is very easy to use from a product owner and user perspective. Both management AND suppliers have happily adopted PinPoint and only have positive feedback about it. The PinPoint support staff/messaging tool is also fantastic, with immediate responses provided to any tickets raised.
I love the ability to make bespoke application form questions. Knowing clearly candidate availability, salary expectations, and right-to-work status from such questions saves the recruitment team countless hours.
With the right process and email template set, it gives a better candidate experience. Candidates receive rejection emails and will know clearly what to expect at the interview/assessment stages.
The reporting is wonderful. You simply cannot report on diversity matters without a system like PinPoint, which removes the candidate’s personal info from their actual job application.
Our global recruitment function was hiring around 60+ people a year, across multiple global locations. We used various channels and suppliers to generate candidates but had to manage everything via email and Excel trackers. We wanted a solution that was easy to use, configurable, and enabled HR and management to collaborate, in line with our values. We also wanted a solution that enabled blind CV applications to mitigate unconscious bias, plus diversity reporting. We have used it since April 2022.
You can't effectively share comms with recruitment suppliers about new openings or changes to vacancy briefs, so I am still relying on emails. There should be a ‘vacancy supplier’ area on each vacancy where we can communicate with agencies and also document any feedback from them from the market. Then we could have an option to share info with leaders.
- The way it can be configured to your needs is refreshing.
- The general speed of moving candidates around within a process or into a new process is also different from other systems.
- In a recruitment team, everyone can see what is going on with candidates and roles, so you remove bottlenecks and enhance efficiency when it comes to things like recruitment team absence.
- First, make sure you have an agreed recruitment process established in the business, then create a ‘shopping list’ of problems to solve or features you would like. Then review solutions.
- Ensure you liaise closely with IT and/or infosec/GDPR managers around the idea and implementation.
- Finally, these systems are priced based on an organization’s headcount, so that may come under consideration from a budget perspective.
A few enhancements here and there, mostly around the reporting suite.
Firms recruiting high volume roles and varied roles, with many different managers/suppliers involved.
Pinpoint would be helpful for any business, regardless of size of industry.

BambooHR

We love BambooHR's ATS because it's truly built to scale. The platform will support your team's HR needs, no matter the pace or direction of your growth.
PROS
- Offers tailored pricing with the option to scale up in features as needed
- Free 7-day trials are available.
- The mobile app works well and offers built-in application review, communication, and collaboration features.
- Relatively easy to navigate with a clean user interface.
- Flexible packaging and custom pricing is the way they roll. You can pick out one or two packages and pick other modules as add-ons based on your needs.
- Very simple and straightforward tool, easy to use.
CONS
- Payroll functionality is exclusively limited to U.S.-based employees, which may pose challenges for companies with a global workforce.
- Customer support availability is restricted to U.S. business hours, potentially causing delays in addressing urgent concerns for international users.
- Certain modules like time tracking, performance management, and surveys are only accessible as add-ons, requiring additional investment if you’re looking for more HR functionality.
- Payroll is only available for US-based employees
- Customer support is only offered during US business hours.
- Some modules like time tracking, performance management, and surveys are only available as add-ons.

BambooHR’s ATS lets you customize application forms and share job postings across popular job boards and social media sites. Candidate applications are organized for easy reference through every stage of your hiring process. From formal offers to final e-signatures, BambooHR covers it all.
Users can create new hire packets for a smooth onboarding process. With a custom packet, a person’s first day can include a heads-up on what to expect, who to meet, and which tasks to tackle.
One of the outstanding features of BambooHR is its designated mobile app for hiring. This app allows you to post jobs, check resumes, communicate with candidates, coordinate with other hiring team members, and more.
Among the 20,000+ companies who use BambooHR are names like Quora, Universal Group, Reddit, Asana, Change.org, University of Maryland, Grammarly, Stance, Postmates, Wistia, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and ZipRecruiter.
BambooHR pricing is custom, but they offer a free trial. Before coming up with a quote, they are also likely to extend your free trial upon request or give you a free demo of the advanced features.
Best For
BambooHR can be an excellent choice for organizations seeking a highly-customizable HR product that aligns with their unique requirements, with pricing options that are tailored to their specific needs. It’s also remarkably popular among distributed workforces.
- The tool has been critical in managing employee data and maintaining the database of employee information accessible by the team remotely.
- We use BambooHR for onboarding and collecting information for new joiners. It is also an ideal tool for recruitment and tracking of candidates throughout the recruitment cycle.
- We are also able to use it to track and manage employee leave applications.
- Reporting has been made very simple since I can pull a report in minutes on headcount, analysis on gender, leave, turnover rates, onboarding, and performance
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- Excellent Customer Service: The customer support team has been very supportive and responsive in troubleshooting.
- The system is user-friendly and has some videos guiding you through some of its functions. The system is designed to be customizable, so clients can tailor it to meet their specific needs.
- Powerful reporting: BambooHR's reporting features have allowed me to generate a wide range of reports, such as headcount, turnover, and diversity reports, this information is instrumental in making data-driven decisions.
As Covid-19 forced most employers to look into hybrid working models, there was a need for us to look into tools for managing employee information and tracking time off to streamline administrative tasks and reduce errors while working remotely.
BambooHR offers Recruiting and applicant tracking features that make it easier to find and hire the right candidates for open positions remotely.
Additionally, it provides performance management tools, including goal setting and performance reviews, which can help ensure that employees are working towards company objectives and receiving the feedback they need to succeed.
I found the system to be user-friendly, with a modern interface that is easy to navigate and customize to meet our needs. The system also has video tutorials that are clear and guide you through its functions.
The main con would be its limited payroll functionality. It is not available in Africa and its payroll functionality is currently only available for customers in the United States and Canada, which may be a drawback for companies based in other countries.
Pricing is also on the upper limit compared to other solutions, particularly in Africa.
The features on training could also be more customizable to clients in diverse spaces or lines of work
BambooHR has strong reporting features which allow us to generate a wide range of reports, such as headcount, turnover, and diversity reports, which can help organizations make data-driven decisions.
Its user-friendly interface is easy to navigate and find the information users need. The system is designed to be customizable, so users can tailor it to meet their specific needs.
When buying BambooHR or any other HR software solution, there are several criteria to consider, including:
- Location: BambooHR's payroll functions are better suited for companies in US and Canada. For ease of compliance with local regulations, countries in Africa can consider an alternative tool to run their payroll function.
- Company size and needs: The size of the company and its HR needs are important factors to consider when selecting a software solution. BambooHR is generally well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses with straightforward HR needs.
- Customization: Companies should consider how customizable BambooHR is, and whether it can be tailored to their specific HR workflows and processes.
- Security and compliance: Companies should consider BambooHR's security and compliance features to ensure that employee data is protected and that the system meets relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
- Improved user experience: BambooHR has focused on improving the user experience over time, with updates to the system's interface, navigation, and overall usability.
- Deeper analytics: BambooHR has added more powerful reporting and analytics features over time, which has helped users gain deeper insights into their HR data.
BambooHR is well-suited for small to medium-sized organizations with straightforward HR needs. The system is particularly strong in areas such as employee data management, onboarding, and reporting, and is designed to be customizable to meet the specific needs of each organization.
Functions like payroll are better suited for companies in US and Canada.
It is well-suited to organizations that need a flexible, customizable, and user-friendly HR software solution.
Large enterprises: BambooHR is generally not recommended for large enterprises with complex HR needs. The system is designed to be straightforward and easy to use, which means it may not have the depth of functionality that larger organizations require.
It is also not ideal for a company wishing to run payroll that is operating outside the US

Greenhouse

Greenhouse is an ATS with a full feature set best suited for midsize and large enterprises that need advanced scheduling, workflow customization, and numerous, seamless integrations with an established HR tech ecosystem.
PROS
- Greenhouse gets a straightforward UI that is highly customizable and easy to navigate.
- Greenhouse’s onboarding module is quite comprehensive, making it easy to transition the new hires.
- Greenhouse can integrate with over 360 third-party solutions for diverse categories.
- Greenhouse's onboarding feature is built and executed well. New hires transition smoothly from candidate to employee.
- iOS and Android apps work well for recruiters on the go. Users can review applications, schedule interviews, view candidates' profiles, and more.
- 450+ third-party integrations.
CONS
- Undisclosed prices, no free trial.
- The reporting feature can be challenging to navigate.
- The in-person support could take a while to respond, some users noted.
- Greenhouse’s pricing is undisclosed, and they do not offer a trial version.
- Some users note that reporting customization is quite limited and difficult to navigate.
- In-person/live support could be improved.

Greenhouse has always been highly rated by our editorial team. It’s also consistently praised for its ease of use and time-saving features by the several users we talk to when it’s time for an update on the tool.
The dashboard represents exactly the longstanding ATS’ name — a greenhouse. It is very easy on the eyes and lets us have an overview of the fresh candidates that need our attention. From there, you can look at upcoming interviews, applications to review, task status overviews, and links to guide you on each stage of the recruitment process.
Creating jobs on Greenhouse is a breeze, thanks to its user-friendly pre-built templates. The standout feature we loved during the software demo was the highly customizable hiring workflow. With simple drag-and-drop functionality, we could modify each step, rename stages, and specify interview focus areas. Collaborative hiring is also easy, as multiple team members can contribute with defined roles. This fosters transparency and minimizes communication hurdles among hiring managers, recruiters, and stakeholders. Standard qualification criteria for each stage ensure evaluators follow the guidelines, providing confidence in decision-making and valuable insights for process improvement.
We also love how the ATS takes care of its integrations. Greenhouse is by far one of the most powerful ATS regarding its integration capabilities. It has partnered with over 360 HR tools in various categories. Moreover, the integration process is simple and free of charge.
However, some users said the reporting feature is not very easy to navigate. While the platform doesn’t disclose its pricing, according to our research, the ATS can be a bit pricey to budget-conscious businesses and teams that don’t hire frequently.
HubSpot, DoorDash, Dropbox, Wayfair.
Greenhouse offers three plans, and the pricing is based on the company’s total headcount.
The standard contract is a one-year prepaid subscription, and discounts are available for two and three-year prepaid agreements.
- Essential: Core features and one event.
- Advanced: Everything from Essential, plus custom reporting, scalable workflows, and ten events.
- Expert: Everything from Advanced, plus upgraded CRM, enhanced security, developer sandbox, DEI feature set, and unlimited events.
Best For
Growing teams and midsize to large enterprises are likely to benefit the most from Greenhouse.
I primarily use Greenhouse to hire for tech/engineering positions. I find that its system is user-friendly. I am able to quickly find key statistics for stakeholders upon request. I enjoy the platform's talent outreach capabilities as I am able to track/trace outreach pre and post-hire. Greenhouse also allows me to communicate effectively with candidates without the need for extra messaging.
- Greenhouse is user-friendly.
- Greenhouse customer service is exceptional.
- Greenhouse will custom-create lists for every step of the process.
Greenhouse was introduced to me in 2014 as an affordable startup option to compete with larger (HRIS) software. I have used and implemented this software with several clients over the years. Greenhouse has been especially effective in streamlining recruitment processes and training for new HR hires as its system has grown increasingly user-friendly. I have noticed a trend among my clients that companies that search for data-driven talent have an easier time using Greenhouse.
- I have occasionally experienced issues with bulk imports.
- Greenhouse sometimes does not pick up keywords.
- It takes time to understand the system.
Greenhouse has been a consistent and affordable option in comparison to ADP or Trinet. I enjoy the Greenhouse interface more overall.
Does your team have experience in training an HRIS system to be intuitive? Are you clear on your hiring expectations before investing in a system of this kind?
Greenhouse's customer service has evolved tremendously. I find that they are very efficient.
Tech-focused with a high talent pool.
Companies without a need for hiring extensively.

Recruitee

Recruitee is special for bringing features to leverage internal referrals and combat bias. Being a collaborative and user-friendly ATS that supports month-to-month pricing just makes the platform a perfect option for SMBs.
PROS
- Recruitee is highly rated for its ease of use and customizable recruiting pipeline.
- Recruitee provides features to combat bias: interviewers cannot see each other’s evaluations.
- Recruitee just launched an AI-powered tool to help businesses craft job descriptions for specific target candidates.
- In addition to LinkedIn, the platform can connect and post open positions across 1,500 job boards.
- Recruitee’s pricing is transparent. A free trial is available without card info required.
- No limits on the number of users applied to all Recruitee plans.
- Pro: Recruitee is highly rated by customers for its ease of use. The majority of them are able to implement and get on with the software without much hassle.
- Pro: Recruitee features a customizable, kanban-like recruiting pipeline. Companies can add as many stages as needed to the pipeline and move candidates easily as they progress through the stages.
- Pro: Recruitee incorporates some measures to reduce hiring bias. For example, you can adjust the permission level for your interviewers and prevent them from seeing the scores each of them are assigning to the same candidate. This way, they won’t be influenced by each other's evaluations.
CONS
- Recruitee relies on third-party integrations for some essential functions like skill assessments, onboarding, video interviewing, and e-signatures.
- Our user researchers had trouble with the reporting function, which occasionally did not retrieve data accurately.
- Some users noted Recruitee’s support team was hard to reach.
- Its pricing went up from our last review of the software.
- Con: Several functions that are advertised on Recruitee’s feature list, including skill assessments, onboarding, video interviewing, and e-signatures are not actually built into Recruitee and are only possible through integration with third-party tools, which can be misleading to potential users, especially if it’s their first ATS.
- Con: Several users noted that the Recruitee’s reporting function is limited and at times, doesn’t retrieve data accurately.
- Con: Several users have complained about Recruitee’s support team being slow in responding, and at times, not able to solve issues.
- Con: For a product that’s geared towards SMBs, it lacks a free plan that businesses who are just getting started with ATSs can use for as long as they need, without any time constraints. We list this as a con as several solutions in this space do offer free-forever plans and similar feature sets as Recruitee, which puts it slightly behind the competition to users.

Recruitee is best for small and medium-sized businesses looking for a collaborative and user-friendly ATS. The platform got it right with its interface and user experience, as several users and ourselves do find it super easy to navigate and facilitate collaboration among recruiters and hiring managers. What makes collaboration more efficient through Recruitee is that you can add as many users to the ATS as you’d like, regardless of the plan you purchase, without paying extra.
While we love how effortless it is to get familiar and comfortable with the platform, you won’t find built-in features for video interviews, skill assessments, offer management, and onboarding in Recruitee. Hence, this isn’t a one-stop shop where you can find everything for your recruitment needs. The ATS instead leans toward outsourcing some of the parts by offering Recruitee Marketplace; a collection of third-party tools they know to work great in tandem with their platform. However, not everyone is a big fan of having several vendors for what is arguably the same use case. So we recommend you bear this in mind when doing the software ROI comparison.
Semrush, Mark and Spencer, Transcom, Taco Bell, Toyota, Asus, Livestorm, Rakuten.
Recruitee offers custom plans based on the number of active jobs and other particular needs. The ATS has three pricing plans:
- Launch starts at $269 per month
- Scale starts at $479 per month
- Lead has custom pricing.
Best For
Though companies of different sizes (outside of large enterprises) can find value in Recruitee’s offering, we feel that it is capable of supporting medium-sized businesses best with its current feature set.
I use Recruitee daily, as our primary recruitment lead my role involves creating our recruitment strategy and being involved in the end-end process/recruitment cycle.
Having a system that I can trust, that allows candidates to quickly and easily upload their resumes and apply with us has been integral in our ability to continue to scale the company and grow our teams.
We use Recruitee not only to house candidates for current/open positions, but to categorize, sort, and save profiles of those who we believe may be a good fit for roles later down the line. Being able to use Recruitee to build and foster long-standing relationships allows us to continue to grow our organization and visibility in the tech talent market.

1. Ease of use - UI/UX: everything is extremely intuitive, as a recruiter things are where they should be and I don't have to spend a lot of time searching for settings or information
2. Customer service/transparency: the team at Recruitee has always provided us with top-notch customer service, and has always been great about answering any questions or concerns we have. The ability to vote on and suggest product improvements makes you feel that they care - and the number of improvements/suggestions they implement is fantastic. Being able to know what's upcoming on the roadmap is also really useful for us.
3. Integrations: being able to integrate with our other systems and tools is extremely important to us so that all of our candidate data can be housed in one place.
4. Analytics: being able to actually track your time to hire, number of applicants/role, and many, many more are critical for understanding your recruitment process and cycle, as well as being able to implement improvements.
5. KANBAN visibility: once you recruit in KANBAN you'll never go back to having a list view of your candidate pipeline. Being able to quickly view a role and visually see the health/number of applicants in each stage is probably my favorite feature.
We bought Recruitee because our previous ATS was hindering our recruitment process. It was time-consuming for us as the employer and for the candidates applying and interviewing with us. I strongly believe our previous ATS was causing us to lose potential candidates.
As a company, we've been using Recruitee since November 2022. However, I was a customer at my previous organization so I began using their system back in 2020.
I was determined to bring in a new ATS within my first week of joining RBR and received positive support from the entire company. I vetted out and demoed several other options as I wanted to ensure I wasn't being biased in my selection of an ATS, however, Recruitee was the clear winner for us due to its ease of use, time-saving capabilities, and overall customer support/service from their teams.
Setting up Recruitee was a breeze, we had a team assist us with implementation and training our managers, and because of their ability to create such an intuitive system, it's taken little to no time for our managers to understand how the system works.
1. Better integration with LinkedIn (I've chatted with the team and know this is in the works)
2. Continue to build out the scheduling feature (again, chatted with the team about this)
3. More automation for sorting candidates - for example, if a candidate applies and selects certain answers to screening questions being able to tag/filter candidates based on those answers
Recruitee is far superior to many of its competitors. Coming from using a LARGE system that was primarily for payroll, having a system that is focused on recruitment is extremely important if you really want to have a strong recruitment process.
Again, their customer service and support is something that just can't be beaten. And the speed at which they review customer feedback and integrate new solutions is incredible.
Our must-haves when looking at an ATS were:
1. Ease of use (both internally and externally): simple to use, training for managers, and candidates having the ability to easily and quickly apply
2. Search ability: need to be able to search in our own ATS for candidates, easily and using Boolean search
3. Kanban board style of view/dashboard - click and drag option
4. Easy Implementation- Integration Specialist or team to assist
5. Enhance/Encourage Collaboration: the ability to tag team members in candidates' profiles and collaborate within the ATS
What I would recommend to those looking for a new ATS is to start with your current pain points (if applicable) then build out your must-haves and nice-to-haves. Do some demos of different ATSs and make sure to actually test them for yourself. We found a lot of demos seemed interesting but once we were in the system it was clunky and difficult to use. Recruitee was by far the most intuitive.
Since I initially started using Recruitee there have been countless new features, integrations, and options made available to their customers. It is clear that they listen to the feedback they receive as they understand those using the product on a day-to-day basis will likely share the best ideas/feature requests that will actually be used/appreciated by their customers.
When I think back to when I first started using Recruitee to now, it's incredible to see all of the new features such as the referral portal, scheduling features, req approvals, and more that have been added to their features list!
I think Recruitee is great for organizations that are agile and need to operate very quickly. Those who are looking to hire and scale their organizations and who are looking for an ATS that can scale with them are the ideal customer for Recruitee.
I think slow-paced organizations, those that thrive on outdated systems/tools, or those that don't necessarily have the desire to update their recruitment processes would not be a good fit.

ClearCompany

ClearCompany has been around since 2004, but its product has evolved to remain relevant. It is a solid platform that works well in today’s workplace.
PROS
- A comprehensive suite of HR solutions that can be purchased individually and work well together.
- According to several users, the UI is intuitive and easy to navigate.
- Some customers reported a smooth implementation experience.
- Speedy and helpful responses from the customer support team.
- ClearCompany offers a host of HR solutions that work well with another. You can choose the solution you need or combine them all to have a comprehensive talent management platform in your stack.
- The majority of users find ClearCompany’s interface to be quite intuitive and easy to navigate.
- Many users have highly rated ClearCompany’s support team for speed and quality of response. Several users have also reported a smooth implementation experience.
CONS
- Undisclosed pricing, no free trials.
- Some users noted that the reporting feature could be more extensive in terms of customizations.
- The candidate search function is reported to be somewhat unreliable.
- No mobile apps, though the platform is well-optimized for mobile web use both for hiring managers and candidates.
- ClearCompany’s pricing is not readily available on their website. You also can’t create a trial account on your own from the website and have to go through the sales team for more info.
- Some users felt that the reporting feature is limited in customizations.
- According to a few users, the candidate search function doesn’t always bring up the correct candidate(s) and could use some improvement.
- ClearCompany doesn’t currently have a mobile app, but the platform is well optimized for mobile use both for hiring managers and candidates.

ClearCompany is a one-stop shop when it comes to hiring. Users can purchase the ATS independently or with other features like onboarding, recruiting, and talent management.
The ATS’s UI is aesthetically pleasing, and its dashboard layout is easy to navigate. We’ve also seen positive user feedback on ClearCompany’s onboarding solution. It can send offer letters, collect electronic signatures, and bulk-onboarding candidates.
While they offer almost every core feature a user could ask for, some are less refined than one might hope. For example, users report issues with candidate search, automation, and reporting functions.
ClearCompany’s customer list includes known names such as Chick-fil-A, Goodwill, Axiom Bank, Bios, FlixBrewHouse, and Halco.
The software has custom pricing. Quotes are based on company size and customizations.
Best For
Non-profits, government agencies, and businesses across different industries can benefit from ClearCompany. Yet, medium and large-size organizations will likely make the most out of the ATS.
As someone committed to my organization's success, I rely on ClearCompany to streamline our recruitment, offer letter, and onboarding workflows. ClearCompany's customizable workflows allow me to tailor our HR processes to meet our organization's specific needs and goals. By utilizing ClearCompany daily, I am able to confidently manage and optimize our recruitment processes, ensuring that we are attracting, hiring, and onboarding the best talent in the most efficient manner possible. Ultimately, ClearCompany allows me to focus on what I do best: leading my organization to success.
ClearCompany is my preferred HR software because of its user-friendly interface. The system's functionality is not only impressive but also has practical applications. Unlike other HR software, ClearCompany focuses on providing useful tools and features rather than unnecessary bells and whistles. Additionally, ClearCompany makes it easy to post job vacancies on multiple job boards, including unemployment job boards, ensuring compliance.
Our decision to buy ClearCompany was informed by the platform's impressive array of integrations. As a company, we recognize the importance of streamlining our onboarding processes, and we found that ClearCompany offered a centralized system that helped reduce the manual aspects of candidate onboarding.
We have been able to rely on ClearCompany's reporting metrics to track our progress in meeting our onboarding goals, and we've found the self-service portal to be an excellent tool for candidates to review their onboarding checklist. Additionally, the platform's seamless offer letter approval process has made it easy for us to process and approve offer letters in a timely manner.
Overall, our experience with ClearCompany has been extremely positive. We have been using the platform for two years, and it has become an essential tool in our HR toolkit. We are confident that ClearCompany will continue to support our onboarding efforts and help us achieve our HR goals.
I am dissatisfied with ClearCompany for the following reasons: the response time has exceeded 48 business hours, the offer letter approval workflow lacks an automated function for candidate receipt, and there have been issues with candidate duplication. Keep in mind these issues fail to compare to the benefits we have received in using this system.
ClearCompany stands out because of its comprehensiveness. Customizing workflow, reporting, and tracking processes lets you know they get "it."
When looking to purchase ClearCompany, it is essential to evaluate several key factors to ensure the tool meets your organization's needs. These factors include the size of your company, the frequency of job postings, the number of employees that require access, and current workflows. By carefully considering these aspects, you can confidently determine if ClearCompany will be the right fit for your organization.
I have used ClearCompany for two years and cannot think of any significant evolutions/changes during that period. It has been pretty steady for use.
ClearCompany is suitable for medium to large organizations with a Recruiting/HR department to support its use.
Based on my analysis, I would recommend organizations with high-volume recruiting needs to consider other options instead of ClearCompany.

Lever

Lever is a significant player with a distinction earned precisely how one would hope: it works well—a solid choice and a safe bet likely to inspire buy-in across departments.
PROS
- Lever's UI is very intuitive and easy to learn.
- With ATS and CRM in a single platform, users can use Lever to fill current positions and nurture prospective candidates.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) surveys help users ensure equal opportunity recruitment.
- The role-based visual analytics have over 20 key TA metrics.
- According to most users, Lever's UI is very intuitive and easy to learn.
- Lever combines the capabilities of an ATS and a CRM into a single platform that not only supports your current hiring needs but allows you to actively engage and nurture prospective qualified candidates for future roles.
- Lever takes diversity hiring into consideration with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) surveys that help you collect diversity data from applicants, sourced candidates, and referrals regardless of whether they applied to an open position or not.
- Lever provides role-based visual analytics with over 20 key TA metrics in its basic TRM package.
CONS
- Undisclosed pricing.
- No free plans or free trials.
- Users must contract with third-party vendors for features like background and reference checks.
- No mobile app, though their mobile web function works well.
- Lever doesn't disclose their pricing on their website. Interested users are also not able to create trial accounts on their own.
- The platform doesn’t have features for background or reference checking but they do integrate with third-party solutions that specialize in those checks.
- Lever currently lacks a mobile app, but the platform is optimized for mobile use.

Lever does an excellent job of tracking candidates and keeping the hiring process moving. Through the ATS, users can source candidates from multiple channels, including career sites, job posts, automated multi-touch email campaigns, and internally within the company. With Lever's Zoom integration, users can efficiently screen candidates using either structured or live video interviews.
Lever creates a candidate database by keeping track of applicants throughout the pipeline. The database works like a CRM, enabling users to search for and nurture qualified candidates. However, we could have been more impressed with features like sourcing from the ATS database, parsing resumes and generating reports.
Lever offers a good product for the money. Other ATSs may have more and better features, but no other ATS can beat Lever's price.
Lever is used by over 5,000 companies, including Netflix, Spotify, KPMG, Atlassian, McGraw Hill, and FullStack Labs.
Lever offers custom pricing, so users must contact Lever for quotes.
Best For
Lever suits large companies, enterprises, and recruiting agencies with frequent or volume hiring needs.
For specific projects, I utilize Lever daily to coordinate the hiring process for my team. Lever lets me quickly post job openings on multiple job boards at once, while also keeping track of applications and schedules. Lever helps me stay on top of follow-up tasks with applicants and keep organized during the onboarding process. Lever's candidate sourcing tools help me source. It enables me to quickly create customizable pipelines and align the workflow for my hiring team. My favorite is that Lever's comprehensive reporting dashboards provide me with information regarding our recruitment process.
1. The tool is incredibly user-friendly and is optimized for collaboration and communication, both internally and externally.
2. It has an intuitive dashboard that makes it easy to manage and track applicants’ progress throughout the recruitment process.
3. The tool has powerful filters and search capabilities, making it easy to qualify job seekers quickly and accurately.
4. Lever has many automation capabilities, including interview scheduling, email campaigns, and even candidate sourcing.
We chose Lever because of its user-friendly interface. It has the ability to easily track, maintain, and analyze all hiring data. The different tools also help streamline the entire hiring process. Lever's reporting capabilities also provide insight into sourcing efforts. This enables us to identify areas for improvement. The archive tool is also great for keeping a pool of talent.
1. Price, may not be affordable for every company.
2. Many tools are useless for a very small business.
3. The interface might look boring to some people.
It is more user-friendly. Everything is tracked in the same place. The system begins to become intuitive as the project goes on. It integrates with other platforms, such as LinkedIn.
1. Do you need all of the tools? 2. Will you be hiring continuously, or only for a few roles?
Yes - the interface became more user-friendly, and it becomes more intuitive as it "learns" about the types of candidates you approve.
Corporation or large recruiting agency
Small Businesses, people who are not hiring for several roles a year.

Teamtailor

Teamtailor is a great platform for startups and SMBs to build a career page that catches candidates' impressions, do anonymous hiring, run referrals, and nurture campaigns for current and future recruitment needs. Plus, the ATS has been known for its user-friendliness and top-notch customer service.
PROS
- Teamtailor is easy to use and is accessible via both browsers and mobile devices.
- Career site builders can be easily customized with a drag and drop mechanism.
- Features anonymous recruitment and equal employment opportunity (EEO) surveys to support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI).
- Excellent customer service: useful help center and responsive customer support team.
- Unlimited job postings, candidates, and users for all plans.
- Offers a free trial.
- Teamtailor’s ATS comes with a robust career site builder that’s also easy to use. It works with drag and drop - no coding knowledge necessary.
- Teamtailor backs several features that support diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), including anonymous hiring, equal employment opportunity (EEO) surveys, etc..
- Teamtailor is highly rated for their ease-of-use. It’s quite simple to post and promote jobs through their platform.
- There is really in-depth and intuitive help documentation for this solution
CONS
- The analytics function is not very customizable.
- Hyper-focused on ATS and has no offerings for other HR aspects.
- The customization and video interview features are limited.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- Teamtailor’s analytics are good, but enterprise clients need to use BI Connectors to build the reporting they need. Right now, you can’t sport data from the system. This is particularly important for companies with 500+ employees, or those who have many different locations or franchises.
- Analytics doesn’t allow recruiters to see their cost per hire, which is a really impactful metric
- While they offer integrations with HRIS, onboarding, etc - they have focused on just being a really good ATS now.
- There are predefined user access levels, but you cannot define your own user access levels which is important, especially for the largest companies.

Teamtailor is a solid option for its affordability and employer branding feature built-in. The cloud-based applicant tracking system has a knack for catering features to help startups and SMBs hire and nurture talent.
Teamtailor puts a heavy focus on helping its users market themselves to candidates. We like the drag-and-drop mechanism built within the career site builder, as it makes it easy for people without a tech background to build attractive career sites for specific talent demographics. There are no limits to the number of users you can add, which is a plus for teams doing collaborative hiring.
We also appreciate that the ATS lets users run referrals and nurture campaigns for current and future recruitment needs. And the fact that the tool has an intuitive UI, a free trial, and support is always easily available makes Teamtailor stand out even more in the ATS space.
However, there are a few aspects where the ATS needs to improve. While offering a range of integration options, some users shared that there were a few hick-ups when they connected Teamtailor with their HR tools. The ATS does allow bulk export, but there is no bulk import option to upload candidates' CVs.
Kry, Goodbye Kansas, Vitamin Well, Ponsse, Daniel Wellington.
- Teamtailor’s pricing is custom based on customer business size and requirements.
- For teams under 25 employees, the price typically starts at $3,300.
Best For
Teamtailor works best for startups and SMBs (50-400 employees) that require a powerful but straightforward ATS.

Manatal

Manatal made our top ATS list because it's budget-friendly, AI-equipped, and offers transparent pricing—no need to call a sales rep just for a ballpark figure.
PROS
- Among the most affordable ATS options in the market.
- Offers a 14-day free trial.
- Easy to use with drag-and-drop enabled pipelines.
- Native AI-based recommendations feature.
- Web-based, so it works on multiple devices.
- Free data migration from your existing hiring software.
- Transparent and flexible pricing.
- Manatal is quite affordable and offers a 15-day free trial for users to test it out before making commitments.
- Manatal is fairly easy to use. It features drag-and-drop enabled pipelines for candidate organization.
- Manatal’s AI-based recommendations feature can save hiring managers quite a bit of time. It’s able to scan job descriptions then search a users talent pool and bring up candidates most suited for the job.
CONS
- The AI recommendations feature only works well in languages other than English.
- No free plans.
- Integrations happen at the API level, making this a relatively technologically complex platform.
- API and Zapier integrations are restricted to top-tier plans.
- Boolean Search and Advanced Search cannot be used together.
- The AI recommendations feature works best with resumes that are in English, and doesn’t work as accurately with other languages according to several users’ feedback. Several users have also complained about Manatal’s interface only being available in English and that career pages cannot be published in languages other than English and Spanish.
- Manatal doesn’t offer a free plan. We mention this as a con as several SMB-geared ATSs do offer a free-forever verison, and that puts Manatal slightly behind competition.
- Manatal doesn’t offer prebuilt integration modules. They do have an open API that allows users to plug in third-party products and custom tools, but that required a bit more time and technical knowledge to accomplish. It’s also worth mentioning that only Custom plan customers can access Manatal’s API and Zapier integration. Customers on the Professional and Enterprise plan cannot.
- Users can search for candidates via Boolean Search or Advanced Search, but cannot combine the two search methods together. E.g users cannot use the Boolean search operators (AND, OR and NOT) within Manatal’s Advanced Search tab.

Manatal has earned a spot on our top ATS list. As HR professionals, we understand the importance of finding the right talent efficiently, and Manatal has proven to be a valuable tool in this regard.
The first on our thumbs-up list: it’s budget-friendly. We appreciate the transparency in pricing, as there is no need to go through the hassle of contacting a sales just to get a ballpark figure. The platform offers a 14-day free trial.
Using Manatal was straightforward, thanks to its user-friendly interface and the convenience of drag-and-drop-enabled pipelines. We found the AI-based recommendations feature to be a time-saver. By scanning job descriptions (JDs) and comparing them to the user's talent pool, it identifies the most suitable candidates.
Manatal is web-based so it can be compatible with multiple devices. The ability to migrate data from our existing hiring software was also a welcome feature that made for a smooth transition.
We encountered a few limitations during our evaluation. The AI recommendation feature does not operate well in languages other than English, and Manatal lacks a free version. Integration is pretty limited, and API and Zapier integrations are restricted to top-tier plans.
Unilever, Coca-Cola, Panasonic, Ogilvy, Toyota.
Manatal has three plans. When billed annually:
- Professional: This plan costs $15 per user per month for up to 15 jobs per account and 10,000 candidates. Customers on this plan can add unlimited guests.
- Enterprise: This plan costs $35 per user per month for unlimited jobs per account and unlimited candidates and guests.
- Custom: Everything in Enterprise plus custom features, integrations, and support.
Best For
Manatal is particularly well-suited for SMBs seeking an effective and affordable applicant tracking system.

Ashby

Ashby offers the entire recruiting tech stack: ATS, CRM/Sourcing, Scheduling, and Analytics—great first ATS for SMBs or those needing to consolidate their HR and TA stacks.
PROS
- Analytics dashboard with crucial statistics on all aspects of your hiring process.
- Flexibility and ability to customize across almost all aspects of the platform.
- Consolidated ATS, CRM, Scheduling, and Analytics.
- Your TA team can have one system that truly has best-in-class options for ATS, CRM, Scheduling, and Analytics.
- Flexibility and ability to customize across almost all aspects of the platform
- Their analytics dashboard is great to understand weaknesses in your hiring process, conducting capacity planning, or determining which teams are running suboptimal hiring processes.
CONS
- This is a powerful product, and understanding all the different features can take some time.
- No multi-lingual support.
- Your company must use G Suite to make the most of Ashby.
- Your company must use G Suite in order to make the most of Ashby
- No multi-lingual support
- This is a powerful product, and it can take a bit of time to understand all the different features

Ashby makes it easy to re-engage with former applicants: a unique class of primed, familiar, and pre-vetted talent pool members. Some candidates may be silver medalists or applicants who made it to the offer stage, and others may possess a unique skill or trait. Ashby can create custom attributes to filter the talent pool, so you’ll never lose touch with “good fit, bad timing” candidates. Ashby is an outrider in their focus on this function.
Ashby has done a great job of signing on fast-growing technology companies as their first cohort of customers. This includes Notion, Deel, Figma, and many more.
If you’re considering buying different ATS, CRM, scheduling, and analytics solutions, your total ownership cost is likely much lower with Ashby than buying these individually.
- $3,600/year for up to 10 employees
- $8,600/year for up to 100 employees
- 100+ employees, as quoted
Best For
While not a fit for super-sized companies (3,000+ employees), this tool is excellent for small and mid-sized teams needing their first ATS or looking to consolidate their HR and TA tech stacks.
I use it daily as an ATS. It holds candidate information from resumes to interview scorecards. I also use it to help schedule interviews.
They are affordable. They integrate with other platforms. It is affordable to add new team members. It is easy to set up recruiting steps and scorecards.
It is less expensive than Greenhouse. It is a good starter tool for seed companies or companies with low hiring needs. We used it for 1 year.
The ability to schedule candidates can be a little challenging. I worry if it will be possible to pull the information from Ashby to another ATS if we change it. Most candidates are not familiar with it, so you have to explain how it works from the candidate's side. It can be difficult to onboard managers to use it.
It is affordable and you can start with a small package. I prefer this option because I am the only recruiter and the team is about 10, so we don't need 1000 seats.
When you scale you might lose your data if they are not able to transfer the data. You are limited on recruiter data. It is a tool that most recruiters have never used, so you will have to train all recruiters on the system.
I think they have not evolved much.
Seed Startups to Small Startups
Enterprise-sized companies

VidCruiter

VidCruiter is known chiefly for video interviews, but the platform also offers a solid ATS solution and Quick Apply, a hit feature with both TA teams and candidates.
PROS
- VidCruiter can be fully customized for specific recruiting needs.
- Easy to use for both job seekers and recruiters.
- Works on all devices. No app installation is needed.
- Quick Apply feature lets candidates apply directly from Indeed and LinkedIn and auto-syncs the candidate's info to the user’s existing ATS.
- Dedicated client success manager, 24/7 applicant support, phone, email, and live chat.
- Scalable and customizable — users pay for what they need and can purchase more features as they grow.
- Robust pre-recorded and live video interviewing with advanced automation.
- Browser-based, so it works across devices without installing apps.
- Available for recruiters in eight languages and supports job seekers in dozens more.
- 24/7 live agent support, assigned account manager, and on-demand training.
CONS
- Some users reported that implementation was time-consuming
- Advanced search and technical skills testing features within the assessment module leave room for improvement.
- No trial version, and no price is listed on their site.
- Because the product is feature-rich and highly customizable, the implementation phase can be time-consuming.
- Advanced search and technical skills testing features within the assessment module leave room for improvement.
- No free or trial version.
- Undisclosed pricing.

VidCruiter has been a significant player in the video interviewing software market for years, but the platform is less well-known for its ATS. However, from our research, the ATS proves it is robust enough to be listed among other top vendors in the space.
The platform balances the needs of those on both sides of the interview pipeline. TA teams are well-equipped with highly customizable features like job posting, pre-screening, interview scheduling, and real-time reports, and applicants are met with a user experience that was clearly designed with them in mind.
For a glimpse of team culture, vision, and values, users can build a custom career site that delivers a branded digital experience to candidates. The site editor is simple to use, and in our in-house testing, we managed to set everything up without help from the IT or VidCruiter support team. One feature of note: when a candidate accesses a career page supported by VidCruiter, the platform automatically generates recommendations for jobs available near them.
Quick Apply benefits both employers and candidates. With this feature, TA teams can rev up the hiring process without implementing a new ATS, so it’s perfect for teams on a budget. It is also useful for those counting down the hours left on an ATS contract they don’t plan to renew. For job seekers, the platform offers the convenience of applying directly from portals such as LinkedIn and Indeed.
VidCruiter is used by over 100,000 recruiters, including Lowe’s, Lionsgate, Samsung, Bears, US Foods, and the United Nations.
The price varies based on company specifications, so contacting the vendor directly for a quote is best.
Best For
VidCruiter is a perfect ATS for large companies (U.S. based and otherwise) hiring 100+ people annually, while the VidCruiter Quick Apply tool is an excellent pick for smaller companies that want to streamline their hiring process without going separate ways with their current ATS.
Our team uses the software for both live and pre-recorded interviews with candidates. For the most part, we use the pre-recorded function with candidates, allowing them to record themselves answering questions that we have predetermined for their interview. Following their interview, our team spends one day a week, going through all of the applicants that had recorded an interview to be able to quickly make decisions on who we would advance to the next round.
Additionally, within the system, we leveraged a custom rating scale to provide a consistent experience when reading candidates. This really helped our team when considering applicants and measuring them all against the same criteria.

1. Overall, the ability to offer both live and recorded interviews.
2. The cost of the offering was very reasonable compared to its competitors.
3. The customer service you are able to receive from them when needed on demand is wonderful. They’re very responsive usually within a matter of just a couple of minutes.
My organization was looking for a way to screen applicants for an initial interview in an effective and efficient manner. Knowing that, we started exploring options for video interviewing both pre-recorded and live.
Through our research, we identified VidCruiter as an option and ultimately was the one that we implemented. We added their software during the pandemic and have used it since. It’s been a great help, and really reduced our screening times through recorded interviews as we have been doing a large amount of hiring.
1. The company is based out of the country, which was not a preference of our organization for security and compliance reasons.
2. Overall, the functionality of the system, as a whole, was a bit more limited than some of its competitor's offerings.
3. The branding of the offering was a little outdated, and wasn’t as modern as some of the alternative options we considered.
Overall, their offering is reasonably priced software that can be used to accomplish the goal of conducting live or recorded interviews with candidates.
Many of the other offerings were much more expensive than what we were able to pay. It’s easy to use and the responsiveness of the customer service team is exactly what we needed. Some of the alternatives had much longer wait times in comparison, which we didn’t want to deal with.
It allows us to accomplish exactly what we need without paying a high price and without making our process super complicated for candidates, which we appreciate.
Overall, really determine at the start what you need a software for to help your process. If you are only needing it for basic functions, like conducting a live or recorded interview with candidates, you may find that there are some vendors that offer functionality way beyond that, which may be more than you need.
As a result, this means the price tag of those offerings could be significantly higher, more than you can justify, or are willing to pay. Once you’ve identified what you need and can pay, it really helps narrow down the list of vendors that you can move forward with.
One of the biggest improvements our organization has experienced in working with them is that they built integrations with other systems that now make our process really smooth.
For example, we utilize Workday for our HRIS and their software integrates smoothly. This wasn’t something we had at the beginning of our experience as a customer, but now have it and it’s really helped become a seamless transition from one software to the next.
Great for an organization that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles, but that needs an offering that can do basic functionality like live and recorded interviews with candidates. So ideally, the best fit would be for a small or medium size organization.
If you are a large organization, you likely want more personalized branding, a modern look and feel, and a more robust offering than what they can offer.
Very large organizations that want robust functionality, customization, and all the bells and whistles of a product offering. Their product has all the standard functionality that you may want out of an offering, but it is pretty foundational rather than an offering that goes over and above what you would normally need.

Avature

With customized workflows for their customer and the candidate, Avature blends the best of ATS and CRM. We love this level of attention to user experience.
PROS
- A full-fledged ATS with built-in video interviewing, management features, and onboarding solutions.
- It also has a CRM, allowing TA teams to increase candidate engagement and plan for future hiring.
- Avature leverages AI with talent matching and candidate ranking.
- The recruiter mobile app supports offline use.
- Avature’s solution is quite comprehensive. They have a full-fledged ATS with built-in video interviewing, offer management and onboarding solutions. They also have a CRM, allowing TA teams to amp up candidate engagement and plan for future hiring.
- Avature leverages artificial intelligence with features of automatic talent matching and candidate ranking.
- Avature comes with a recruiter mobile app that allows key stakeholders to perform several recruiting tasks while on the go. The app also supports offline use, and syncs with the system the next time it’s connected to the Internet.
CONS
- Undisclosed pricing. No free trials.
- The UI can be confusing and takes some time to get used to.
- The assessment feature is quite elemental compared to other similar platforms.
- It lacks a built-in reference-checking feature, so users must pay for and integrate third-party solutions.
- Avature’s pricing is not readily available on their website. They also do not offer a free trial.
- Several users noted that the UI isn’t intuitive and takes some time to get used to.
- Avature’s assessment feature is quite basic and isn’t built out enough compared to point solutions in that space. So if you want to test the skills and cultural fitness of candidates, you’d need a third-party solution.
- Avature doesn’t have an automated reference checking feature built-in. The platform does integrate with third-party solutions that facilitate reference checking, but you’ll have to purchase those solutions too separately.

The Avature platform allows users to customize dashboards, set up automated workflows, and leverage the power of an all-in-one ATS + CRM.
It is fully customizable to your company’s processes and goals. It allows users to build unique recruiting workflows to suit hiring needs for individual roles or entire departments.
The platform operates through a no-code interface that allows non-technical users to modify the system (with lots of permissions in place). While this level of detail may be overkill for smaller organizations with simple needs, Avature is a solid applicant tracking system for mid-market and enterprises.
More than 6,500 companies use Avature. This includes Shell, Cisco, L'Oréal, Mondelez, Siemens, and KPMG.
Avature pricing is custom, so contact their team for a quote.
Best For
Avature serves enterprise-scale companies best.
I use Avature quite frequently. We use the recruiting data and connect it to Tableau to report our recruiting effectiveness. I also use it in preparation of our federal and statutory reporting requirements. As a hiring manager, my use is limited due to when I have an open position. I don't use it as a recruiter.

- It is user friendly, especially for the hiring manager and internal posting process.
- The standard reporting capabilities are pretty good.
- The option to keep all pre-boarding forms in one place.
My organization transitioned from Taleo to Avature about 4 years ago. The decision was made due to the reputation of the tool and the pipelining capabilities. I have used this tool for the last 2 years in my role. Taleo is user friendly and is full of options for recruiting. The tool also has some decent reporting functionality.
- Custom reporting is difficult to navigate.
- The workflow of a job req can be difficult to understand.
- The search capability is lacking. 4) The req-number is hard to find in the application.
I've used Taleo and iCIMS for talent acquisition and above all I preferred the ease of iCIMS. Avature's difficult custom reporting and navigation of job req folders is a turn off for me. iCIMS was highly customizable and worked great for my previous organization..
The size of your organization should be considered. I don't think that the cost would outweigh the benefits. Also, if you want to highly customize the tool, it's not worth it.
Somewhat, a recent release showed some improvement in reporting, but overall, it's remained the same over the time period I've used the tool.
I think if you are a full time recruiter for a large global company, it's a good fit.
I don't see Avature being that useful for a small market company.

JazzHR

JazzHR is great because it’s not trying to be what it’s not: a one-size-fits-all product. This platform is tailor-made for the needs of SMB customers.
PROS
- JazzHR offers affordable pricing without limitations on the number of users, and it provides free 21-day trials for anyone to try.
- The platform includes built-in features for offer management, allowing users to choose from existing offer letter templates or create custom ones to share with successful candidates.
- You can set up triggers for candidates to receive automatic email notifications as they progress through the hiring process.
- JazzHR is quite affordable and doesn’t place any limits on the number of users added. It also offers free, 21-day trials that anyone can sign up for.
- JazzHR has built-in features for offer management. You can choose from existing offer letter templates or create your own and share them with successful candidates
- You can automate triggers for candidates to be automatically notified via email when their application has moved a stage further in the hiring process. Several other email responses can be automated.
CONS
- Some users thought the UI wasn’t intuitive, requiring time to become used to it.
- Despite being aimed at SMBs, JazzHR lacks a free plan, unlike some competing SMB-focused recruiting products that offer free versions.
- A few users thought reports could be more customizable and easier to create.
- There currently isn’t a mobile app, and its browser version isn’t well-optimized for mobile use.
- Some users reported a learning curve with JazzHR's UI and that it took them some time to get used to it
- For a product geared towards SMBs, it lacks a free plan. We mention this as a con since other SMB-geared recruiting products do offer free-forever versions, which puts JazzHR slightly behind the competition.
- Several users have mentioned that the reporting feature is difficult to use with very little room for report customizations.
- JazzHR currently lacks a mobile app, and the browser version isn’t well-optimized for mobile use.

JazzHR is an SMB-geared ATS that offers unlimited users across plans, making things easier for businesses to deploy and streamline communicative hiring.
We like how simple it is to sync job posts across portals, and we love the upfront pricing on the website. Many customers start with JazzHR’s lowest-cost plan, and as their needs expand beyond basic features, they often upgrade incrementally. Being able to select features as needed keeps spending under control.
The least expensive plan (Hero) lets users post three jobs— making it suitable for small teams with a few dozen openings yearly. The other two plans (Plus and Pro) have more advanced features to automate, customize, and analyze the hiring process.
JazzHR is used by over 6,500 businesses, including the Seattle Seahawks, L'Occitane En Provence, TED Conferences LLC, and Chick-fil-A.
JazzHR has three plans. When paid annually:
- Hero costs $49 per month.
- Plus costs $239 per month.
- Pro costs $359 per month.
Best For
JazzHR is specifically built for organizations with 5 to 500 employees. Product users range from the HR expert to HR employees with little to no prior experience in the space.
JazzHR was the only tool that we used in the organization. As a recruiter, majorly all my work was done through JazzHR. Some of the key workflows of JazzHR which I used daily were- Job Creation and Posting (creating job postings with relevant details like job title, and descriptions and then publishing them to various job boards and career sites.
Another workflow was Applicant Tracking which was a centralized platform for all the candidate profiles with detailed information. I used to daily review and screen candidates from JazzHR and then move candidates through different stages of the hiring pipeline (e.g., screening, interview, offer) to track their progress.
Scheduling and coordinating interviews with candidates was another major workflow that I used regularly. JazzHR also helped in sharing candidate profiles with other recruiters, Hiring Managers and we could even exchange notes about the candidates through that tool. It helped us in communication and collaboration.

JazzHR helped me to effectively manage candidate information and track their progress throughout the hiring process.
It automated my hiring process and saved a lot of time for me.
I also need to not post jobs on various platforms individually, I just posted on JazzHR and it integrated into various career sites and job platforms.
The candidate texting feature helped me in communicating with all my candidates on the same platform.
I have used the JazzHR tool for one year throughout my tenure in the company. We evaluated the organization's needs, priorities, and budget and hence went with JazzHR as our ATS.
Compared with three different tools, JazzHR had to offer the best price (cost-efficient). It also has a User-Friendly Interface making it easy for both recruiters and hiring managers to navigate and utilize the system. JazzHR is also integrated with numerous job boards like Linkedin, Indeed, Zip Recruiter, etc making it easy for recruiters to reach out to a wider pool of candidates when they apply.
The organization is a small organization with less than 100 employees. It is also a pretty new company, we weren't sure about other tools thus JazzHR stood out because it offers a monthly subscription. Not all tools offer monthly subscriptions. It's easier for new organizations who want to try new tools to first enroll for a monthly subscription rather than a yearly subscription.
I have also used other tools similar to JazzHR and I believe that there are a lot of advanced features which were there in other ATS but were not present in JazzHR. For larger organizations, it could be a limitation.
Sometimes when filing a ticket with JazzHR on any issues, they are a little slow in replying and resolving.
It also has some limitations on integrating with certain HRIS platforms.
JazzHR stands out as an HR tool, it has several cons but the advantages stand out. I personally like this tool but again it depends on the organization's needs and priorities. For small businesses, it is a great option but for larger companies it can vary. I quickly could adopt to the tool and also had a smooth user experience.
The very first criteria to consider when buying this tool is the pricing and value for money. Understanding JazzHR's pricing structure, including any additional costs for extra features or users. Evaluate the same pricing in relation to the value and features offered by the competitors. Also, the organization's needs and priorities if/whether it is been fulfilled by JazzHR.
Changes and updates regularly happen in JazzHR. JazzHR has been adapting to various technological advancements. From the time I started working on the tool, there were a lot of great changes in the workflows ensuring that the recruiter has a smooth process.
JazzHR really works for small and medium organizations
This tool may not be a good fit for large organizations and even complex organizations that are looking for advanced features.

SmartRecruiters

Encompassing solutions beyond the standard candidate sourcing, assessment, and engagement features, SmartRecruiter is an enterprise-grade talent acquisition suite that provides native collaboration and AI-driven functionality.
PROS
- Candidate assessment, skill testing, and offer management are incorporated within the ATS. No add-ons or integrations are required.
- Pretty helpful in posting jobs on multiple job boards, integrating social media tools, and facilitating internal recruits.
- Pre-built integrations with over 500 HR solutions and job boards.
- Friendly with mobile devices.
- SmartRecruiters has a built-in candidate assessment and skill testing module that allows you to predict cultural fit, future performance and retention, without needing to integrate third-party solutions.
- SmartRecruiters provides features for offer management. You can create offer letter templates, share them with successful applicants, and collect their e-signatures from any device using SmartRecruiters’ DocuSign integration.
- Speaking of integrations, SmartRecruiters has pre-built integrations with over 500 HR solutions and job boards. You can also ask SmartRecruiters’ team to build additional integrations for you if it doesn’t integrate with products in your tech stack.
CONS
- Undisclosed pricing.
- No free trials.
- Users have reported a steep learning curve and that the UI takes time to get used to.
- The reporting feature doesn’t always retrieve data accurately.
- Features like candidate filtering, report customizations, and KPI tracking are limited.
- SmartRecruiters’ pricing isn’t transparent. Interested users have to go through the sales team to receive a quote. Users are also not able to create trial accounts on their own.
- Users have reported a steep learning curve and that the UI takes time to get used to. Some users have also reported that the system can be slow and glitches at times.
- The reporting feature doesn’t always retrieve data accurately. Some users have also complained that report customizations and KPI tracking capabilities are limited.
- Candidate filtering is quite limited. As it stands, only basic options such as degree, location, gender etc are provided.

SmartRecruiters ATS is built to serve mid-size and large businesses. The platform allows you to cast a wide net with customizable career pages, targeted ad campaigns, and job post distribution to multiple job boards. It also provides features for candidate assessment and offer management.
We've heard from several practitioners that SmartRecruiters are great at taking feedback from their customers and rapidly integrating that into the product.
If you're looking for an enterprise-grade solution that covers applicant tracking needs and then some (CRM, AI screening, recruitment marketing), SmartRecruiters is worth checking out.
Thousands of companies, including Ikea, Visa, LinkedIn, Equinox, and Skechers use SmartRecruiters.
SmartRecruiters ATS has custom pricing, and so do the other products of the system.
Best For
SmartRecruiters works best for medium and large-sized businesses.
As a recruiter in my organization, I rely on SmartRecruiters to handle the complete recruitment process from beginning to end. One of the key features of SmartRecruiters is the ability to post job openings on various job boards in a matter of a few clicks. Once the job gets posted, I can manage the entire hiring process from within the platform, including scheduling and conducting phone interviews, reviewing resumes and applications, and moving candidates through different stages. of the hiring process such as scheduling in-person interviews.
As the hiring process progresses, SmartRecruiters provides a dashboard view that allows me to track the status of each candidate, from initial application through to hiring. When a candidate has been selected for a position, SmartRecruiters also make it easy to generate and send offer letters directly from the platform.
Overall, SmartRecruiters has proven to be an invaluable tool for managing the recruitment process efficiently, keeping track of candidate information, and ensuring that the hiring process is smooth and streamlined.

I like SmartRecruiters as it offers a comprehensive and integrated platform for recruitment needs, which helps in streaming the hiring process. The user interface is intuitive and straightforward, allowing users to quickly navigate and access different functionalities.
One of the key benefits is its ability to connect with leading national job portals, which widens the pool of potential candidates and increases the chances of finding the right fit for a position.
Moreover, the platform offers a centralized candidate database, allowing recruiters like me to easily manage and maintain candidate information throughout the hiring process. The lifecycle management feature makes it easier to track a candidate's progress from the initial application to hiring, reducing the risk of overlooking any important steps.
Another amazing feature of this tool is its ability to draft and present offers within the platforms, making it more convenient to manage the hiring process from start to finish.
Overall in my opinion, SmartRecruiters offers a user-friendly, efficient, and integrated recruitment solution that can benefit both recruiters and candidates.
Our organization used SmartRecruiters to make the hiring process easier and better. SmartRecruiters is an HRIS that helps our organization post multiple job openings, keep a track of people who have applied to those jobs and keep a track of the whole hiring process.
With the help of this tool, HR managers and recruiters were able to save time and effort by posting job openings in many job portals at one time without having to go to different portals and post jobs one by one.
The tool also helps the HR team move candidates through different stages of the hiring process, so they can see who is the most qualified for the open job positions and make good decisions. The tool can also show different reports about the hiring process, like how many people have applied, so the organization can see how to make it better.
Our organization has been using this tool for almost one year and being used by different people in the organization, like managers, HR heads, recruiters, and senior management without any hassle.
SmartRecruiters doesn't allow integration with many applications, and their support team is not very responsive and is unwilling to make changes. They seem content with their current clients, as many big companies are already using their product and their support team is not willing to work on the new changes requested by the users.
SmartRecruiters stands out from other recruitment software by providing a platform that is easy to use and can be linked with both big and small job portals. It also offers a database that makes it easy to keep track of potential hires. With these features, SmartRecruiters can help recruiters save time and resources, making the hiring process more efficient. SmartRecruiters' ability to connect with various job portals and organize candidate data sets it apart from other recruitment software.
- Before buying recruitment software like SmartRecruiters, there are some important things to consider.
- Firstly, think about how many people will use the tool and which industry they work in. This affects which features will be most helpful.
- Secondly, check whether your team is skilled enough to use the tool, as some tools are harder to learn than others.
- Finally, think about how long you will need the tool. SmartRecruiters offers discounts for yearly models, so that might be worth considering.
- By keeping these things in mind, you can choose the right recruitment software for your needs.
SmartRecruiters has improved over time to meet the needs of their users. They have done this by adding new job portals, especially local job portals that are popular in different countries. They have also made their platform more affordable by offering discounts with yearly plans. Finally, they are working on integrating new applications into their platform, which will make it more versatile. By doing all this, SmartRecruiters is able to better meet the changing needs of its users.
SmartRecruiters is good for IT and Software companies, or any company where employees use technology for sourcing and recruitment process.
SmartRecruiters should not be used for organizations where employees do not use technology for the recruitment process like Warehouse and Distribution companies.

iCIMS

Unsurprisingly, iCIMS, a massive, global presence serving large companies with high-volume talent management needs, is available in 70+ languages. We're still super-impressed.
PROS
- A powerful recruiting solution that can handle high-volume hiring of up to 50,000 candidates.
- Constantly evolving through developments and acquisitions, giving users more features.
- The reporting feature is robust and retrieves data accurately.
- iCIMS is constantly expanding its roster of integrations with third-party products. Currently, 300+ and rising.
- Integrations with most HCM or payroll providers, including Workday, SAP, SuccessFactors, ADP, Oracle, and UKG.
- iCIMS is a powerful recruiting solution that can handle high volume hiring of up to 50,000 candidates.
- The platform is constantly evolving through developments and acquisitions, giving users more features.
- The reporting feature is robust and retrieves data accurately.
- iCIMS has a growing marketplace of over 300 integrations with third-party products.
CONS
- The UI is complex and dated compared to other cloud-based recruiting products.
- Customer support is sometimes slow and only available by phone or ticket—no live chat support.
- Though packing many features, it lacks automated reference checking.
- No transparent pricing and no free trial.
- The cost of implementation and integration is relatively high compared to other recruiting solutions.
- A significant number of users complained about the UI’s complexity and that it looks dated compared to other cloud-based recruiting products.
- Customer support is slow at times and only available through phone and by creating a support ticket online - no live chat support yet
- The platform packs an overwhelming amount of features yet still lacks some useful capabilities such as automated reference checking.
- No transparent pricing or free trials, and according to several users, the cost of implementation as well as integrations is high compared to other recruiting solutions.

iCIMS ATS is feature-rich and well-suited for large, multilingual organizations and high-volume agencies. Users can create custom-branded career sites, employee-generated testimonial videos, and personalized email or text campaigns through the platform.
iCIMS facilitates users in promoting existing employees through internal mobility programs.
iCIMS has over 4,000 customers, including Ulta, Target, Microsoft, PwC, Uber, and UPS.
Pricing is undisclosed – custom quotes only.
Best For
iCIMS is especially helpful for global enterprises and recruiting agencies with frequent hiring needs.
iCIMS is something that I have been using on a day-to-day basis in my current organization. I have been mainly using it for recruiting purposes. Key workflows which I use daily are,
- Job Requisition and Posting: This workflow involves creating a new job requisition within iCIMS. The recruiter or hiring manager defines the job title, description, requirements, and other relevant details.
- Candidate Sourcing and Screening: iCIMS helps recruiters source candidates through various channels, such as job boards, employee referrals, and resume databases.
- Applicant Tracking: As candidates apply for the job, their information is collected and stored in iCIMS' centralized ATS. The platform tracks each candidate's progress throughout the hiring process, from initial application to final hiring decision.
- Interview Scheduling and Management: iCIMS offers tools for interview scheduling, allowing recruiters and hiring managers to coordinate interviews with candidates seamlessly.

User-Friendly Interface - iCIMS provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for recruiters to navigate through the system, post job openings, and manage candidate data efficiently.
Centralized Applicant Tracking System (ATS) - iCIMS offers a centralized ATS, where recruiters can store and manage all candidate-related information, including resumes, applications, interview notes, and communication history.
Scalability - iCIMS can cater to the needs of both medium businesses and large enterprises, offering scalability to accommodate changing recruitment requirements as the organization grows.
Our organization believes that iCIMS is a popular cloud-based talent acquisition software that helps organizations streamline their recruiting and hiring processes. The platform offers several benefits to both recruiters and candidates. They strongly are of the opinion that iCIMS streamlines the recruitment process, enhances candidate experience, and provides valuable insights for making data-driven hiring decisions. I have been using iCIMS for 2 months.
One of the cons is it's costly. There are many cheaper ATS available in the market than iCIMS. iCIMS can be relatively expensive, especially for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
Customization Limitations- While iCIMS is customizable to some extent, certain advanced customization options may not be available or may require additional costs. Organizations with highly unique or complex recruitment processes might find it challenging to adapt the software fully to their specific needs.
While I haven't faced this personally but I have heard that iCIMS has limited offboarding features. While iCIMS primarily focuses on talent acquisition, it may have limited offboarding functionalities for managing the employee separation process.
I have used different ATSs, but the one thing which stands out for iCIMS is its user experience. Its user-friendly interface is designed to streamline the recruiting workflow and make it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to navigate the platform. Also, its customer support service is commendable. iCIMS provides customer support to assist users with any issues or questions they may encounter while using the platform.
When evaluating different ATS options, organizations should consider their specific needs, budget, and long-term recruitment goals to make an informed decision. It is essential to conduct thorough research, compare alternatives, and consider how well iCIMS aligns with the organization's recruitment and hiring processes before making a decision.
I haven’t used it long enough to comment on this.
iCIMS is best suited for large organizations.
I don't think it's the best fit for small/medium organizations.

Rippling

Rippling is known for their uniformly solid platform, so after test-driving their newly updated ATS module, we weren’t surprised to discover it’s intuitive to use, intelligently built, and succinctly integrated with their HRIS environment.
PROS
- The transition from candidate to employee is nearly seamless, with minimal manual data transfer.
- Mobile app for recruiters on the move
- Candidate friendly with no account creation required
- Intuitive UI and intelligent workflows
- Job board integration
- All-in-one platform for employee management + PEO services offered, and even a suite of other IT products
- With 500 integrations, it’s very likely that they integrate with other key tools from your tech stack.
- Operates globally with any currency
- Workflow automation
- Analytics opportunities
- Provides a holistic view of company outflows—headcount costs included
CONS
- Not offered as a standalone product
- US-centric, but globally focused-updates are in the pipeline
- Users report occasional issues with the mobile app
- Some users report that customization options are limited
- Total buy-in to Rippling is essential
- Very SMB-oriented, in case you’re a larger company.
- New features tend to be buggy in ways that tech teams are not accustomed to fixing
Ripplings ATS offers intelligent, intuitive workflows built into dozens of features and automation.
Typically, when an HRIS adds an ATS to their suite, it’s a half-hearted afterthought. Many are perfunctory, underpowered, and can easily be out-classed, even by mediocre standalone ATS platforms.
Rippling has built a reputation based on solid product choices, and this one is no exception.
Their ATS is fully built out and offers a feature set that would be a viable standalone product if it weren’t so nicely intertwined with the rest of the Rippling platform.
Based on what’s included, it is clear that they’ve considered the candidate's experience. Little touches, like including text messages to connect with candidates, show that they are aware that personal preferences matter. Another nod to the candidate experience (and what you can learn from it) is the abundant, customizable, anonymous surveys. Rippling clearly sees the connection between their public reputation and their candidate experience.
Even with all these candidate-focused features, Rippling hasn’t lost touch with the needs of the people who will use their product most: busy TA/HR teams hiring for SMBs and startups.


Though demand generation is still on the roadmap, elements of their recruiting feature are laudable. It automatically integrates job boards like LinkedIn, Monster, and Zip Recruiter.
Finally, mobile access is a nice touch for busy recruiters, and their open API partnerships with vendors outside their platform leave little to be desired.
For years, companies have had to choose between the superior performance of standalone ATS solutions and the efficiency and security of all-in-one platforms. With Rippling’s ATS, companies who chose the all-in-one solution no longer have to rely on an external ATS.
Bank of America, Motorola, Citigroup, Inc., Dwell, Superhuman, Expensify, Checkr
Rippling pricing starts at $8 per user per month for HR Unity, but the ATS is made available on a higher tier plan (HR Cloud) with undisclosed pricing.
Best For
Though the platform itself and the ATS module is used most by companies with 25 to 150 employees, it can support the needs of much larger teams.
We use Rippling for single sign on, benefits admin, FSA/HSA, time and attendance tracking, PTO requests and more. We also use Rippling for payroll, onboarding/offboarding, compliance and tax, IT device management and more.

Rippling is a one stop shop for our employees. We enjoy the ease and flexibility of the tool. It is also highly customizable to our needs. Payroll processing is straightforward. It takes care of all the compliance, reporting and tax matters we have. The customer support is exceptional and I always get to speak with a real agent when I have a question.
To bring a single source of truth and information hub to the company, we implemented Rippling. We've had Rippling in place since January of 2022. We wanted a tool that supports single sign on, benefits admin, time and attendance tracking, PTO requests and more. We also use Rippling for payroll, onboarding/offboarding, compliance and tax, IT device management and more.
Paying for workflows was a surprise. In order to create custom workflows or approvals you have to upgrade your package.
Rippling truly offers everything you might need. You can pick and choose the features and services you'd like to have, which I appreciate. As a smaller business, we don't need every feature, but we use quite a few and we are very satisfied with what they offer. They also integrate with several other tools which makes it easy to keep all of your platforms connected and speaking to one another.
What are you trying to solve for your company? Make a list of ways an HRIS could simplify your life, for employees, managers and HR. Look at what tools you currently use and see if Rippling could replace those. Or if those tools could integrate with Rippling.
They add new capabilities all the time. They now have a global payroll feature so you could pay all of your contractors and employees from one place. They have headcount planning features now. They also offer compensation banding.
Rippling is good for companies of all sizes and stages. It could be used to manage a team of 15 or a team of 50,000. It is flexible and customizable. I can't think of a company Rippling wouldn't be good for.

Trakstar Hire

Trakstar Hire is highly customizable. The ATS provides a single plan that includes all its features without limits, making it an excellent choice for mid-sized businesses.
PROS
- Highly customizable workflows that make navigating the hiring process easy.
- Unlimited job posts.
- Management must-haves are built-in, letting users create offer letters and collect e-signatures without integrating with other tools.
- Trakstar Hire’s recruitment workflows are highly customizable. You can edit them as needed to reflect your company’s hiring process.
- You can post as many jobs as needed with Trakstar Hire without any limitation.
- Trakstar Hire has offer management tools built-in. Users can create offer letters and collect e-signatures within Trakstar Hire without needing to integrate it with third-party tools.
CONS
- Limited integration options with third-party HRIS and payroll solutions.
- Several users have noted the sort function did not perform well.
- All-or-none plan: customers may pay for features they don’t use.
- No free trials. Undisclosed pricing.
- Trakstar Hire has limited integration options with third-party HRIS and payroll solutions.
- Several users have complained about being unable to sort candidates and search results in an order other than displayed.
- Trakstar Hire isn’t a scalable platform; they have a single plan, all features included, which means customers may end up paying for features that they don’t need.
- Trakstar doesn’t publically list their pricing nor allows visitors to create trial accounts directly from the website, which is unusual for a software solution aimed at mid-market companies.

Trakstar Hire (formally RecruiterBox) is an online ATS for midsize companies. Our experience navigating the platform was quite positive. The platform let us post jobs (unlimited jobs!) on multiple job boards and social media sites, sponsor those listings for maximum visibility, and receive resumes through customizable application forms.
We especially liked that customizing the workflow takes just a few clicks. They’ve done a great job balancing ease of navigation with numerous features and configurations available.
We think you will agree that Trakstar Hire’s automation deserves mention. Once resumes are in, the platform’s resume parser automatically extracts candidates’ details and creates profiles.
The offer management feature is well-made. We especially liked the offer letter templates that were ready to send after just a few tweaks for personalization. The platform also lets us collect e-signatures without third-party integration.
However, when the need arises to connect to a third party, Trakstar Hire’s integration abilities leave much to be desired.
They have covered the basics with the following apps: Namely, BambooHR, Slack, Checkr, QuickBooks, PandaDoc, G Suite, and Outlook/Office 365 Calendar. We hope there are more integrations in the works!
Makita, Couchsurfing, Lonely Planet, Untappd, Quality Ironworks.
Trakstar Hire has one plan that includes all of its features without any limits. The pricing is custom depending on headcount.
Best For
Trakstar Hire’s current feature set and pricing structure make it best suited for medium-sized businesses who hire regularly.
We use Trakstar Hire for tracking applicants, compliance, job postings, record keeping of applicants, central database for info sharing internally with hiring managers and hiring teams. HR staff can also easily communicate with employees.

I like that it is intuitive and easy to use. The fact that it's an all-in-one database that houses compliance, record keeping, communication internally and externally, is a real winner and very helpful.
We were looking for a tool that solves recruiting related compliance. It also needed to include storage capability. Sharing internally was a factor. Another was intuitiveness and ease of use. Compatibility with our performance appraisals was a plus as well.
I dislike that you have to download documents when you only need to view them. It would be nice to be able to just have it open in a new window. There are a few other glitches like this that I wish the company would address.
For people that are trying to solve many things with an applicant tracking tool, an all-in-one system like Trakstar is a really nice perk to hav
They do facelifts to their interface pretty regularly.
HR people will love this tool, and organizations that hire in teams would find it very helpful
I don't think anyone would hate this tool but it probably would be less broadly used if only HR people use it and not anyone else in the company
What are the Benefits of an Applicant Tracking system?
An ATS's primary benefit is optimizing your hiring process by building and maintaining a talent pipeline. Applicant tracking system statistics show that 94% of recruiters believe using ATS software has positively impacted their company's hiring processes.
Features like employer branding, analytics, customized workflows, and many others play a part in the optimization process.
Employer Branding: A top ATS will help your organization create and manage a custom career site to help your company stand out. Whether you work from a template or create your own from scratch, your career site can attract top talent by showcasing your best features, and with integrations with networks like LinkedIn, reaching an audience is easy. A custom career site offers an unparalleled employer branding opportunity, whether it’s culture, job perks, company mission, or core values.
Talent Pools: The best ATS software can save you time and money by maintaining already-sourced candidates. If you maintain occasional contact with a pool of qualified candidates, your recruiting process doesn’t start from zero each time you open a new role.
Hiring Managers and Employees: Rather than relying exclusively on your HR/TA teams for recruiting, the best ATS software will also include your hiring managers and employees to be part of the process. Referrals, feedback on job candidates, and social media can all be leveraged to fill open positions.
Hiring and Onboarding: An ATS can do more than streamline recruiting; it can work wonders for onboarding. A good first impression sets the stage for employee engagement and, ultimately, retention, so it’s critical to make the onboarding process onboarding employee-focused, timely, and effective.
Analytics: An effective hiring process is data-driven. Your ATS dashboard can make your team more effective, process-focused, and efficient. With good ATS software, recruiter productivity, cost per hire, cost for job boards, cost for paid media, time to hire, and numerous other points of interest will be available at your fingertips.
Cloud-Based Solution: As shocking it it seems, some HR teams still aren't taking advantage of cloud-based architecture. Generally speaking, a cloud-based platform's cost and product benefits outweigh the edge case uses for on-site hosting.
Customized Workflows: With the right ATS, your TA team can custom-build a recruiting process that perfectly fits your needs. Bespoke workflows can result in highly efficient and effective hiring, so look for an ATS that can customize and automate tasks like application processing, screening, and collecting feedback.
Customized workflows are especially helpful for companies who hire from very different candidate pools. If, for example, your team is hiring both truck drivers and software engineers, you can bet these workflows won’t be interchangeable.
If you’ve come this far, you're clearly serious about buying a new ATS. Let’s keep that momentum going!
Check out our ATS buying organizer spreadsheet, made in-house with Google Sheets and hard-won HR know-how. It offers a basic framework, and numerous resources, including our popular sample demo questions. You can simply download it or use it in Google Sheets. We hope it’s helpful!
If you're a small business looking to streamline your hiring process, our guide on the best ATS for small businesses is an essential read.
Advice for Buying the Best ATS Systems
This article mostly covers product specifics, but the advice in this section takes on big-picture considerations.
Buy More than Applicant Tracking: Look for applicant tracking software with as many features as you can afford and will use. An ATS that can schedule interviews, manage employee referrals, and parse resumes will lighten the load on your HR team, which will lead to increased efficiency and possibly more.
According to Zach Larson, “The ATS should make it simple for the HR team to identify trends and be a strategic partner for the business.” The value of a strategic perspective from your HR team is well worth the cost of a feature-rich ATS.
Get the Inside Scoop on Your Hiring Process: Talk to your hiring managers, employees, and recruiters to understand what weaknesses they see in your hiring process. Buying a new ATS should involve all of the stakeholders across a given employer.
Think Long Term: This is a tool you’ll use for several years, so consider possible futures. While investing in a system to meet your current needs is important, trying to anticipate the future is critical.
Beyond the capacity for the platform to scale up as you grow, Tracie Marie suggests buyers should pay attention to the company’s “continued efforts for improved resume parsing, integration capabilities, and enhanced video interviewing capabilities”. Many platforms offer each of these features to some extent, but be sure to assess their commitment to developing them.
Understand the Roadmap: It’s important to understand a company’s product roadmap, how impactful those features will be, and the company’s track record of delivering on that roadmap. Ask the sales rep specific questions relevant to your business needs.
Focus on Individual Features: Understanding the intricacies of one ATS can be daunting, but trying to compare and contrast dozens of features offered by products on your shortlist can be totally overwhelming.
We advise taking a step back to evaluate exactly what you need. Once you have created a list of ten or so, pick three to five must-have features to refine your choices.
Look at ROI: Historically, ATSs were thought to manage only two functions: workflow management and legal compliance. But modern applicant tracking systems do much more. They can drive ROI through sourcing and recruitment marketing capabilities, they often integrate seamlessly with other HR Tech, and they lighten the load for your HR/TA teams.
Simply put, a good ATS comes with good ROI and the ability to drive value from the entire employee lifecycle. This is an especially critical point (and investment opportunity!) for companies that want a competitive edge in tight labor markets.
What is the ROI of a Top ATS system?
Build a case for your new purchase. Our ROI guide will help you to build a robust business case to get the budget you need.
It covers:
- Subscription fees and one-off costs
- Increases in recruiter productivity
- Changes in the hiring funnel
- Decreases in time to fill
We highly recommend you watch the video to best understand how to use this spreadsheet! It's a bit complex and the video will help you understand it.
ATS Pricing Models
Here's a simplified overview of the most common pricing models. Each establishes a price based on a “per unit of X” model.
For a more in-depth look, check out this guide to ATS pricing.
Per hires, job postings, or applicants: We like this “use more, pay more” model because it’s straightforward with a 1:1 ratio between use and cost. The value you get from an ATS system is clearly greater when you hire more, so a company that hires 200 people each year should pay less than one that hires 2,000.
Per number of employees: Some ATS software charges are based on your headcount. In this case, “use more, pay more” applies to employees who can be engaged to take part in the recruiting and hiring process. The premise is that candidates hired from referrals (often via social shares) tend to close quickly and have low rates of attrition.
Per seat: Some ATS platforms charge based on the number of people who use the software, which can make the choice a bit tricky because admin access needs tend to change over time. This model is often chosen by small teams who are hiring slowly.
Per features: When an ATS offers features that exceed the typical functionality of an ATS, they often base the cost on those features. Products like these straddle the line between ATS and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). CRM software (not to be confused with a CEM) is built to handle much more than hiring. Far more robust than a typical ATS, a CRM includes features like a large-scale analytics package.
Pro Tips:
- Beware of hidden costs! ATSs sometimes charge for integrations with the HRIS software you already use. This kind of unexpected expense could drastically increase your annual spending.
- Prices are negotiable! Ask for a startup discount, or find the wiggle room in a multi-year contract. Learn how to navigate this space: get a legal perspective on multi year contract negotiation from upcouncel, or check out our guide on how to get the best possible price on HR tech.
How Much Do Applicant Tracking Systems Cost?
Here are some guidelines on pricing based on company headcount. This information is intended to help you get a general sense of ATS pricing. Keep in mind that ATSs come in all shapes and budget sizes. Here we provide mid-range samples for reference.
Where did we get this data? It was (partially) from people like you! To help HR teams better understand their options, we crowdsource data on ATS pricing.
Our short, anonymous survey only takes about two minutes to complete, and anyone who participates will be given access to the entire data set. Click here to help out the community!
What Are the Key Features of a Top ATS?
- Open API: Almost without exception, the top ATSs are built with robust, open APIs and a substantial network in their “partner ecosystem”.
An open API (Application Programming Interface for the over-achievers among us) connects the ATS platform to the software you’re already using. You should aim for seamless integration, which means the ATS should be ready to interface (connect to, plug in to, play nice with) with whatever software you are already using for hiring.
Because it’s a major selling point, “open API” should be easy to find on their site. Look for “partner ecosystem” to get a sense of how easy your integration (connection process) will be. In this case, partners refers to two products made by different companies that can partner because of their open APIs.
For the tech-averse whose comfort level is not quite at the “let’s discuss APIs” level, a piece of advice: keep asking questions. If a vendor doesn’t have time to help you understand their product from the ground up, they are probably the wrong vendor.
- Video interviews: Virtual meetings save time and can substantially increase the number of candidates you assess. Look for platforms with built-in video interview modules or those that can integrate with one of the top video interview platforms.
- Sourcing: The top ATSs include dynamic features like Google Chrome extensions that allow you to source candidates directly from the web. You’ll also find databases of job seekers that you can query for specific skills and outreach tools that will enable you to build sequences that engage candidates through email and texting.
- CRM (Candidate Relationship Management): Because it’s an essential feature of talent management, CRM is both a popular type of software that’s available as a stand-alone system and a feature you’ll find included in many ATS platforms.
The CRM feature nurtures your relationship with your entire job-seeker ecosystem, whether active or passive. It helps your TA keep leads warm by setting reminders to ping individual candidates (“silver medalists”) or to check in periodically with larger candidate pools. Structured communications and automated workflows help maintain good relationships and free up your TA team’s time.
- Blind Screening: This is an effective method used to control for hiring bias, which is a foundational element of all D&I initiatives. ATSs with a blind screening feature obscure the candidates' names, photos, addresses, and other demographic identifiers to prevent assessments based on non-relevant characteristics.
- Employer Branding and Career Site: Modern applicant tracking systems are built with the candidate's experience in mind. Making a good first impression is critical, so top ATSs include features to build and maintain a bespoke career site. With a little help from your marketing team, your ATS can create a distinctive, bespoke, on-brand career site.
- Data and Analytics: Any ATS worth its salt has a basic analytics dashboard. The best (and often the most expensive) ATSs also incorporate a powerful analytics engine to make light work of your heaviest statistical loads. Before you buy, be sure your needs can be met with what the tool can do.
Consider your relationship with internal and external stakeholders as you evaluate this feature. When called upon to demonstrate the efficacy of your hiring process, your ATS can be your source of truth. - Interview Scheduling: ATS software that is focused on recruitment automation will include scheduling for everything from phone screens to final-round interviews. This can save your HR coordinators a ton of time (and endless scheduling errors!) and may even mean you can redeploy talent towards more strategic roles such as full-cycle recruiting.
- Offer Letters: Automated distribution of offer letters is a standard ATS feature. Most platforms offer templates that can easily be customized for each offer presented to each potential hire.
- Onboarding: An onboarding feature helps ensure that the transition from candidate to colleague is as smooth as possible. Few ATSs offer onboarding features because this process is so dissimilar to the core functions of the platform. That said, if the ATS you’re looking at doesn’t offer one, it should at least integrate with software that can handle the onboarding process.
The features listed above are highly specific and intended to help buyers and decision-makers make swift, categorical decisions. However, some critical aspects of ATS performance and functionality can’t be summed up so easily.
Our guest expert Zach Larson suggests buyers keep in mind the following three basic elements. First, consider how well the product will respond to market challenges. Second, estimate the quality of candidates based on the ATSs sourcing methods, and, last but not least, involve your TA team in the process. Your internal stakeholders must be on board with your choice.
ATS System Vendor Demo Questions
Essential questions for vendors:
- Is there a bi-directional API to share information between this system and my HRIS?
- How does this ATS help my recruiting efforts beyond capturing candidate information? For example, will it allow me to pipeline candidates, source, boost referrals, etc.?
- How does this system improve the candidate experience?
- What is your partner strategy, and do I have to pay to integrate my other recruiting tools?
- What metrics do you focus on to prove the effectiveness of this solution, and where can I see these in my analytics dashboard?
- Can I speak to my future customer service rep about implementation and how exactly your organization will be involved?
- Walk me through the candidate experience.
- Can I store candidate profiles in this system in a way that is searchable for future candidate sourcing?
- Walk me through how recruiters post jobs, vet applicants, and leave feedback.
- How do employees outside of HR interact with this ATS?
- Do you have social recruiting capabilities?
- We use {{XYZ indispensable recruiting tool}},do you integrate with it? If yes, how?
- What is the onboarding process after we buy this solution? Ask for specific steps and who in your org needs to be involved.
If this isn’t enough, we have compiled more than 300 questions to ask vendors while shopping for an ATS.
This sizable collection is the result of approaching the buying process from many angles. This cross-functional array includes questions recruiters should ask, questions for hiring managers, questions for accounting, and more.
300+ is obviously too many questions, but we recommend you use the list for its educational value: it will help you get your bearings, and you can take a handful with you on your first few product demonstrations.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About ATSs
How do I buy the best applicant tracking system?
- Understand your business: Identify the specific needs your ATS needs to meet. For example, a Global Fortune 500 company requires a hefty enterprise solution supporting multiple languages, transcontinental jurisdictions, global payroll, etc. These features would be a waste of money for a U.S.-based SMB wanting to bump up its headcount by 30 people by the end of Q2. The right solution for the SMB (there are ATSs that cater to SMBs) would be wrong for a 5 person startup whose needs can be met with the least expensive, most bare-bones tool available, like a free ATS.
- Create a shortlist: You can use our reviews or other sites like G2 or Capterra to determine which ATS vendors you want to look at. You may also want to ask peers at similar companies what solutions they're using.
- Ask for live demonstrations: When you have narrowed your list down to five or so options, make a date with their sales team for a live product demonstration.
- Come prepared: Show up with questions and be ready to take excellent notes. Ask them to describe the implementation process. Ask for details about integrations between the software they’re selling and your current HR tech stack.
Be sure you get an end-to-end demonstration of key workflows that your team will use frequently, like posting jobs, scheduling interviews, etc.
- Get internal stakeholder buy-in: The obvious benefit of cross-department input is matching your ATS tool with your hiring needs. But there’s more: those involved in the selection will be more invested in the ATS implementation process, and, most importantly, your budget will only be approved if you have achieved buy-in from those who oversee spending.
In general, HR teams focus on skills that do not involve presenting a business case to a CFO. If you’re feeling unsure of yourself, use this simple formula to prepare a short presentation.
Be sure to cover three core points:
- Why this is an important purchase
- How it will impact their lives
- How it will impact your organization
Include examples specific to your business and be ready to provide some numbers.
- Finalize your vendor: After you've done all the demos and seen your shortlist in action, it’s time to narrow down your list down to one.
Before you move forward, ask yourself if the people you interacted with are people you want to work with. Human factors and checklist items are equally important, so think back on how you were treated throughout the process. You should feel you can trust the person on the other side of this transaction. If you have doubts, consider reevaluating.
- Negotiate the price: Any price can be negotiated. When settling on a price, hold the position that you should always get compensated for giving something up. For example, if you give up flexibility by signing a longer contract, you should get a price break.
Pro Tip: Buy software at the end of the month or quarter as you can get good deals at this time.
- Implement like a pro: Follow your account manager's advice. They are economically incentivized to help you succeed. In fact, their bonus depends on it!
- Reflect: After a big project like this, set aside time to evaluate your process and outcomes. What surprised you? What went well? What could be improved? Take it all in, document it, and try to do it better next time.
What is the difference between an ATS and an HRIS?
An ATS (applicant tracking system) is the core operating software for your recruiting team that deals with hiring records, whereas your HRIS (Human Resource Information System) is the core operating system of your human resources team and deals with employee records.
Why is an ATS used in recruitment?
An ATS is used in recruitment to make the end-to-end process of hiring easier. ATSs were originally designed for large corporations managing thousands of job applications every week. The use of software dedicated to specific purposes has become part of our everyday lives, and so has the ubiquity of the ATS in small and medium businesses. Teams of all sizes, with any variety of hiring needs, can benefit from a tool that increases efficiency by streamlining tasks.
How do applicant tracking systems work?
Applicant tracking systems work by acting as a liaison between an employer and an applicant. Once an application is submitted, the ATS extracts and stores the candidate’s work experience, education, and contact information in a database. HR teams use the database to review applications, communicate with applicants, schedule interviews, and sometimes administer skills tests.
Final Advice for Buying a New ATS
Know your needs: Get clear on the specific needs your ATS must satisfy. Meet with vendors and watch demos only after you are absolutely sure of your current ATS requirements, and confident of your future forecast. Don’t agree to anything less (or more) than exactly what you need.
An ATS is a long-term commitment, so take your time to avoid getting stuck in a long-term contract with the wrong tool.
Two-for-one ROI analysis: Anyone who’s ever fallen flat in the CFO’s office knows this type of analysis is crucial for getting buy-in from internal stakeholders. However, the process of being CFO-ready with an ROI report offers some additional assets you may not have considered.
First, the process will refine your thoughts on why and how an ATS is an important purchase for your team, which will lead to more clarity on which features to prioritize.
Second, your model can become something of a journal. If you revisit your analysis periodically, it can serve as a record of where you were right and wrong, and this reflection will help refine how you think about allocating a budget for future decisions.
Consider the context: Modern ATSs come with standard features that were once unimaginable, or at least completely out of reach for all but the biggest and most successful companies. The evolution of the ATS has a paradoxical twist: as the sophistication of ATS platforms has gone up, the cost has gone down.
This means that capabilities like sourcing, CRM, talent re-discovery, and even top-rate analytics capabilities are readily available to most.
The catch? It’s a complicated landscape with hundreds of vendors and thousands of feature options.
Another twist? After reading this article you’re essentially an expert now!
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- Our goal at SSR is to help HR and recruiting teams to find and buy the right software for their needs.
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