Top 10 Best Applicant Tracking Systems of 2025

Hiring today means sorting through a flood of resumes, juggling spreadsheets, and keeping track of countless candidate communications—all while trying to quickly find the perfect fit. For growing businesses and HR teams, these manual processes can lead to delays, lost candidates, and costly missteps. 

That’s where applicant tracking systems (ATS) step in to save the day. These digital tools streamline every step of the hiring journey, from job posting and candidate recommendations to scheduling interviews and onboarding. 

To help you cut through the noise, we’ve reviewed and compared the top 10 ATS platforms available today—highlighting key features, pros and cons, and pricing—to make your decision easier.

Why ATS Matters: 5 Key Takeaways for Choosing the Best Applicant Tracking Systems

• Applicant tracking systems (ATS) expedite the hiring process by automating job postings, organizing applicant data, and simplifying candidate communication and evaluation in one centralized platform.
• Selecting the right ATS for your unique business needs involves evaluating your current requirements, finding a provider whose features and price align with them, and ensuring the solution offers an intuitive UX and reliable customer support.
• Knack serves as a great alternative to established ATS by providing a flexible, no-code platform that allows businesses to customize recruitment workflows to their specific needs without technical expertise.

Comparison of the Top 10 Best Applicant Tracking Systems

ATS	Best for	Standout features	Free Trial	Pricing
Greenhouse	Deep analytics	Automated interview scheduling	No	Not provided
BambooHR	Broader HR features	Integrated offer letters	Yes	Not provided
Lever	ATS + CRM combo	Talent pipeline visualization	No	Not provided
Workable	Sourcing and job board integrations	One-click job posting	Yes	Starts @ $299/month
Zoho Recruit	Workflow customization	Advanced search filters	Yes	Free plan available
Breezy HR	User-friendly interface	Drag-and-drop pipelines	Yes	Free plan available
JazzHR	Small and mid-sized businesses	Multi-board posting	No	Starts @ $75/month
Teamtailor	Candidate experience	Employer branding tools	No	Not provided
Bullhorn	Staffing and recruiting agencies	Email tracking and automation	No	Not provided
Manatal	AI-powered features	Pulls additional data from social media	Yes	Starts @ $15 per user per month

How We Chose the Top Applicant Tracking Systems: Our 6 Selection Criteria

Any good list begins with a clear understanding of the criteria behind it—transparency is key to helping you make informed decisions. Here are the core considerations that shaped our rankings:

• Advanced Candidate Management & Parsing: Intelligent resume parsing, searchable talent databases, and customizable pipelines make it easy to organize, filter, and track applicants through every stage of the hiring process. 
• Recruitment Automation: Features like AI-powered resume screening, auto-scheduling, and workflow triggers eliminate repetitive tasks and save recruiters valuable time. 
• Job Posting & Sourcing Reach: Tools that enable one-click distribution to multiple job boards, social media platforms, and referral systems help companies maximize visibility and attract quality candidates. 
• Candidate Experience Features: Mobile-friendly applications, branded career pages, and automated communication tools keep applicants engaged throughout the hiring journey.
• Integrations with the HR Tech Ecosystem: Allow ATS platforms to seamlessly connect with other tools like HRIS systems, background checks, and communication apps, ensuring a smooth end-to-end recruitment process. 
• Scalability & Pricing Model: Flexible pricing tiers and product scalability empower businesses of all sizes to adopt a solution that meets their needs today and continues to grow with them over time.

Greenhouse

Best ATS for growing teams seeking deep analytics

Greenhouse is a leading applicant tracking system designed to help both growing and established organizations build diverse teams through a structured hiring approach. It provides comprehensive tools for every stage of the recruitment funnel, from intelligent sourcing to robust onboarding. The platform’s unique functionality aims to reduce bias and improve candidate experience, while also providing robust analytics to help teams make data-driven decisions.

Key Features:

• Customizable Hiring Workflows: Greenhouse allows teams to create tailored hiring stages and approval flows to match their unique recruitment process.
• Structured Interview Kits: Provide predefined interview questions and scorecards, helping interviewers evaluate candidates consistently.
• Robust Reporting and Analytics: Delivers detailed reports and dashboards to give hiring managers actionable insights into pipeline performance and time-to-hire metrics.
• Extensive Integration Ecosystem: Connects with hundreds of third-party tools—from HRIS platforms to background check services and scheduling apps.
• Candidate Experience Tools: Includes features like branded career pages and automated emails, enhancing communication and engagement with applicants.

Pros:

• Integrates with hundreds of HR and productivity tools, making it easy to fit into your existing tech stack.
• Provides robust analytics and reporting features that help track recruitment metrics and improve decision-making.
• Modern and user-friendly interface, making it easy for hiring teams and recruiters to adopt.
• Supports structured hiring practices, helping reduce bias and increase consistency in evaluations.
• Includes excellent candidate experience features, including branded career pages and automated communications.

Cons:

• Limited built-in sourcing features may require third-party integrations to find passive candidates.
• The breadth of features can require a steeper initial learning curve for new users.
• Might be an “overkill” solution for companies with extremely simple or low-volume hiring needs.

Pricing: You’ll have to reach out to Greenhouse directly for a custom quote based on your specific needs.

BambooHR

Best integration with broader HR features

BambooHR is a comprehensive human resources platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) manage various HR functions. Its ATS simplifies the hiring process by enabling teams to post jobs, collect and organize candidate applications, and collaborate seamlessly throughout recruitment. The platform’s intuitive interface and automation features streamline workflows, reduce administrative tasks, and improve communication between hiring managers and candidates.

Key Features:

• Customizable Hiring Workflows: Allows teams to tailor recruitment steps to fit specific roles and organizational needs.
• Integrated Offer Letters: Speeds up hiring with templated and customizable offer letters directly within the platform.
• eSignature Capabilities: Enables digital signing of documents, providing a convenient way to streamline new hire paperwork.
• Collaboration Tools: Encourages better team decisions with feedback and notes from all stakeholders in one place.
• Mobile Accessibility: Lets recruiters and managers access candidate information and take action on the go.

Pros:

• Combines ATS with core HR functions like onboarding and time-off tracking.
• Employee self-service features reduce administrative work.
• Customizable reporting provides actionable HR insights.
• Centralized storage of HR documents supports compliance.
• Provides scalable HR tools suitable for growing businesses.

Cons:

• Lacks advanced ATS features like AI-powered parsing,
• Doesn’t integrate well with global Employer of Record (EOR) services.
• Not built for high-volume hiring scenarios.

Pricing: You’ll have to reach out to BambooHR directly for a custom quote based on your specific needs.

Lever

Best combination of ATS and CRM features

Lever serves as a talent acquisition platform that combines applicant tracking with robust candidate relationship management (CRM) features. It helps recruiters manage job postings, source candidates, conduct interviews, and track communications all in one place. Lever’s emphasis on collaboration and analytics allows hiring teams to make data-informed decisions and deliver a seamless candidate experience.

Key Features:

• Unified ATS + CRM: Combines candidate relationship management and tracking in one platform, which is ideal for proactive talent nurturing.
• Automated Workflows: Saves time by automating repetitive tasks like interview scheduling and follow-ups.
• Talent Pipeline Visualization: Provides a clear overview of candidate stages, helping teams prioritize outreach and interviews.
• Collaborative Hiring Tools: Promotes transparency and teamwork with shared evaluations and interview feedback.
• DEI Analytics: Helps track hiring metrics by demographics, supporting inclusive recruitment goals.

Pros:

• Built-in CRM features help nurture candidate relationships over time.
• AI-powered resume screening and candidate matching improve efficiency.
• Offers detailed analytics and reporting dashboards for recruiting.
• Extensive automation reduces repetitive hiring tasks like scheduling.
• High integration capacity with other HR and productivity tools.

Cons:

• Some users describe parts of the UI as clunky, especially reporting.
• API access and integrations can require costly fees.
• Customization options may not meet the needs of highly unique workflows.

Pricing: You’ll have to reach out to Lever directly for a custom quote based on your specific needs.

Workable

Best for built-in sourcing and job board integrations

Workable is an all-in-one recruitment platform that simplifies applicant tracking with a wide range of tools designed for sourcing, evaluating, and hiring candidates. It enables businesses to post to multiple job boards, automate workflows, collaborate with team members, and manage the entire candidate lifecycle from a single dashboard. With its AI-powered sourcing and built-in assessments, Workable helps companies streamline hiring and improve decision-making.

Key Features:

• One-Click Job Posting: Distributes job ads to 200+ sites with one submission, maximizing exposure with minimal effort.
• AI-Powered Candidate Suggestions: Automatically recommends candidates based on job descriptions, speeding up sourcing.
• Interview Scheduling: Simplifies coordination with calendar integrations and automated invitations.
• Customizable Pipelines: Offers drag-and-drop pipelines, easily adapting to different hiring processes.
• Video Interviewing Integration: Enables remote hiring through seamless integration with video platforms.

Pros:

• Advanced sourcing features include LinkedIn integration and multi-posting.
• Offers global hiring support with localization and language options.
• Onboarding and basic HRIS features are integrated.
• Excellent customer support through chat and help center.
• Centralized hiring workflows reduce email juggling.

Cons:

• Reporting options are seen as limited or basic.
• Email syncing has occasional inconsistencies.
• Mobile app functionality can be unreliable.

Pricing: Starts at $299/month

Zoho Recruit

Best for deep workflow customization

Zoho Recruit acts as a cloud-based ATS that caters to both in-house HR teams and staffing agencies, offering end-to-end recruitment management. It provides features like resume parsing, custom workflows, interview scheduling, and real-time analytics—all integrated within the broader Zoho ecosystem. Its scalability and strong automation capabilities make it ideal for companies that want to customize their hiring pipeline and reduce manual tasks.

Key Features:

• Resume Parsing: Extracts and organizes resume data automatically, reducing manual data entry.
• Custom Career Pages: Lets you design branded job portals to enhance employer visibility and appeal.
• Advanced Search Filters: Helps find candidates faster using Boolean logic and custom criteria.
• Email Templates and Automation: Streamlines communication with candidates through personalized, automated emails.
• Client and Vendor Portals: Facilitates communication between staffing firms, clients, and vendors in one platform.

Pros:

• Highly customizable and makes it easy to adjust workflows to fit your hiring processes.
• Supports integrations with over 75 job boards and tools like Outlook and LinkedIn for broad sourcing reach.
• User interface is intuitive, offering an easy learning curve for new users.
• Real-time analytics and reporting help support data-driven recruitment decisions.
• Offers collaboration tools like @mentions and commenting within candidate profiles.

Cons:

• Setup can be complex and time-consuming, especially for those new to Zoho’s ecosystem.
• Some core features, like AI screening, are only available in higher-priced plans.
• Reporting capabilities are relatively basic and may not satisfy analytics-focused users.

Pricing: Free plan available

Breezy HR

Best user-friendly interface

Breezy HR is a user-friendly applicant tracking system that helps SMBs attract and hire talent efficiently. It offers drag-and-drop pipeline management, branded career pages, and tools for automated communication, making it easy to streamline recruiting workflows without a steep learning curve. The platform also includes video interviewing, candidate scorecards, and team collaboration features to support data-informed hiring decisions.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-Drop Pipelines: Makes candidate movement intuitive and visual, great for tracking hiring progress at a glance.
• Automated Candidate Messaging: Sends emails and texts based on actions or timing, keeping applicants engaged throughout.
• Scorecards and Interview Guides: Standardize evaluation criteria to improve hiring consistency and fairness.
• Job Posting Distribution: Shares openings to major job boards and social media in one click.
• Career Site Builder: Creates a professional and branded job site, enhancing candidate experience and employer brand.

Pros:

• Easy to use, with an intuitive drag-and-drop pipeline interface praised across reviews.
• Pricing is competitive, offering free and affordable plans that appeal to small businesses.
• Supports robust automation, including interview scheduling and email sequencing.
• Users can create branded career pages and leverage in-app candidate sourcing tools.
• Includes visual pipeline boards and scorecards for streamlined decision-making.

Cons:

• Integration options are more limited, especially regarding certain third-party tools.
• The mobile app occasionally lacks feature parity with the desktop version.
• The free and lower-tier plans have feature limits that may require upgrades.

Pricing: Free plan available

JazzHR

Best for small and medium-sized businesses

JazzHR serves as a budget-friendly ATS designed for growing companies looking to simplify hiring without sacrificing features. It provides job postings to multiple boards, custom workflows, interview guides, and robust candidate tracking tools. With a focus on ease of use and affordability, JazzHR empowers smaller HR teams to maintain a professional and organized hiring process.

Key Features:

• Customizable Job Workflows: Tailors hiring stages to fit specific roles and company processes, ensuring flexibility for different recruitment needs.
• Candidate Sourcing Tools: Enables posting to multiple job boards, expanding your reach to a broader talent pool.
• Collaborative Hiring: Lets teams leave feedback, ratings, and notes to support more informed and inclusive decision-making.
• Interview Scheduling: Syncs with calendars for automated scheduling, reducing the back-and-forth typically involved in setting interviews.
• Offer Management: Allows for streamlined offer creation and approval to speed up the final stages of the hiring process.

Pros:

• Supports unlimited users, enabling team collaboration without extra charges.
• Integration with major job boards helps ensure wide candidate reach.
• Includes essentials like interview scorecards, e-signatures, and offer letter templates.
• Customer support—especially dedicated account managers—is responsive and helpful.
• Unique features like JazzCrowd provide helpful salary and candidate insights.

Cons:

• Custom role permissions are not as granular as some competitors.
• Career site customization options can feel restrictive.
• Support for high-volume hiring workflows can be limited.

Pricing: Starts at $75/month

Teamtailor

Best candidate experience

Teamtailor is an intuitive applicant tracking system and employer branding platform that helps businesses attract top talent while improving the candidate experience. It allows users to create visually appealing career sites, automate communication, and manage candidates through a customizable recruitment pipeline. The platform is especially valuable for companies focused on enhancing their employer brand and offering a smooth application journey.

Key Features:

• Employer Branding Tools: Helps create visually appealing career sites, strengthening your brand and attracting top talent.
• Automated Triggers: Automates actions like emails and stage changes to improve efficiency across the recruitment process.
• Candidate Nurturing Pipelines: Builds relationships with passive candidates, keeping your talent pipeline warm and engaged.
• Multi-Language Support: Provides interface and communication tools in multiple languages—ideal for international recruiting teams.
• Mobile-Optimized Interface: Ensures a seamless experience for recruiters and applicants by enabling access anytime, anywhere.

Pros:

• Career page builder creates visually engaging, on-brand experiences.
• Pipeline and job-posting tracking provide clear hiring visibility.
• Responsive customer support gets praise from users.
• API and third-party integrations enhance workflow flexibility.
• Ideal for small teams formalizing hiring without significant cost.

Cons:

• UI design feels playful, which some perceive as unprofessional.
• Some glitches have been reported in candidate stage movements.
• Limited workflow automation compared to more robust platforms.

Pricing: You’ll have to reach out to Teamtailor directly for a custom quote based on your specific needs.

Bullhorn

Best for staffing and recruiting agencies

Bullhorn is a comprehensive ATS and CRM platform built specifically for staffing and recruiting agencies. It offers powerful tools for tracking applicants, managing client relationships, and automating routine processes—all while integrating with popular productivity tools. Its scalability and deep industry focus make it ideal for firms that need both candidate and business relationship management in one solution.

Key Features:

• Email Tracking and Automation: Tracks email interactions and automates communication, enhancing engagement and follow-up.
• Workflow Customization: Adapts pipelines, stages, and permissions to accommodate diverse recruitment styles and teams.
• LinkedIn Integration: Pulls candidate data directly from LinkedIn to streamline sourcing and profile building.
• Mobile Recruiting App: Enables on-the-go access to candidate data, keeping recruiters productive outside the office.
• Reporting & Dashboards: Offers advanced reporting features, providing insights into performance, placements, and pipeline health.

Pros:

• Highly customizable workflows and dashboards cater to recruiters’ needs.
• Mobile access lets recruiters manage hiring on the go.
• Integrates ATS and CRM capabilities to support full-cycle recruitment.
• Effective resume parsing and candidate tracking improve efficiency.
• Strong reporting tools offer real-time insights into hiring metrics.

Cons:

• Feature-rich interface can be overwhelming and slow down navigation.
• Some users report inconsistent customer support and billing issues.
• Bulk email and template management can be limited.

Pricing: You’ll have to reach out to Bullhorn directly for a custom quote based on your specific needs.

Manatal

Best AI-powered features

Manatal acts as a powerful AI-driven applicant tracking system that helps companies streamline hiring through automation and data insights. It features social media enrichment, candidate scoring, and customizable workflows to support fast, informed hiring decisions. With its intuitive interface and powerful integrations, Manatal is especially well-suited for businesses seeking a tech-forward solution to improve recruitment efficiency.

Key Features:

• AI-Powered Candidate Recommendations: Suggests top matches for roles using AI, reducing time spent manually filtering resumes.
• Social Media Enrichment: Pulls additional candidate data from public social profiles to build richer candidate profiles.
• Pipeline Management: Allows for intuitive drag-and-drop pipeline control, simplifying candidate progress tracking.
• Resume Parsing & Formatting: Parses resumes and formats them into clean, branded templates to enhance presentation to clients.
• Multi-Job Board Posting: Lets users publish listings across multiple platforms in one step to maximize job ad visibility.

Pros:

• AI-driven candidate recommendations speed up talent sourcing.
• Pipeline and enrichment features bring together profiles from multiple sources.
• Interactive scorecards and visual analytics support data-driven hiring.
• Smooth integrations with LinkedIn, job boards, and email platforms.
• Quick implementation that gets teams up and running fast.

Cons:

• Advanced configuration may require technical know-how.
• Some integrations require setup through middleware like Zapier.
• Search and navigation can feel basic for power users.

Pricing: Starts at $15 per user per month

How to Choose the Best Applicant Tracking System for Your Business

Choosing the right applicant tracking system isn’t about finding the best overall tool—it’s about finding the best fit for your unique business needs. This list wasn’t created to funnel you toward one specific solution, but rather to equip you with the insight to evaluate options based on your team size, unique workflows, and must-have features.

Here are some steps you can follow to help determine which ATS is best for your specific requirements:

Step 1: Assess Your Business Needs for an ATS

Before selecting an applicant tracking system, it’s essential that you clearly understand your current organizational requirements and future growth plans. An ATS that fits a small, agile startup may not meet the needs of a growing company with multiple departments and complex hiring pipelines. By identifying factors such as hiring volume, team size, and required integrations up front, you can avoid outgrowing your system too quickly or investing in tools that are too complex or expensive for your current stage.

Step 2: Compare ATS Features and Pricing

Once you’ve identified your unique organizational needs, the next step is identifying which platform offers the features that align with them. Key capabilities like resume parsing, automated communication, and customizable workflows can significantly streamline recruitment no matter your specific processes. It’s also important to assess the user interface and candidate experience tools to ensure both HR teams and applicants can navigate the system with ease.

Understanding pricing models is equally important, especially for businesses operating within strict budget constraints. ATS platforms may charge per user, per job posting, or offer flat monthly rates, and the structure can greatly affect long-term affordability. Some solutions may also include rudimentary features in their base tier but charge extra for advanced tools like branded career pages, automation, or integrations. A thorough cost-benefit analysis ensures that the platform delivers value without exceeding financial limits.

Step 3: Prioritize User Experience and Customer Support in Your ATS

Even the most feature-rich platform can fall short if users find it difficult to navigate, making an intuitive interface essential for increasing buy-in and helping teams work more efficiently from day one. A seamless user experience makes it easy to manage job postings, track candidates, and analyze hiring metrics without technical hurdles, ultimately saving time and reducing the risk of user error. For organizations with limited tech support or HR resources, usability becomes even more essential.

While an easy-to-navigate UI can eliminate a number of potential challenges you might run into with your new solution, you’re bound to require assistance at some point along the way. That’s why reliable customer service from your chosen provider is another crucial consideration. Whether it’s onboarding assistance, troubleshooting technical issues, or answering questions about feature functionality, responsive support ensures teams can fully leverage the system’s capabilities.

Build Your Own Applicant Tracking System with Knack’s No-Code Platform

While the applicant tracking systems we’ve reviewed offer a range of powerful features, it’s important to remember that these are pre-built solutions designed for broad use cases. For companies with unique or niche recruitment processes—such as custom candidate scoring models, unconventional hiring workflows, or specialized data tracking needs—off-the-shelf ATS platforms can sometimes fall short.

That’s where Knack enters the equation. As a no-code app-building platform, Knack empowers HR and talent acquisition teams to build fully customized recruitment systems without needing to write a single line of code. For teams that want to hit the ground running, Knack offers ready-to-use templates like the School Applicant Tracker, which can be quickly adapted for corporate recruiting. 

With Knack, you don’t have to compromise between flexibility and functionality—you get a platform that scales with you.

Ready to see how easy it is to build your own ATS through Knack? Sign up for your risk-free 14-day trial today—no credit card required!

Applicant Tracking Systems FAQ: Answers to Your Top Questions

What is an applicant tracking system?

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that helps businesses manage and streamline the hiring process by tracking job applications, resumes, and candidate communications in one centralized platform.

What is the primary function of an applicant tracking system?

The primary function of an applicant tracking system is to automate and simplify the recruitment process by managing job postings, sorting applications, and tracking candidates throughout hiring.

Are ATSs beneficial for small businesses, or are they only for large enterprises?

Applicant tracking systems are beneficial for both small businesses and large enterprises, as they help streamline hiring processes regardless of company size. More free time for strategic endeavors instead of administrative tasks is beneficial for any type of company.