UK employers with complex or high-volume hiring, including the public sector, should start with the UK-focused systems. Smaller teams that care most about their careers site and employer brand should look at the brand-first ATS tools. Agencies and fast-growing companies hiring across borders should add the global platforms. Ten options follow in no particular order.
Three well-known ATS names have become part of bigger HR brands, and you'd only spot it by reading their page titles. That matters if you're buying for years: the product you trial today may be renamed or bundled with something else next.
The ten below are listed alphabetically, and every description comes from each vendor's own website, read as of Oct 2026. For a list that isn't UK-specific, my guide to applicant tracking systems covers more.
UK applicant tracking software compared
I checked the free plan column on each vendor's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page names a free plan, a free version or an open source edition. Trial only means it names a time-limited free trial. Not stated means the page I read named neither, so check the vendor's own site before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eploy | Talent acquisition platform | A flexible ATS for in-house talent teams | Not stated |
| Homerun | ATS and HR tool | Simple hiring with a strong candidate experience | Trial only |
| Join | ATS for SMB hiring | Multiposting jobs and simple hiring pipelines | Trial only |
| Manatal | AI recruitment software | ATS and recruitment CRM for agencies and companies | Not stated |
| Occupop | Recruitment software and ATS | Attracting, managing and hiring in one flow | Not stated |
| Pinpoint | Global applicant tracking system | Branded careers sites, referrals and approvals | Not stated |
| Recruitee | Customisable ATS and hiring software | Collaborative hiring with sourcing and referrals | Not stated |
| Teamtailor | ATS and employer branding | Career sites and employer brand with AI built in | Not stated |
| Tribepad | Recruitment software for fairer hiring | Volume and public sector recruitment | Not stated |
| Workable | Recruiting and HR software | An AI recruiting agent plus HR tools | Trial only |
Ten ATS options for UK recruiters
Eploy
Best for: In-house talent acquisition teams that want an ATS they can flex and adapt, with onboarding, employee referrals, recruitment marketing and analytics.
Homerun
Best for: Small, design-minded teams that want an easy ATS with a strong candidate experience, plus holiday, sick leave and employee data tools when they're ready.
Join
Best for: Small and medium businesses making a first hire or hiring in volume, with job multiposting, a careers page builder, screening and GDPR-compliant recruiting.
Manatal
Best for: Recruitment agencies and in-house teams wanting an ATS with a recruitment CRM, AI candidate enrichment and an AI interviewer for large candidate pools.
Occupop
Best for: Employers already using, or weighing up, Cezanne's HR software who want recruitment that attracts, manages and hires within the same family of products.
Pinpoint
Best for: In-house recruiting teams wanting a branded careers site, employee referrals, approval workflows, an agency portal and AI help across the hiring process.
Recruitee
Best for: Growing companies that want a customisable ATS with a careers site and job postings, talent sourcing, employee referrals, WhatsApp hiring and agency management.
Teamtailor
Best for: Employers who want their careers site and employer brand to do the heavy lifting, with AI across the hiring process and interview kits for consistent scoring.
Tribepad
Best for: Public sector, health and social care, social housing and retail employers with complex or high-volume hiring and a focus on fairer, more inclusive recruitment.
Workable
Best for: Teams that want an AI recruiting agent to source and screen candidates, inside a wider recruiting and HR platform used by over 35,000 teams worldwide.
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ATS brands that now sit inside bigger HR companies
- Occupop's page is now titled 'Recruitment Software & Applicant Tracking | Cezanne Recruitment', so it sits inside a UK and global HR software brand.
- The page title of one customisable ATS here now carries its parent brand, Tellent, in front of the product name.
- Workable's page title reads 'All-in-one HR software', and it's just released an AI recruiting agent, so it's selling far more than an ATS.
- Pinpoint calls itself a 'Leading Global Applicant Tracking System' and publishes its own ATS buyer's guide, which is worth reading even if you buy elsewhere.
UK-focused, brand-first or global ATS?
- UK-focused systems lean into UK sectors and in-house teams. One here lists public sector, health and social care and social housing among its sectors, and another publishes a UK candidate attraction report built on hundreds of in-house talent professionals.
- Brand-first ATS tools put the careers site, employer brand and candidate experience front and centre, and one leads with GDPR-compliant recruiting.
- Global ATS and agency tools add AI sourcing, screening and interviewing, plus the CRM features recruitment agencies need.
Employers who want a careers page on their own site can compare WordPress job board plugins alongside the tracking systems above.
What UK recruiters should check in a demo
- GDPR: how candidate data is stored, how long it's kept and how candidates can ask for it to be deleted.
- Job boards: which UK job boards it posts to, and whether multiposting is built in.
- Careers site: can you brand it yourself without a developer?
- Approvals and reporting: can hiring managers approve vacancies and offers in the system, and can you report on time to hire?
- Integrations: does it pass new starters to your HR system so nobody rekeys their details?
If AI screening and sourcing are the main draw, my guide to AI recruiting software covers those tools in more depth.
Do you make applicant tracking software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice for UK teams choosing an ATS
Match the tool to how you hire. If you hire in volume or in a regulated sector, start with the UK-focused systems, because they're designed around those sectors. If you hire a handful of people a year and want them to love your brand, a brand-first ATS with a strong careers site will serve you better. Whichever you pick, ask who owns the company now and what that means for the roadmap, since several names here have been folded into bigger brands.
For small employers, my guide to applicant tracking systems for small businesses is a good companion to this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What is applicant tracking software?
It's a system that collects job applications, moves candidates through your hiring stages and keeps everyone's notes and messages in one place, instead of in inboxes and spreadsheets.
Is there applicant tracking software focused on UK employers?
Yes. Several tools on this list focus on UK sectors and in-house teams, and one publishes a UK candidate attraction report based on in-house talent acquisition professionals.
Do applicant tracking systems help with GDPR?
They can. Keeping candidate data in one system makes it easier to control who sees it and how long it's kept, and at least one tool here leads with GDPR-compliant recruiting. Check each vendor's data handling before you sign.
Can an ATS post jobs to several job boards at once?
Many can. Look for multiposting or job board advertising features, and check that the boards you rely on in the UK are covered.
Which kind of ATS suits recruitment agencies?
Look at the tools that mention agency recruitment management or a recruitment CRM, since agencies need to track clients as well as candidates.
