Our top pick for getting started is Breezy. It's the easiest to get up and running making it the best choice for first time users.
Applicant tracking software allows you to manage the process of finding the best people for your business all in one place. After all, who wants to get buried underneath a pile of resumes from unqualified candidates? The best applicant tracking software goes well beyond online job sites. They help you customize your criteria for each role, gather data from many sources, and keep all of your processes in one easy-to-manage workflow.
There are dozens of ATS software programs on the market today. After much research, we've narrowed them down to the very best software programs. Keep reading to learn more about the five top applicant tracking software companies.
The 5 Best Applicant Tracking Software Options
- Breezy - Best For First-Time ATS Users
- BambooHR - Most Comprehensive ATS Software
- Workable - Best For Small Businesses
- JazzHR - Best For Affordable ATS
- Bullhorn - Best For Recruiting Firms
Why Do You Need Applicant Tracking Software?
The reality is that over 75% of the resumes received are from candidates not qualified for the job. Using an ATS can significantly cut down a company's time laboring over resumes through automated filters and other tools. Instead, you can focus on the handful of candidates worthy of an interview.
Companies that are more engaged in the hiring process end up with better candidates. According to a Glassdoor survey, businesses that invested in a better candidate experience saw a 70% improvement in the quality of talent they recruited. Recruiting is easier when you have a system in place that works efficiently for both staff and potential hires. Applicant tracking software is more than effective, and companies that get on board will help their companies succeed by finding the top talent to match company needs.
Reviews Of The Top Applicant Tracking Software Companies
There are countless applicant tracking systems on the market right now. Here's a look at five of the top ATS software companies.
Breezy - Best For First-Time ATS Users
Breezy is a recruitment and applicant tracking system designed to easily guide hiring managers through the entire recruiting process from beginning to end. It is used by over 10,000 companies worldwide, including T Mobile and Shipt.
Where It Excels
Breezy's interface is an HR dream. It's simple to understand and use. It's organized well and aesthetically looks great. The software is great for a seasoned HR staff but also fully functional "out of the box" for first-time ATS users. Breezy makes it easy for other company representatives to get involved as you progress through the hiring process.
Email and calendar integrations are a snap with Breezy. It also integrates with other popular assessment and background check platforms.
Where It Falls Short
Breezy isn't ideal as a long-term solution if you want to transition and maintain employee information after completing the hiring process.
The software doesn't allow for as much integration with popular job boards as you would like to see. Breezy is also missing integration with LinkedIn. While Breezy is easy-to-use for HR staff, it's not as integrated on the side of job candidates who often still need to communicate outside of Breezy.
Pricing
- Bootstrap: Free
- StartUp: $171/month, $143/month (paid annually)
- Growth: $299/month, $249/month (paid annually)
- Business: $479/month, $399/month (paid annually)
BambooHR - Most Comprehensive ATS Software
BambooHR is an HR software company focused on helping small to midsize businesses. Its ATS feature is only one of its features, but it's good enough to be one of the best on the market.
Where It Excels
Whether you're a one-person team or a whole HR department, you want applicant tracking software that is easy to use and gets the job done. That summarizes BambooHR in a nutshell. BambooHR cuts down on recruiting mistakes, with a hiring process simple for applicants and HR staff.
Whether you're posting open positions, collaborating with your team, or going through the onboarding process, BambooHR helps streamline the process, saving time and leading to better hires.
BambooHR also features a Hiring app that gives you access to its ATS software anywhere you go. You can stay on top of recruitment and hiring tasks whether you're in the office or on a business trip. The mobile app is available for both iOS and Android.
Where It Falls Short
As mentioned, BambooHR is geared towards small to medium-sized businesses. Most of its clients fall into this category. So it's probably not the best option if you work for a recruitment agency or large enterprise.
One important feature missing with BambooHR is the ability to host video interviews. This function has become increasingly popular as of late, with more companies working remotely. You can still hold video interviews, but you'll need to use a third-party platform to make it happen.
Pricing
- Free trial period available
- BambooHR Essentials: Contact company for a customized quote
- BambooHR Advantage: Contact company for a customized quote
- Add-on features: Available for an additional cost
Simplify HR With BambooHR Create a seamless hiring experience from application to offer letter.
Workable - Best For Small Business
Workable is a software company offering applicant tracking system and recruiting software solutions. Since it was founded in 2012, Workable has been used by over 20,000 companies like Forbes, Sephora, and Bevi.
Where It Excels
Workable works like enterprise-level ATS software but is scalable for small business needs. No matter how big or small your hiring team, Workable offers solutions to fit your situation.
Since we live in a digital world, it's nice to find a small business ATS that integrates mobile access. Available on iOS and Android, Workable's mobile app lets hiring teams screen resumes, schedule interviews, and evaluate candidates without missing a beat.
Where It Falls Short
Workable offers plenty of reports but lacks the customization that most companies are looking for in ATS software. You can integrate Workable with over 200+ job boards, but some of those integrations are clunky. It also lacks integration with some of the bigger HR software programs.
Pricing
- Free 15 day trial available
- Paygo: $99 per job, per month
- Core: Contact company for a customized quote
- Growth: Contact company for a customized quote
- Premier: Contact company for a customized quote
Make The Best Hire, In Half The Time Find, hire, onboard, and manage the right person for every job.
JazzHR - Best For Affordable ATS
JazzHR is an affordable, award-winning recruitment software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 2009, JazzHR is trusted by over 6,500 companies and organizations like the Seattle Seahawks and TED Conferences.
Where It Excels
JazzHR offers end-to-end recruiting solutions for companies but at a fraction of the cost of many of its competitors. The company offers three primary annual plans, with a low-cost option for smaller companies. There's also an option for customized plans if your company has high-volume HR needs.
Collaborative hiring is another area where JazzHR excels. Members of your hiring team can manage candidates throughout the process, including ranking, tracking, and having internal discussions.
Where It Falls Short
JazzHR lacks the same level of automation found with other ATS software platforms.
It also doesn't a resume database and other basic features you'd like to see in an ATS software.
Some users claim that JazzHR is easy-to-use once it's all set up, but setting up all of the features is challenging.
Pricing
- Hero: $39/month (paid annually)
- Plus: $229/month (paid annually)
- Pro: $339/month (paid annually)
Bullhorn - Best For Recruiting Firms
Bullhorn is a recruitment software company founded in 2006. More than 10,000 companies worldwide use Bullhorn's cloud-based software for their recruitment needs. Bullhorn offers many HR software solutions for recruiting, sales, billing and payment, and more.
Where It Excels
Bullhorn's applicant tracking and CRM platform is built with large companies and enterprises who use outside help for recruiting in mind. The software streamlines much of the recruitment process so you can focus on the real work of hiring the right people.
The ATS software includes most of the features a company would want, including email and LinkedIn integration, resume parsing, and mobile recruiting. It also features a sourcing accelerator that automatically lets you know if a candidate is on Bullhorn or not when searching job boards. If not, the program enables you to quickly add them directly to your ATS from the job board without switching over.
Where It Falls Short
Some of Bullhorn's features seem outdated, while others have been upgraded to modern functionality. Bullhorn is overkill for smaller companies but can feel overwhelming to larger companies and third-party recruiters too.
Pricing
- Team: Contact company for a customized quote
- Corporate: Contact company for a customized quote
- Enterprise: Contact company for a customized quote
- Enterprise Plus: Contact company for a customized quote
How To Choose The Best Applicant Tracking Software For Your Needs
Using an ATS can revolutionize your hiring process, but it's also important to choose the right one for your company's needs. As part of Jobvite's 2020 Recruiter National Survey, 802 job recruiters were asked which technology would make their job easier. Thirty-three percent responded that a new applicant tracking system would be most helpful. Having the right tool is essential for any task, and few factors contribute to a company's success, like hiring the right people.
Here's a look at some factors to think about as you decide on the right applicant tracking software for your company.
Step 1: Decide The Type Of ATS Software You Need
There are several types of ATS software to choose from. Some of the most common ATS software types are:
- In-house recruiting
- Agency recruiting
- Small business
- Midsize business
- Large enterprise
- All-in-one solutions
- Core applicant tracking
- Full life cycle recruiting support
We'll go into detail later on each type of ATS software available. Choosing the right type to match your needs can lead to more successful hiring practices and fewer headaches.
Step 2: Understand Your Hiring Frequency And Volume
Your ATS needs will depend on how often you hire new employees and the number of resumes you receive with new job postings. A large corporation will probably receive significantly more resumes per job posting than a small business.
Some ATS software is designed based on a company's size, specific features, and tools to fit those companies' needs. An ATS built for a small business won't be robust enough to handle a large enterprise's needs. Likewise, ATS designed for corporations is probably overkill for a company with 50 employees or less. Choose an applicant tracking system geared towards businesses like yours.
Step 3: Determine What Features You Need
Once you've narrowed down the field based on the type and size you need, start looking at the features offered by each ATS. Some applicant tracking systems offer basic necessities, while others offer all-in-one solutions with extra features and specialty tools.
Here are some of the standard features typically available with ATS:
- Candidate tracking
- Resume parsing
- Job board syndication
- Interview scheduling
- Onboarding system
- Email and document templates
- Mobile capabilities
- Note-taking ability
- Job offer and e-signature solutions
Each ATS is different and offers different features you may find helpful. Having access to features like automation, various email, and document templates, and scheduling will save time and energy for you and your recruiting team.
Many applicant tracking systems come with one-click job posting abilities. That means you can create one job posting and automatically send it to multiple job boards online with one click of the mouse. Not only will this save time, but it also gets your job posting in front of more potential candidates, increasing your chances of finding quality hires.
Step 4: Calculate Your Budget
You can't talk about purchasing new technology for your company without mentioning budgets. How much has your company or department allocated for new purchases? If adding an applicant tracking system wasn't slated for this year, is there a way to allocate funds towards it? Adding ATS software may end up saving your company money long term.
ATS software varies significantly in price and structure. Some charge monthly fees based on the features included, while others charge by the number of users. Many applicant tracking systems offer tiered packages, giving companies multiple options to choose from based on needs and budget.
Determine the best course of action for your company based on available resources. There are ATS software options available to fit almost any budget.
What Are The Different Types of Applicant Tracking Software?
As mentioned earlier, applicant tracking software isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. There are several types of ATS software to meet the needs of different kinds of companies and industries. Here's a breakdown of the most common types of applicant tracking software on the market now.
- In-house recruiting: This ATS is geared towards companies who plan to use ATS themselves, not farm it out to an outside entity.
- Recruiting Agency: ATS for agencies are built with scalability in mind.
- Small business: This ATS software type is designed for the needs of a small business with less than fifty employees.
- Mid-sized business: Mid-sized ATS is designed for companies with between 50 and 500 employees who often have one dedicated employee over the recruitment/hiring process.
- Large enterprise: Enterprises with over 500 employees have different needs, including having a team of people actively using the software.
- All-in-one solutions: These are ATS programs that aren't necessarily the best at any one thing but offer a host of solutions to address the needs of various company types.
- Core applicant tracking: This ATS software is focused solely on tracking job applicant materials, like resumes and applications.
- Full life cycle recruiting support: Full life cycle ATS software focuses on the entire hiring and recruitment process.
ATS Software vs. Recruiting Software
As you look at software for your hiring process, another available option is recruiting software. While ATS is focused more on automating and streamlining the hiring process, recruiting software takes it a step further. Recruiting software is more focused on the recruitment and engagement of candidates. Good recruiting software will include most of the functions of an ATS but also contains features like email marketing and CRM integration.
The right software choice depends on your company's needs. Are you just interested in streamlining hiring practices, or do you need an integrated system that improves how your company engages with potential candidates from beginning to end? Determine your needs first, and then choose the software that fits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What companies use ATS software?
Many small businesses and corporations worldwide rely on ATS software for their recruiting process. Companies like L'Oréal, Pure Barre, Forbes, ZipRecruiter, Change.org, Ulta, Spirit Airlines, PetSmart, and thousands of other companies use ATS software to track job candidates through the hiring process.
What is the purpose of an ATS?
Applicant tracking systems are designed to aid in all facets of the recruiting process, including resume management, communication, recruiting, onboarding, interview scheduling, hiring team collaboration, and much more.
What are ATS platforms?
Applicant tracking system (ATS) is a type of software used by companies and recruiters to manage and organize the recruiting and hiring process. Many ATS software offer end-to-end hiring and onboarding solutions.
How do recruiters use ATS?
Recruiters use ATS to help companies streamline the hiring process by automating many of the mundane tasks, keeping everyone on the same page to find the best possible candidates to fill open positions.
The Bottom Line
Using applicant tracking system software can revolutionize your company's hiring practices, saving precious time to focus on finding the best job candidates. ATS can help your team stay on the same page, share in the various steps of the recruiting process, and provide an easy-to-navigate environment for your hiring team and applicants.
