Most replacements are hiring tools first, so start by deciding how much of your people work you want in one place. If you only need to post jobs and move candidates through stages, an applicant tracking system is enough. If you also want leave, records and team data, look for a tool that covers both.
Pinpoint pitches itself as an applicant tracking system that every team uses, built for companies hiring across several streams at once. That's a hiring-first promise, and most of the alternatives make a similar one. The useful question isn't which tool has more features; it's which people jobs you want covered end to end, and which you're happy to keep elsewhere.
Eight hiring systems at a glance
| Tool | Covers | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Comeet | Hiring, now Spark Hire Recruit | Getting hiring managers to leave feedback |
| Greenhouse | Hiring | Sourcing, interviews and tracking in one system |
| Homerun | Hiring plus HR basics | Job posts, leave and employee data together |
| JazzHR | Hiring | Small businesses going from job post to offer |
| Lever | Hiring plus talent CRM | Nurturing candidates over time |
| Manatal | Hiring | Agencies and headhunters using AI screening |
| Recruitee | Hiring, HRIS on same site | Customisable pipelines for growing teams |
| Teamtailor | Hiring | AI support across each hiring stage |
Hiring only, or hiring plus people records?
The thing to test in any replacement is which people jobs it covers from start to finish: employee records, hiring, reviews and time off. Then be honest about what still lives in a spreadsheet. Plenty of small companies buy a slick applicant tracking system and still track holidays in a shared sheet, because the hiring tool stops at the offer letter.
Of the eight here, most stop at hiring. A couple reach further into HR, and one pairs tracking with a candidate CRM. Neither approach is wrong, but you'll want to know which you're buying before the demo, not after. If your bigger worry is keeping people once they've joined, my piece on payroll software and employee retention covers the other end of the job.
The applicant tracking options, A to Z
Listed in no particular order beyond the alphabet, with each line describing who the vendor says the tool is for.
Comeet
Best for: Hiring teams that want managers to leave feedback and book interviews inside the system; the site now carries the Spark Hire Recruit name.
Greenhouse
Best for: Larger hiring operations wanting sourcing, interviewing and applicant tracking together, which the vendor frames as a hiring ecosystem with governed AI and enterprise-grade security.
Homerun
Best for: Growing teams that want job posts, applicant tracking, leave tracking and employee data in the same tool, according to the vendor.
JazzHR
Best for: Small businesses wanting easy recruiting software that covers job posting through to offer letters, without the weight of an enterprise system, as the vendor describes it.
Lever
Best for: Scaling teams that want applicant tracking and a talent CRM together, with admin, scheduling and follow-ups automated, per the vendor.
Manatal
Best for: Recruitment agencies, headhunters and in-house HR teams using AI screening and recommendations, with job posts sent out to a wide range of job boards, per its site.
Recruitee
Best for: Growing companies that want customisable hiring software with AI features; it's now sold under the Tellent name, and the same site points to an HRIS for wider people work.
Teamtailor
Best for: Companies wanting an applicant tracking system with AI running through each hiring stage to cut admin, as the vendor puts it.
Where each one sits
Hiring plus some HR. Homerun puts leave tracking and employee data next to job posts, and Recruitee now sits under the Tellent name alongside an HRIS. These suit companies that want fewer separate systems.
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Hiring with relationship tools. Lever combines tracking with a talent CRM, which helps if you nurture candidates for roles that open later. Greenhouse aims at bigger hiring operations with sourcing and interviewing built in.
Straightforward hiring. JazzHR speaks to small businesses, Teamtailor to companies wanting AI through each stage, and Comeet, now trading as Spark Hire Recruit, to teams whose managers never leave feedback. Manatal is the one with agencies and headhunters in mind.
Plain advice for a small hiring team
Write down the last three roles you filled and every step that happened outside your current system: the calendar juggling, the feedback chased over chat, the offer drafted in a document. Then ask each vendor to show those exact steps in a demo. The tool that removes the most of them is the one to trial, whatever its feature list says.
And keep one eye on what comes after hiring. If time off, records and reviews matter to you, either choose a tool that covers them or plan where they'll live from day one. For more on what good hiring software changes inside a team, see how hiring process software helps an HR team.
One more thing that's easy to miss: the people who'll use the system most often aren't always in HR. Hiring managers review candidates, leave feedback and sit in interviews, and if they find the tool awkward they'll go back to email and chat. That's why it's worth getting one or two of them into the trial, not just the person who signs the contract. Their honest reaction after a week tells you whether the tool will stick.
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Frequently asked questions
What should I check first when moving off Pinpoint?
Check which people jobs the new tool covers from start to finish: hiring, records, reviews and time off. Anything it doesn't cover will need another tool or a spreadsheet.
Is an applicant tracking system the same as HR software?
Not quite. An applicant tracking system handles job posts, candidates and interviews. HR software usually covers employee records, leave and reviews. A few tools do some of both.
Can I bring my candidate database with me?
Most vendors offer imports, but ask exactly what moves: candidate profiles, notes, attachments and stage history don't always transfer together. Ask for a test import before you commit.
Which type of tool suits a recruitment agency?
Agencies tend to need client and candidate tracking side by side, plus job board posting. Look for a tool that names agencies and headhunters as its audience.
Do these tools handle employment law requirements?
Requirements vary by country and change over time, so check with the relevant regulator or an employment adviser. Treat any compliance feature as a help, not a guarantee.
