Best ATS For Automated Candidate Acquisition

Our team analyzed the top-rated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), consulted hundreds of hiring managers, and reviewed countless user experiences to identify the most functional and user-friendly platforms.

Hiring top talent for your businesses has become more challenging than ever. Recruiters now have to post job ads on multiple portals, screen numerous resumes, and manage hundreds of applications. All of this can really slow down the hiring process. This is why it is important to choose a reliable Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for automated candidate requisition.

That said, selecting the right ATS can be challenging, especially for small to mid-size businesses that require affordability, ease of use, and scalability in a single solution. This guide highlights platforms that simplify hiring workflows, improve candidate engagement, and enhance data-driven recruitment, without the added complexity of enterprise-only platforms.

1. Greenhouse (Editor’s Choice) 

Greenhouse provides a full recruitment platform that assists companies in identifying, assessing, and onboarding candidates. It combines applicant tracking with strategic hiring insights, helping HR teams make informed decisions. The system promotes a structured hiring approach that supports business growth through improved recruitment quality and team alignment. 

Pros And Cons 

Best For 

It is ideal for small to mid-size businesses in multiple industries and sectors, such as Information Technology (IT), hospitality, financial services, and healthcare. 

Key Features 

• Talent Sourcing 
• Candidate Experience 
• Scalable Workflows 
• Interviewing And Decision-Making 
• Onboarding 
• Reporting And Insights 

Pricing 

Greenhouse follows a tiered pricing model with Essential, Advanced, and Expert plans that adjust to company size and feature needs, providing scalable tools for growing hiring requirements.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Why We Like It 

Greenhouse stands out for offering a full hiring platform that manages every step from sourcing candidates to onboarding. We recommend it for its emphasis on data-driven insights, powerful integrations, and a strong candidate experience, making it an effective tool for companies looking to hire strategically and efficiently.

User Rating 

4.4/5. While Greenhouse offers strong features like reporting, candidate management, and onboarding, users report occasional glitches, and limitations in scheduling and job posting. See more reviews. 

2. Lever 

Lever HR software offers a cloud-based platform for managing recruitment from candidate sourcing to application review. It automates repetitive tasks, organizes applicant data, and ensures hiring teams can collaborate effectively. As a result, teams gain better oversight of recruitment pipelines, improve productivity, and make faster, data-informed decisions throughout the hiring process. 

Pros And Cons 

Best For 

The platform serves startups and growing companies in multiple industries and sectors, such as IT, finance, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and advertising. 

Key Features 

• Lever Candidate Management 
• Customizable Branding 
• Lever Talent Acquisition 
• Pipeline Management 
• Collaboration Tools 

Pricing 

Lever offers flexible, scalable pricing based on team size and hiring needs, allowing organizations to pay only for the features they use. 

Why We Like It 

Lever ATS stands out for its collaborative features and easy-to-use interface, helping teams coordinate and track hiring progress smoothly. It remains a preferred choice for its scalable design and optional add-ons, including advanced HR tools and analytics that provide deeper insights to optimize recruitment performance. 

User Rating 

4.5/5. Users praise the platform’s user-friendly interface and responsive customer support. However, difficult account setup process remains a concern for a few. See more reviews. 

3.  Workable ATS 

Workable ATS offers businesses a cloud-based solution for recruiting, hiring, and HR management. Employers can attract qualified candidates, automate administrative processes, and manage onboarding efficiently. AI features enhance task management, and mobile functionality allows users to engage with the platform from anywhere. Additionally, integration with various job boards supports growing organizations in building a skilled and productive workforce. 

 Pros And Cons 

Best For 

Workable software serves mid-to-large enterprises operating in various industries and sectors, like food and beverages, manufacturing, staffing and recruiting, IT, and hospitality. 

Key Features 

• Employee Onboarding 
• Time And Attendance 
• Payroll Processing 
• Performance Management 

Pricing 

Workable uses a tiered subscription pricing model, with plans starting at $360 and $599/month, both offering a 15-day free trial. View pricing details. 

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Why We Like It 

This platform earns a spot on our list for its ability to manage employee information efficiently while supporting recruitment and time tracking. Furthermore, its collaborative features give it an edge, as they make it easy for teams to review candidates, share feedback, and make faster, smarter hiring decisions. 

User Rating 

4.4/5. Workable is widely praised for its efficient recruitment workflows, powerful applicant tracking, mobile access, and global talent sourcing capabilities. However, some users note occasional limitations in reporting, duplicate candidates, and higher pricing for smaller businesses. See more reviews. 

4. iCIMS 

iCIMS delivers a cloud-based talent acquisition platform that supports attracting, engaging, and hiring top talent. With features for recruitment marketing, applicant tracking, and onboarding, it addresses challenges in high-volume hiring and workforce management. In addition, its easy-to-use interface enables organizations to improve candidate experience while maintaining flexibility for growth across various industry sectors. 

Pros And Cons 

Best For 

The software is built for enterprise-level organizations across different industries and sectors, such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance. 

Key Features 

• Employee Onboarding 
• Candidate Relationship Management 
• SkillSurvey 
• Text Engagement 
• Advanced Analytics 

Pricing 

The vendor offers customized pricing plans, based on unique requirements of different organizations. 

Why We Like It 

Recommended for organizations with extensive hiring needs, iCIMS stands out as a top contender for delivering scalable solutions that strengthen candidate engagement and inclusion efforts. The platform also stands out for its strong integrations with HR and productivity tools. This ensures seamless data flow across systems. We appreciate how it supports both high-volume hiring and specialized recruitment needs with equal efficiency. 

User Rating 

4.3/5. iCIMS is praised for its comprehensive applicant tracking system that supports full-cycle recruitment. However, concerns have been raised about limitations in reporting or search functionality. See more reviews. 

5. Bullhorn 

Bullhorn combines CRM, applicant tracking, and staff management in a single platform. Additionally, its AI-driven insights provide recruiters with data to guide key hiring decisions. The platform’s mobile features also allow for quick, effective communication, enabling recruiting teams to respond faster and manage operations efficiently from anywhere. 

Pros And Cons 

Best For

Bullhorn suits businesses of all sizes across various industries and sectors, such as legal, retail, healthcare, IT, education, sports, and civil engineering. 

Key Features 

• AI-Powered Search And Match 
• Integrated Email And Communication 
• Reporting And Analytics 
• Workflow Automation 

Pricing 

Bullhorn offers tiered, scalable pricing based on company size and industry, with ATS/CRM starting at $99 and custom quotes available to match each organization’s recruitment needs.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change. 

Why We Like It 

We like Bullhorn for its powerful CRM and ATS capabilities that help staffing and recruiting firms manage candidates, clients, and jobs from a single platform. Its automation features save time on repetitive tasks, allowing recruiters to focus more on building relationships. We also appreciate its strong integrations with third-party tools, creating a connected and efficient recruitment ecosystem. 

User Rating 

N/A 

6. Recruitee  

Recruitee is a modern applicant tracking system that helps organizations enhance their hiring efforts. It offers multi-job posting, automated recruitment workflows, and collaborative features that bring teams together. The platform enables hiring teams to attract top talent while maintaining an organized and effective recruitment process. 

Pros And Cons 

Best For: 

Recruitee serves small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across diverse industries, such as facilities services, marketing and advertising, staffing and recruiting, consulting, and information technology sectors. 

Key Features 

• Reporting And Analytics 
• Collaborative Hiring 
• Talent Pool Management 
• Customizable Pipelines 

Pricing 

Recruitee offers tiered subscription plans starting at €270/month for Start, €343/month for Advance, and €1,374/month for Optimize. 

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change. 

Why We Like It 

We like Recruitee for its ability to unite hiring teams and streamline recruitment processes across all stages. It provides a powerful set of features for evaluating candidates, managing pipelines, and automating tasks, all while maintaining secure and encrypted data storage. Compliance with global data protection standards ensures risk mitigation, and the system’s scalability supports small businesses as well as larger enterprises with evolving hiring needs. 

User Rating 

5/5. Although branding customization is limited, users praise the intuitive interface and the convenience of accessing the platform on mobile devices. See more reviews. 

7. SmartRecruiters  

SmartRecruiters, now part of SAP, provides AI-powered tools for high-volume hiring. Its Winston chatbot anticipates recruitment needs and reduces manual work. In addition, the platform allows teams to collaborate efficiently, engage candidates, and access features on mobile devices. 

Pros And Cons 

Best For 

The platform serves medium to large organizations across diverse industries, including manufacturing, retail, healthcare, hospitality, and professional services. 

Key Features 

• Conversational AI Chat 
• AI Talent Matching Engine 
• AI-Powered Candidate Screening 
• AI-Powered Hiring Agent 
• Applicant Tracking (ATS) 

Pricing 

SmartRecruiters offers tiered hiring plans starting at $14,995/year for Essential, with Professional, High Volume, and Complete plans available via contact for custom pricing; a free demo is offered to explore features before purchase. 

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change. 

Why We Like It 

We like SmartRecruiters for its modern, user-friendly interface and end-to-end talent acquisition capabilities that simplify sourcing, screening, and hiring. Its collaborative hiring tools make it easy for teams to align on candidate selection and speed up decision-making. We also appreciate its strong marketplace of integrations, which enhances flexibility and scalability. 

User Rating 

N/A 

8. JazzHR 

JazzHR equips HR professionals with tools to attract and manage talent efficiently. Users can post job openings, implement approval workflows, and design custom careers pages while using applicant tracking and onboarding features to evaluate candidates. The platform offers affordable functionality for startups and businesses that aim to grow their teams quickly without compromising on recruitment quality. 

Pros And Cons 

Best For 

JazzHR serves businesses of all sizes across industries such as IT, staffing and recruitment, marketing, and manufacturing to manage their workforce needs efficiently. 

Key Features 

• Compliance and Reporting 
• Applicant Tracking 
• Collaborative Hiring 
• Offers and E-signatures 
• Candidate Experience 

Pricing 

JazzHR uses a subscription-based pricing structure starting at $75/month for Hero, $269/month for Plus, and custom pricing for Pro, with optional add-ons, month-to-month plans for select tiers.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Why We Like It 

JazzHR is valued for its ability to enhance candidate engagement, simplify hiring workflows, and help organizations select the most qualified candidates for open roles. The platform adapts to different business needs, reducing time-to-hire while improving recruitment efficiency.

We like JazzHR for its straightforward and affordable approach to applicant tracking. Its customizable workflows and easy job posting tools simplify the entire hiring process from start to finish.

User Rating 

4/5. Users praise JazzHR for its intuitive interface, easy job posting, applicant tracking, and responsive customer support. However, it has received criticism for cancellation difficulties and occasional security concerns. See more reviews.

9. Jobvite  

With Jobvite, businesses gain access to a complete talent acquisition platform that covers sourcing, application management, interview scheduling, and onboarding. It equips recruiters and HR teams with tools for tracking performance and analyzing hiring trends. Using Jobvite enables organizations to enhance recruitment processes, attract high-quality candidates, and strengthen overall talent management strategies across the company.

Pros And Cons 

Best For: 

Jobvite serves businesses of all sizes, supporting diverse industries and secotrs, such as healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, technology, retail, and wholesale. 

Key Features 

• Talent Acquisition 
• Employee Onboarding 
• Job Requisition 
• Payroll Management 
• Orientation Workflow Management 

Pricing 

Jobvite uses a custom quote–based pricing model with scalable add-ons for ATS, AI interviews, onboarding, and employee referrals. 

Why We Like It 

The appeal of Jobvite lies in its capacity to enhance recruitment processes while minimizing manual effort. Scalable and easy to implement, it adapts to organizations of any size. We also appreciate Jobvite’s focus on candidate experience, as it offers personalized communication and engagement at every stage. Its detailed analytics and integration options make it a strong choice for companies looking to scale and optimize their hiring efforts. 

User Rating 

5/5. While the users noted limited integrations, they appreciated the ATS for fast CV parsing, versatile format support, and secure note-keeping. See more reviews. 

Selecting an ATS that fits your organization starts with focusing on workflow efficiency, scalability, and candidate engagement. The best approach is to look for platforms that combine applicant tracking, automation, and reporting tools in a single system to reduce manual effort, improve collaboration, and accelerate hiring timelines. 

Since ease of use matters, prioritize solutions with an intuitive interface and mobile accessibility, allowing recruiters and managers to oversee hiring processes anywhere. Also, assess the provider’s support model, ease of implementation, and flexibility to scale features as recruitment needs to expand. 

Security, compliance, and data integrity are critical. The best ATS not only simplifies recruitment but also protects sensitive candidate information, provides actionable insights, and supports long-term hiring. 

What Not To Overlook 

• Unexpected subscription, implementation, or feature costs 
• Ability to integrate with HR, payroll, and business software 
• Mobile usability for recruiters and hiring managers 
• Quality and responsiveness of customer support 
• Effort and cost required for migrating legacy candidate data