Talent Acquisition
The Best Applicant Tracking Systems of 2026
A shortlist of applicant tracking systems ranked from verified product data, so you can compare workflow, job distribution, compliance features and real pricing instead of vendor claims. Every score traces back to a fact we checked against vendor documentation and public sources.
- products compared
- 14
- with a published score
- 11
- last updated
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Our top picks
- Best overall
Highest LeadChange Score here (9.4/10), with 12 of 12 core applicant tracking capabilities verified.
From $299/mo
- Best for small businesses
Breezy HR
by Breezy HR, Inc.
Highest score among products that list small businesses as a target segment, with pricing and fit weighted more.
From $157/mo (Startup plan)
- Best for enterprises
Ashby
by Ashby, Inc.
Highest score among products that list enterprises as a target segment, with security and integrations weighted more.
From $300/mo
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
Applicant Tracking Systems ranked by LeadChange Score
Ranked by LeadChange Score from verified facts; products with too few verified facts are not scored yet and come last. Prices are list prices as published by each vendor.
Filter by verified facts
Workable
Best for Small and mid-size teams that hire often and post to 200+ job boards at once
Workable fits small and mid-size employers that hire often and want job posting, screening and AI sourcing in one tool, with prices published by company size. HR is a second product with its own price, or a bundle with Recruiting.
- Pricing model
- Tiered plans
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
Breezy HR
Best for Small and midsize teams that hire regularly and want a flat monthly price
Breezy HR suits small and midsize companies that want a full ATS at a flat monthly price, not per user. Bootstrap is free for one open role; Startup costs $157, Growth $273 and Business $439 a month billed annually, or $189, $329 and $529 billed monthly. Users are unlimited and jobs post to 50+ boards.
- Pricing model
- Tiered plans
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
Ashby
Best for Startups and scale-ups that hire continuously and source outbound
Ashby suits fast-growing companies that want one recruiting system for applicant tracking, outbound sourcing, CRM, scheduling and analytics, priced by company size rather than per recruiter seat. Foundations costs $300 a month for 1–10 employees up to $900 for 76–100, with 10% off annual commitments.
- Pricing model
- Tiered plans
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
Recruitee (Tellent)
Best for Growing teams that want collaborative hiring with evaluation forms and shared notes
Recruitee, branded Tellent Recruitee, is a collaborative applicant tracking system with three plans, AI screening and matching tools, SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 assurance, and EEO and GDPR tooling. Plan prices are not published.
- Pricing model
- Quote only
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
Greenhouse
Best for Hiring teams running structured interviews with kits and scorecards
Greenhouse fits hiring teams that want structured interviews, a sourcing CRM and audited security in one applicant tracking system, from early-stage companies to enterprises. Prices are by quote only, and texting, sourcing automation, the audit log and the developer sandbox sit in higher plans.
- Pricing model
- Quote only
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
Lever
Best for Recruiting teams that source and nurture passive candidates, not only post jobs
Lever fits recruiting teams that want an ATS and a candidate CRM in one place, so sourcing, nurture emails and texts, interviews and offers live on one candidate record. AI screens and ranks applicants, and every interview gets an AI transcript and summary. Security is well documented, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.
- Pricing model
- Quote only
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
SmartRecruiters
Best for Corporate employers with 50+ employees
SmartRecruiters fits corporate employers with at least 50 employees and many open requisitions that want applicant tracking, CRM, SMS, job distribution, scheduling and onboarding in one suite, with the Winston AI hiring agent on higher plans. Part of SAP SuccessFactors, it holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022.
- Pricing model
- Quote only
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
iCIMS
Best for Enterprises hiring at high volume or across many countries
iCIMS fits large employers with high-volume or global hiring that need a configurable ATS, a recruiting CRM, text recruiting, career sites and onboarding from one vendor. It connects with more than 800 partner technologies, holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001, and has AI agents for sourcing and matching.
- Pricing model
- Quote only
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
Show all 14 products
- Teamtailor6.2/10 · Medium confidenceTeamtailor plans and prices
- BambooHR6.0/10 · High confidenceFrom $250/mo flat up to 25 employees, then $10.25/employee/moBambooHR plans and prices
- Jobvite5.0/10 · Medium confidenceJobvite plans and prices
- JazzHRNot scored yet (13 of 26 facts verified)From $1,000/yr (Hero plan)JazzHR pricing
- PaycomNot scored yet (12 of 26 facts verified)Paycom pricing
- isolved People CloudNot scored yet (5 of 26 facts verified)What isolved People Cloud costs
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
Find your fit
By industry
By company size
By price
By need
By integration
Compare the top 8 side by side
| Product | Score | Pricing model | Open API | SOC 2 Type II | Mobile apps | Career site builder | ISO 27001 | Webhooks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 9.4 | Tiered plans | iOS, Android | |||||
 | 9.0 | Tiered plans | iOS, Android | Not verified | ||||
| 8.1 | Tiered plans | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | ||
| 7.3 | Quote only | Tellent Recruitee mobile app | |||||
| 6.7 | Quote only | iOS, Android | |||||
 | 6.7 | Quote only | Not verified | Not verified | ||||
 | 6.7 | Quote only | Not verified | Not verified | ||||
 | 6.2 | Quote only | Not verified | Not verified |
Pricing at a glance
Monthly list cost from each vendor’s published base and per-employee prices, before discounts.
10 employees
$157–$300/mo
Median $275/mo
Published list prices of 4 products at 10 employees
50 employees
$157–$513/mo
Median $300/mo
Published list prices of 4 products at 50 employees
200 employees
$157–$2,050/mo
Median $300/mo
Published list prices of 4 products at 200 employees
- Per user per month
- A monthly fee for each recruiter or hiring manager seat. Costs rise as more managers need access.
- Per job posting
- A fee for each active job or posting, common for small employers with few openings. Costs rise with volume.
- Tiered by company size
- Plans tied to employee count or number of open jobs. Check where your headcount sits relative to tier limits.
- Freemium
- A free plan with limits on jobs, users or features. Paid job-board postings are usually separate.
- Custom quote9 of 14 products
- Enterprise pricing based on hires, modules and implementation scope.
How to choose applicant tracking systems
An ATS is used daily by recruiters, hiring managers and candidates, so ease of use and process fit decide success. Choose for how well it models your hiring workflow and keeps a defensible record.
Run a trial with a real open role: post it, receive test applications, schedule an interview and generate a report of source and stage data.
Workflow and stage configuration
Different roles need different stages, scorecards and approvals, and rigid pipelines push work back to spreadsheets.
Job distribution and sourcing
Posting reach drives applicant volume, and duplicate manual posting wastes time.
Candidate experience and mobile apply
Long or non-mobile applications lose candidates, especially for hourly roles.
Collaboration and scheduling
Hiring managers need to review candidates and book interviews without email chains.
Records, retention and audit trail
Personnel and hiring records must be kept for one year, longer when a charge is filed, so the system must preserve and let you hold records.
Adverse impact and EEO reporting
Federal guidelines say users of selection procedures should keep information showing their impact by race, sex and ethnic group, and a selection rate below four-fifths of the highest group's rate is generally treated as evidence of adverse impact.
Requirements by company size
Small businesses
- Free or low-cost job posting and a branded careers page
- Simple pipeline and interview scheduling
- Mobile-friendly apply flow
Watch out for
- Job-board costs billed separately from the subscription
- Per-job pricing that rises with each open role
- Limits on users, active jobs or stored candidates
Mid-sized companies
- Requisition approvals and configurable workflows
- Reporting on source, time to hire and stage conversion
- Native HRIS, background check and onboarding connections
Watch out for
- Integrations gated by pricing tier
- Rigid workflows that require vendor services to change
- Candidate data trapped when you switch
Enterprises
- Multi-country, multi-entity configuration and access controls
- Compliance, audit and adverse impact reporting
- High-volume handling and a mature API
Watch out for
- Long implementations tied to workflow design
- AI screening features without audit documentation
- Services fees for each change request
Red flags
- The vendor cannot explain what its automated screening or ranking does with candidate data.
- Self-identification data is visible to reviewers during screening.
- No bulk export of candidates, notes and attachments is offered.
- Job posting costs and per-job fees are not stated in writing.
- There is no way to apply retention periods or place a hold on records.
Popular comparisons
Popular alternatives
Integrations for applicant tracking systems
Apps with documented integrations across the products ranked on this page.
Most integrated apps
- Indeed
- Checkr
- BambooHR
- HiBob
- ADP Workforce Now
- Gusto
- Zapier
Related subcategories
- Talent Acquisition Software
Suites that cover hiring end to end, from sourcing to signed offer and day one.
9 products ranked
- Onboarding Software
New hire paperwork, tasks, training and first-day setup.
10 products ranked
- Recruiting Software
Hiring platforms for sourcing, screening and managing candidates.
11 products ranked
- Background Check Services
Employment screening: criminal, employment, education and driving records.
8 products ranked
- Recruitment CRM
Talent pools and nurture campaigns for candidates you are not hiring yet.
5 products ranked
- HRIS Software
Systems of record for employee data, self-service, time off and HR workflows.
20 products ranked
- HCM Software
All-in-one suites that run HR, payroll, talent and workforce data on one platform.
11 products ranked
- Payroll Software
Software that calculates pay, withholds and files payroll taxes and pays employees.
19 products ranked
Learn
- GuideHow to Choose an Applicant Tracking System
A practical framework for choosing an applicant tracking system: requirements, scoring, compliance records, integrations, and vendor questions.
Frequently asked questions
What is an applicant tracking system?
An applicant tracking system is software that manages hiring from job posting to offer. It stores applications, moves candidates through stages, schedules interviews and keeps a record of decisions. Recruiters and hiring managers use it as a shared source of truth and for hiring reports.
Do I need an ATS if I only hire a few people a year?
Often not. A shared inbox and spreadsheet can work for occasional hiring if you keep records consistent. An ATS becomes worthwhile when several roles are open at once, many people review candidates, or you need reporting. Remember hiring records must be kept for at least one year.
How long do I have to keep applicant records?
Federal EEOC rules require employers to keep personnel and employment records, including hiring records, for one year from the date the record was made or the personnel action taken. If a discrimination charge is filed, relevant records must be preserved until final disposition. State or contractor rules may be longer.
Can an ATS cause discrimination problems?
Yes, if screening rules or automated ranking disadvantage protected groups. Federal guidelines treat a selection rate below four-fifths of the highest group's rate as generally evidence of adverse impact. Review selection rates by stage, and ask vendors how automated features work.
What is the difference between an ATS and a recruiting CRM?
An ATS manages active applications for specific openings. A recruiting CRM builds and nurtures talent pools before roles open. Many platforms offer both. Choose an ATS first if your problem is processing applicants, and add CRM features when proactive sourcing matters.
Is an applicant tracking system worth it?
It is worth it when you cannot track candidates, hiring managers wait on updates, or you need reporting and consistent records. It is less justified for rare hiring. Estimate recruiter hours spent on admin and applications lost, and compare against the subscription.
What is the best applicant tracking system?
Workable has the highest LeadChange Score of the 14 products in our ranking, 9.4 out of 10, ahead of Breezy HR (9.0) and Ashby (8.1). Workable's score rests on 25 of 26 checks verified from public sources. 3 more products are listed without a score until enough of their data is public.
Which applicant tracking systems in our ranking integrate with Indeed?
Indeed, listed by 7 of the 14 applicant tracking systems in our ranking: BambooHR, Breezy HR, JazzHR, Jobvite, Lever, and 2 more.
How long does it take to implement applicant tracking systems?
Vendors in our ranking that publish a typical timeline: Ashby, data migration from Greenhouse or Lever in a day or two; BambooHR, 4–6 weeks; Lever, within weeks, not months; Paycom, most organizations are implemented within three months.
Which applicant tracking systems in our ranking are built for enterprises?
Ashby, Greenhouse, iCIMS, isolved People Cloud, Jobvite, and 5 more list enterprises among the company sizes they serve.
How we research
Ranked by the LeadChange Score, computed only from verified facts: capability coverage (30%), pricing and value (20%), integrations and API (15%), security (15%), fit and support (10%) and data confidence (10%), times a category fit. Products with too few verified facts are not scored yet and come last. Payment never changes a score or a position.
Facts, not impressions
Every input is a fact verified against vendors’ official documentation, with the date we last checked it.
Missing data is never assumed
Unverified items are left out of the score and lower its coverage; below 60% coverage a product is not scored yet.
Independent of revenue
Rankings never depend on whether a vendor pays us.
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