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Greenhouse is our best overall pick for teams prioritizing ATS features and structured interviews, but its pricing is not public. For smaller budgets, JazzHR starts at $83.33 and CATS at $95; Workable starts at $299 and bundles recruiting with HR. Staffing firms should compare Bullhorn, while large organizations may need to assess iCIMS or SmartRecruiters. Several vendors publish no starting price, so ask for the full quote and plan limits before treating a feature list as a buying case. The right choice depends on your hiring model, not the longest checklist.
Quick picksThe shortlist
GreenhouseGreenhouseBest overall · Custom
JazzHRJazzHRBest for small teams · $83.33/mo
CATSCATSBest for ATS + CRM · $95/mo
BullhornBullhornBest for staffing firms · $99/mo
WorkableWorkableBest for recruiting + HR · $299/mo
LinkedIn RecruiterLinkedIn RecruiterBest for sourcing · $140/mo
GemGemBest for tool consolidation · $130/mo
LeverLeverBest for passive sourcing · Custom
iCIMSiCIMSBest for enterprise · Custom
SmartRecruitersSmartRecruitersBest for large teams · $1,249.58/mo
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GreenhouseGreenhouse | 7.5 | Custom | No | — |
| JazzHRJazzHR | 5.7 | $83.33/mo | No | — |
| CATSCATS | 6.5 | $95/mo | No | — |
| BullhornBullhorn | 7.2 | $99/mo | No | — |
| WorkableWorkable | 6.8 | $299/mo | No | 15 days |
| LinkedIn RecruiterLinkedIn Recruiter | 6.3 | $140/mo | No | 1 month |
| GemGem | 7.0 | $130/mo | Yes | — |
| LeverLever | 6.2 | Custom | No | — |
| iCIMSiCIMS | 5.2 | Custom | No | — |
| SmartRecruitersSmartRecruiters | 6.0 | $1,249.58/mo | No | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallGreenhouseGreenhouse
Greenhouse is our strongest general-purpose shortlist option: its stated strengths include broad hiring features and structured interviews, and the published material notes positive user feedback. The trade-off is price opacity, plus reported complaints about reporting. Since the pricing is not published, request a quote that spells out the plan, reporting access and any costs involved in switching.
What works
- Combines sourcing, interviewing and applicant tracking
- Voice AI uses team questions and rubrics
- Interview notes map to scorecard questions
What doesn't
- Core, Plus and Pro prices are not published
- No starting price is available
- Reddit users report clunky reporting
- Best for small teamsJazzHRJazzHR
JazzHR is aimed at small teams formalizing hiring, with core ATS tasks, AI candidate matching, offers and eSignatures. Its listed starting price is $83.33, but the pricing is annual, so compare the total commitment rather than the monthly equivalent alone. Reported support concerns are a reason to check support terms before you move your process.
What works
- Tracks candidates through hiring stages
- Supports job posting and resume parsing
- Custom workflows can automate recruiting tasks
What doesn't
- Listed prices require annual billing
- Monthly prices are not published
- Hero job postings start at 3 per month
- Best for ATS + CRMCATSCATS
CATS combines an applicant tracking system with recruiting CRM features, making it a fit for recruiters managing clients and applicants in one workflow. The listed starting price is $95, with a per-user price to weigh as the team grows. Check how the per-user charge applies to your recruiters and what workflow automation is included before switching.
What works
- Combines applicant tracking and recruiting CRM
- Supports custom pipelines and stage-triggered actions
- Includes resume parsing and duplicate detection
What doesn't
- Annual pricing is $95 per user monthly
- Monthly pricing is $115 per user
- Plan name is not published
- Best for staffing firmsBullhornBullhorn
Bullhorn is the most directly targeted pick here for staffing firms that want ATS and CRM together, recruiting workflow automation and back-office tools. Its listed starting price is $99. The published material cautions buyers to get a quote before budgeting for AI or front-to-end operations, so the entry price is not enough to size a full deployment.
What works
- ATS and CRM cover clients, candidates, jobs, and pipelines
- Starter includes applicant tracking and resume parsing
- Core adds custom fields and workflows
What doesn't
- Pro and higher plan prices are not published
- Annual billing availability is not stated
- No free plan is listed
- Best for recruiting + HRWorkableWorkable
Workable combines recruiting and HR tools and is positioned for companies that want AI-assisted candidate sourcing alongside bundled hiring software. The listed starting price is $299, which is a meaningful step up from the lower-cost ATS options on this list. Buy it when the bundled scope fits; otherwise, compare the price with the recruiting features your team will actually use.
What works
- Searches 400M+ profiles for candidate sourcing
- Screens against up to 14 job criteria
- Posts jobs to 200+ boards and social platforms
What doesn't
- Starts at $299/month, with no free plan
- Unlimited active jobs are subject to fair-use limits
- Standard charges extra for texting and video interviews
- Best for sourcingLinkedIn RecruiterLinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter is the focused option for teams sourcing on LinkedIn, with ATS integration listed as a fit for buyers who need to connect sourcing to their hiring system. The listed starting price is $140, but the published material recommends getting a firm quote before signing or renewing. Confirm the plan and contact access you would receive before comparing it with an ATS.
What works
- Lite starts at $140 per seat monthly, billed annually
- Lite includes 20+ search filters
- Corporate includes full LinkedIn member network access
What doesn't
- Corporate and agency plan prices are not published
- Lite includes 30 monthly InMails per seat
- Lite is capped at five seats
- Best for tool consolidationGemGem
Gem is positioned for teams replacing several recruiting tools or keeping their current ATS, and its listed starting price is $130 with a free plan. That makes it worth comparing if consolidation is the goal. Its custom pricing is opaque, though, so ask which features and usage limits apply to the plan you are quoted before counting on savings.
What works
- Sourcing searches across 800M+ profiles
- Can pair with an existing ATS
- Combines sourcing, CRM, ATS, and analytics
What doesn't
- Custom plan prices are not published
- Startup price requires yearly payment
- Startup Program is limited to 1–10 FTE
- Best for passive sourcingLeverLever
Lever combines ATS and recruiting CRM features, with a stated fit for recruiters building passive-candidate pipelines and teams needing hiring analytics and AI. The feature coverage is strong, but no public price is listed, and the published material has no relevant Reddit feedback to clarify the value question. Ask for pricing and feature limits before treating it as a direct alternative.
What works
- Combines applicant tracking and recruiting CRM
- Includes hiring automation and candidate follow-ups
- Offers contextual, role-specific candidate insights
What doesn't
- Starting price is not published
- Monthly and annual prices are not published
- Candidate Insights add-on price is not published
- Best for enterpriseiCIMSiCIMS
iCIMS is aimed at enterprise talent acquisition and high-volume hiring, with configurable workflows listed among its strengths. Its price is not published, so buyers cannot size it from a public starting figure. Get the full pricing and support terms before switching, and confirm that the quoted configuration covers your hiring workflows rather than assuming the enterprise label includes everything you need.
What works
- Configurable enterprise ATS supports tailored hiring workflows.
- Automated sourcing and nurture campaigns help engage candidates.
- Career sites, digital assistants, and video testimonials support employer branding.
What doesn't
- Starting price and billing terms are not published.
- Reddit commenters describe the interface as dated or unintuitive.
- Some users report slow performance.
- Best for large teamsSmartRecruitersSmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters is built for enterprise corporate talent teams and high-volume recruiting operations that need end-to-end hiring tools. Its listed starting price is $1,249.58, making it the steepest clearly priced option in this shortlist. Treat that as a starting point, not a complete budget: the published material also flags limited price transparency, so ask what the quote includes.
What works
- Covers attraction, screening, selection, offers, and onboarding
- Includes applicant tracking and candidate relationship tools
- AI screening and talent matching are available
What doesn't
- Essential is listed at $14,995 with annual billing
- Monthly billing prices aren't published
- Professional, High Volume, and Complete prices aren't published
03How we chose
We weigh published pricing, plan limits, product documentation, and Reddit sentiment when comparing recruiting software. We give more weight to details a buyer can verify, such as what a plan includes and whether a price is public. Where a vendor does not publish a price or limit, we say so rather than estimate. Reddit comments are treated as user reports, not proof that a product will perform the same way for every hiring team. We do not claim hands-on testing.
04Choose for your hiring workflow, not the longest feature list
Start with the work your team needs to manage. If your main problem is finding candidates, prioritize sourcing and the ability to move promising prospects into a hiring workflow. If applicants are getting lost after they apply, focus on how the software handles stages, communication, and handoffs. For roles where assessment matters, check whether the product supports the evaluation process your team actually uses.
Before comparing vendors, write down who will use the system, which steps it must cover, and what information needs to move between steps. Then check the product documentation for those requirements. Ask vendors to clarify anything the docs leave unanswered. A broad feature list is not a substitute for confirming that the workflow fits your hiring process, permissions, and reporting needs.
05Compare the full cost and plan limits before switching
Do not compare recruiting software on a headline price alone. Check whether pricing is published, what each plan includes, and which limits could affect your team. If seats, hiring volume, integrations, or support terms matter to your decision, look for those details on the pricing page and documentation. If they are not published, ask for written clarification before you budget.
For a switch, list the data and workflows you need to preserve, then ask both vendors how the move would work. Confirm what can be exported, what needs rebuilding, and who handles setup. Treat Reddit comments as useful prompts for questions, not guarantees about your own migration. A short requirements checklist makes vendor conversations more comparable and helps expose costs or limitations that a sales overview may not answer.
Questions people ask
How should we choose recruiting software?
Start with your hiring workflow, team size, and the parts of recruiting you need the software to cover. Compare those requirements against product documentation and published plan details. If a needed feature, limit, or price is not clear, ask the vendor to confirm it in writing.
Should we choose an ATS or a sourcing tool?
Choose based on the gap you need to fix. If the priority is organizing applicants and hiring steps, assess workflow coverage. If the priority is finding candidates, assess sourcing needs. Some teams may need both; confirm each product's documented capabilities rather than assuming the category name guarantees a specific feature.
How much does recruiting software cost?
The published material available for this guide does not establish current prices or plan limits for the listed tools. Check each vendor's pricing page and ask for a written quote when pricing is not published. Confirm what the quoted plan includes before comparing total costs.
What should we check before switching recruiting software?
Document the data, hiring stages, and integrations you need to carry over. Ask the current and prospective vendors what can be exported, what requires manual setup, and whether any limits apply. Get answers in writing, and use user reports as questions to investigate rather than as guarantees.