Best Applicant Tracking Systems (2026)
For structured hiring at growing and enterprise companies, Greenhouse and Ashby are the strongest picks, with Ashby publishing a $400/month entry price. Smaller teams get more for less from Workable, Manatal or JazzHR, while recruitment agencies should look at Bullhorn or JobAdder, which are built around clients and placements rather than in-house roles.
Our top picks at a glance
| Product | Best for | Starting price | Free trial |
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Structured hiring at growing and enterprise companies | Custom quote | Not stated |
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Data-driven startups and scale-ups | From $400/month (Foundations, up to 100 employees); 10% off annual | Not stated |
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Small and mid-size companies that want ATS plus HR in one | From $299/month (Standard, 1-20 employees; $3,588/year billed annually) | Yes |
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Employer branding and candidate experience | Custom quote | Not stated |
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In-house teams with complex or high-volume hiring | Custom quote | Not stated |
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Budget-conscious teams and small agencies | From $15/user/month, billed annually ($19 monthly) | Yes |
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Small businesses with steady, simple hiring | From $1,000/year (Hero, billed annually) | Not stated |
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Collaborative hiring at growing European and global SMBs | Pricing not published | Yes |
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Staffing and recruitment agencies | From $99/user/month (Starter) | Not stated |
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Small and mid-size recruitment agencies | Custom quote | Not stated |
What is Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software a hiring team uses to run recruitment from job posting to signed offer. It publishes jobs to a careers page and job boards, collects applications into one database, moves candidates through pipeline stages, schedules interviews, gathers scorecards from interviewers and produces offer letters. Most modern ATS products also include a candidate CRM for nurturing past applicants and passive talent.
The category splits along one main line: in-house teams hiring for their own company, and staffing or recruitment agencies hiring on behalf of clients. In-house tools focus on structured interviews, hiring manager collaboration and approvals. Agency tools add client records, job orders, placements and fees. Pricing also varies widely, from per-user plans at $15/month to annual contracts quoted only after a sales call.
Types of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Structured hiring platforms for mid-size and enterprise companies
Tools such as Greenhouse and Ashby built around interview kits, scorecards, approvals, reporting and integrations with HR systems. Usually sold on annual contracts with custom quotes.
SMB applicant tracking systems
Simpler, faster-to-set-up tools such as Workable, JazzHR and Recruitee for companies hiring a few roles a month. Prices are often published and tied to company size or active jobs.
Employer branding and careers site ATS
Products such as Teamtailor that put the careers site, employer brand content and candidate experience at the center, with the ATS behind it.
Agency and staffing ATS/CRM
Bullhorn, JobAdder and Manatal combine applicant tracking with client relationship management, job orders, placements and, in some cases, timesheets and invoicing.
The best Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) in detail
1. Greenhouse
Greenhouse is one of the most widely used ATS platforms for companies that want a consistent, structured interview process. Its Core plan includes sourcing and CRM, structured interview kits, an AI notetaker, scheduling, reporting and SSO. Plus adds a BI connector, sourcing automation, texting and fraud detection, and Pro adds audit logs, a developer sandbox and enterprise data security. A good fit when many interviewers and hiring managers need to follow the same process.
Pricing: Custom quote (pricing page)
- Strong structured interviewing: interview kits and scorecards in every plan
- Large integration ecosystem with HR, assessment and background check tools
- Three clear tiers that build on each other
- No published prices; every plan needs a sales conversation
- More process than a small team hiring a few roles a year needs
2. Ashby
Ashby combines an ATS, candidate CRM, scheduling and analytics in one product, which is why it is popular with fast-growing tech companies that want reporting without a separate BI tool. The Foundations plan covers sourcing, job posting, candidate management, scheduling, offers and reporting for companies up to 100 employees. Plus adds AI candidate search, custom dashboards and advanced reporting for companies of 101 to 1,000 employees.
Pricing: From $400/month (Foundations, up to 100 employees); 10% off annual (pricing page)
- Built-in analytics and custom dashboards are a core strength
- Published entry price for small companies
- Sourcing, CRM and scheduling in one tool
- Plus and Enterprise plans are quoted on company size and usage
- Entry price is high for a company making only a handful of hires
3. Workable
Workable bundles an applicant tracking system with sourcing, onboarding and core HR. Every plan includes unlimited active job postings, a candidate sourcing database, interview tools, an HR information system, time off tracking and SSO. Standard starts at $299/month for companies with 1 to 20 employees, with texting, video interviews and assessments as paid add-ons. Premier includes those add-ons. A 15-day free trial needs no credit card.
Pricing: From $299/month (Standard, 1-20 employees; $3,588/year billed annually) (pricing page)
- Unlimited active jobs on every plan
- Published prices by company size
- HR and onboarding included, so no separate HRIS needed for small teams
- Texting, video interviews and assessments cost extra on Standard
- You pay for HR features even if you only want an ATS
4. Teamtailor
Teamtailor is an ATS built around the careers site. Companies use it to publish branded careers pages, stories and job ads, then manage applicants with automated workflows, interview kits, smart scheduling and analytics. Its pricing page lists unlimited job postings and unlimited users, AI recruiting support, SSO and more than 450 integrations. Requisitions with approval flows and multi-brand management are premium add-ons.
Pricing: Custom quote (pricing page)
- Strong careers site and employer branding tools
- Unlimited users and job postings
- Large integration library
- No public prices; you must request a quote
- Approval flows and multi-brand setups cost extra
5. Pinpoint
Pinpoint is an ATS for in-house talent teams that covers planning, attraction, screening, interviewing and onboarding. Features include approval workflows, a branded careers site, employee referrals, a recruitment agency portal, anonymized screening, one-way video interviews, AI match scores, offer management and background and reference checks. It is aimed at teams in regulated or high-volume settings that need configurable workflows.
Pricing: Custom quote (pricing page)
- Anonymized screening helps reduce bias
- Agency portal for managing external recruiters
- Wide feature set from requisition to onboarding
- Pricing only after a call
- Likely more than a small business needs
6. Manatal
Manatal is a low-cost ATS and recruitment CRM used by both in-house teams and agencies. The Professional plan costs $15 per user per month billed annually ($19 monthly) and includes up to 15 jobs, 10,000 candidates, unlimited hiring managers, AI candidate recommendations and a careers page. Enterprise removes the job and candidate limits and adds workflow automation. There is a 14-day free trial.
Pricing: From $15/user/month, billed annually ($19 monthly) (pricing page)
- One of the lowest published per-user prices in the category
- Works for agencies and in-house teams
- Unlimited hiring managers on every plan
- Professional plan caps you at 15 jobs
- Workflow automation needs the $35/user Enterprise plan
7. JazzHR
JazzHR is a long-running ATS for small businesses. The Hero plan costs $1,000 per year and covers job postings, the applicant tracker, email templates and a LinkedIn Recruiter integration. Plus adds up to 200 active jobs, AI candidate matching, structured interviews and assessments, and task automation. Pro adds offers with eSignatures and custom reporting. Prices are published, which makes budgeting easy.
Pricing: From $1,000/year (Hero, billed annually) (pricing page)
- Low, published entry price
- Clear upgrade path as hiring grows
- Simple enough to set up without consultants
- Entry plan has limited job postings and no automation
- Offers and eSignatures only on the top plan
Recruitee, part of Tellent, is a collaborative ATS with a careers site builder, multi-job-board posting, pipeline automation, AI-assisted email and feedback writing, and a mobile app. The Start plan includes five active jobs and API access. Advance adds unlimited jobs, multi-language careers sites, employee referrals, candidate self-scheduling and offer letters. Optimize adds SSO, requisition approvals and a dedicated success manager. A free trial is available.
Pricing: Pricing not published
- Multi-language and multi-location support for international hiring
- Good hiring team collaboration features
- API access on every plan
- Prices are not shown on the pricing page
- Annual contract minimum, even on monthly billing
9. Bullhorn
Bullhorn is the best-known ATS and CRM for staffing agencies. It tracks candidates, clients, job orders and placements in one system. Bullhorn Starter costs $99 per user per month and covers applicant tracking, resume parsing, client management and job posting. Core at $165 per user adds the app marketplace, custom workflows and LinkedIn integrations. Larger agencies can move to Front Office plans or Bullhorn One, which adds timesheets and invoicing.
Pricing: From $99/user/month (Starter) (pricing page)
- Built for agency workflows: clients, job orders and placements
- Published prices for small-agency plans
- Scales to front-to-back-office with Bullhorn One
- Per-user pricing adds up for large teams
- Higher tiers and AI products are custom quoted
10. JobAdder
JobAdder is a recruitment CRM and ATS for agencies, with plans sized by team. Recruiter Lite (1-5 users) covers job board posting, job orders, a careers page and a report library. Recruiter Essential (6-20 users) adds multiple workflows, eSignatures, a business development lead feed, automations and API access. Recruiter Pro (21+ users) adds advanced automations, benchmark dashboards and a sandbox. A Recruiter Business plan serves in-house teams.
Pricing: Custom quote (pricing page)
- Plans matched to agency size
- Business development tools alongside recruiting
- Also offers a plan for in-house teams
- No published prices
- SSO and API sandbox are add-ons on lower plans
Key features to look for
Job distribution and careers site
Post once to your careers page and multiple job boards. Check whether a branded, multi-language careers site is included or an extra.
Pipeline management and automation
Custom stages per job, bulk actions and automatic emails or tasks when a candidate moves stage. Automation is often reserved for mid-tier plans.
Structured interviews and scorecards
Interview kits and scorecards make interviewers assess the same criteria, which improves decisions and helps with compliance.
Interview scheduling
Calendar sync and candidate self-scheduling remove most of the back-and-forth emails.
Candidate CRM and sourcing
A searchable talent pool, nurture campaigns and a browser extension for sourcing from LinkedIn and other sites.
Reporting and compliance
Time-to-hire, source and pipeline reports, plus EEO/OFCCP or GDPR tools depending on where you hire.
Integrations
Connections to your HRIS, payroll, calendar, assessments and background checks, plus an API if you need custom work.
How to choose
In-house team or agency
Agencies need client records, job orders and placement tracking. Choose Bullhorn, JobAdder or Manatal. In-house teams should look at Greenhouse, Ashby, Workable, Teamtailor or Pinpoint.
Hiring volume and complexity
A company making ten hires a year does not need approval chains and audit logs. Match the plan to the number of open roles and interviewers.
Pricing model
Prices are set per user (Manatal, Bullhorn), by company size (Workable, Ashby), by plan with job limits (JazzHR), or by custom quote (Greenhouse, Teamtailor). Model your actual users and jobs before comparing.
Hiring manager experience
Most ATS failures are adoption failures. Check how easily a hiring manager can review candidates and submit feedback, ideally from a phone.
Data and integrations
Confirm the ATS connects to your HRIS and calendar, and that you can export your candidate data if you leave.
How much does Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) cost?
Published ATS prices in this list range from $15 per user per month (Manatal Professional, billed annually) to $400 per month for Ashby Foundations. JazzHR starts at $1,000 per year, Workable at $299 per month for companies with up to 20 employees, and Bullhorn at $99 per user per month for small agencies.
Greenhouse, Teamtailor, Pinpoint and JobAdder only quote prices after a sales call, and Recruitee does not show prices on its pricing page. Expect annual contracts at that level, and budget for add-ons such as texting, video interviews, assessments or SSO, which several vendors charge for separately.
Among our picks that publish a price, entry plans start between $15 and $400 per month. 3 of 10 offer a free trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best applicant tracking system for a small business?
For a small business, look for published pricing and fast setup. JazzHR starts at $1,000 per year, Manatal at $15 per user per month billed annually, and Workable at $299 per month for up to 20 employees with HR features included. Manatal and Workable both offer free trials, so you can test the hiring manager experience before you commit.
Is there a free applicant tracking system?
None of the picks in this guide offers a free plan. Workable (15 days) and Manatal (14 days) offer free trials, and Recruitee offers a trial too. Open-source options exist, but you will need to host and maintain them yourself, which usually costs more in time than a low-cost paid plan.
What is the difference between an ATS and a recruitment CRM?
An ATS manages people who have applied to a specific job. A recruitment CRM manages relationships with people who have not applied yet, such as past candidates and passive talent, through nurture emails and talent pools. Most modern products, including Greenhouse, Ashby and Manatal, now combine both.
Which ATS is best for recruitment agencies?
Agencies need to track clients, job orders and placements as well as candidates. Bullhorn is the best-known agency platform, starting at $99 per user per month. JobAdder offers plans sized for 1-5, 6-20 and 21+ users. Manatal is a cheaper option that suits small agencies.
How long does it take to implement an ATS?
Simple SMB tools such as JazzHR, Manatal or Workable can be running within days: connect job boards, set up pipeline stages and invite hiring managers. Enterprise platforms such as Greenhouse or Pinpoint typically take several weeks, because of HRIS integrations, approval workflows, data migration and interviewer training.
Do I need an ATS if I only hire a few people a year?
Not always. If you make two or three hires a year, a shared inbox and spreadsheet can work. An ATS starts to pay off once several roles are open at once, multiple people interview, or you need to show compliant, consistent decisions. Low-cost tools such as JazzHR or Manatal keep the cost small while you grow.
How we chose
We started from the 2,073 Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) products in the SaaS Browser database, ranked by Domain Rating, a 0 to 100 score of how many websites link to each product. We set aside products that are misfiled, inactive or not really Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), then read each remaining product's website and pricing page ourselves. Prices are as each vendor published them on October 23, 2026. They change, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy. No vendor paid to be included.
James has been building, growing and selling SaaS businesses since 2009, in online gaming, marketing tools for apparel and Amazon FBA sellers, and land investing. He has led the engineering team at a fast-growing Inc. 500 company. He holds a bachelor's degree in physics, a master's degree in mathematics, the CompTIA CASP+ certification and a Graduate Certificate in Data Science from Harvard Extension School.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) market data
Key Data Points for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Company Size Distribution9
Founders in Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) answer
Real questions about how these products work, answered by the people who build them.
How does the job matching handle must-haves expressed in different words or implied by context, and can recruiters review why a requirement was marked as evidenced?
Answered by ATS Engine
“ATS Engine reads each advert and separates the must-haves from the nice-to-haves, then checks every requirement against the candidate’s CV. It matches the requirement where it appears in different wording or as related experience, not only the exact phrase, and it grades how well each one is...”
How does Xavier AI handle incomplete or conflicting candidate records, and can we review or correct its scores before they affect routing decisions?
Answered by PivotOps
“Xavier AI have been designed to review the information provided thoroughly during your application and scans your resume to match the informations provided in the application form. Yes the candidate scoring threshold can be increased or decreasd depending on your recruitment standard. We've made...”
How does ATS Live-Check handle CVs with unusual layouts or multiple columns, and can it show which parts may not parse correctly?
Answered by Resumed CV Creator
“ATS Live-Check is a paid feature and only works with CVs inside the Résuméd editor. Since it's built-in to the editor it works with any styling and any template including multi-column. If you already have a CV you want to check, you can use the AI-powered import and then run ATS Live-Check for it.”
How do you handle resumes with missing or inconsistent job dates, and can hiring teams review or override the qualification decision?
Answered by Rad Recruiter
“Rad Recruiter identifies missing or inconsistent employment dates and flags them for clarification rather than automatically disqualifying a candidate. Through conversational AI, candidates can be asked to provide missing information or explain discrepancies. Hiring teams can review the resume,...”
Most Established Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Companies
| Company | Employees | Domain Rating | Founded | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iHireManufacturing | — | 85 | — | 2025-07-15 |
| ApplicantPro | 5,000 | 82 | — | 2025-02-04 |
| Jobscan | 200 | 82 | 2014 | 2025-02-05 |
| Appcast | 1,000 | 81 | — | 2026-01-23 |
| Pinpoint | 200 | 81 | — | 2025-02-07 |
| BrassRing | 200 | 78 | — | 2025-05-07 |
| Recruit CRM | 500 | 77 | 2017 | 2025-02-04 |
| JobBoard.io | — | 77 | — | 2025-02-11 |
| Talentlyft | 50 | 75 | 2016 | 2025-02-04 |
| JobDiva | 200 | 72 | — | 2025-02-26 |
Top 10 Countries for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) SaaS
The following countries represent where most Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) SaaS companies are headquartered, based on our data for 1,667 software products.
| Country | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 261 | 15.7% |
| United Kingdom | 88 | 5.3% |
| India | 81 | 4.9% |
| Canada | 33 | 2.0% |
| Australia | 27 | 1.6% |
| Netherlands | 11 | 0.7% |
| Germany | 8 | 0.5% |
| Ireland | 7 | 0.4% |
| United Arab Emirates | 6 | 0.4% |
| Switzerland | 6 | 0.4% |
SEO & Domain Authority for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Pricing Data for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Market Saturation for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
This score is computed from a combination of total products, domain authority, referring domains, company age, traffic growth, pricing, and enterprise presence.
Affiliate Programs in Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
98 Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) SaaS companies offer affiliate programs (5.9% of total).
Most Recently Added Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) SaaS
Median Age of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) SaaS Companies
The median Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) SaaS company was founded 6.0 years ago (median founding year: 2020).
B2B / B2C Breakdown for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)16
Based on 1,646 companies with consumer type data (98.7% of total).
SaaS Discovery Trend for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Monthly SaaS discovery count for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) compared to its share of all SaaS discovered. A rising percentage indicates this segment is growing faster than the overall market.
About SaaS Browser
SaaS Browser is the largest, most up-to-date SaaS database on the internet, the ultimate prospecting and research tool for SaaS companies.
We discover emerging tools weeks after launch, before they appear in Apollo, ZoomInfo, or other databases. Our purpose-built platform exclusively tracks real software products with verified data, unlike generic prospecting tools polluted with agencies, consultancies, and outdated listings.
From Fortune 500 enterprises to bootstrapped startups launching this week, if it's SaaS, we track it.
How these numbers are calculated
- Total Software. The number of published SaaS companies currently listed for this selection. Only companies that pass our automated quality checks are counted.
- New (Past 30 Days). The net number of SaaS companies newly published for this selection in the last 30 days.
- Affiliate Programs. The number of listed SaaS companies that operate a verified affiliate or referral program.
- Median Age (Years). The median age, in years, of companies in this selection, based on founding year. The median is the middle value, so half are older and half younger.
- New (Past 365 Days). The number of SaaS companies published for this selection over the last 365 days.
- Churned (Past Year). Companies published within the last year that are no longer listed - they went offline, were removed, or stopped passing our quality checks.
- Annual Churn Rate. The annual churn rate - churned companies as a percentage of all companies published in the last year (still-listed plus churned).
- Free Trial. The percentage of listed companies in this selection that offer a free trial.
- Company Size Distribution. Distribution of companies by employee count: solo (1), small (2–50), mid (51–200), large (201–1,000), enterprise (1,000+). Percentages are of companies with employee data.
- Median Domain Rating. The median domain rating (0–100) across listed companies, our measure of link authority. Higher is stronger. Shown against the overall median across all SaaS for comparison.
- Median Starting Price (USD). The median entry-level monthly price (USD) across companies in this selection with pricing data.
- Median High Price (USD). The median premium monthly price (USD) across companies in this selection with pricing data.
- Saturation Score. A 0–100 market saturation score combining total products, domain authority, referring domains, company age, traffic growth, pricing, and enterprise presence. Higher means more competitive.
- Median Commission. The median affiliate commission rate offered by companies in this selection that run an affiliate program.
- B2B / B2C Breakdown. Breakdown of companies by target market - business (B2B), consumer (B2C), or both - among those with consumer-type data.
