- Hiring for yourself, or placing for clients?
- Applicant tracking options compared
- For businesses hiring their own staff
- Enterprise and high-volume hiring
- Platforms for recruitment agencies
- Every ATS here, A to Z
- Test one real vacancy, start to finish
- My advice before you switch ATS
- Frequently asked questions
Start by asking whose vacancies you're filling. If you hire for your own business, look at company applicant tracking systems; if you place candidates for clients, you need an agency platform that pairs an ATS with a CRM for client records and business development. Getting that split right matters more than any single feature.
Breezy HR is pitched at companies filling their own roles. Hold on to that if you're leaving it, because the nine tools below sit on both sides of a line most comparison lists skip over: hiring for yourself, or placing people for someone else.
They're in no particular order, grouped into three: in-house ATS for small businesses, enterprise and high-volume hiring platforms, and recruitment agency software that pairs an ATS with a CRM. Each description comes from the vendor's own website.
Hiring for yourself, or placing for clients?
Several tools on this page are built for recruitment agencies, with client records, business development and placements at their core. If you hire for your own business, an agency CRM adds screens you'll never use and fields nobody fills in. If you place candidates for others, a company ATS will lack the client side altogether, and you'll end up tracking it in a spreadsheet.
So pick the side of that line first. I've said plainly below which tools are for agencies. Then test one real vacancy end to end in a trial before you move anything else.
Applicant tracking options compared
| Tool | Built for | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| ApplicantStack | ATS with onboarding | Hiring and onboarding in one system |
| CATS | ATS for recruiters | Professional recruiters wanting customisation |
| Hirebridge | High-volume ATS | High-volume hourly and corporate hiring |
| JazzHR | Small-business ATS | Small firms from job post to offer |
| Jobvite | Customisable hiring software | Distributing jobs at scale |
| Lever | ATS plus CRM | Nurturing candidates for in-house teams |
| PCRecruiter | Recruitment CRM and ATS | Agencies tracking business development |
| Recruiterflow | ATS and CRM for agencies | Search firms and staffing agencies |
| SmartRecruiters | Enterprise hiring platform | Enterprises hiring at scale |
For businesses hiring their own staff
JazzHR is recruiting software for small and medium-sized businesses, covering job posting through to offer letters, and the vendor positions it against the complexity of enterprise ATS platforms. ApplicantStack combines applicant tracking with employee onboarding, which saves a handover when a candidate says yes.
Lever combines ATS and CRM, but here the CRM is for candidate relationships, not clients: the vendor talks about nurturing talent with automated admin, scheduling and follow-ups. That makes it a company tool for in-house teams who recruit all year. My guide to applicant tracking systems for small businesses has more in this group.
Enterprise and high-volume hiring
SmartRecruiters is an AI-powered talent acquisition platform for enterprise organisations hiring at scale. Jobvite distributes jobs at scale, with AI surfacing best-fit applicants, and the vendor says it keeps hiring moving when requisitions pile up.
Hirebridge is built for high-volume hourly and corporate recruiting, and the vendor calls it a complete recruitment management solution that helps you screen faster. If you're filling a handful of roles a year, these are likely more than you need.
Platforms for recruitment agencies
These three are for agencies and recruiters placing candidates with clients. Recruiterflow is an AI-native ATS and CRM for executive search firms, recruiting agencies and staffing agencies, with sequencing built in.
PCRecruiter is a recruitment CRM and ATS for growing agencies, tracking business development alongside candidates and clients. CATS is an applicant tracking system aimed at professional recruiters, which the vendor describes as fully customisable. For a wider look, see my list of recruitment agency software.
Every ATS here, A to Z
Alphabetical, one line each.
ApplicantStack
Best for: Employers who want applicant tracking and new-hire onboarding in one system, from posting jobs to managing candidates.
CATS
Best for: Professional recruiters wanting a customisable applicant tracking system with automated recruiting steps, as the vendor describes it.
Hirebridge
Best for: High-volume hourly and corporate recruiting teams that need an ATS built to help them screen applicants faster.
JazzHR
Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses wanting recruiting software from job posting to offer letters, without enterprise ATS complexity.
Jobvite
Best for: Talent teams distributing jobs at scale who want AI to surface best-fit applicants when requisitions pile up.
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Lever
Best for: In-house talent teams wanting ATS and CRM in one, with admin, scheduling and candidate follow-ups automated.
PCRecruiter
Best for: Growing recruitment agencies that track business development alongside candidates and clients in a combined recruitment CRM and ATS.
Recruiterflow
Best for: Executive search firms, recruiting agencies and staffing agencies after an AI-native ATS and CRM with sequencing built in.
SmartRecruiters
Best for: Enterprise organisations hiring at scale with complex talent acquisition needs, using an AI-powered hiring platform.
Test one real vacancy, start to finish
- Choose a role you're hiring for now, or one you filled recently and can rerun on paper.
- Post it, move a handful of candidates through every stage and send an offer letter in the trial.
- Note every point where you had to leave the tool, copy something or ask a colleague how it works.
- Ask the hiring manager to review candidates in it without a walkthrough.
If the hiring manager can't find their way around on day one, they won't log in on day thirty.
My advice before you switch ATS
Settle the in-house or agency question first, then keep the shortlist to two or three. Most small businesses hiring their own staff don't need enterprise features, and most agencies can't live without client records. Match the tool to the job you do every week, not the one you'd like to grow into in five years.
And check what happens to candidate data when you move. Requirements around keeping and deleting applicant records vary by country, so check the rules that apply to you with your regulator before you migrate.
Do you make an applicant tracking system? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on 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's the difference between an ATS and a recruitment CRM?
An applicant tracking system manages candidates through your hiring stages. A recruitment CRM adds client records, business development and placements, which agencies need and in-house teams usually don't.
Do small businesses need an applicant tracking system?
If you hire a few times a year, a simple ATS saves you chasing CVs across inboxes. If you hire constantly, it becomes the place where hiring managers, interviews and offers stay in step.
Which tools here are for recruitment agencies?
The agency group in this article is built for recruiters placing candidates with clients. The other tools are built for companies hiring their own staff, from small businesses to large enterprises.
How do I move candidate data to a new ATS?
Ask each vendor what they can import and in what format, and test a small batch first. Rules on how long you keep applicant data vary by country, so check what applies to you before you migrate.
Are these applicant tracking systems ranked?
No. They're in no particular order and grouped by who they're built for, because the right one depends on whose vacancies you fill.
What should I test in an ATS trial?
Run one real vacancy from posting to offer, invite the hiring manager in and see whether they can review candidates without help.
