The top free ATS options include Recruit CRM, JobScore, Breezy HR, Qandidate.com, Recooty, and more. These tools offer essential features like job posting, candidate tracking, and resume management. They might have limitations such as fewer integrations and limited reporting. Evaluate your needs, growth potential, and scalability before choosing the best fit for your team.
Recruiting without the right tools can feel like a never-ending game of email tag. Resumes pile up, follow-ups slip through the cracks, and keeping track of candidates becomes a full-time job.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) fixes that—helping you stay organized, automate tasks, and speed up hiring. But what if your budget is tight?
The good news? You do not have to pay a fortune for a solid ATS system.
Plenty of free applicant tracking systems offer everything from job postings to interview scheduling, making it easier to manage candidates without spending a dime.
Here are 10 of the best free applicant tracking systems to simplify your hiring process.
10 free applicant tracking systems you must check out NOW
1. Recruit CRM
Recruit CRM is an AI-powered recruiting software trusted by over 1,000 recruitment agencies globally.
Our platform seamlessly combines the power of an ATS + CRM, making your hiring process faster, smarter, and more efficient.
Here’s how Recruit CRM benefits you:
- Grow your revenue by 10X: Efficiently manage and track your candidate database, allowing you to focus on what matters — closing more deals.
- Boost productivity by 25%: Automate repetitive tasks and workflows with our Workflow Automation, so your team can focus on high-impact activities.
- Cut time-to-hire by 22%: Source candidates directly from platforms like LinkedIn, Gmail, and Outlook with our Chrome Sourcing Extension, streamlining your recruiting process.
Unlike other platforms, we offer unlimited free access to our platform with no credit card required! Try it out and experience the transformation firsthand.
2. JobScore
JobScore is a highly potent applicant tracking system. It offers new users an ATS with free trial period to try the product before committing.
The tool is ideal for small teams and emerging businesses that need to fast-track their recruitment process and save much-needed resources in finding the right talent efficiently.
JobScore shines in its user experience. It’s incredibly intuitive and easy for anyone to jump in and use.
3. Breezy HR
Breezy HR is designed to assist any business in making hiring more straightforward and hassle-free.
Drag-and-drop pipeline management, customizable career pages, and easy-to-use scheduling tools are some of the popular features of Breezy HR.
But, of course, there are a few limitations to the free plan.
You can only manage one active position at a time, which might be restrictive if you’re juggling multiple openings.
Also, advanced features like video interviewing, background checks, and some in-depth reporting are locked behind the paid plans.
4. Qandidate.com
Qandidate.com provides you with the power to make the whole hiring process more accessible as well as better.
It stands out with its unique selling points –
- Vacancy management system: Keeps all your job openings organized and easily accessible.
- Job description library: Provides ready-to-use templates to kickstart your recruitment process.
- Easy reporting and filters: Ensures you have all the data you need at your fingertips, making it simple to track progress and make informed decisions.
5. Zoho Recruit
You can make hiring much more accessible with Zoho Recruit.
With a robust ATS and CRM on a single recruitment platform, it combines scalability, customization, and tools for remote hiring—everything your staffing agency needs.
Some key features of this ATS are:
- Candidate management
- Email management
- Interview scheduling
- One active job posting
6. Recooty
Recooty is a light, intuitive, and easy applicant tracking system that helps systemize your recruiting process.
The tool provides a branded careers page along with essential reporting tools for monitoring recruitment progress.
However, the free version comes with certain constraints. The limit of three active job postings at the same time may be a problem for companies with more vacancies.
7. MightyRecruiter
MightyRecruiter is crafted to help you find, attract, and hire top talent without any cost.
Small companies can leverage enterprise-level features, while large companies get custom applicant tracking and interview scheduling.
This ATS captures attention with its innovative offerings –
- Unlimited job postings: Post unlimited jobs across multiple job boards with just one click, ensuring maximum visibility and reach for your vacancies.
- Advanced search capabilities: Utilize advanced search features to select the best candidates from a large pool, saving time and improving the quality of hires.
- Collaborative hiring tools: Coordinate seamlessly with your hiring team using collaborative tools, ensuring everyone is on the same page and making the recruitment process more cohesive.
8. iKrut
iKrut offers a FREE model that simplifies the hiring process for small businesses and startups.
With its practical interface and extensive features, iKrut helps you manage your recruitment efficiently and effectively.
Using it is incredibly straightforward—you can have your first job posted in under a minute.
9. Freshteam
Freshteam by Freshworks offers various features to manage job postings, track applicants, and collaborate with your hiring team.
You can enroll in a free trial to experience all the benefits. Freshteam offers a significantly consistent and successful experience with AI agent.
The platform helps you protect data and maintain autonomy with dedicated workspaces.
You can control who accesses sensitive employee information by creating defined workspaces, allowing teams to function independently within the same platform.
10. SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters is the final free ATS on our list. As a cloud-based solution, operating on internet servers for easy access and collaboration, it helps you staff your team more effectively.
Their free offering, SmartStart, provides most of the tools to manage your recruitment cycle, from job posting to applicant tracking. If you’re interested in enhancing security and performance, you might want to explore how to set up a dedicated server to optimize your ATS for your specific needs.
One of the unique features that this ATS offers is team collaboration—having multiple users work on a single space. SmartStart is, therefore, very instrumental for small teams and growing businesses looking to streamline their hiring processes.
While this free plan offers many goodies, it does have some notable limitations.
The plan restricts the number of active job postings to 10 and provides only basic configurations. Advanced features and more sophisticated configuration settings are enabled on paid plans only.
Ready to streamline your hiring process? Give these free applicant tracking systems a spin and find the perfect fit for your team.
Happy recruiting!
Frequently asked questions
1. What should you consider when choosing between different free ATS options?
As you consider the options of free ATS, consider what each system offers in terms of job posting, candidate tracking, and communication tools.
Be aware of any limitations, such as the number of active job postings or the number of users.
Go for an ATS that caters to your near-term necessities and can grow flexibly with your business.
2. How does a free applicant tracking system differ from a paid one?
Free applicant tracking systems have the most basic recruitment functions, such as posting jobs, scanning resumes, and sourcing candidates.
However, paid ATS solutions will offer extended integration, including in-depth analytics and access to more premium job boards.
So, if you’re just getting started, a free ATS could be the way to go.
However, when your hiring needs go up, you can upgrade to some added capabilities to a paid version to further help smooth up your recruitment process.
3. Are free applicant tracking systems secure for storing candidate data?
Absolutely, free ATS are secure for storing your candidate data!
But don’t be attracted by the FREE version alone; choose recruiting software with robust security features.
Look for data encryption, secure access controls, and regular backups.
Review the ATS’s privacy policy and rating on security certification to ensure that candidates’ data is well protected.
4. Can I migrate my data if I switch from a free ATS to a paid one?
Yes, but the ease of migration depends on the ATS provider.
Some systems allow seamless data transfers, while others may require manual exports and re-uploads. Always check data portability options before committing to an ATS, especially if you plan to scale up later.
5. Are free applicant tracking systems suitable for agencies?
Most free ATS for recruiters are designed to support in-house teams or small businesses with occasional hiring needs.
Recruitment agencies may find them limiting in terms of multi-client management, reporting, and bulk candidate sourcing.
If you run an agency, look for a free ATS with CRM features or consider a paid solution for better scalability.
Blog summary
Free applicant tracking systems (ATS) help small teams manage hiring without paying for software, offering features such as job posting, resume tracking, and basic automation at no cost.
The blog lists 10 free ATS options, explaining what each one offers.
The FAQ section explains how to evaluate free ATS options based on posting limits, workflow needs, and future scalability. It outlines the differences between free and paid ATS tools, emphasizing integrations, analytics, and premium features.
It also clarifies security considerations, the ease of migrating data to paid systems, and whether free ATS tools are suitable for agencies, noting that agencies may require more advanced features for multi-client management and reporting.
