The Best Recruiting Software — 2023
The best recruitment software, top vendors, categories, pitfalls, pricing, and more.
Most recruiters and hiring managers know that the best choice of recruiting software will supercharge their hiring process while making their lives easier. From candidate sourcing and recruitment marketing to resume parsing and interview scheduling, the right recruiting tools mean more of the best talent in your pipeline and more efficient recruiting cycles.
Of course, the landscape of top talent acquisition technology is fairly complex. There are many different categories of solutions, and sometimes hundreds of vendors to choose from within each landscape. That's why each month we talk to dozens of new HR Tech vendors to learn what tools our community should be using. We also spend a lot of time with forward-thinking People/HR/TA leaders to understand how these tools can actually drive value to job seekers and, ultimately, new employees.
So, here is our view on the best talent acquisition software out there. We’ve broken it down into the few top solutions per each software category, along with a small explanation of what that category entails and what features it should have later on.
Pro Tip: We write up a ton of content about each of the specific landscapes related to recruiting software (ATS, AI, Chatbots, etc) and have linked to each so that you can get a sense of pricing, pitfalls, etc for each category. Good luck!
Best Recruiting Software
Our team of experts evaluated multiple metrics and features when selecting the best recruiting software, with these three factors considered most important: diversity hiring, customization, and unique capability. We started with 24 vendors and eventually narrowed it down to 10. Here’s how we made the cut.
- Diversity Hiring: You can’t go far wrong with a recruitment tool that offers robust diversity hiring capabilities. Thus, we made sure selected solutions provide multilingual careers sites, blind hiring (anonymized candidate information), structured interviews, and AI-powered features for unbiased candidate shortlisting.
- Customization: This factor holds a key role in improving your chances of securing the best talent. Features we vetted for this element include the option to make the look and feel of your career page match your company's branding, easy-to-adjust workflows, and custom fields to collect candidates’ additional information. This way, you can create a personalized experience for both candidates and your team.
- Unique Strength: We selected software that had something special, such as Turing specializes in tech talent recruitment, or VidCruiter, with its advanced video interviewing solution as part of the full recruitment suite. These types of software have a knack for enhancing the recruitment process and giving you a competitive edge.
Each software listed here has undergone our strict HR tech evaluation process, including full product demos, user research, feedback from experts in this space, and our first-hand experience with the software to determine which products truly stand out as the best.
VidCruiter
Fetcher
Freshteam
Greenhouse
ClearCompany
Pinpoint
Trakstar Hire
eightfold
Seekout
VidCruiter
VidCruiter has a full recruitment suite that is fully customizable and friendly to both US-based and worldwide teams. While most of its customers are medium to large-sized companies, fast-growing teams that hire globally can also use the product well.
PROS
- VidCruiter can be fully customizable workflows to match businesses' hiring journeys.
- Advanced automation features.
- Interview guide and templates developed by industrial and organizational (IO) psychologists.
- The end-to-end solution consolidates all hiring tools into a single product.
- Supports numerous languages.
- Excellent customer support.
- 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 complex, highly customized, and feature-rich implementations will be time-consuming.
- The skills assessment module is great as an add-on but doesn’t stand out among other solutions in that space.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- No free trial or free plan.
- 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 goes beyond basic video interviewing to deliver a browser-based, end-to-end recruitment solution.
We love VidCruiter for its customizable and comprehensive software packages. The platform offers a full suite option: ATS, custom career sites, quick apply, interview scheduling, live interviewing, pre-recorded interviewing, automated reference checking, and virtual hiring events. It also lets users purchase modules one by one and then add more as needed.
From our first-hand experience, businesses with complex hiring processes will most likely benefit from VidCruiter's recruiting product.
Though the software’s implementation is not the fastest (depending on the level of user customization requirements) and its pricing is not the cheapest, our research indicates that the platform’s customers are highly satisfied and very loyal. Hundreds have been with VidCruiter for years, love the product, and plan to stay put.
Lionsgate, Samsung, US Foods.
The pricing of VidCruiter’s solutions is not disclosed on their website. Contact VidCruiter’s Sales team for a custom price quote.
Best For
Medium to large organizations that hire at least 100 people annually will benefit significantly from VidCruiter’s recruiting software. It is also a great option for organizations that meet those criteria and have a well-developed work culture to showcase with videos.
Fetcher
Fetcher is an AI-based recruitment automation software that uses a simple but effective 3-step methodology of ‘source, engage, and track’ to ensure that you have a continuous stream of qualified candidates and meet your hiring needs.
PROS
- Fetcher is highly rated by customers for its clean interface, ease of use, and customer support.
- According to most users, Fetcher's sourcing tool is one of the best in the business, providing them access to the best candidates with specialized skills and backgrounds.
- Customers find Fetcher's automated outreach feature extremely useful for sending cold emails and personalized messages to potential candidates.
- Fetcher is highly rated by customers for its clean interface, ease of use, and customer support.
- According to most users, Fetcher's sourcing tool is one of the best in the business, providing them access to the best candidates with specialized skills and backgrounds.
- Customers find Fetcher's automated outreach feature extremely useful for sending cold emails and personalized messages to potential candidates.
CONS
- Some users report experiencing bugs and glitches while using the software.
- In rare cases, Fetcher may source either over-qualified or under-qualified candidates for a particular role. However, according to users, their team is quick to correct and refine the search criteria in such scenarios.
- Some users report experiencing bugs and glitches while using the software.
- In rare cases, Fetcher may source either over-qualified or under-qualified candidates for a particular role. However, according to users, their team is quick to correct and refine the search criteria in such scenarios.
Fetcher is a recruiting automation software that handles top-of-the-funnel hiring tasks such as sourcing candidates, cold outreach, and candidate engagement. Rooted in AI, Fetcher's sourcing tool provides curated profiles with the skills and background you're looking for. Their outreach tools make it possible to create automated and customized email sequences for different candidates and positions. You can even assign reminders to individual conversations to ensure that replies are sent on time. The reporting dashboard helps you track hiring stats and diversity metrics and evaluate the performance of your candidate outreach and engagement efforts.
Fetcher is used by over 500 businesses worldwide, including Andela, Frame.io, Magnite, Foursquare and CarGurus.
The pricing of Fetcher's plans is based on the number of seats your team needs and the number of vetted candidate leads sourced. You can contact their sales team for a custom quote based on your specific hiring requirements.
Best For
Fetcher can be used by small, mid-sized, and large organizations looking to automate their sourcing and candidate outreach processes and increase hiring efficiencies.
Freshteam
We love Freshteam because it has great AI and automation features, a free-forever plan, as well as a lengthy 21-day free trial of its paid offerings.
PROS
- Freshteam is very user-friendly, with an intuitive UI that’s easy to navigate. It features a customizable, Kanban-style view of the full hiring process from initial contact to offer sending. Drag and drop mechanism makes it easy to move candidates around as they progress through the different stages.
- Freshteam is affordable for SMBs to use while still having a comparable feature set to more expensive solutions.
- Freshteam is quite scalable. With four plans to choose from, customers can start out with the free plan, then upgrade to more features as their business grows.
CONS
- While Freshteam has a free-forever plan that small companies can use, the plan is limited in features and allows for only 3 published job postings. That said, Freshteam’s paid plans are quite affordable, and can be used by small businesses - should they need to - without breaking the bank.
- Freshteam might not be suitable for enterprises and agencies that do volume hiring and are in need of advanced applicant tracking, candidate sourcing, and relationship management capabilities, as we've confirmed via several user interviews.
While Freshteam by Freshworks is better known as an all-encompassing HR software, its use as a CRM for recruitment and a recruitment management system makes it worth mentioning here. Most of the tools we’ve discussed focus just on the recruitment side of things, while Freshteam can do most of the tasks of an ATS right where all the other HR action happens.
If that wasn’t enough, their software also uses AI and automation to cut time from the daily routines of talent management pros. Some examples of automated tasks are rejecting candidates with certain test scores, filing candidates based on their interests, and sourcing from job boards like Glassdoor, Adzuna, LinkedIn, Ziprecruiter, and Indeed.
JCDecaux, SAP, University of Pennsylvania, Nissan
Freshteam has four pricing plans:
- Free: Free for up to 50 active employees
- Growth: $1 per employee/month + $59 platform fee/month billed annually
- Pro: $2 per employee/month + $99 platform fee/month billed annually
- Enterprise: $4 per employee/month + $169 platform fee/month billed annually
Best For
Any sized company will find a home in one of Freshteam's flexible plans.
Greenhouse
Greenhouse is a feature-rich applicant tracking system for midsized and large companies that require advanced scheduling, customization, and straightforward workflows.
PROS
- 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.
- 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
- 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’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 is one of the top names in recruiting software. Though their product is mainly an ATS, it packs more solutions for structured hiring and candidate experience. Hence, some teams use it as a combination of a comprehensive ATS and a CRM. The well-structured dashboard keeps us informed about essential tasks, including application reviews, interviews, team progress, and links to Greenhouse features for easy access.
Job creation in Greenhouse is simple, especially with pre-built templates. While it's not the tool's standout feature, the customization options deserve recognition. With Greenhouse, we have full control over our hiring workflow, and the customization process is straightforward and entirely user-driven. No IT knowledge or customer support is needed, thanks to the intuitive drag-and-drop workflow. We can tailor the number of stages, their names, purposes, and evaluation criteria, assign responsible team members, and define roles and access levels. This high level of customization is part of what sets Greenhouse apart from other products we demoed.
Furthermore, Greenhouse impresses with its extensive integration capabilities, offering over 360 native integrations for effortless connectivity. While we can’t test all the integrations out for you, we tried some most common ones (Slack, Gmail, Calendly) and found it all ran pretty smoothly.
HubSpot, DoorDash, Dropbox, Wayfair.
Greenhouse doesn’t disclose its pricing on the platform. There are three plans offered, with the pricing based on your team’s total headcount:
- Essential: Core features and one event.
- Advanced: All features from Essential, plus custom reporting, scalable workflows, and ten events.
- Expert: All Advanced features, plus upgraded CRM, enhanced security, developer sandbox, DEI feature set, and unlimited events.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the standard contract is a one-year prepaid subscription. Also, discounts are available for two and three-year prepaid agreements.
Best For
Medium to large-sized companies and fast-growing teams are likely to get the most out of Greenhouse.
- I use greenhouse daily and multiple times a year.
- I used it for interviews which included setting up interviews, building interview kits and scorecards. When setting up interviews, I don't need to send them a resume and details, it's all there available to them in Greenhouse.
- Candidate communication with Greenhouse was quick and easy. I used it to acknowledge their applications, to reach out to coordinate interviews and also send out rejections as needed.
- Job posting management with Greenhouse is easy. I post jobs directly to our career page with Greenhouse and update the same as needed too.
- Developing hiring plans for each role and collaboration with interviewers is also done on Greenhouse.
- Managing our Vendors, and easily managing their candidates in the pipeline is easy with Greenhouse. Our external recruitment partners directly submit their candidates with details on our greenhouse platform.
- I like the notifications and alerts it provides to make sure you are able to keep things moving in timely manner.
- The ability to search resumes is great, which helps build our own resume database. With Greenhouse , the ability to customize workflows based on the needs of each team and or role is very helpful.
- You can integrate LinkedIn with Greenhouse.
As an organization we were growing and we needed a new online collaborative system which would assist us with our recruitment. As a global team, it was essential for us to use a single system. We also needed support with our interview process, being able to schedule interviews with ease. In addition, we wanted a system in place which would be used by our internal recruiters and our external vendors all in one single space. As the team grew it was not possible to effectively track our candidates, hiring process and create the necessary reports. Lastly we were looking for a tool which would be scalable as we grew and increased our hiring.
Personally, I have used Greenhouse for over 4 years and over the years have learnt more and more what can be done with it. I have used it as a part of an in-house recruitment team and as an external vendor.
Over time it helped us with onboarding too which was a plus as we needed support in that area as well.
- It does take some time to learn the platform and how to get its best use, training is important to use Greenhouse to the fullest.
- The UI is good, but may not be the latest compared to other products out there.
- More integrations with job boards and softwares would be great.
I have used Greenhouse and similar tools, Greenhouse is a robust and constantly evolving platform geared more to larger companies and or companies ready to invest more on their recruitment tool. Even though smaller growing teams can use it , I would say it is more geared to medium if not large enterprises from a price point and the initial set up time too. As mentioned quite a bit of training is needed to use Greenhouse which is not always the case for other recruitment tools. This can be a barrier to getting hiring managers to use the platform.
- A few of the key buying criteria includes assessing the tool to make sure it solves your company's problems. All company's recruitment needs are not the same.
- It is important to see if there is an option for a trial or atleast a demo to get an understanding of how it works, and its usability.
- Integrations are important to consider. Teams have multiple tools for productivity, project management, performance management, compensation, and onboarding. It is important to take a look at which integrations are available when choosing a tool.
They have a mobile app which is constantly improving but helps meet the needs of users, especially when many are working remotely. They have improved security and compliance over time too. Lastly, diversity, equity and inclusion features have been added to the tool as well which are constantly updated to the needs of the user.
Recruiters, HRBPs, Hiring Managers. Medium-large sized organizations.
Very small teams.
ClearCompany
ClearCompany has an incredibly high customer retention rate thanks to strong features coupled with great customer service.
PROS
- 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
- 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.
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As we’ve written in the past, ClearCompany’s ATS is notable for having a 99% customer retention rate across their 2,000+ clients. We’ve chatted with some of their users and this is in great part due to their amazing customer service, as well as key features like video interviewing, interview scheduling, a career site builder, and a referral tool.
Further, a great aspect of ClearCompany is that their game doesn’t stop with recruitment software. They also offer a full-on HR suite that allows organizations to track the full employee lifecycle. If used like this, their ATS is able to identify the best available talent based on the company’s top performers.
Fujifilm, the Salvation Army, Supreme Court for the State of Arizona
Best For
ClearCompany works best for large companies looking for recruiting software that can either integrate well with the rest of their HR suite, or those who need a general HR ops tool.
Pinpoint
Pinpoint literally does it all, with everything recruiting team need from a branded career site to sourcing tools to video interviewing.
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.
CONS
- 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’s employee onboarding solution seamlessly integrates with their ATS. They built this module with the goal of keeping a strong candidate experience throughout the hiring process versus handing applicants off to an HRIS that may not have as great of a UI/UX.
HR teams assign candidates to a team, and then select the relevant workflow template so that your new colleague gets the relevant information to them (how their team works, tech stack they will be using, etc), and adds the relevant information for their office and job.
Jersey Electricity, JT Group, Coinshare, BDO Greenlight
Pinpoint has two pricing plans, Growth and Enterprise. Growth is the starting plan, with up to 20 active jobs at one time. Enterprise adds more features along with unlimited active jobs.
Best For
Companies with larger in-house recruiting teams.
Trakstar Hire
We love Recruiterbox because it is a scalable platform that's easy and quick to set up. It is also a great fit for remote teams.
PROS
- 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
- 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.
A key aspect of Recruiterbox is that it can grow with your company. Small companies are able to set it up in as little as 90 minutes, and many keep using it even as their hiring needs skyrocket. The reason for that is that they have a solid feature list that also includes workflows, letting hiring managers automate certain tasks.
Recruiterbox is also very mindful of remote teams, so they make collaboration through their platform much easier by having notes and insights about candidates available in the same place. It also lets you organize your team into hiring teams or fewer profiles as need be.
Recruiterbox is favored by companies like Olark, Couchsurfing, Lonely Planet, and Untappd.
Makita, Couchsurfing, Lonely Planet, Untappd
Recruiterbox is priced on a per employee per month basis, starting at an annual minimum of $3499.
Best For
Medium to large companies, especially ones with remote teams.
eightfold
Eightfold's recruiting software allows you to manage your job postings, applications and resumes in one place and provides deep insights into potential candidates' profiles. It can also automatically match qualified candidates with roles that fit them.
PROS
- Eightfold uses AI technology to analyze your job postings and find the best fitting candidates. It can also rank those candidates based on their skills, experience and potential.
- You can filter candidate searches by experience level or salary range so that you only see candidates that fit your hiring criteria.
- The platform encourages diversity hiring and enables you to eliminate hiring bias through anonymous screening, aka profile masking
- It improves overall employee experience by providing tailored training and development opportunities based on their skill sets and interests.
- It has a built-in CRM to store and manage HR data about potential candidates, current employees, and previous employees.
CONS
- There isn’t a way for hiring managers and recruiters to leave notes on candidates profiles within the system which is rather inconvenient.
- Eightfold has a mobile app that employees can access for skills development but doesn’t currently have one for hiring managers and recruiters to manage their pipeline and perform other actions relating to the hiring process.
- Several users reported that the tool does not search for candidates outside its database.
- The platform’s pricing isn’t transparent and there is no free trial at this time.
From sourcing and screening candidates, to managing interviews and tracking your hiring pipeline - Eightfold's Recruiting software helps you manage the hiring process from beginning to end. Candidates can fill their details, upload a resume, and apply for job opportunities with a single click. Eightfold’s deep learning and AI algorithm scours through millions of candidate profiles and ranks the most relevant profiles to match them with suitable jobs.
Eightfold’s client list includes prominent enterprises like TATA Communications, LG, Vodafone, Bayer, Chevron, Morgan Stanley, and more.
Eightfold's pricing plans are not disclosed on its website. Contact their Sales team for a custom quote.
Best For
Eightfold was made for high volume hiring. The companies that make the best fit are those looking to fill more than 100 roles per year.
Seekout
SeekOut is a long-standing recruiting tool with AI sourcing and candidate engagement that is oriented toward the U.S. and Canada. The software has a robust candidate search engine that can source from over 800M profiles, enabling recruiters to reach a wide pool of talent.
PROS
- SeekOut’s AI lets users tap into hundreds of millions of candidates from external sources.
- Specialized pools with 127M+ profiles of developers, technical experts, cleared candidates, licensed nurses, and healthcare workers.
- Ability to find talent also among your existing team.
- 300 custom filters to adjust the searches as broad or as narrow as you would like.
- The AI Matching finds candidates who meet your uploaded job description and will learn from your decision (accept or reject the candidates) to return better results the next time you search.
- Sources from tons of external databases; over 780M candidate profiles and growing
- Can find talent also among your existing team.
- Truly tech-powered and search engine-like platform.
- Presents very complete candidate profiles, sometimes going through their code contributions, participation in conferences, academic papers, and more, in order to present top experts for certain skills or topics.
CONS
- Mainly oriented toward the U.S. and Canada for years. Hence, companies outside those geographies (Europe) might find the tool’s searches limited when it comes to local talent.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- Limited candidates in Caribbean and Latin America markets.
- No option to view the candidates' resumes. The tool generates candidates’ profiles based on gathered data across sources: experience, education, skills, contact info, etc.
- While they're always expanding their candidate list, they have been mainly oriented towards the US and Canada for years. Hence, companies outside those geographies might find that their searches are still somewhat limited when it comes to local talent. Such is the case of some users writing from Europe, for instance.
- Several users have complained about lags or glitches between the candidate’s info from the source and how/when it appears within the platform.
SeekOut earns our trust for being particularly helpful in sourcing and recruiting candidates from various channels. With refined filtering options, we can browse through a vast database of over 800 million candidate profiles, filtering by work history, keywords, location, education, and skills. A recent update introduced the ability to filter candidates by specific countries or states in the U.S.
SeekOut shines in specialized sectors like tech and healthcare. The AI sources directly from GitHub. They also provide a large pool of healthcare candidates. However, the pool is limited to the United States.
Beyond sourcing tools, SeekOut offers features to engage passive candidates, including customizable email drip campaigns. The newly introduced SeekOut Assist leverages ChatGPT to suggest matches and craft personalized messages based on job descriptions and candidate profiles.
We were also impressed with its focus on internal talent through the SeekOut Grow feature, which provides insights into existing employee profiles and identifies internal candidates suitable for new projects or open roles.
While SeekOut integrates well with platforms like LinkedIn and GitHub, its effectiveness diminishes outside the U.S. and Canada. European users reported limited talent profiles, while some in Latin America and the Caribbean markets encountered difficulties accessing candidate contact information. SeekOut's real-time data fetching updates aim to address these concerns.
SeekOut integrates smoothly with popular ATSs and CRMs like Greenhouse, but users relying on Phenom or Gem should be cautious as the integrations may not be as intuitive. Additionally, there is a monthly limit of 500 candidate contacts, with the possibility of extending it for an additional cost.
SeekOut offers live chat support on weekdays, along with email support and a dedicated customer success manager for select plans.
VMware, Salesforce, Merck, UiPath, Anaplan.
SeekOut has three different plans with pricing undisclosed:
- Premium: Access to 441M+ candidates, diversity sourcing and hiring tools, people insights, contact info for 500 candidates per month, and exporting of 5,000 profiles per month.
- Premium Tech: All of the Premium, plus specific tools for sourcing tech talent. These include Coder Score rankings, a GitHub search tool, direct access to candidates' code, and tailored insights.
- SeekOut Expert: Designed specifically for Engineering and Life Sciences hiring.
Best For
While there is a general plan for most businesses, tech, engineering, and healthcare businesses get the most functionality from SeekOut. Additionally, being oriented toward the United States makes it more suitable for in-house recruitment teams/agencies across the country.
As a technical recruiter, I use Seekout on a daily basis for various purposes related to sourcing and attracting technical talent. Some of the key workflows I use Seekout for include:
- Sourcing: I use Seekout's advanced search capabilities to quickly find and identify potential candidates that fit the specific hiring needs of my organization.
- Outreach: I use Seekout's outreach and engagement features to communicate with potential candidates in a personal and effective way, helping me to build relationships with them and increase the chances of conversion.
- Tracking: I use Seekout's data and analytics features to track and measure the impact of my recruitment efforts, allowing me to optimize my strategies and achieve better results.
- Saving time: By automating many manual recruitment tasks, Seekout has helped me to save time and be more productive in my role as a technical recruiter.
Overall, I use Seekout for various purposes related to sourcing and attracting technical talent, and it has become an integral part of my daily workflow. I appreciate the tool's efficiency, effectiveness, and ability to help me save time and achieve better results in my role as a technical recruiter.
As a technical recruiter who uses Seekout regularly, I have several things that I really like about the tool:
- Advanced search capabilities: I love the fact that Seekout allows me to quickly find and identify potential candidates that fit the specific hiring needs of my organization.
- Outreach and engagement features: Seekout's outreach and engagement features have helped me to communicate with potential candidates in a personal and effective way, which has increased candidate engagement and conversion rates.
- Data and analytics features: Seekout provides me with data and analytics to track and measure the impact of my recruitment efforts, allowing me to optimize my strategies and achieve better results.
- Time-saving: By automating many manual recruitment tasks, Seekout has helped me to save time and be more productive in my role as a technical recruiter.
These are just a few of the many things that I like about Seekout. I believe that the tool is one of the most efficient and effective solutions available for technical recruiters looking to source and attract top talent.
My organization purchased Seekout because we were looking for a more efficient and effective way to source and attract technical talent. We faced several pain points in our previous recruitment process, including difficulty finding the right candidates, a lack of candidate engagement, and an inefficient manual recruitment process.
Seekout has provided us with several key benefits since we started using it. The tool's advanced search capabilities, combined with its vast database of candidate profiles, have made it easier for us to find the right candidates quickly. Seekout's outreach and engagement features have also helped us to communicate with candidates in a personal and effective way, resulting in increased candidate engagement and conversion rates.
Additionally, Seekout's data and analytics features have helped us to track and measure the impact of our recruitment efforts, allowing us to optimize our strategies and achieve better results.
I have been using Seekout for approximately 6 months now, and I have seen significant improvements in our recruitment process since incorporating it into our workflow. Overall, I have been very impressed with the tool and would highly recommend it to other technical recruiters looking for a more efficient and effective way to source and attract talent.
- User interface: While Seekout is generally user-friendly, I think the user interface could be made more intuitive and streamlined, making it easier for users to find the information they need and perform tasks quickly.
- Customization options: I would like to see more customization options in Seekout, such as the ability to create custom reports and dashboards, and to tailor the tool's features and functions to better meet the specific needs of my organization.
- Integration with other tools: While Seekout integrates with a number of other tools, I would like to see deeper integration with other recruitment and HR systems, to further streamline my workflow and improve the overall efficiency of my recruitment process.
These are just a few of the things that I would like to see improved or changed about Seekout. However, I believe that the tool is still one of the best solutions available for technical recruiters looking to source and attract top talent, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve and improve over time.
As a technical recruiter who has used a variety of sourcing tools, I can say that Seekout stands out from its competitors in several key ways:
- Advanced search capabilities: Seekout's search capabilities are among the most powerful and sophisticated that I've seen in any sourcing tool. The tool's ability to find and identify potential candidates quickly and accurately is unmatched by its competitors.
- Outreach and engagement features: Seekout offers a range of outreach and engagement features that allow me to communicate with potential candidates in a personal and effective way, which is not always possible with other sourcing tools.
- Data and analytics features: Seekout provides me with data and analytics to track and measure the impact of my recruitment efforts, allowing me to optimize my strategies and achieve better results. This level of detail and analysis is not always available in other sourcing tools.
- User-friendly interface: Seekout is easy to use and navigate, making it simple for me to find the information I need and perform tasks quickly, even for those who are not experienced in sourcing tools.
Overall, I prefer Seekout to its competitors because of its advanced search capabilities, outreach and engagement features, and its powerful data and analytics features. These features, combined with its user-friendly interface, make it an indispensable tool for me as a technical recruiter.
When considering buying a sourcing tool like Seekout, there are several key criteria that people should consider:
- Search capabilities: Look for a tool with advanced search capabilities, that can quickly and accurately find potential candidates based on specific criteria.
- Outreach and engagement features: Consider a tool that allows you to communicate with potential candidates in a personal and effective way, and that includes features such as email outreach and personalized messaging.
- Data and analytics: Choose a tool that provides data and analytics to track and measure the impact of your recruitment efforts, and that allows you to optimize your strategies and achieve better results.
- User interface: Look for a tool that is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making it simple for you to find the information you need and perform tasks quickly.
- Integration with other tools: Consider a tool that integrates with other recruitment and HR systems, to streamline your workflow and improve the overall efficiency of your recruitment process.
My advice when buying a sourcing tool is to carefully consider each of these criteria and to choose a tool that meets your specific needs and requirements as a technical recruiter. Seekout has proven to be a top choice for me in this regard, but it's important to do your own research and find the right tool that fits your individual needs.
As a technical recruiter who has been using Seekout for some time now, I can attest to the fact that the tool has changed and evolved significantly over time to meet the needs of its users. Some of the key changes and improvements include:
- Enhanced search capabilities: Seekout has continued to improve its search capabilities, making it even easier to find potential candidates based on specific criteria. The search results are also more accurate and relevant, ensuring that I'm able to find the right candidates for each role.
- Improved outreach and engagement features: Seekout has added a number of new features to its outreach and engagement capabilities, making it even easier to communicate with potential candidates and engage with them in a personal and effective way.
- Increased data and analytics: Seekout has continued to enhance its data and analytics features, providing me with even more detailed insights into my recruitment efforts and allowing me to make data-driven decisions.
- User-friendly interface: Seekout has continued to improve its user interface, making it even more intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing me to find the information I need and perform tasks quickly.
Overall, Seekout has proven to be a tool that continues to evolve and improve over time, in response to the needs and feedback of its users. This ongoing commitment to improvement makes it a top choice for me as a technical recruiter.
As a technical recruiter who has been using Seekout for sourcing purposes, I can say that Seekout is a very good solution for a wide range of organizations and users. However, there are some specific types of users and organizations that I think would particularly benefit from this tool:
- Technical recruiters: As a technical recruiter myself, I can attest to the fact that Seekout is an excellent tool for sourcing and engaging with technical candidates. It's designed with the needs of technical recruiters in mind, providing them with the advanced search capabilities, outreach tools, and analytics they need to be successful.
- Organizations with high-volume recruitment needs: Seekout is also a great choice for organizations that have a high volume of recruitment needs. The tool makes it easy to manage large numbers of candidates, and its advanced search capabilities allow you to find the right people for each role quickly and efficiently.
- Companies in the technology industry: Seekout is particularly well-suited for companies in the technology industry, as it provides a wealth of information on technical candidates, including their skills, work history, and more.
Overall, I believe that Seekout is a highly versatile tool that can benefit a wide range of organizations and users. If you're looking for a comprehensive solution for sourcing, engaging, and tracking candidates, I would definitely recommend giving it a try!
As a technical recruiter who has been using Seekout for sourcing purposes, I can say that this tool is generally a great fit for a wide range of organizations and users. However, there are some specific types of users and organizations that I think might not find Seekout to be the best fit:
- Non-technical recruiters: Seekout is specifically designed for technical recruiters, and while it is a great tool for sourcing and engaging with technical candidates, it may not be the best fit for recruiters who are primarily focused on non-technical roles.
- Smaller organizations with limited recruitment needs: Seekout is a comprehensive tool that provides a wealth of features, so it may be overkill for smaller organizations with limited recruitment needs.
- Organizations with limited budgets: While Seekout is an excellent tool, it is a paid solution, and some organizations may not have the budget to invest in a recruitment tool at this time.
That being said, I think that Seekout is a highly valuable tool for the right organization and user, and I would recommend it to any technical recruiter looking for a comprehensive solution for sourcing, engaging, and tracking candidates.
Turing
Turing pairs tech companies with high-quality talent in the software engineering space according to the specific skills and experience required.
PROS
- On average, recruiting talent takes only 5 days from when you first engage with Turing’s platform, to collaborating with a software engineer.
- Turing developers undergo 5+ hours of tests and interviews to build a deep developer profile with detailed proficiency stats. Because they are so well-vetted, hiring risk and timeous skills testing are taken out of your recruitment process.
- Developers are matched to your timezone with at least 4 hours of workday overlap.
- The Turing project dashboard, which they also refer to as the Turing Virtual Machine, has built-in security to protect the IP of your code and data while allowing you to track productivity, hours worked and deadlines met.
- On average, recruiting talent takes only 5 days from when you first engage with Turing’s platform, to collaborating with a software engineer.
- Turing developers undergo 5+ hours of tests and interviews to build a deep developer profile with detailed proficiency stats. Because they are so well-vetted, hiring risk and timeous skills testing are taken out of your recruitment process.
- Developers are matched to your timezone with at least 4 hours of workday overlap.
- The Turing project dashboard, which they also refer to as the Turing Virtual Machine, has built-in security to protect the IP of your code and data while allowing you to track productivity, hours worked and deadlines met.
CONS
- Although reviewers are quick to compliment Turing, slow communication from their side is a common critique.
- Turing’s customer service is limited. Logging a query means you can expect an answer somewhere in the course of 24 hours which may seriously delay your project.
- Although most developers are hired through Turing for long-term projects, they are not your employees. This means that, although your software engineers are required to keep you in the loop of their schedule, you are not the party approving their time off, negotiating their rates, or handling their compliance.
- Because most of the Turing developers prefer a long-term or full-time engagement, you'll have a limited choice of candidates for short-term hires.
- Although reviewers are quick to compliment Turing, slow communication from their side is a common critique.
- Turing’s customer service is limited. Logging a query means you can expect an answer somewhere in the course of 24 hours which may seriously delay your project.
- Although most developers are hired through Turing for long-term projects, they are not your employees. This means that, although your software engineers are required to keep you in the loop of their schedule, you are not the party approving their time off, negotiating their rates, or handling their compliance.
- Because most of the Turing developers prefer a long-term or full-time engagement, you'll have a limited choice of candidates for short-term hires.
Turing's platform uses AI to match companies with the best developer talent across the world at all different career levels. With over 2 million software engineers in their database, they can assess ideal candidates based on the specific skills required for a project. It’s also relatively risk-free. Turing offers a two-week money-back guarantee if your new talent doesn't work out.
Turing’s client list includes big names like Reddit, Dell Computers, Pepsi, Amazon, Disney+, and Volvo.
There is no upfront cost to searching for talent or hiring a remote software engineer through Turing. Once a developer is employed, Turing offers a two-week trial. You start paying based on the developer’s rate only after the trial ends. Rates are set by the developer, not by Turing.
Best For
Turing is geared towards servicing the software engineering needs of tech companies and start-ups.
Pitfalls of Choosing Recruitment Software
An ATS is one of the main software purchases that an HR team will ever make. The same is ringing more true each day with the other more novel types of recruiting software, like HR chatbots and AI platforms. They’re important to get right because not only are you going to be working with them for a potentially long time, but they will also alter your chances of hiring the best people.
That’s why we spend so much time researching each tool and its various use cases. While doing that and chatting with people that have used each solution in different ways, we’ve come across the main mistakes that HR practitioners make when choosing to work with a specific vendor:
- Choosing a category from the start: If you’re here, you’re likely already circumventing this. But when most people think of recruiting software, they think immediately of a well-defined concept like an ATS, a career site builder, or perhaps even a chatbot. Bringing this pre-conceived notion of what you’re after too early in the buyer journey might lead to your team missing out on great opportunities. How sure are you that a chatbot is what you really need? Do you need that specific technology or are you simply looking for a better way to attract new hires? Wouldn’t certain tasks be better performed by other sorts of software
- Short-term fixes vs. long-term needs: Tied to the first most common mistake, HR teams often get carried away trying to alleviate their daily pain points without drafting a plan for how the new solution can also improve other processes in the long run. The best bet is the one that’ll fix today’s problems with an eye towards the future.
- Leaving out key players: This refers to two things: team members and other software tools. For the former, it’s important to make sure that every stakeholder within the hiring process is on board with the change and will be able to access and work with the new tool. For most companies, new hires aren’t just a preoccupation of the HR staff since that new employee's future teammates often get to interview him/her before a final decision is reached. As to the latter element mentioned, software tools, it’s very important to make sure that the new software will integrate nicely with the tools you’ll continue to use.
Benefits and ROI of Using Recruitment Software
Naturally, the metrics presented above are also what will help you measure the Return On Investment on your recruitment software in the future. If you don’t do it already, being aware of these things will be crucial not just for the demo but for determining the success of your purchase later on.
Also, measuring ROI in recruitment doesn’t just stop at the number of new hires and the time each one of them takes. You can also look for ways to evaluate the quality of the candidates, the diversity in your teams, other costs associated with hiring, and employee happiness or culture fit.
Pricing of Recruitment Software
As to the dollar & cents aspect of the equation, the norm with recruitment and talent management software seems to be to keep it undisclosed until you request a demo. While we’ve made sure that these solutions are of varied prices to accommodate SMBs and large enterprises alike, we can’t reveal their starting prices if they don’t want us to.
However, you can rest assured that nearly all of them offer a free demo and will base the pricing on the size of your company, so it’s very likely that you’ll find something that works for you among this selection.
The only exceptions to the pricing question were myInterview and Frestheam. MyInterview is free forever if you only use it for one job opening, 2 users, and a maximum of 30 candidates. After that, it gets more robust and ranges from $39 to $259 per month (less with the yearly plan) unless your requirements reach the Enterprise level, which warrants a personalized quote.
Now Freshteam, as with most HRMS, offers various plans and a free trial that takes seconds to sign up for. It’s free for up to 50 employees and the highest-priced plan is $250 per month.
For more free trials and completely free options, make sure to check out our guide on the best free recruiting software.
Recruitment Software Categories: What are They and What are Their Key Features?
From the above list of the best recruiting software out there, you probably noticed that it’s not limited to one category. Instead, we spent hours selecting the best out of each landscape, whether you're after an AI recruiting tool, a standard ATS, an HR chatbot, or you simply want to improve your hiring processes in any way that’ll make sense for your team.
Therefore, the key features to look out for in any recruitment tool will vary widely from one landscape to another. Let’s take a look at the main ones for each category:
- Key Features from Applicant Tracking Systems
As one of the core pieces of talent acquisition software, the ATS acts primarily as a database for job applicants. In fact, many people view applicant tracking systems as synonymous with recruiting software since they can handle everything from receiving applications to hiring. For that reason, Applicant Tracking Systems often get compared to Customer Relationship Management systems, and straight-up referred to as Candidate Relationship Management software.
Today’s modern applicant tracking system should have robust analytics, open APIs, a great candidate experience, employee referrals, and capabilities that help source/engage talent. There are literally hundreds of ATS’s out there, so if you’d like to read more about ATS’s alone, we wrote a buying guide about the best applicant tracking systems with more options, advice on how to think about ROI, pricing models, questions to ask on demos, and more.
- Key Features for AI Recruiting Tools
Artificial intelligence is permeating all of the software we use today, from Google's search algorithm to self-driving cars. However, some HR software vendors are leveraging this technology in more noteworthy ways. Not surprisingly, AI is also playing a major role in recruiting software, specifically in helping to source, schedule, and assess candidates in order to free up recruiter’s schedules and let them focus on more important tasks. Mainly, this is done through AI-powered features like 1-click sourcing, and the automation of certain tasks based on candidate behavior, like email outreach and applicant sorting.
If you’d like to read more about other vendors in the AI Recruiting Software space, we wrote a buying guide about the best AI recruiting tools with more options, key use cases, pitfalls, and more.
- Key Features for HR Chatbots
Recruiting chatbots are an exciting new category of HR Tech that allows recruiting teams to leverage the power of AI/NLP to take a lot of work off their plate. Specifically, most bots offered should be able to:
- Answer questions that applicants have when they are researching your company on your career site, in real-time.
- Direct potential applicants to the right jobs and therefore increase the conversion rate on your career sites
- Schedule interviews
- Conduct initial screens
- Handle employee referrals
- Re-discover passive talent in your ATS, and more.
In essence, HR chatbots should be able to integrate seamlessly with your ATS, HRIS, or other software. A key feature to have is the ability to turn the chatbot on and off depending on the recruiter’s availability and willingness to chat with certain candidates. Some would also offer multilingual capabilities and be able to process mixed media like video and audio or even send documents like offer letters.
Are you still curious about HR chatbots and would like to read about more vendors? We’ve recently written a buying guide about the top recruiting and HR chatbots in 2022.
- Key Features for Video Interview Platforms
Video interview software was new about ten years ago, but there are still companies out there who haven’t started to leverage video interview platforms in their initial screens. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies that didn’t use this kind of software have simply shifted towards Zoom or Hangouts. However, the right video interview software can save recruiting teams a lot of time and effort in producing new hires.
So what’s the main difference between using standard video conference software as opposed to something specifically made for the hiring process? While the answer to that question varies depending on each vendor, you’re mainly looking at automated scheduling, pre-recorded interviews, interview templates, and ATS integration. This alternative way of gathering candidate information may only be good for one stage of the recruiting process, but it can save your team a ton of time and energy.
- Key Features for Candidate Sourcing Tools
Realistically, many of the best candidates are never in the market for a new job. Nowadays, however, the fact that we have many active pools of candidates thanks to work-focused social media sites like LinkedIn or Glassdoor has allowed for the rise of software tools that leverage these and other databases.
The main idea of these solutions is to handle sourcing for teams in a time-saving manner. For that reason, the key features are smart filtering capabilities, AI-based recommendations, automated email outreach, and integrations with your ATS or other recruitment solution.
Demo Questions
Since most of the best recruiting software out there doesn’t reveal a set price until after the demo, and not all of them offer free trials after, it’s even more important to approach the demo with a clear gameplan. You want to narrow down the use cases that are most important to you and your team and the questions that you need answers for.
To do this, you can use the following list of questions as inspiration or download our excel organizer for free.
- What are the key features I want to try out and validate?
- What expectations do we have for this software? What are the key things that it should help us achieve?
- How will this solution fit into the rest of my tech stack and therefore what integrations do I need?
- How will others in the organization use this solution?
- How will this tool improve the experience of our applicants?
- What are the things that would make me or my coworkers nervous about switching our current processes to this platform?
- How is employee data kept safe if trusted to this vendor?
- What conclusions can I start to make about the quality of customer support? Is there a help center? Are the support articles clear and easy to read?
Similarly, since the final price is likely to vary depending on your requirements, it will really help the process if you and your team go to the demo with certain key numbers already available and verified, such as:
- How many users you’ll need.
- The average number of open positions/job postings
- The average number of applicants per week, month, year.
- The usual length of the hiring process.
- The average number of new hires per month, year.
- An estimation/expectation of how these numbers should shift in the foreseeable future.
- Other insights about your hiring activities, such as how often you hire for C-level or entry-level positions and everything in between, your multilingual and international necessities, etc.
What will the Implementation of Your Next Recruitment Tool Look Like?
All of the recruitment tools we’ve mentioned here are essentially cloud-based SaaS providers. Because of that, training will rarely be in person and you won’t require much in the way of starting to use it and connecting it to the rest of your HR stack. This is true especially of the vendors that are more narrowly focused on a single type of task, such as myInterview or VidCruiter with Video Interview software and Fetcher with AI. These tools can take minutes to sign up for and start using. After that, setting up fully is mostly a matter of how much data migration and integrations you need to do.
Additionally, and especially in the ATS side of things, the implementation process will vary depending on factors such as the number of open jobs that’ll need to be created, the complexity of your recruiting process, and even the availability of engineering resources that you might have in-house. To guide you through this, most companies have some sort of Implementation Overview page, such as this one by Greenhouse. There, you should find specific answers to each question and links to video training or a support center.
Recruiting Software FAQs
What is recruiting software?
Recruiting software is any software tool that recruiters, hiring managers, and HR/TA teams use to streamline their recruiting workflow.
What kinds of tools are considered recruiting software?
The following are different types of recruiting software:
- Video interviewing
- Sourcing tools
- AI chatbot
- Virtual career fairs
- Recruiting CRMs
- Candidate assessment tools
- Recruiting ATSs
What are some recruiting software benefits?
Some benefits your company will see from using recruiting software include faster time-to-fill, high quality candidates, diversity hiring, and saved money.
Are there pitfalls when using recruiting software?
There are some pitfalls to avoid when choosing recruiting software. First, instead of looking for a short-term fix, look for a long-term need. Next, think about what you really need before choosing a category. Don’t get shiny object syndrome. Finally, make sure every key employee is on board with the software you choose.
How much does recruiting software cost?
Some recruiting software is free or offers a free trial. Then, it can start at $39 per month all the way up to $249 per month depending on the solution.
Last advice
As a last word of advice, our recommendation would be to first choose a category based on the vendors that we’ve briefly reviewed. Then, you can use some of the links we shared for more detailed buying guides on each landscape. From there, the natural next step would be to get demos with 2-3 vendors and arm yourself with the question guide we linked above, as well as defining the key metrics we outlined.
Lastly, remember that most of these will not give you a set price until you’ve demoed the solution and explained your particular needs to them. That being said, there’s much more that counts other than price so this shouldn’t be the main aspect driving the decision. Whether you’re a staffing agency, a human resources head, or a small business owner looking into recruiting, we’re sure that one of these solutions may have what you’re looking for, or at least point you in the right direction. Best of luck!
About Us
- Our goal at SSR is to help HR and recruiting teams to find and buy the right software for their needs.
- Our site is free to use as some vendors will pay us for web traffic.
- SSR lists all companies we feel are top vendors - not just those who pay us - in our comprehensive directories full of the advice needed to make the right purchase decision for your HR team.
