How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- The budget shortlist: Breezy HR (free for 1 job, then $157/month annual), JazzHR (from $75/month annual) and Zoho Recruit (from $25/recruiter/month): all publish prices and suit steady small-team hiring.
- Manatal ($15/user/month annual) is the cheapest way to get AI resume parsing and sourcing; Ashby ($300+/month) is the analytics pick for funded startups.
- Pricing models differ: per-seat (Zoho, Manatal), flat monthly (Breezy, JazzHR), per-employee (Freshteam-style) and headcount-based (Workable, Recruitee, Ashby). Model your team size first.
- Watch job-slot caps and add-ons: Zoho caps active jobs per license, JazzHR's Hero tier allows 3 open jobs, and texting, e-signature and assessments are usually extra.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Breezy HR | Startups and small businesses hiring a few roles at a time | $0 (Bootstrap, 1 active job); Startup $189/month ($157/month billed annually) | Yes (free Bootstrap plan); 14-day free trial of paid plans, no credit card |
 Workable | Small teams up to ~500 employees wanting hiring plus light HR | $299/month (Standard, 1-20 employees, billed annually) | Free trial (15 days, no credit card) |
 JazzHR | Small teams at 5-500 employee companies doing steady hiring | $75/month (Hero, billed annually); $99/month billed monthly | Free trial (21 days) |
 Zoho Recruit | Budget-conscious small businesses and staffing agencies | $0 (Forever Free, 1 active job, 1 recruiter) | Yes (free plan); 15-day free trial |
 Recruitee | Fast-growing startups and SMBs hiring across locations | $270/month (Start, billed monthly); $216/month billed annually | Free trial (18 days, no credit card) |
 Manatal | Lean recruiting teams and staffing agencies wanting AI sourcing cheaply | $19/user/month (Professional, billed monthly); $15/user/month billed annually | Free trial (14 days, no credit card) |
 Ashby | Funded startups and tech scaleups up to 100 employees | $300/month (Foundations, 1-10 employees) | No (demo available) |
 Pinpoint | Mid-size companies that care about employer brand and candidate experience | See website (custom quote) | No (demo only) |
 Greenhouse | Teams wanting structured, scalable hiring processes | See website (custom quote) | No (demo available) |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best ATS software for small business
The myth: a small business needs an enterprise ATS. The reality: most small companies hire a handful of roles a year, and the software should stay out of the way: post the job everywhere, keep every candidate in one pipeline, and remind you who to follow up with. The wrong tool charges enterprise prices for that. These nine applicant tracking systems are the best ATS options for small companies, compared on pricing model, job limits and what the entry tier actually includes.
#1
Breezy HR
Best for: Startups and small businesses hiring a few roles at a time
Visit breezy.hr
Starting price$0 (Bootstrap, 1 active job); Startup $189/month ($157/month billed annually)
Free planYes (free Bootstrap plan); 14-day free trial of paid plans, no credit card
Breezy HR is the flat-price pick: unlimited users, unlimited candidates, one monthly number. Hiring managers and interviewers all get access without per-seat costs, which is rare at this price. Bootstrap is free for one active job; Startup runs $189 a month ($157 billed annually), Growth $329 ($273) and Business $529 ($439). Distribution to 50-plus job boards happens in one click, and annual billing saves roughly two months.
The honest catch is feature gating. The plan most growing teams need is Growth, not Startup: scorecards, interview guides, reference checks and e-signatures all sit there. AI evaluation and SMS texting cost extra. Integrations cover Slack, Google Calendar, background-check providers and HRIS tools, with chat, email and phone support on paid plans. For the best ATS for small companies that hire steadily but not constantly, the flat pricing is hard to beat.
What we like- Unlimited users and unlimited candidates on every plan including free
- One-click distribution to 50-plus job boards
- A genuinely usable free tier for sequential hiring
Watch out for- Scorecards, interview guides, reference checks and e-signatures are gated to Growth ($273-plus a month)
- AI evaluation and SMS texting are paid add-ons
#2
Workable
Best for: Small teams up to ~500 employees wanting hiring plus light HR
Visit workable.com
Starting price$299/month (Standard, 1-20 employees, billed annually)
Free planFree trial (15 days, no credit card)
Workable bundles the ATS with a light HRIS, which suits small teams that want one subscription for hiring and basic HR. AI sourcing and automated screening speed up the first hire, and 200-plus job boards are covered. Standard is $299 a month for 1 to 20 employees on annual billing, with Premier at $599 and Enterprise at $719; annual billing saves 20 percent. Pricing is per company, not per seat.
The catch is the headcount model. The price follows total employees, not hiring volume, so a year with two hires costs the same as a year with twenty. The AI agent runs on credits beyond the included allowance, and the seat-plus-usage math can surprise. Integrations span 270-plus tools including Slack, Zoom, BambooHR and assessment providers, with chat and email support. Good when hiring is constant; expensive when it is not.
What we like- AI sourcing across hundreds of millions of profiles plus automated screening
- The ATS bundled with core HR (onboarding, time off, e-signature)
- Posting to 200-plus job boards
Watch out for- Price follows total headcount, not hiring volume, so a quiet year costs the same
- Texting, video interviews and assessments are add-ons on Standard
#3
JazzHR
Best for: Small teams at 5-500 employee companies doing steady hiring
Visit jazzhr.com
Starting price$75/month (Hero, billed annually); $99/month billed monthly
Free planFree trial (21 days)
JazzHR charges for hiring volume, not headcount. Unlimited users on every plan means the whole hiring team gets in free; you pay for open jobs instead. Hero at $75 a month annual ($99 monthly) covers 3 open jobs, Plus at $269 ($325 monthly) and Pro at $420 ($499 monthly) raise the ceiling. Published pricing, fast implementation and free setup help make evaluation painless.
The Hero cap is the thing to watch: 3 open jobs forces most real teams onto Plus quickly. Candidate texting, e-signature and advanced reporting are add-ons on top. Owned by Employ Inc. (which also owns Lever and Jobvite), it integrates with BambooHR, Gusto, Checkr, Criteria and dozens more, with chat and phone support 9am to 6pm Eastern plus a 24/7 help center. For steady hiring where the team is bigger than the job count, the model fits well.
What we like- Flat pricing by job count rather than per seat, so adding hiring managers costs nothing
- Transparent published pricing
- Fast implementation with free setup help
Watch out for- Hero is capped at 3 open jobs, forcing upgrades fast
- Candidate texting, e-signature and advanced reporting are separate add-ons
#4
Zoho Recruit
Best for: Budget-conscious small businesses and staffing agencies
Visit zoho.com
Starting price$0 (Forever Free, 1 active job, 1 recruiter)
Free planYes (free plan); 15-day free trial
Zoho Recruit is the cheapest full-featured ATS on the market, full stop. Forever Free covers one active job and one recruiter; Standard is $25 per recruiter per month billed annually, Professional $50 and Enterprise $75. AI resume parsing and workflow automation at $25 a seat is unmatched on price. Two editions serve corporate HR and staffing agencies separately, and the Zoho ecosystem integrations (CRM, People, Gmail, Slack, LinkedIn) suit existing Zoho shops.
The job-slot model is the catch most comparison pages bury. Standard allows 10 active jobs per license and Enterprise 20, so scaling means buying more licenses. Past about five users, flat-rate tools like Breezy or JazzHR get cheaper. Check the right edition before buying: the staffing agency edition differs. For a small team already in the Zoho world, it is the obvious value pick.
What we like- The cheapest full-featured ATS on the market, with AI parsing and automation
- Two editions (Corporate HR and Staffing Agency) fit different buyers
- Deep integrations across the Zoho ecosystem
Watch out for- Active-job caps per license (10 on Standard, 20 on Enterprise) force extra licenses as you scale
- Per-seat pricing loses to flat-rate tools past about 5 users
#5
Recruitee
Best for: Fast-growing startups and SMBs hiring across locations
Visit recruitee.com
Starting price$270/month (Start, billed monthly); $216/month billed annually
Free planFree trial (18 days, no credit card)
Recruitee is built for collaborative hiring across locations. Scorecards, evaluations and shared pipelines keep hiring managers in the workflow instead of email threads, and multi-language support suits distributed teams. Start is $270 a month ($216 billed annually) for 1 to 20 employees, Grow $343 ($274), and Optimize is custom. The 18-day trial needs no credit card.
The price is the friction for small teams. At $216-plus a month it sits well above Breezy or JazzHR, so model it against those before committing. Reporting depth and CV parsing get mixed reviews. Annual billing is the only commitment option on published tiers. Integrations include Slack, Google Workspace, BambooHR, Gusto and 250-plus boards, with chat, email and phone support. Best when collaboration across locations is the daily reality, not the aspiration.
What we like- Strong collaborative hiring with scorecards, evaluations and shared pipelines
- Multi-language and multi-location support
- 250-plus job board integrations
Watch out for- Expensive for small teams relative to flat-rate alternatives
- Reporting depth and CV parsing get mixed reviews
#6
Manatal
Best for: Lean recruiting teams and staffing agencies wanting AI sourcing cheaply
Visit manatal.com
Starting price$19/user/month (Professional, billed monthly); $15/user/month billed annually
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card)
Manatal puts AI sourcing in reach at $15 a seat. Resume parsing, candidate enrichment and a sourcing Chrome extension come on the cheapest plan, which is capability competitors gate two tiers higher. Professional is $19 per user per month ($15 billed annually), Enterprise $39 ($35) and Enterprise Plus $59 ($55). The 14-day trial needs no card.
The caps decide the real tier. Professional allows 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates, so growing teams land on Enterprise; the AI chatbot and LLM integrations need Enterprise Plus, and API access with SSO sits there too. Integrations cover LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, Mailchimp and 20-plus social platforms, with 24/5 email and phone support plus live chat. For lean teams that want AI help without enterprise budgets, the value is real.
What we like- AI resume parsing, candidate enrichment and a sourcing Chrome extension at the lowest per-seat price in class
- Agency-friendly with CRM features
- Simple published pricing
Watch out for- Professional is capped at 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates
- API access and SSO require the top Enterprise Plus tier
#7
Ashby
Best for: Funded startups and tech scaleups up to 100 employees
Visit ashbyhq.com
Starting price$300/month (Foundations, 1-10 employees)
Free planNo (demo available)
Ashby is the data-driven pick. The reporting is the best in class: funnel conversion, velocity and diversity analytics without a BI tool, plus a sourcing CRM and scheduling in the same product. Foundations pricing is published by company-size band, from $300 a month for 1 to 10 employees up to $900 for 76 to 100, with about 10 percent off on annual billing. Unlimited recruiter seats on Foundations; interview-only users are free.
The commitment is the catch. Annual contracts are required, and Plus (101 to 1,000 employees) and Enterprise are custom quotes, so costs jump past 100 headcount. Advanced scheduling automation, the AI notetaker and SSO are paid add-ons. Integrations include Slack, Gmail, Zoom and 20-plus job boards, with chat and email support plus onboarding help. For startups that run hiring on data, it earns the price. For occasional hiring, it is overkill.
What we like- An all-in-one ATS, sourcing CRM, scheduling and analytics with the strongest reporting in class
- Published size-band pricing
- Unlimited recruiter seats on Foundations
Watch out for- An annual contract is required
- Advanced scheduling automation, the AI notetaker and SSO are paid add-ons
#8
Pinpoint
Best for: Mid-size companies that care about employer brand and candidate experience
Visit pinpointhq.com
Starting priceSee website (custom quote)
Free planNo (demo only)
Pinpoint sells the candidate experience. The applicant journey is polished and modern, with employer-branding tools that help conversion, and the platform earns high marks for ease of use. Reporting and automation are solid. For mid-size companies where brand matters in hiring, the UX is the differentiator.
The buying process is the friction. No public pricing (third-party reports cite roughly $345 a month for Growth and $1,200 for Enterprise, annual contracts), no free trial, and setup takes real configuration time. The vendor publishes no rate card, so budgeting means a sales conversation. Integrations cover major job boards, Slack, Zoom and HRIS tools, with chat and email support plus a customer success team. Shortlist it when candidate experience is a strategic priority; skip it when price transparency matters more.
What we like- A modern, candidate-experience-focused UX with strong employer-branding tools
- Highly rated for ease of use
- Good reporting and automation
Watch out for- No public pricing makes budgeting hard
- Annual contracts are the norm
- Setup takes meaningful configuration time
Starting priceSee website (custom quote)
Free planNo (demo available)
Greenhouse is the structured-hiring standard that smaller teams grow into. Interview kits, scorecards and consistent processes are the core: it makes hiring fair and repeatable rather than ad hoc. Core covers sourcing, CRM, scheduling, reporting and SSO; Plus adds automation and deeper reporting; Pro adds enterprise governance, audit logs and developer tools. The vendor confirms pricing is customized by organization size and hiring volume.
Everything is quote-based, so small teams cannot budget without a sales conversation. The platform's depth exceeds what occasional hiring needs; a team filling three roles a year will not use most of it. But for companies that plan to scale hiring and want the process built right from the start, it is the reference implementation. Demo it against Ashby if analytics matter, or against Breezy if price matters more than process rigor.
What we like- The structured-hiring standard with interview kits, scorecards and process rigor
- Strong sourcing CRM and scheduling built in
- Scales from startups to enterprises with governance and audit controls
Watch out for- Quote-only pricing with no published rates at any tier
- The platform's depth exceeds what occasional hiring needs
Per-seat vs. flat vs. headcount: the three pricing religions
ATS pricing comes in three models, and the cheapest depends on your shape. Per-seat (Zoho Recruit $25, Manatal $15) is cheapest for tiny teams and punishing past five or six users. Flat monthly (Breezy $157-$273, JazzHR $75-$420) does not care how many hiring managers pile in. Headcount-based (Workable $299 for 1-20 employees, Recruitee $216, Ashby $300-$900 by band) charges for company size whether you are hiring or not.
Model your team, not just your hiring plan. Five recruiters on Zoho Standard cost $125 a month; the same five on Manatal Professional cost $75. Twenty hiring managers on Breezy cost the same as two. A 50-person company hiring twice a year pays Workable $299 a month for the privilege. Pick the model that matches how hiring actually works at your company, then compare vendors inside it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ATS cost for a small business?
From $0 to about $300 a month: Breezy and Zoho have free tiers, JazzHR Hero is $75, Manatal $15 per user, Breezy Startup $157, JazzHR Plus $269, Workable Standard $299, Ashby from $300. Quote-based tools (Pinpoint, Greenhouse) are typically higher. Most small teams land between $75 and $300 a month before add-ons like texting and background checks.
What is the best free ATS for a small business?
Breezy's Bootstrap plan (one active job, unlimited users and candidates) and Zoho Recruit's Forever Free (one job, one recruiter) are the two genuinely usable free tiers. Both handle sequential hiring: fill one role, close it, open the next. For more than one concurrent role, the paid tiers start at $25 per seat (Zoho) or $157 flat (Breezy).
Do I need an ATS if I only hire a few people a year?
Probably yes, but a light one. Even three hires a year generate dozens of resumes, interview notes and follow-ups that spreadsheets lose. Breezy's free tier or Zoho's free plan covers that with no cost. The expensive mistake is buying a $300-a-month platform for occasional hiring; match the tool to the volume.
What are the hidden costs in ATS pricing?
Job-slot caps (Zoho's 10 per license, JazzHR Hero's 3 jobs), add-ons (texting, e-signature, video interviews, assessments, background checks), and AI usage credits (Workable's AI agent runs on credits). Annual contracts are common on the pricier tiers. Ask what is metered, what is capped and what is annual-only before signing.
Is Freshteam still a good option?
No. Freshworks began sunsetting Freshteam in January 2026, with renewals ending mid-2026. If you see it on old comparison lists, skip it. Breezy, JazzHR and Zoho Recruit cover the same budget ground with active development.
What to check before you buy: job slots, add-ons and the annual lock-in
Three things decide whether the price on the website is the price you pay. First, job slots: Zoho caps active jobs per license, JazzHR's Hero tier allows three open jobs, and Manatal's Professional caps at 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates. Count your concurrent openings honestly, including the ones you will open next quarter.
Second, add-ons. Texting candidates, e-signatures, video interviews, assessments and background checks are extra on nearly every platform. Breezy gates scorecards and e-signature to Growth; Workable's AI agent runs on credits; Ashby's AI notetaker and SSO cost more. List the add-ons you will actually use and price them.
Third, the contract. Ashby, Pinpoint and Greenhouse want annual commitments; Breezy, JazzHR and Zoho let you start monthly. If hiring is seasonal or uncertain, avoid the annual lock-in until the tool has proven itself for two quarters.
How we chose
We started with the searches buyers actually run: ATS software for small business, best ATS for small companies and small business applicant tracking. For each candidate we opened the vendor's own pricing page, checked plan names and prices against public reviews on G2 and Capterra and practitioner discussion on Reddit, and compared feature depth, pricing models and team-size fit. Where the vendor publishes no prices we wrote "See website" rather than repeating estimates as facts. We excluded Freshteam, which Freshworks discontinued in 2026, and the shortlist mixes flat-rate, per-seat and headcount-priced tools because small teams hire in very different ways.
Sources we checked (11)
- https://breezy.hr/pricing/
- https://www.workable.com/pricing/
- https://www.jazzhr.com/pricing/
- https://www.zoho.com/recruit/pricing/
- https://recruitee.com/pricing/
- https://www.manatal.com/pricing/
- https://www.ashbyhq.com/pricing/
- https://www.pinpointhq.com/pricing/
- https://www.greenhouse.com/pricing
- https://www.g2.com/categories/applicant-tracking-system-ats
- https://www.capterra.com/applicant-tracking-system-software/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.