Pick a recruiting tool by who you are: a staffing or search agency managing clients and placements, or an employer hiring for its own team. Most recruiting software is built for one side. Shortlist two tools from your side, then run one real vacancy and a handful of real candidates through each before switching.
Most recruiting software picks a side: agencies placing candidates with clients, or employers hiring for themselves. Zoho Recruit serves both from one product, so the first job when you look elsewhere is deciding which side you're on. Here are nine alternatives, in no particular order, sorted by that split.
Agency or employer: pick your side first
Built for agencies. Three tools here are built around agencies and client work. Recruit CRM pairs an ATS and CRM with sourcing, outreach, automation and timesheets. Loxo pulls sourcing, CRM, ATS, outreach and AI agents into one system for firms that are scaling. Recruiterflow is aimed at executive search, recruiting and staffing, with sequencing and data enrichment.
Built for employers hiring for themselves. Most of the rest are aimed at companies hiring their own staff. JazzHR covers small and medium-sized businesses from job posting to offer letter. Breezy HR is a straightforward applicant tracking system for attracting and hiring employees. Ashby combines ATS, analytics, scheduling and CRM for in-house teams that want more data. One more is built around job boards: Join posts each vacancy to many boards and keeps applications in one pipeline.
Two more employer-side tools are best explained by where their old web addresses now lead, which is the next section.
Two web addresses that now land somewhere new
Vendor web addresses move, and two in this field have. Visit comeet.com and you'll now see Spark Hire Recruit, an applicant tracking system built for coordinating hiring managers and recruiters, including globally distributed teams. Visit occupop.com and you'll land on Cezanne Recruitment, the recruiting and applicant tracking part of Cezanne's HR system.
Neither change is a problem in itself, but it's a reminder to check a vendor's current site before trusting an older review or comparison. Product names, owners and focus all shift, and an old article can describe software that no longer exists in that form.
If you're an in-house team that liked being inside a wider suite, the HR system route is worth a look. Replacing one suite with another can be simpler than moving recruiting into a standalone tool and keeping employee records elsewhere.
Nine recruiting tools, in no particular order
Alphabetical, with one line on who each one serves.
Ashby
Best for: In-house talent teams wanting ATS, analytics, scheduling and CRM in one recruiting platform, which the vendor says evolves at the speed of AI.
Breezy HR
Best for: Employers who want an applicant tracking system for attracting candidates and hiring staff, with the vendor promising quality hires in less time.
Cezanne Recruitment
Best for: Organisations that want recruitment and applicant tracking inside the same HR system rather than in a separate tool.
JazzHR
Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses wanting recruiting software that runs from job posting to offer letter, which the vendor calls user-friendly.
Join
Best for: Smaller employers that want to post jobs to boards and manage every application in one pipeline; the vendor says you publish everywhere with one click.
Loxo
Best for: Recruiting firms that want sourcing, CRM, ATS, outreach and AI agents in what the vendor calls one system of record.
Recruit CRM
Best for: Recruitment agencies needing an ATS and CRM together, with sourcing, outreach, automation and timesheets built in.
Recruiterflow
Best for: Executive search, recruiting and staffing agencies wanting ATS and CRM with sequencing and data enrichment built in.
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.
Spark Hire Recruit
Best for: Companies where hiring managers and recruiters must coordinate, including globally distributed teams, in an ATS the vendor says hiring managers love to use.
Agency and in-house options compared
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Ashby | All-in-one recruiting suite | ATS, analytics, scheduling and CRM in one |
| Breezy HR | Applicant tracking system | Attracting and hiring employees |
| Cezanne Recruitment | HR suite with ATS | Recruitment inside a wider HR system |
| JazzHR | Small business ATS | Job posting through to offer letter |
| Join | SMB ATS for job boards | Posting jobs to many boards at once |
| Loxo | Recruiting firm platform | Sourcing, CRM, ATS and outreach in one system |
| Recruit CRM | Agency ATS and CRM | Agency sourcing, outreach, automation and timesheets |
| Recruiterflow | Search firm ATS and CRM | Executive search and staffing, with sequencing |
| Spark Hire Recruit | ATS for hiring managers | Coordinating hiring managers and recruiters |
Advice for recruiters and HR leads
Pick the side first and judge only the tools on that side. An agency tool will feel cluttered to an in-house team because it's built around clients, jobs and placements, and an employer ATS will frustrate an agency because there's nowhere natural to manage client relationships.
If you're an agency, put sourcing and outreach at the top of your test, because that's where these tools differ most. If you're in-house, put the hiring manager's experience at the top, because a tool your managers won't open slows every hire.
For broader lists, see my guide to applicant tracking systems, my list of CRMs for recruiters and my UK applicant tracking roundup.
Trial it with a real vacancy
Demo data flatters every ATS. Open a real vacancy in each of your two shortlisted tools, post it the way you normally would and move a handful of real candidates through every stage, from application to offer or rejection.
Ask a hiring manager who isn't a recruiter to give feedback in each tool, too. If they can't leave a comment without help, they won't do it when you're busy.
For agencies, add one client to the test and send a shortlist through the system. How easily you can share candidates with a client is where agency tools earn their place, and it's the part a sales demo tends to rush.
Do you make an applicant tracking system or recruiting CRM? 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 recruiting CRM?
An ATS manages applicants for open jobs, from application to hire. A recruiting CRM manages relationships with candidates and, for agencies, clients over time, even when there's no open role.
Do staffing agencies need different software from in-house teams?
Usually, yes. Agencies manage clients, jobs and placements alongside candidates, while in-house teams focus on hiring managers, approvals and the candidate experience.
Can I move candidate data from one ATS to another?
Most vendors can import candidates from a spreadsheet export, and some offer migration help. Attachments, notes and pipeline history can be harder, so ask exactly what transfers.
Do I need to think about data protection when switching?
Yes. Candidate data is personal data, and the rules on storing and moving it vary by country. Check the guidance from your data protection regulator and ask each vendor where data is held.
How many candidates should I use in a trial?
Enough to fill every stage of your process, so you see how the tool handles rejections, interviews and offers. A small group of real applicants is more useful than a large set of dummy records.
