The right replacement depends on how much of your people work you want in one place. If you only need to run hiring, a dedicated applicant tracking system will do the job well. If you'd also like employee records and time off next to it, look at tools that pair hiring with HR basics, and test both on a real role.
Comeet's own website now presents the product under the Spark Hire Recruit name, with collaborative hiring at the centre of the pitch. If that change has you looking around, or your company has simply outgrown it, here are eight hiring and HR tools for small and growing businesses, in no particular order, grouped by the job each one does best.
Which people jobs should the new tool cover?
The current pitch is about coordinating, communicating and working together to hire faster. That's one job, and it's an important one. But most growing companies end up with several more: keeping employee records up to date, tracking holidays and sick days, running reviews and onboarding new starters. Hiring is only the front door.
So the test I'd put to any replacement is simple. Which of those jobs does it cover from start to finish, and which ones would still end up in a spreadsheet on someone's laptop? A tool that's brilliant at hiring but leaves leave tracking in a shared sheet might still be the right call. Just make that choice on purpose, not by accident three months after you've switched.
Tools in this space split two ways: by who they're built for, and by how much you set up yourself. Some arrive with sensible defaults and you're posting jobs within a day. Others give you more control over stages, scorecards and permissions, and they ask for more of your time at the start.
Built around hiring
Breezy HR, JazzHR, Pinpoint, Recruitee and Teamtailor put the hiring pipeline first. They're about getting roles advertised, applicants tracked and hiring managers involved. If you've got a separate HR system you're happy with, this group is where to look.
Hiring with HR alongside
Homerun and Workable go further than the pipeline, adding employee data and other HR tasks to the same account. They suit companies that would rather have one login for people work than stitch two systems together.
Built for recruiters
Manatal leans towards recruitment agencies and headhunters as well as in-house teams, with sourcing at the heart of it. If you place candidates for clients, start here.
Eight hiring tools side by side
| Tool | Kind of tool | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Breezy HR | Applicant tracking | Advertising roles and attracting applicants from one place |
| Homerun | Hiring plus HR basics | Job posts, leave and employee data in one tool |
| JazzHR | Recruiting software | Smaller firms wanting recruiting software that's easy to learn |
| Manatal | AI recruitment | Agencies and headhunters sourcing candidates with AI help |
| Pinpoint | Applicant tracking | Companies running several hiring streams at once |
| Recruitee | Collaborative hiring | Teams who want customisable hiring workflows |
| Teamtailor | Hiring platform | One tool for the whole hiring job |
| Workable | Hiring and HR records | Keeping hiring and wider HR in one system |
Every tool, A to Z
Alphabetical and unranked. Each line reflects how the vendor describes its own product.
Breezy HR
Best for: Small teams that want job advertising and applicant tracking side by side, which the vendor says helps you hire good people in less time.
Homerun
Best for: Growing teams that want applicant tracking next to leave tracking, employee records and team insights, all of which the vendor says live in one place.
JazzHR
Best for: Owners of smaller businesses who want recruiting software that's simple to pick up, which is exactly how the vendor describes its own product.
Manatal
Best for: Recruitment agencies, headhunters and in-house HR teams who want AI help to source and hire candidates; the vendor names a free plan.
Pinpoint
Best for: Companies juggling several hiring streams that want one tracking system the whole team uses, so the data stays clean, per the vendor.
Recruitee
Best for: Hiring teams wanting customisable recruiting software with AI features; it's sold under the Tellent name, and the pitch is faster hiring with fewer bottlenecks.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Teamtailor
Best for: Teams that want one tool for every stage of hiring, with AI features the vendor says make it smarter without taking people out of the process.
Workable
Best for: Businesses that want hiring and their wider HR records in the same system, which the vendor calls its system of record for everything HR.
My advice before you move your hiring
Don't switch in the middle of a busy hiring round. Finish the roles you've got open, export your candidate data and notes, and start the new tool with the next role you post. Candidates in the middle of a process shouldn't notice that anything has changed behind the scenes.
Bring one hiring manager into the trial from day one. They're the people who'll either use the tool or quietly go back to email, and they'll tell you within a week which one it's going to be. If you're weighing up whether hiring software pays its way at all, my guide on how hiring process software helps an HR team covers the basics, and this piece on payroll software and employee retention is worth a read if records and pay are next on your list.
Finally, check how each tool handles candidate data and how long it keeps it. Data protection rules vary by country, so check with your regulator before you set retention periods.
Questions to ask on every demo
- Can you show me a real role going from job post to signed offer, without switching to another tool?
- Where do employee records, time off and reviews live once someone is hired?
- How do hiring managers give feedback, and can they do it from their phone?
- What does set-up look like for a team of our size, and who does it?
- How do I get all my data out again if we ever leave?
Do you make hiring or HR software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an applicant tracking system and HR software?
An applicant tracking system handles hiring: job posts, applicants, interviews and offers. HR software looks after people once they've joined, such as records, time off and reviews. Some tools cover both.
Do small businesses need an applicant tracking system?
Not always. If you hire a handful of people a year, email and a simple sheet can work. Once several people are involved in each hire, a tracking system saves a lot of chasing.
Can I move my candidate data to a new hiring tool?
Usually, yes. Export candidates, notes and job details before you cancel, and ask the new vendor whether they'll help import them.
How long does it take to switch hiring software?
For a small team, a few days to set up stages and templates, then a live role to prove it works. Larger teams with custom workflows need longer.
Are there rules about storing candidate data?
Yes, and they vary by country. Check your local data protection regulator for how long you can keep applicant details and what you must tell candidates.
