Workable alternatives for a small team come in three styles: simple applicant tracking with light HR, all-in-one recruiting platforms, and tools built for agencies or high-volume posting. Before you switch, ask each vendor how you'd export every CV and note, and whether your careers page and job posts stay yours if you ever leave.
If you only hire a handful of people a year, recruiting software is a strange purchase. Most of the time it sits quiet, then a role opens and suddenly forty CVs, three interviewers and a hiring manager who wants an update every day all land on you at once.
You're leaving Workable, so you know what an applicant tracking system does. The question is which of the others fits a small or growing team without turning hiring into an admin project. Here are seven, in no particular order, and one thing to check before you look at any of them.
Ask how you'd leave before you join
Most small teams compare tools on job-board reach and how pretty the careers page looks. Hardly anyone asks what happens when they want to move on, and that's the question that matters most a few years later.
Your ATS ends up holding every CV, every interview note, every scorecard and every email you've sent a candidate. Your careers page might live on the vendor's domain, and your job posts may be pushed out through their connections to the job boards. Leave, and all of that can stay behind unless you planned for it.
So ask each vendor three plain questions: how do I export all candidate data, including notes and attachments; does my careers page sit on my own domain or theirs; and what happens to live job posts if I cancel. Rules on how long you can keep candidate data vary by country, so check what applies to you with your data protection regulator, not with the vendor.
Seven applicant tracking tools, alphabetically
In no particular order, one line each.
Ashby
Best for: Teams that want applicant tracking, interview scheduling, a candidate CRM and analytics in one recruiting platform, or the analytics alone on top of another ATS.
Breezy HR
Best for: Small teams that like hiring split into clear stages: advertise and attract, automate and qualify, then hire and measure, as its page lays it out.
Homerun
Best for: Growing teams that want job posts and applicant tracking next to simple people admin such as holidays, sick leave and employee data.
JazzHR
Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses after easy-to-use recruiting software; the vendor calls itself the best ATS for small businesses (its own claim).
Manatal
Best for: HR teams and recruiters wanting AI screening and job posting to a long list of channels, with a free trial offered on its page.
Pinpoint
Best for: Organisations hiring through several streams at once: a branded careers site, employee referrals, job board advertising and a portal for outside recruitment agencies.
Recruiterflow
Best for: Recruitment agencies and executive search firms that want ATS, CRM and outreach sequences in one; it's built for agencies, not in-house hiring.
How the seven compare
| Tool | Kind of tool | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Ashby | All-in-one ATS with analytics | Recruiting, scheduling, CRM and analytics in one |
| Breezy HR | Pipeline-led ATS | A clear advertise, qualify and hire pipeline |
| Homerun | ATS plus light HR | Hiring plus holidays, sick leave and staff records |
| JazzHR | Small business ATS | Small and mid-size firms hiring now and then |
| Manatal | AI-led ATS and CRM | Wide job posting with AI screening |
| Pinpoint | ATS with branded careers site | Hiring through several channels at once |
| Recruiterflow | ATS and CRM for agencies | Recruitment agencies and search firms, not in-house teams |
Three styles of hiring software
Simple tracking with light HR. If you hire now and then and also want somewhere to keep staff records, this group makes sense. Homerun pairs applicant tracking with holidays, sick leave and employee data. JazzHR is built for small and medium-sized businesses and keeps things straightforward. Breezy HR lays hiring out as a clear pipeline from advertising a role through to measuring how it went.
All-in-one recruiting platforms. These suit a team that's starting to hire more often and wants scheduling and reporting handled in one place. Ashby brings applicant tracking, scheduling, a candidate CRM and analytics together. Pinpoint is built for hiring through several channels at once, with a branded careers site, employee referrals and job board advertising.
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Agency-style and high-volume tools. Manatal leans on AI screening and posting a job to a long list of channels, which helps when a single role pulls in a flood of applicants. Recruiterflow is the odd one out on this list: it's written for recruitment agencies and executive search firms, with CRM and outreach sequencing built in. If you're an in-house team hiring for yourself, it's probably more than you need.
My advice for small teams choosing an ATS
Match the tool to how often you hire, not to the size you hope to be one day. If you open a few roles a year, the simple tracking group will feel light and won't nag you for attention between hires. If hiring is becoming a weekly job with several interviewers, an all-in-one platform starts to earn its place. And if you're a recruitment agency rather than an employer, skip straight to the agency tools.
Keep the shortlist to two and put the hand-over questions to both before any demo. For a wider look at the field, my list of applicant tracking systems covers more options. If you also need holidays, records and payroll in one place, see my guide to HR software for small businesses.
Try it with one live vacancy first
Don't move every role, every old CV and every hiring manager in one go. Run a single real vacancy through the new tool from start to finish:
- Publish the role on your careers page and one or two job boards, and check it looks right on a phone.
- Invite the interviewers you'd normally use and see whether they can leave feedback without a training session.
- Send candidates the usual emails from inside the tool and check they don't land in spam.
- At the end, export the full candidate record, notes and attachments included, and open the file.
- Only then move your other roles and your old candidate data across.
If the export in that last step is messy or incomplete, you've learned the most important thing about the tool before you've trusted it with everything.
Do you make an applicant tracking system? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
What does an applicant tracking system do?
It collects applications in one place, moves candidates through stages such as screening and interview, stores notes and feedback, and sends emails, so hiring doesn't live in an inbox and a spreadsheet.
Is an ATS worth it if we only hire a few people a year?
Often yes, because even one role can bring in dozens of applications. Pick a simple tool that stays quiet between hires rather than a platform built for daily recruiting.
Can I move candidate data from one ATS to another?
Usually, but check how before you sign. Ask whether the export includes notes, scorecards and attachments, and test it with one live vacancy before you move everything.
What's the difference between an in-house ATS and agency recruiting software?
In-house tools help an employer hire for itself. Agency software adds client management, outreach and placing candidates with many companies, which most small employers don't need.
Do I need a careers page on my own website?
It helps. A careers page on your own domain stays yours whichever tool sits behind it. Ask each vendor where the page lives and what happens to it if you leave.
How long can I keep candidate data?
That depends on where you and your candidates are. Rules on keeping personal data vary by country, so check with your data protection regulator rather than relying on a software default.
