10+ Best Free Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) in 2025
Out of the dozens of free ATSs we’ve tested, these are the best ones.
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A good free applicant tracking system can make your hiring process a whole lot easier. It helps you post job openings, sort through resumes, keep track of applications, reach out to candidates, and set up interviews more efficiently. The thing is, there aren’t many free ATS options available, let alone good ones. Luckily, our team has tested and reviewed over 50 different platforms since 2018 to compile a list of the best free ATS solutions that offer generous free packages without requiring your credit card info.
We have evaluated over 50 free applicant tracking software editions (including both free trials and free plans) through hands-on in-house testing, live vendor demos, consultations with industry experts, and gathered real user feedback on each tool.
We follow a transparent, structured vetting methodology that ensures our recommendations are driven by real-world performance, not vendor hype. Here’s what we specifically prioritized:
- Employer and candidate experience: Our experience indicates that most free ATS tools provide only basic customer support. That’s why we placed high value on intuitive design, smooth navigation, and minimal setup to ensure both recruiters and candidates can take advantage of all available features the free ATS offers without running into hidden barriers.
- ATS integration: A good free ATS should offer integrations with primary tools in HR ecosystems, such as free job boards, email, and calendars. While full access to advanced integrations (such as HRIS, recruitment CRM, or onboarding software) is usually limited to paid plans or time-limited trials, we paid close attention to what was available at no cost and how easy it was to implement.
- Job posting: A standard applicant tracking system is expected to include automated posting to top job boards, but free versions sometimes limit this feature in their “freemium” models. We read the fine print to ensure vendors didn’t hide this critical aspect of efficiency behind a paywall and that those we recommend should offer at least a handful of free job boards.
- Custom job site: Job seekers are increasingly picky and expect a lot from would-be employers, so we visited dozens of custom career sites to familiarize ourselves with the standards. We chose only those that met the mark for clean, logical navigation and sufficient flexibility to deliver a professional candidate experience without requiring payment.
Manatal
Manatal only offers a free trial, not a free plan; however, the ATS’s price transparency means you don't need to call a sales representative just to get a ballpark figure. Our experience with the free trial provided us with a good overview of the platform’s capabilities, granting access to key functionalities without asking for sensitive credit card information.
PROS
- The ATS offers four cost-effective plans that can adapt to your evolving needs and budget.
- Free 14-day trial with full feature access, no credit card required.
- Straightforward UI that is easy to use.
- 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
- During the trial, job board posting, Manatal inbox, email automation, and the GDPR consent request tool are not available to use.
- No indefinite free plan.
- 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.
Though Manatal doesn’t offer a free plan, we feel that its 14-day free trial is more than enough for businesses to get to know the platform and see if it fits them. It gives users access to most of its functionality and doesn't ask for that sensitive credit card info. Its pricing is so clear— you know exactly how much you would pay for this tool, no unannounced charges, no hidden fees.
What we love most about this ATS, though, is its flexibility. Whether for someone like us, a remote startup with a small in-house hiring team, or a 100-employee recruitment agency, it seems to have everything we need.
From candidate sourcing, recruitment CRM software, profile enrichment, and AI-powered recommendations, to branded career pages, Manatal offers all these features at a starting price of just $15 per month. Moreover, the choice of four plans means it can grow with businesses, from those with just a couple of employees to global enterprises.
We have no gripes about Manatal’s user interface. Navigating the platform was straightforward, and the Help Center was impressively well-organized with detailed, digestible text and video tutorials.
However, we should warn you that during the trial, some features like job board posting and email automation are not available. As this tool leans more towards small and midsized businesses, you’d want to consider other options if you’re an enterprise seeking a vendor that offers tailored support rather than standard live chat and email.
10,000+ organizations, including Unilever, Coca-Cola, Panasonic, Ogilvy, and Toyota.
Here are four Manatal pricing plans when billed annually:
- Professional: $15/user/month, 15 jobs per account, 10,000 candidates, unlimited guests.
- Enterprise: $35/user/month for unlimited jobs, candidates, and guests.
- Enterprise Plus: $55/user/month and includes all Enterprise features, user groups, open API access, SSO log-in, priority support, and access to Beta features.
- Custom: Tailored for larger businesses requiring advanced functionalities and support. Pricing upon request.
Best For
Manatal’s free trial is a good starting point for SMBs to see further how the ATS works before making any commitment.
I used Manatal for creating webpages to attract candidates, posting jobs to multiple job boards and social media platforms from one location, and tracking candidates through the screening process. It facilitated communication and scheduling for team members involved in hiring, ensuring everyone was informed and coordinated. The analytics and reports feature was instrumental in evaluating hiring timelines and identifying the most effective sources for candidates. This functionality allowed us to refine our recruitment strategy and make informed decisions on where to invest in promoting positions.
The coordination of the hiring process among team members was significantly improved, reducing miscommunications and the hassle of scheduling. Manatal's candidate tracking and database features prevented delays in the recruitment stages and helped us avoid losing good candidates to human error.
The ability to create company showcase web pages was invaluable in attracting sought-after candidates for challenging positions. Additionally, the access to detailed reports and data supported our decision-making with evidence, optimizing our recruitment budget and strategies.
We adopted Manatal to address challenges in managing a high volume of recruiting, especially for hard-to-fill positions with lengthy recruitment processes. We found it difficult to efficiently find the right candidates, and the coordination of the recruitment process was hard, resulting in missed tasks and delays. Additionally, we sought a better way to showcase our company as an attractive place to work, as traditional job postings were insufficient. We experienced loss of good candidates due to protracted processes or confusion over contact points and screening stages. Manatal offered a solution to better coordinate hiring efforts, track candidate progress, and enhance our attractiveness to potential applicants. I personally have used it for about a year.
Some team members found the interface unintuitive, with key features like email templates being hard to locate. The lack of a standalone mobile app initially was a limitation (not anymore), and certain functionalities, such as self-scheduling for candidates and enhancing the focus on candidate relationship management, needed further development for a better candidate experience.
Manatal holds its ground as a competitive tool in the recruitment software market, offering a comprehensive set of features. However, it required a steeper learning curve compared to other tools I have used, although it also provided superior customer service, which added value to our experience.
Prospective buyers should weigh the cost against their specific needs. If your organization does not engage in frequent hiring or if the existing team efficiently manages recruitment, this tool might exceed your requirements. However, for businesses with high recruitment volumes and a collaborative hiring process, Manatal could streamline operations, enhance your company's appeal to candidates, and potentially lead to more successful hires.
Manatal has made significant improvements, including the development of a mobile app and enhancements to its user interface to be more intuitive. The dashboard has been upgraded for easier navigation, reflecting the company's commitment to evolving in line with user feedback.
Manatal is ideally suited for small to medium-sized companies engaged in frequent hiring. It is particularly beneficial for organizations with collaborative hiring processes and those needing to attract high-demand candidates through compelling career pages.
For small businesses with minimal hiring needs, Manatal may not be cost-effective due to underutilization of its features. Conversely, very large companies requiring extensive customization and complex recruitment workflows might find Manatal's capabilities too basic for their needs.
Recooty
Recooty’s free trial lets you post jobs to multiple free job boards, customize your career site, and explore all of the platform’s AI offerings. In our experience, this free ATS option is one of the most intuitive available—you can dive in immediately after completing a simple signup form, with minimal instructions required.
PROS
- 15-day free trial includes access to job posting, AI tools, and career site customization.
- Extremely intuitive interface—no ATS experience needed to get started.
- Integrates natively with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Zoom for seamless interview scheduling.
- Supports multiple languages, making it accessible to global teams.
- One user liked the usability of the software, stating that it is 'easy and self-explanatory.'
- The ability to post a job on multiple platforms makes it efficient, as per one user who labels Recooty a 'one-click job posting solution.'
- The company offers a cheap subscription, making it affordable for small businesses.
CONS
- No longer offer a free-forever plan.
- Recooty lacks a mobile app and Chrome extension for adding candidates to ATS.
- Integration and customization can be considered limited compared to some competitors.
- The company does not have a mobile application.
- Recruitment features can be quite basic compared to some competitors.
- Integrations are somewhat limited.
- Not suitable for large enterprises with more job postings and locations.
Recooty’s 15-day free trial is one of the easiest ways we’ve found to explore an ATS hands-on. Right after signup, we were able to post test jobs across several free job boards and quickly build a branded career site—without waiting for sales approval or lengthy onboarding.
Compared to our last review of the ATS’s free trial, shortlisting applications has now become much more convenient with the recently added AI features. During testing, the AI candidate sorting tool did a solid job ranking applicants based on resume-to-job description matching, while the AI score made it easy to focus on the most relevant applications. Moving candidates through the pipeline was just as seamless, and we especially liked the option to schedule interview invites or rejection emails with a delay, allowing for more thoughtful communication timing.
Another great feature of Recooty was its native integration with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Zoom. Scheduling interviews directly within the platform was quick and required minimal effort. The built-in communication tools were also a nice touch, as they allowed us to send and track emails without leaving the free ATS platform. For internal collaboration, the ability to tag team members in comments using ‘@mentions’ is simple yet effective to keep everyone in sync without endless email threads.
However, we couldn’t help but wish for more customization. Unlike Workable, which offers multiple tone options and benefit suggestions based on the job’s location, Recooty’s AI tool felt somewhat more basic in comparison.
While testing, we also noticed that Recooty focuses on the essentials, which is great for simplicity but leaves room for enhancement. More specifically, we were a bit bummed that Recooty doesn't have a built-in employee referral feature or salary estimator, especially since those are pretty standard these days. The good news is the vendor is working on adding these features, along with a Chrome extension and mobile app. We'll keep an eye out for those updates and keep you posted here!
10,000+ companies, including Sendlane, Airtable, Uber, Rack Bank, and Trello.
Recooty offers a 15-day free trial, after which users can choose from 3 paid plans based on their needs:
- Starter plan is $79 per month when billed annually.
- Standard plan is $149 per month, billed annually.
- Premier plan with custom pricing for enterprises and recruiting agencies.
Best For
Recooty is best for small to mid-sized businesses that want a fast, no-fuss ATS trial to test hiring workflows before making a full investment.
Teamtailor
We chose Teamtailor because its free trial gives companies a real, hands-on experience with its standout employer branding tools and DEI features—no credit card required.
PROS
- Free trial lets you explore key ATS features without entering payment info.
- Drag-and-drop career site builder makes setting up a branded landing page easy.
- Anonymous hiring and EEO surveys enhance DEI efforts right out of the box.
- Unlimited user access, even during the trial period.
- Accessible on both desktop browsers and mobile devices.
- 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
- As several users noted, the analytics function is somewhat hard to fully tackle.
- Hyper-focused on ATS and offers no other HR solutions.
- The customization and video interview features could be improved.
- 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.
We dove into Teamtailor’s free trial to see how well its applicant tracking and employer branding tools really hold up, and we’re happy to report it delivered a polished experience. Without needing a credit card, we were able to set up a trial account after completing a demo with the vendor, which allowed us to get hands-on experience with the system.
We highly recommend you give its career site builders a go when you’re on its free trial, as it was a delight during our testing. The interface was not only accessible via both browsers and mobile devices but also visually appealing. And within a few drags and drops, a sleek landing page was done, no coding knowledge was required in the making!
Teamtailor also offered multiple DEI tools in its trial. Features such as anonymous hiring and built-in EEO surveys offered a straightforward way to embed fair hiring practices into the process. However, when we tested the built-in analytics tools, the experience wasn’t as smooth as that of other ATS software, with extracting actionable insights requiring a bit more effort than expected.
It’s also worth noting that Teamtailor focuses on its ATS niche and doesn’t extend into broader HR solutions, such as performance management or onboarding. To be fair, though, the provided 350+ third-party integration options can be just a perfect alternative to sync data across your HR tech stacks.
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 for unlimited job postings, candidates, and users in the system typically starts at $3,300.
Best For
Teamtailor’s free trial is best for mid-sized companies eager to test a feature-rich ATS and employer branding tools hands-on before making a purchase.
We used Teamtailor to improve our recruiting process. We used it daily for organizing meetings, streamlining interviews, and consolidating all of our interview notes. Tracking each candidate was smooth and helpful. The team was able to collaborate more effectively since everyone was on the same page. It was a great way to ensure that notes weren't lost in translation. It also saved time by streamlining the Google Calendar, preventing missed or duplicate meetings, as everyone had the same calendar view.
- We felt Teamtailor was a great value for the yearly invoice.
- It was user-friendly and excellent for streamlining interview notes.
- It made our recruiting process more efficient and helped us hire better candidates.
- It kept the applicants organized and made accessing information easy.
- It was a wonderful tool for reducing the administrative hours spent on each potential new hire.
I used Teamtailor for a year and loved it! This was one of my favorite programs for my HR needs. It greatly improved our recruiting process. It helped our team's daily productivity by streamlining tasks that were constantly repeated. Previously, our recruiting process was time-consuming, inefficient, and not always successful. The integration with our Google Calendars and Zoom alleviated a lot of stress in the office.
- Some of the letterhead views could be improved to look more professional.
- The program could offer a better way to manage different job positions for candidates.
- I would like to see Teamtailor enable PDF viewing without requiring the file to be downloaded.
Teamtailor is great for in-office morale. It is an excellent tool for organizing and keeping everyone on the same page. The integration and streamlining features are far more advanced than those of other programs I've used.
The value of the features offered should be carefully considered. The integration with Google Calendars, Zoom, and LinkedIn is a key feature. I would recommend a trial run to ensure it fits the needs of the company.
Teamtailor has improved the organization of the entire recruiting section. It continues to get better over time and improves with user suggestions.
Teamtailor could be used for small or large companies. It is so user-friendly that any business looking to improve and streamline its HR services could benefit from it.
International companies may find Teamtailor not in-depth enough to be beneficial or worth purchasing.
Recruitee
We picked Recruitee because its 18-day free trial lets teams fully explore collaborative hiring, candidate tracking, and role-based workflows without adding payment details.
PROS
- 18-day free trial includes unlimited users and access to all core ATS features.
- User-friendly interface makes it easy to test job posting, tracking, and referrals.
- Strong team collaboration tools for role assignments and shared assessments.
- Transparent, competitive pricing revealed upfront.
- 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
- Its pricing went up from our last review of the software, although that’s because of several newly-added features.
- Reporting tools felt limited and tricky to navigate during our trial.
- No native onboarding features.
- 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.
We spent time hands-on with Recruitee’s 18-day free trial, and it left us impressed with how much ground you can cover before paying a dime. Signing up required no credit card, and within minutes, we had full access to the ATS’s job posting, pipeline management, and collaboration tools.
One standout during our trial was Recruitee’s unlimited team collaboration. We invited multiple colleagues, assigned them specific hiring roles, and collaborated to evaluate candidates, all without exceeding user caps or incurring hidden costs. For SMBs aiming to make hiring a team-driven, objective process, this alone makes the trial worth exploring.
The free trial also gave us a chance to test Recruitee’s intuitive interface. Moving candidates through stages, scheduling interviews, and promoting employee referrals felt smooth and straightforward. However, we did notice that several advanced functions, such as onboarding workflows and e-signatures, weren’t built in and would require third-party tools.
While the reporting module didn’t quite match the detail of some other ATSs we’ve tried, we still found Recruitee’s free trial an excellent entry point for SMBs wanting to explore collaborative hiring software in a low-commitment way.
5,000+ companies, including Semrush, Mark and Spencer, and Transcom.
Recruitee offers custom plans based on the number of employees. For teams with fewer than 20 employees, the price starts at $199 per month, annual contracts.
Best For
Though companies of different sizes can find Recruitee useful, we feel that the ATS is best suited for mid-sized businesses. The ATS’s free trial is, hence, ideal for these teams looking to explore what this platform has to offer without upfront costs.
I use Recruitee for the following tasks:
- Job Posting – Create and manage multiple postings across job boards.
- Candidate Tracking – Automate actions such as moving candidates between stages and sending notifications. Pre-built templates help accelerate closures.
- Collaboration – Share notes, evaluations, and tasks for each candidate.
- Automation – Use automated workflows for repetitive tasks such as email communications and interview scheduling.
- Talent Pool – Maintain talent pools of prequalified candidates for future openings.
- Reporting and Analytics – Use customizable dashboards to track time-to-hire and recruiter efficiency.
- Blacklisting – Flag and blacklist fake candidate profiles to inform future recruitment efforts.
- The user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, making it simple to manage recruitment workflows.
- Automation of repetitive tasks like emails, interview scheduling, and pipeline management saves significant time.
- Collaboration tools such as shared notes, interview templates, and tagging improve teamwork and streamline the process.
We followed a manual process for recruiting and needed a tool that could integrate with Workday, improve agility, enhance recruiter capabilities, and streamline interview scheduling and ATS optimization for faster candidate reviews. I have used the tool for over two years.
Benefits observed:
- Automated job posting to multiple job boards, including LinkedIn.
- Candidate tracking and management.
- Collaboration features such as shared notes, evaluation forms, and reviews.
- Automation tools like email templates and scheduling links.
- Integration with Workday.
- It’s difficult to post the same job in multiple locations; we’ve had to duplicate postings manually.
- Integration with Workday was problematic, leading us to use it as a separate tool.
- Onboarding features such as offer rollout options are missing and would be a valuable addition.
- Ease of Use – The interface is intuitive and has a shorter learning curve than other platforms.
- Customization – Offers customizable hiring workflows and careers page builders; Workable offers similar features but to a lesser extent.
- Automation – Supports automated job postings, email templates, scheduling tools, and HR tool integrations; Zoho Recruit and Workable offer fewer integrations or restrict features in tiered plans.
- Target Audience – Best suited for growing companies with moderate hiring volumes (3–7 positions at a time), with a focus on collaborative hiring and employer branding—not ideal for mass hiring needs.
What I prefer:
- Strong collaboration features, including shared notes, evaluation forms, and feedback tools.
- Branded career pages enhance employer visibility.
- Automated workflows save time and effort in repetitive tasks.
- Hiring Needs – Evaluate whether the tool fits the type and volume of hiring; it’s better for niche or limited hiring (under 10 roles), not for high-volume needs.
- Cost – May be expensive for smaller companies.
- Integration – Ensure it integrates well with your existing systems.
- Scalability – Assess whether the platform can scale with growing hiring demands.
- Training Time – Consider the time needed to train recruiters and hiring managers.
Recruitee has made several updates to meet evolving user needs:
- AI-generated job descriptions and bulk actions for candidate management have been added.
- The Power Search feature allows quicker access to specific candidates or communication history.
- Support for remote hiring, including video interviews, has been implemented.
Mid-sized organizations with under 1,000 employees and annual hiring of around 200–300 positions max will find Recruitee useful.
Recruitee is not well-suited for mass hiring or large enterprises.
Monday.com
If you’d prefer a versatile platform that you can use for not just recruitment but several other business processes, we recommend Monday.com. This project management platform lets small teams creatively set up a free applicant tracking system using customizable templates, without needing to buy a dedicated ATS product.
PROS
- Free forever plan includes hiring templates, unlimited documents, and up to 3 boards.
- Highly customizable columns and workflows for building a hiring pipeline.
- Drag-and-drop interface makes candidate tracking visual and easy to manage.
- Useful for many business processes beyond hiring, adding long-term value.
- Free plan available, and affordable, scalable plans for small to midsize businesses
- Easy to learn and use
- Customizable dashboard
- Collaborative document creation with the ability to turn content in docs into tasks in projects with a few clicks
- Gamified progress tracking with visual celebrations for users
- Workflow automation for repetitive tasks
- Built-in communication tools reduce reliance on email
- Customized forms for in-house or client use that can be easily turned into projects
CONS
- Not a purpose-built ATS, so features like resume parsing or job posting are missing.
- Integrations and advanced automations require a paid plan (Standard or higher).
- Initial setup has a learning curve since it’s a general project management platform.
- 3+ users are required to get on any of the paid plans
- Limited storage on the Basic plan
- Could be too complex for simple project management needs
- No phone customer support
- Tracking different conversations can be difficult because of all the clutter
While Monday.com isn't a dedicated applicant tracking software system, during our testing, we discovered that its pre-built templates provide a solid foundation for a no-cost applicant tracking tool.
One of the standout features is the highly customizable columns in the ATS template. We found it easy to add columns for specific information, such as an applicant's source and input category choices. The drag-and-drop functionality is a delight, allowing us to easily move candidate cards between different stages of the recruitment process, like from “Screening” to "Qualified", and so on.
Monday.com strikes a balance between manual and automated processing. While moving cards is a manual task, you can set rules to automate repetitive actions, saving valuable time. We also liked the range of free views (Kanban, calendar, Gantt) that helped us visualize deadlines and hiring timelines.
Its compliance tracking is well-liked. You can assign tasks related to privacy and security measures, from providing non-disclosure agreements to ensuring candidates undergo necessary training, right on this platform.
While some automations are available, we found that the most powerful integrations (such as with external recruiting tools) sit behind the Standard plan paywall. That’s worth keeping in mind if your team needs more advanced workflows.
Importantly, teams using Monday.com as a free ATS won’t find specialized features like resume parsing, career page builders, or direct job board posting here, as you’d need to add third-party tools or upgrade for those. But for startups or small teams wanting to organize hiring efforts at no cost, Monday.com offers a flexible and highly visual entry point.
Over 200,000+ businesses use Monday.com including Lionsgate, Glossier, and Oxy.
Monday.com’s pricing ranges from $9 to $19, depending on the plan you choose. There’s also an Enterprise plan for large teams and a free forever plan for up to 2 user seats and 3 boards.
If you’re considering annual billing, an 18% discount is available, and nonprofits can request additional discounts as well.
Best For
Monday.com’s free plan is best for small teams looking to set up a basic ATS using flexible, customizable templates without investing in a dedicated hiring tool.
The team uses Monday.com every day. It’s an integral part of our organization. I primarily use a workflow to track applicants throughout the hiring process, which has significantly streamlined our recruitment efforts. The ability to utilize multiple boards for monitoring an applicant's progress helps connect with all relevant team members through the platform for communication and collaboration. This workflow has made the hiring process more efficient and organized.
- The software is intuitive—we have some team members who are slow to learn but have picked it up quickly.
- It enhances collaboration by enabling file sharing within projects and providing real-time updates.
- Automation templates made it easy to get started building our workflows and task automation.
The team was experiencing issues with project delays and workflow, especially with assignments not being passed smoothly between members and difficulty in tracking progress. We needed to be more efficient and organized. We started using Monday.com over a year ago, and it has provided a centralized platform for project management, greatly improving coordination among team members. By automating repetitive tasks, it has freed up time for strategic and creative activities. As a result, our project tracking has become more precise and easier to manage.
- The software is expensive, especially for smaller companies.
- Upgrading is necessary to access the time-tracking features.
- There is no built-in messaging function; while we have a workaround, it can be somewhat cumbersome.
I’ve also used Basecamp. I prefer Monday.com over it. The project tracking is better, and the automated workflows fit the needs of the company better.
Cost is an important factor to consider, particularly with per-user fees, which can become expensive as your team grows. Evaluate the software's pricing structure and how it fits within your budget. Additionally, make sure that the software integrates with the essential tools (calendars, etc.) you use in your daily operations.
We haven't seen many updates that impact our usage of it since we've only been using it for a little over a year.
It's great for digital teams, especially those who don't meet face-to-face often.
It may not be suitable for in-person organizations that don't rely on digital software.
Dover
We love Dover for its unique approach to assisting startups: a free-forever ATS with an intuitive UI and well-developed inbound automation, plus an option to tap into its TA experts without having to hire extra staff.
PROS
- Stunning platform design, very easy to work with.
- Knowledgeable on-demand recruiting partners.
- Free ATS includes unlimited jobs, 75+ job board integrations, and great inbound automation.
- Stunning platform design, very easy to work with.
- Knowledgeable on-demand recruiting partners.
- Free ATS includes unlimited jobs, 75+ job board integrations, and great inbound automation.
CONS
- No native feature for an employee referral program.
- Only supports parsing of English resumes.
- Not ideal for those wanting everything in-house or not using Google Workspace for calendars and emails.
- No native feature for an employee referral program.
- Only supports parsing of English resumes.
- Not ideal for those wanting everything in-house or not using Google Workspace for calendars and emails.
Despite being a free solution, Dover brought a delightful look and feel to nearly every encounter we had with the platform. The dashboard is clear and well-organized, but if you need a bit of instruction, the help center can offer good help with well-explained articles and videos. For startups new to the software, Dover may even provide a personalized onboarding call.
We also found some really good AI features within this free ATS: an AI for job description generation, an auto-confirmation email for those who just applied, and a chatbot that can filter the best candidates who meet your criteria. We gave the chatbot a go and asked it, “Show me people with at least 1 year of experience,” and it took less than a second to show only the matches.
We didn’t expect a free solution to be this good at sequencing. We entered only our company name and domain before heading to this feature. To our surprise, it accurately described what we do in the email outreach (check out the above screenshot).
However, to streamline job distribution, we would have liked an option to filter job boards by free and paid. With 76 options available, choosing each one by one is definitely not the best use of time.
You should also keep in mind that Dover doesn't provide multiple software plans like most ATS platforms. Instead, it offers a free ATS and the option to outsource your sourcing to its recruiting partners. Hence, if you have a large team and want to manage everything internally, Dover might not meet your needs.
500+ companies, including OpenSea, WorkOS, and Scale.
Dover has three offerings:
- ATS is free and includes unlimited jobs, candidate tracking, AI applicant sorting, job board integrations, and an onboarding call for eligible startups.
- ATS + Premium Support costs $99 per month plus $1,000 for optional ATS migration. This plan includes all free features, plus data migration from the current ATS, guided ATS setup and config, team training, video calls with support, faster support response times, and prioritized feature requests.
- Recruiting Partner starts at $45 per hour per month to help with sourcing, phone screening, interview scheduling, hiring strategy, and on-demand support.
Best For
Dover’s free ATS is best for startups seeking a simple yet effective way to track applications and outsource initial screenings.
Loxo
Over 13,000 recruitment firms use Loxo as of this writing, and we can see why. With this single solution, you can access not just ATS but also CRM tools like a project master Kanban, tasks, client portal, and invoices. Plus, most of these are available in the free plan.
PROS
- The free plan includes unlimited jobs, a drag-and-drop candidate pipeline, resume parsing, and a mobile app, which is more than most free-forever ATS products offer.
- You can view all candidates for each job and at every hiring stage on one single page.
- Dashboard interface offers users the flexibility to select from two dashboard styles.
- Excellent customer service with a strong record of fast response times.
- User-friendly resume parsing.
- Friendly and visually appealing user interface.
- Offers a convenient Chrome extension.
- Allows client involvement in projects with direct interaction.
- Regularly releases new product updates.
- Includes a free plan.
CONS
- Adding our logo to a career page wasn’t working during our test. We found no option to adjust the system’s hiring workflow.
- The free plan lacks contact info, outreach and communications, a free job board, and HRIS integrations.
- The platform doesn't have an Android app, and the iOS app does not provide the ability to view job orders or recruiter notes.
- Slightly higher pricing compared to similar tools.
- Lack of an option to auto-anonymize resumes for blind screening.
- Reporting is not particularly useful with certain useful metrics not tracked.
- No Android app. Limited features and occasional performance issues on the iOS app.
Loxo is noteworthy in the ATS space because they insist that recruiting teams should move beyond this software category and opt for fuller recruitment suites that combine CRM features to improve the candidate experience and their effectiveness. It’s partly for that reason that they do offer a basic ATS, completely free and to use for as long as you like; because it’s the perfect gateway for teams to try their tool and, perhaps eventually, embrace their philosophy.
Checking out Loxo’s free ATS, we were immediately impressed by its simple and recruiter-centric UI. We think recruiters will love to discover that Loxo's dashboard prioritizes the people database by default, as, in our experience, it made it easy to get an overview of the total processed candidates and where they are in the workflow. The system offered us two visual styles: a quick candidate list or an expanded view. We went with the latter, which you can see in the screenshot below, and dug deeper into the tool’s talent pipeline.
Although it appeared we couldn’t customize the dashboard with our own hiring workflow, the platform did allow for the creation of new candidate lists. The entire process was straightforward: we named the list, chose whether we wanted it to be private, and populated it with candidate profiles either individually or in bulk. We can imagine this would save recruiters from manually looking up candidates from time to time, as they now just have to head to their created lists to find the right group whenever needed.
For the search and filtering workflows, the page loading speed had been impressive. The results appeared almost instantly during our tests, both when we used one filter and when we used five.
We also liked that, in addition to typical filters like name and location, there were some interesting ones, such as salary, last contacted, bonus, and equity. All of them functioned well in our tests. However, this wasn't the case with the Diversity filter. Oddly, when we selected "Female" under this filter, the results excluded all of our female candidates!
Those working in agency environments will find Loxo’s free plan particularly helpful, as besides ATS features like resume parsing and candidate pipeline, it covers project master Kanban, tasks, client portal, and even invoices. Just to be clear, though, certain features, such as outreach and communication, reports, and, unexpectedly, free job board integrations, are not offered in this plan.
We also hope to see some improvements in this vendor’s mobile app. On our last look at the product, Loxo still doesn’t offer an Android app, and its iOS app’s functionality is quite basic compared to the web-based version.
13,000+ companies, including Stryker, MRI, and Gecko.
Loxo offers a free plan alongside three paid subscriptions: Starter, Professional, and Enterprise. If you go with the annual billing, the prices kick off at $119 per seat each month. Plus, there’s a 7-day free trial that lets you try out all the Professional features.
Best For
Loxo’s free ATS is best for agencies and staffing teams looking to run unlimited jobs, manage candidates, and build pipelines without paying upfront.
We used Loxo when we started retained searches. It is also used by our firm as a CRM for opportunistic candidates and searches. It is used from candidate sourcing through candidate hire and for tracking everything in between. Our clients use it to view candidate profiles and status as well. The system is used by everyone in the company on a daily basis. The system is regularly running automated campaigns for candidate outreach.
- User interface - great looking and intuitive user interface.
- User experience - easy to move candidates through job status and get candidates into the system from sources like LinkedIn.
- Automated outreach - simple to use automated campaigns that allow you to do bulk outreach with one click.
We originally purchased Loxo due to the user interface and AI/Sourcing functionality. Tools we used in the past were archaic and lacked a good user experience. Loxo offers integrations with LinkedIn and a Sourcing function that wow'd us during the demo. We have been using Loxo for approximately 4 months.
- The CRM is lacking and seems to operate separately from the ATS.
- The automated campaigns are great but the emails do not look as clean/polished as if they came straight from Outlook or GSuite.
- AI Sourcing looks great in the demo but is quite buggy during regular use.
Simple, streamlined, easy to navigate. Loxo makes it easy to do the basics in recruiting.
How big is your team and what type of tool/reporting do you need to scale? - Loxo is good for the basics but the more complex/sophisticated your operation is, the more likely Loxo is not the right solution for you.
Search vs. Corporate - Loxo seems like it would be better for corporate users vs. agency recruiters.
Loxo seems to regularly update the solution and add new features. During the short 4 months, they have already added a ChatGPT functionality.
Loxo is a good solution for start-ups or small agencies that do not have plans to scale and keep their processes simple.
Loxo is not great for large agencies that offer multiple types of search solutions as the reporting functionality is not built for it.
VanHack
Apart from their basic job posting services, VanHack offers a free, full-scale applicant tracking system that supports unlimited jobs and users. Their platform lets you schedule interviews in as little as three clicks, post jobs, and track candidate progress.
PROS
- VanHack provides a free ATS that allows unlimited jobs and users.
- Easily filter potential candidates based on skills, experience, or customized keywords.
- A significant number of VanHack's job seekers are open to relocation
- Employers have access to a dedicated team of talent acquisition experts to identify potential candidates.
- The platform's salary guide assists job seekers and employers in understanding average compensation for each role.
- VanHack offers a free ATS that supports unlimited jobs and users.
- You can filter your list of potential candidates according to skills, years of experience, or custom keywords fairly easily.
- Many of VanHack’s job seekers are willing to relocate to pursue the right opportunity.
- Employers can work with a dedicated team of talent acquisition experts to find potential candidates.
- The platform’s salary guide helps job seekers and employers get a better idea of average salaries for roles.
CONS
- The platform focuses on tech-related jobs, so finding positions in other industries can be challenging.
- Although VanHack makes every effort, users report some spam messages and emails occasionally bypass their filters.
- Virtual hiring events often lack sufficient time to connect with numerous potential candidates.
- No mobile apps for hiring managers or recruiters to use while on the move.
- Because of the general focus on tech-related jobs, it’s difficult to find jobs in other industries.
- Despite their best efforts, some spam messages and emails do slip through the cracks.
- Virtual hiring events don’t provide enough time to meet many potential candidates.
- VanHack doesn’t currently offer a mobile app for hiring managers and recruiters to use on the go.
VanHack’s free ATS software is one of the most generous offerings we’ve seen in the space. This freebie supports unlimited users and jobs, and it doesn’t even require a credit card to get started. As a startup, this seems like a great deal. And after rigorously testing the free applicant tracking tool, we can confirm it truly is.
We also loved how easy it was to schedule an interview; we could do it in as little as three clicks. Additionally, the ability to post jobs directly from the ATS platform to multiple job boards at no cost was a real time-saver for budget-conscious companies, we can imagine.
We also appreciated that the ATS lets you post jobs directly to multiple job boards for free, a big advantage for budget-conscious teams trying to maximize reach. However, keep in mind that VanHack’s platform is specialized for tech hiring; if you’re looking to fill non-tech roles, you’ll get less value here.
While we appreciate that VanHack puts effort into filtering out spam, we did notice that some messages and emails still managed to slip through the cracks.
We also couldn’t help but feel disappointed to discover that there are no mobile apps available for hiring managers or recruiters. We would have loved to have the flexibility to manage our recruitment on the go, as this would greatly enhance our efficiency when moving between meetings or events.
600+ companies, including Deloitte, Brex, Booking.com, and Zalando.
VanHack is completely free for job seekers. For employers, VanHack charges a fee per hire that amounts to 20% of the candidate’s annual salary. Job posts, interviews, and candidate searching are all free.
Best For
For tech-focused teams looking to manage their hiring pipeline without any upfront investment, VanHack’s free ATS delivers an impressive package.
GoHire
GoHire offers a 14-day free trial that gives startups and SMBs full access to customizable hiring pipelines, AI job tools, and unlimited team seats—perfect for testing before committing, isn’t it?
PROS
- Simple applicant tracking software option for job postings, candidate screening, interview scheduling, and offer management.
- Freshly added AI content generator tools for job descriptions, career pages, outreach messages, interview questions, and onboarding checklists.
- Unlimited hiring pipelines and team members for all plans.
- Discounts for early-stage startups and charities.
There are both pros and cons to using GoHire.io. Let's take a look at some of the most important ones:
- One user appreciated the in-app messaging and email saying “Great templating for messages and emails.” They further liked the fact that they were able to control the on-boarding process as well as display jobs on the website.
- The platform is easy to use and helps businesses keep track of their hiring process by providing them with tools to manage job postings, candidate screening, interview scheduling, and offer management.
- GoHire.io makes it possible to post jobs on multiple job boards giving the user a wide variety of applicants. Therefore, hiring managers and founders can manage the applicants from numerous job boards on one platform. One user stated that they used to receive three job applications for €12.8 when using LinkedIn Jobs paid advertisements, but are now receiving 50+ applicants every month for free while using GoHire.
- The HR team appreciates that GoHire.io has a responsive customer support team. One user even appreciated that they were happy that their feedback was taken seriously and implemented on the ATS.
CONS
- No SMS messaging. Email templates have limited customization.
- Doesn’t support any candidate file formats other than PDF files.
- The career page links to one domain only (which may be a disadvantage for companies with multiple job sites).
- Can only integrate with a few third-party tools.
- GoHire.io does not support sending SMS to the applicants.
- While GoHire.io has received a lot of positive feedback about its platform, a significant number of users who had bought lifetime deals via AppSummo felt let down when the company discontinued the plan despite stating that it was a lifetime deal.
- One user complained that they were not able to upload multiple file formats for candidates. They were only able to upload PDF files.
We tested GoHire’s 14-day free trial to see how well it serves startups and small businesses, and we came away impressed with how accessible and flexible the platform is. Although we initially hit a snag signing up (our company email wasn’t recognized at first), GoHire’s support team quickly resolved the issue, getting us up and running.
Inside the free trial, we appreciated the simplicity of the dashboard and especially the career page editor. Using a WordPress-style interface, we could easily add text, images, and videos to build a branded careers page without needing any technical expertise. That said, the system only lets you link to a single domain, which could be limiting if you manage multiple brands or job sites.
GoHire’s trial also gave us access to AI-powered tools like job description generators, outreach messages, and onboarding checklists, plus over 700 prebuilt templates. Posting jobs to integrated job boards and social media was fast and seamless. We also liked that, even during the trial, GoHire placed no limits on the number of hiring pipelines or team members we could add.
While it’s worth noting the platform lacks some bells and whistles like SMS messaging or deep third-party integrations, GoHire’s free trial makes it easy for small teams to test key ATS features before purchasing. For budget-conscious companies needing an intuitive, affordable hiring tool, it’s a great way to explore the platform risk-free.
Snagajob, Promoter, Sweetberry, Swapcard, Voucher Cart.
GoHire offers three plans with a slight price increase since our last review. The vendor also offers free 14-day trial and doesn’t limit the number of team members for any of the plans. Here’s a breakdown of what you get with each plan (prices are based on an annual subscription):
- Starter costs $83 per month and includes baseline features, with 3 active job posts, a custom career page, interview scheduling, and unlimited team members.
- Growth costs $166 per month and provides everything from Starter plus customizable pipelines, bulk actions, screening questions, and mention team members.
- Pro costs $249 per month and provides all Growth features plus unlimited job posts, automated stage actions, advanced reporting, video questionnaires, and private notes.
A few extra things to keep in mind:
- Startups that qualify can buy Pro at a discounted rate for up to a year.
- If you're part of a registered charity, you can enjoy a 30% discount on any plan.
Best For
GoHire’s free trial is best for startups and small businesses looking to test a full-featured, affordable ATS with unlimited pipelines and team collaboration before committing to a plan.
To track applicants so that we can develop a catalog for the company, research candidates’ diverse educational backgrounds, make offers and see what we have offered in the past, and monitor the trends in what applicants are seeking!
It’s user friendly. I like that most answers to questions can be found in the software. The ATS helps you find the ideal candidate who has the greatest potential for longevity for the position.
We like GoHire for its accuracy in staying in touch with candidates and keeping everything in one place. I’ve used it for 5 years. Everyone has access to files along with the hiring manager.
The database could provide more space without you asking for more space. I would like to custom add sections that are more helpful to my business specifically. I wish more of my peers used it because it would make it easier for us to share data.
You don’t have to have a ton of training to use the software; it’s user friendly and makes suggestions on how to best accomplish things.
That you don’t need a lot of time to learn how to use the software. The software converts into an excel format allowing you to easily transform data.
HR and hiring managers who are trying to build a portfolio of the company’s talent!
All individuals who are establishing a large talent pool to get candidates from.
Zoho Recruit
For a free ATS, Zoho Recruit is a decent offer for most SMBs because it combines basic ATS & CRM in one place, free job boards, email management, and interview scheduling, all within its unlimited free plan.
PROS
- Free version available for anyone to opt for.
- Paid plans offer well-developed resume parsing and extraction, an AI chatbot, and candidate-matching automation.
- Supports several languages.
- Transparent pricing structure with the free version and trial option.
- ATS + CRM in one platform
- Backed by a company like Zoho, notable for reliability and good customer service.
- 24/5 support
- Priced quite modestly after the free version
- Certain features like video interviews are available as optional add-ons.
CONS
- Customer support hours were reduced from 24/5 to 8/5 since our last review update.
- The free plan only allows 256MB of storage.
- The free plan only allows 256MB of storage.
- Additional features, such as the client portal, mass email, workflow alerts, and API calls cost extra.
- Some users have complained about the quality of some of the integrations.
- The career site is not fully customizable until past a certain paid plan.
We filled in Zoho’s form and got ourselves a Zoho Recruit's free plan. Overall, Zoho Recruit's free version offers valuable features for candidate and email management, but it does come with limitations in terms of active job openings and storage.
It’s good to see the free plan incorporates some essential services for candidate management, like email and interview scheduling. The career site is customizable (on a basic level, though). We can also post jobs on both free and paid job boards.
Another aspect we appreciated is the seamless integration with Google applications and the support for 26 languages, allowing for a diverse pool of applicants to be reached. Platforms that provide pre-designed templates are always a time-saver, and Zoho Recruit delivers five customizable email templates. Additionally, the user-friendly resume search feature makes finding relevant candidate information easier.
However, the free plan has some limitations. The most notable drawback is that you can only access one active job opening at a time. For hiring teams dealing with multiple positions simultaneously, this limitation can be pretty restrictive and could hinder efficient recruitment efforts.
Another thing to keep in mind is the storage limit, which is set at 256MB. This might not be ideal for businesses with larger databases and extensive recruitment needs. We also noticed that instead of 24/5 support, free users can only get 8/5 support from the Zoho team. On a brighter note, Zoho Recruit provides a 45-day money-back guarantee.
8,000+ organizations, including Bosch, Deloitte, Saint-Gobain, PWC, and Allianz.
Zoho Recruit provides two paid plans for Corporate HRs and three for staffing agencies in addition to its free plan. All plans share the same starting price of $25 per user per month when billed annually. This vendor also offers a 15-day free trial and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Best For
Zoho Recruit's free version is a good basic recruitment software for small staffing agencies.
At my organization, we use Zoho Recruit as our primary applicant tracking system (ATS) to manage our recruitment process. We use it on a daily basis to streamline our workflows and improve our recruitment efficiency.
One of the key workflows we use Zoho Recruit for is managing job postings. Zoho Recruit allows us to create job postings and post them on various job boards and social media platforms, all from within the tool. This saves us time and effort and helps us to reach a wider pool of candidates.
- Customizable workflows: Zoho Recruit provides customizable workflows that allow organizations to create tailored recruitment processes that match their specific needs.
- Integrations with other Zoho applications: Zoho Recruit is part of the larger Zoho suite of business applications, and it can integrate with other Zoho applications such as Zoho CRM and Zoho People, which can help streamline overall business processes.
- Collaborative recruiting: Zoho Recruit allows for collaboration between team members, making it easier to work together during the recruitment process.
- Candidate tracking: Zoho Recruit provides tools for tracking candidate progress throughout the hiring process, including interview scheduling and email communication.
Zoho Recruit helps my organization manage job postings, applications, and candidate information in a single platform. This streamlines the recruitment process and helps my HR team save time and effort. Zoho Recruit allows my organization to centralize all candidate data in one location, which can make it easier to manage and track candidate progress throughout the hiring process. It also provides features for collaboration between team members, which can help improve communication and coordination during the recruitment process. I've been using Zoho Recruit for the last 2 years.
- While Zoho Recruit offers integrations with other Zoho applications, it has limited integrations with other third-party applications, which may limit its functionality and usability for some organizations.
- While Zoho Recruit offers customizable workflows, some users have expressed that there are limitations to the customization options available, which may not fully meet their organization's needs.
- Some users have found that Zoho Recruit has a steep learning curve, which may require additional training for some users to fully utilize the platform's features and functionality.
Zoho's tiers are very rigid, and I would hope they would make their product more modular and allow customers to buy modules separately. For a small startup, the professional and enterprise-grade turn out to be very expensive, and we could easily trade some features we don't use for features we would like to use.
- Consider the specific needs of your organization and the recruitment processes that you need to support. Evaluate the features and functionality of Zoho Recruit to ensure that it meets your organization's specific requirements.
- Evaluate the user interface of Zoho Recruit to ensure that it is easy to use and navigate and that it does not require extensive training for users to get up to speed.
- Evaluate the customization options available in Zoho Recruit to ensure that you can tailor the recruitment process to match your organization's specific requirements.
Zoho Recruit has expanded its customization options, enabling users to create workflows tailored to their specific needs. The customizable workflows allow users to create automated processes and custom stages for candidates.
Zoho Recruit has introduced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation features that help automate tasks, such as candidate matching, resume parsing, and lead prioritization.
Zoho Recruit offers a cost-effective solution for small and medium-sized businesses that need to manage their recruitment processes without investing in expensive HR software. Zoho Recruit has features specifically designed for staffing agencies and recruiters, such as candidate submittal tracking, resume parsing, and sourcing tools, making it an excellent choice for these types of users.
While Zoho Recruit can handle recruitment processes for small to medium-sized businesses, it may not be as well-suited for large enterprises with complex recruitment processes and a large number of open positions.
Zoho Recruit is a general-purpose recruitment software and may not be the best fit for industries with specialized recruitment needs, such as healthcare, finance, or technology. These industries often require specialized recruitment software in addition to an ATS that can handle their unique requirements.
Wellfound
Owing to its popularity among job seekers with a startup mindset, Wellfound (formerly Angellist Talent) is a must-check-out for any startup searching for talent worldwide, especially in the tech space. The free ATS gives startups unlimited job postings, direct applicant messaging, and access to a huge global talent pool, all without paying a cent.
PROS
- Free ATS with no limits on the number of jobs you can post.
- Access to 10+ million startup-focused job seekers, many in tech.
- Native messaging for fast, direct communication with applicants.
- Integrates with Slack and syncs with major ATS platforms.
- RecruiterCloud offers AI-powered candidate sourcing from an internal pool of 10M+ startup-minded candidates and an external network of 500M+.
- Users can delegate their sourcing tasks to Wellfound (Autopilot) or handle them independently (Self-Serve).
- AI tags streamline review by highlighting key strengths in a candidate's profile.
- Free ATS included unlimited job postings, native candidate communications, team scorecards, and interview scheduling.
CONS
- No mobile app; hiring teams must use the desktop version.
- Free plan lacks sourcing tools or third-party job board integrations.
- Not well suited for non-tech roles or large enterprise hiring.
- Doesn’t have a mobile app.
- Not suitable for non-tech roles at large enterprises.
- Built-in reporting and analytics are somewhat basic compared to some competitors.
If you’re a startup looking for global tech talent, we highly recommend Wellfound’s free ATS. One huge advantage of this platform is that it’s long been a go-to place for tech enthusiasts and startup-minded talent who are on the job hunt—just the talent pool you’re searching for.
We enjoyed our experience testing this free ATS, both from the hiring side and as an applicant. The UI is clear and easy on the eyes, plus having in-app messaging and the option to tweak the hiring workflow makes everything more streamlined and straightforward.
Given that most vendors in this space often limit their freebies to one active job at a time, it’s nice to see Wellfound take another approach—it does not cap the number of jobs you can post. In other words, you can have as many as you need.
Unfortunately, this free plan does not have Boolean search or advanced sourcing capabilities. But if your team is using Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, or Ashby alongside Wellfound, there's a workaround. Since this free tool can connect with these ATS platforms, you can transfer applicant information and use their search features instead.
Regarding job distribution, while platforms Dover or Recooty can auto-spread your job posts across multiple boards, Wellfound sticks to its niche community for job postings. As a result, the reach may not be the same.
25,000+ companies, including Trace, Xander, and Dosu.
Wellfound offers a free ATS for tracking and managing candidates and integrates with major ATS providers such as Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, and Workable which anyone can sign up for online. Paid plans start at $149/month, with job promotion add-on and custom packages available upon request.
Best For
Wellfound is among the best free ATS solutions for startups and small businesses looking to hire tech talent globally.
MightyRecruiter
MightyRecruiter is one of the few free ATS we’ve known that allows for unlimited job postings across various job boards. It also comes with a comprehensive resume database, employee referral features, a reporting dashboard and a branded career website at no additional cost.
PROS
- MightyRecruiter allows you to post unlimited jobs to 29+ job boards for free and access a resume database of over 22 million candidates.
- Clean and intuitive interface that allows you to create job postings, filter, screen, and rate candidates easily.
- Built-in reporting dashboard provides a comprehensive view of how your job postings are performing on various job boards and channels.
- MightyRecruiter allows you to post unlimited jobs to 29+ job boards for free and access a resume database of over 21 million candidates.
- The platform has a clean and intuitive interface that allows you to create job postings, filter, screen, and rate candidates easily.
- The built-in reporting dashboard provides a comprehensive view of how your job postings are performing on various job boards and channels through metrics like number of views, applications, and conversions.
CONS
- Limited integration options to job boards and social media.
- Does not offer advanced ATS features like integrated assessments, interview scheduling, workflow management, and collaborative hiring for end-to-end recruitment.
- Viewing the full resumes of candidates on their resume database costs extra.
- Once created, job postings can take anywhere between 24-48 hours to be approved by MightyRecruiter's team and made live.
- MightyRecruiter does not offer advanced ATS features like integrated assessments, interview scheduling, workflow management, and collaborative hiring for end-to-end recruitment
- While MightyRecruiter is primarily free to use, viewing the full resumes of candidates on their resume database costs extra.
MightyRecruiter truly impressed us with the efficiency of its free ATS system.
Without spending any dime, you can access this tool’s custom-branded career page, post unlimited job openings across 29 job boards, tap into a resume database of over 22 million candidates, as well as rank and filter candidates by the candidate’s commute distance, years of experience, ex-employers, education, and a handful others.
To speed up your talent sourcing efforts further, the platform packs over 200 ready-to-use job description templates and suggests suitable candidates for your job posts based on defined criteria.
In terms of reporting capabilities, the built-in dashboard gave us a nice view of our job postings' performances across job boards and channels. During our tests, we didn’t find any delays in the presented stats; all were updated in real-time.
Unfortunately, MightyRecruiter’s current integration capabilities leave something to be desired. The free ATS software can only connect with job boards and social media. There seems to be no way to connect, for example, a candidate assessment or video interview app with the platform.
ThinkGlink Media, DocuSign, OpExpert, GTM Pros, Small World Recruiting
MightyRecruiter offers free applicant tracking software at no cost for several features, including unlimited open jobs, unlimited resume searching, unlimited user accounts, one-click posting to a network of free job boards, mobile-friendly candidate management, social network, and auto-publishing.
While you can preview resumes as much as you want, keep in mind, though, that you'll need to buy Full Resume Views to access all the details.
Best For
MightyRecruiter’s free ATS is best for smaller teams that hire under 50 candidates a year.
We used Mightyrecruiter to post jobs for subjects that we are in need of tutors for. We made regular job posts and specified some by city and some general to see the types of candidates that it would attract. We would then pull the candidates received from Mightyrecruiter to onboard them to the company. It managed the first step of our recruitment process for new tutors.
- It allows us to post jobs for online tutors
- The website is simple to use
- The pricing options are reasonable
We tried MightyRecruiter to recruit tutors that could join the platform. We had difficulties with finding large volumes of candidates and thought that MightyRecruiter could be an effective tool for this. We needed the ability to post multiple jobs in order to attract a large volume of candidates. We tried to use MightyRecruiter for about 2 months in 2023 and had mixed results.
- You aren't allowed to post unlimited jobs
- The jobs didn't attract a large volume of candidates
- To get started you need to post a job immediately
Mightyrecruiter has a pretty responsive support team so if you face issues they can be there to address it quickly.
You should consider what are your recruiting goals and what type of talent you are trying to attract. Also consider how often you will be hiring to see if it would be worth the investment.
There weren't any product changes when we used it
Mighty recruiter would be good for companies trying to recruit a single candidate for a generalized role
Mightyrecruiter is not good for a company trying to recruit at high volumes and wants to post many jobs
How to Choose a Free ATS
Choosing a free ATS can be quite different from choosing a paid solution, as there are some unique traps to watch out for.
First, understand this upfront: there is no such thing as an entirely free, unlimited ATS. Even vendors offering forever-free plans typically put critical features, such as advanced reporting, automations, integrations, or outreach tools, behind a paywall (more of these will be covered in the coming section!). Some “free” ATS options are actually time-limited trials that offer 7, 14, or 30 days to test drive the system before requiring a paid upgrade.
So, when shopping for a free ATS, look closely at:
- Which features are included in the free plan (e.g., unlimited jobs or users, resume parsing, career page editor)?
- What’s locked behind paid tiers (often things like candidate communication, analytics, or integrations)?
- What support services are available to free users? While many vendors tend to focus on their paying customers, a user-friendly software experience and effective self-service tools can make this less of an issue for free users.
- Are the paid plans affordable and suitable for your business if you eventually outgrow the free tier?
Free ATS Benefits
A free ATS can offer several practical advantages, particularly for small teams, early-stage startups, or organizations looking to improve hiring operations without adding financial or administrative burden. Key benefits include:
- Improved recruitment outcomes with no additional overhead. Free ATS tools typically provide core functions such as job posting, applicant tracking, and centralized workflows, allowing teams to streamline hiring processes without immediate cost.
- Low-risk evaluation of software fit. Free plans and trials let organizations test a system’s usability, features, and compatibility with internal processes before committing to a paid contract or long-term plan.
- Enhanced candidate experience. Many free ATS versions include branded career sites and simplified application processes, helping employers present a professional image to applicants.
- More organized recruiter workflows. Even without advanced features, a free ATS can centralize candidate data and communication, reducing the need for manual spreadsheets or scattered tools.
While free ATS platforms can deliver meaningful improvements for budget-conscious teams, most come with trade-offs.
Free ATS Drawbacks
Here’s the truth we’ve learned from years of testing these tools: no free ATS plan will give you everything you need forever.
While free trials and forever-free plans are fantastic entry points, they almost always come with limitations, whether it’s the number of jobs you can post, the depth of reporting, or access to integrations and automations. Sure, you can try before you buy, but once your team scales or your hiring gets more complex, you’ll likely run into roadblocks that only paid plans can unlock.
Another pitfall we’ve seen is support responsiveness. Vendors often reserve their fastest, most hands-on customer support for paying customers. If you’re using the free tier, expect slower responses or limited support channels—something that can be frustrating if you hit a technical snag during an urgent hiring sprint.
Our advice: don’t treat a free ATS like a short-term experiment. Be thoughtful. Research the paid tiers, understand the upgrade path, and ask tough questions during demos. Choose a vendor whose long-term roadmap fits your business, so you’re not caught off guard when the free features stop covering your needs.
Key Features of Free Applicant Tracking Software
Free applicant tracking systems typically include a set of basic features that cover essential hiring workflows:
- Automated job posting (to a point). Many free ATS tools allow you to post jobs to a handful of free job boards with a few clicks, although integration with premium or niche boards usually requires a paid upgrade.
- Basic career site templates. Almost every free ATS we tested included a plug-and-play career page you can embed on your company website. You can typically upload a logo, adjust some colors, and display open roles, but deeper customization, such as multiple branded pages and knockout questions, is often reserved for paying customers.
- Organizational framework. Even free ATS versions centralize core hiring data such as applications, resumes, interview stages, and candidate contact info into one system. Some may offer access to advanced features, such as custom workflows, bulk actions, or integrations with HRIS or onboarding tools, but only for a limited period during their free trials.
- Mobile-first design: You shouldn’t have to pay extra for access to this feature, as it's now standard practice for a free applicant tracking tool to be either mobile-optimized or accompanied by a free mobile app that TAs can easily download and use.
- Interview scheduling. From our experience, free ATS platforms often integrate directly with Google Calendar or Outlook, allowing you to automate simple scheduling tasks within the free plan, whereas more advanced features (automated reminders, calendar integrations, interview scorecards, etc.) are usually accessible via free trials.
- Fundamental analytics dashboards. While you can’t expect highly advanced analytics from a no-cost ATS, we've found that even free versions offer some level of reporting functionality that can be quite useful. For instance, you can still track your progress in filling positions and access some essential recruitment stats such as conversion rates and time-to-hire.
Free Applicant Tracking System FAQs
What is an applicant tracking system?
A free applicant tracking system is a software application that helps organizations manage key hiring tasks without upfront costs. These tools typically offer core features such as a basic career site, scheduling automation, and essential applicant tracking and reporting, making them ideal for budget-conscious teams or companies wanting to test a platform before committing to a paid plan.
What kind of free ATS options are available?
When looking into a free applicant tracking system, you are likely to find two options:
- Free trials of fully functional paid software allow you to try out a system for a limited time.
- Subscriptions that offer limited functionality but are entirely free to use forever.
Who actually uses free ATSs?
The surprising answer is that it’s companies of all sizes.
Slow-growing SMBs and startups are great clients for free ATS platforms. Rather than attempting to scale up from a patchwork of disorganized spreadsheets and documents, free and SMB-centric ATS can help growing teams lay down an organizational framework that they’ll thank themselves for in the future. They also benefit from not buying oversized enterprise software that they may or may not grow into.
Large companies with big allocated budgets also use free ATS to test-drive options before they buy.
What are the standard features that free ATSs offer?
There is likely to be a great deal of variation between each vendor, yet the following is what to look for when choosing a free applicant tracking system.
- Automated job posting
- Custom career pages
- Organizational framework
- Mobile-friendliness
- Interview scheduling
- Analytics dashboards
What Has Been Changed Since Our Last Update?
To ensure you have the most accurate and up-to-date information, we regularly update our reviews. Here are the major content changes in the latest update:
- Pricing accuracy: We have fact-checked the pricing for all listed vendors to ensure it is accurate and current. Additionally, we have detailed any discounts and potential fees you should be aware of.
- New vendors introduced: We are excited to introduce Dover and Wellfound, two free, startup-focused applicant tracking system vendors. Our HR tech editors have been monitoring these platforms for some time, and they have passed our tests with flying colors.
- Removal of OpenCATS: We have decided to remove OpenCATS, a free, open-source applicant tracking system, from our listings. While it was a good alternative to Excel sheets and Google Drive, we felt it was necessary to step back due to potential security concerns associated with its self-hosted setup and its complicated user interface.
- Fresh product reviews: We have added more product reviews from real-life recruiters and leaders at startups and small businesses. Notable contributors include Lisa Pope, Head of People and Culture at Jones Jones LLC, Drew M., Talent Program Manager at Upwork, and Matthew Barnes, Instructor at Army National Guard.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for staying with us! We hope the guide has been useful to you in narrowing down the best free ATS for your startup/small business. If you have any additions, please send us a note, and we’ll be happy to update the list!
About the Author
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