How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
What is the best recruitment agency software in 2026?
The best recruitment agency software in 2026 is Manatal for most small and mid-size agencies, because Professional covers AI enrichment, recommendations and a candidate CRM for $15 per user a month billed annually. Larger agencies that need a full recruitment operating system should look at Bullhorn first, and agencies on the tightest budget should look at Zoho Recruit.
This guide is written for staffing and recruitment agencies that place candidates at client companies, not for in-house HR teams hiring their own staff. An agency needs a candidate database it owns, a client CRM for business development, placement and billing tracking, and portals where clients approve shortlists. Every price below comes from the vendor's own pricing page, checked on 11 November 2026.
Key points before the detailed list:
- Prices run from $15 per user a month (Manatal Professional, billed annually) to $165 per user a month (Bullhorn Core), while JobAdder publishes no price at all and Loxo Professional is quote only.
- The cheapest tier is rarely the whole product. Bullhorn's published tiers are ATS-only, with the CRM arriving at the quote-only Pro tier, and Vincere sells AI matching and Pay and Bill as paid add-ons.
- Only Zoho Recruit has a permanent free plan, with 1 active job. Every other tool here offers a free trial of 7 to 30 days, or a demo only.
- Credits are the hidden cost. Recruit CRM charges credits on top of the seat price for job multiposting, WhatsApp, LinkedIn messaging and AI sourcing, and Loxo meters agent work in credits.
How should a recruitment agency choose its software?
Start with the desk type, because perm, contract and temp desks need different tools. A perm-only agency needs a strong candidate database, search and client CRM, and Manatal or Bullhorn covers that. A contract or temp agency needs timesheets, pay and bill, and scheduling, which points to Vincere Pro or Recruit CRM with its timesheets module. An agency that runs all three desks in one system should shortlist Vincere or Bullhorn.
Next, count the real cost per recruiter, not the headline seat price, and check the client-facing side. Manatal Professional at $15 per user a month looks cheap until the 15 open-job cap forces an upgrade, Recruit CRM adds credit charges on top of the seat, and Loxo charges annual plans paid up front. The portals sit on different tiers, so confirm the portal is in the tier you will actually buy.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price (checked 11 Nov 2026) | Free plan |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Manatal | Most small and mid-size agencies | $15/user/month billed annually (Professional) | No, 14-day trial |
| Bullhorn | Larger agencies, full platform | $99/user/month (Starter) | No, demo only |
| Vincere | Perm, contract and temp desks | £150/month flat (Startup, 1 user) | No, demo only |
| Recruit CRM | Small agencies, timesheets and billing | $95/user/month billed annually (Pro) | No, 30-day trial |
| Zoho Recruit | Agencies on the tightest budget | Free plan; Standard $25/user/month billed annually | Yes |
| Loxo | Agencies wanting AI sourcing at scale | Core from $149/user/month billed annually | No, 7-day trial |
| Crelate | US mid-market agencies, customisation | $85/user/month paid annually (Essentials) | No, free trial |
| JobAdder | Agencies wanting SEEK-owned ATS plus CRM | Quote only | No, no trial listed |
What does recruitment agency software cost for a 5-recruiter team?
Take a 5-recruiter agency on the entry paid tier of each tool, at the annual rate where published. Manatal Professional at $15 per user costs $75 a month; Zoho Recruit Standard at $25 costs $125; Crelate Essentials at $85 costs $425; Recruit CRM Pro at $95 costs $475 before credit charges; Bullhorn Starter at $99 costs $495 for an ATS-only tier; Vincere Core at £95 costs £475; Loxo Core from $149 costs at least $745 a month for a full year.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Manatal | Small and mid-size recruitment agencies that want AI enrichment and a candidate CRM at the lowest seat price here | Professional $15 per user per month billed annually ($19 month-to-month); Enterprise $35 ($39); Enterprise Plus $55 ($59); Custom on demand (manatal.com/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026) | No; free trial offered on every plan, with third-party reports putting it at 14 days with no credit card |
 Bullhorn | Larger recruitment agencies that want a full recruitment operating system with a large integration marketplace | Starter $99 per user per month; Core $165 per user per month; Pro and Max custom, quote only (bullhorn.com/small-agency-software/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026) | No; no free trial. Bullhorn's own FAQ says it does not currently offer a free trial, and a demo is offered instead. |
 Vincere | Recruitment agencies running perm, contract and temp desks in one workflow | Startup £150 per month flat for 1 user; Core £95 per user per month for 2 to 7 users; Pro from £85 per user per month for 7 or more users. Startup and Core are 30-day rolling contracts with no annual lock-in (vincere.io/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026). Prices are published in GBP only. | No; no free trial. The vendor's own startup page says it does not currently offer a free trial, and a demo is offered instead. |
 Recruit CRM | Small and mid-size agencies that want timesheets and billing built into the ATS and CRM | Pro $95 per user per month billed annually ($109 month-to-month); Business $135 ($159); Enterprise $215 ($259); annual billing is 2 months free (recruitcrm.io/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026; dollar figures did not render, so these figures come from independent reads dated 17 to 30 October 2026) | No; 30-day free trial, stated on the vendor pricing page |
 Zoho Recruit | Recruitment agencies on the tightest budget, especially those already using Zoho apps | Staffing Agency edition: Forever Free $0 with 1 active job; Standard $25 per user per month billed annually ($30 monthly); Professional $50 ($60); Enterprise $75 ($90) (zoho.com/recruit/pricing.html and Zoho help center, checked 11 Nov 2026; the public page defaults to the Corporate HR edition, so agency rates come from Zoho's help center, September 2026) | Yes; Forever Free with 1 active job. 15-day free trial with full Enterprise features, plus a 45-day money-back guarantee, both stated on the vendor pricing page. |
 Loxo | Agencies that want AI agents to run sourcing, screening and outreach at scale | Core starts at $149 per user per month billed annually. Professional: price no longer published; the live page says to book a demo to see pricing, billed annually. Enterprise is custom (loxo.co/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026). | No; the former free tier is gone. 7-day free trial with the full Professional platform including Loxo Source and the AI agent workforce, no credit card, stated on the vendor pricing page. |
 Crelate | US mid-market recruitment agencies that want deep customisation and client portals | Essentials $85 per user per month paid annually, up to 2 users and 20,000 contacts; Business $119 per user per month; Business Plus custom; Platform custom, usage-based (crelate.com/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026) | No; free trial listed on G2, though the vendor pricing page itself does not state the trial length |
 JobAdder | Recruitment agencies that want a SEEK-owned ATS and CRM with broad job board distribution | Quote only. Plans are Recruiter Lite for 1 to 5 users, Recruiter Essential for 6 to 20, Recruiter Pro for 21 or more, and Business (jobadder.com/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026) | No; no free trial listed on the vendor page, and Capterra records no free trial available, third-party, August 2026 |
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.
#1Manatal
Best for: Small and mid-size recruitment agencies that want AI enrichment and a candidate CRM at the lowest seat price here4.8/5 on
G2 (147 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit manatal.com
Starting priceProfessional $15 per user per month billed annually ($19 month-to-month); Enterprise $35 ($39); Enterprise Plus $55 ($59); Custom on demand (manatal.com/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026)
Free planNo; free trial offered on every plan, with third-party reports putting it at 14 days with no credit card
Manatal is the cheapest way into a proper agency system because its Professional tier includes the AI features other vendors sell as add-ons: candidate enrichment, AI recommendations and semantic search are all in the $15 per user a month plan. The candidate CRM is the reason agencies pick it over a plain ATS, with talent pools, enrichment from public profiles and campaign-style outreach that turns past applicants into a pipeline.
What we like- CRM-first ATS with AI candidate enrichment, AI recommendations and semantic search on every plan, plus a candidate CRM with talent pools and campaign-style outreach, and sourcing from 10 or more platforms
Watch out for- Professional caps the agency at 15 open jobs and 10,000 candidates, so success forces an upgrade, and the open API, SSO, Zapier and candidate portal are locked to Enterprise Plus at $55
#2Bullhorn
Best for: Larger recruitment agencies that want a full recruitment operating system with a large integration marketplace4.2/5 on
G2 (1,232 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit bullhorn.com
Starting priceStarter $99 per user per month; Core $165 per user per month; Pro and Max custom, quote only (bullhorn.com/small-agency-software/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026)
Free planNo; no free trial. Bullhorn's own FAQ says it does not currently offer a free trial, and a demo is offered instead.
Bullhorn is the agency standard for a reason: it has been built for staffing agencies since 1999, and the depth shows in the workflow, from resume parsing and candidate management to job posting, career portals and mass mailing on the Starter tier. Core adds the marketplace of more than 300 partner apps, LinkedIn integration and custom workflows, and the platform scales from a small desk to an enterprise agency without a migration.
What we like- Purpose-built for staffing agencies since 1999, with a complete ATS on Starter covering resume parsing, candidate and client management, job posting and mass mailing, plus a 300-plus partner app marketplace and LinkedIn integration on Core
Watch out for- The full recruitment CRM and AI search and match only arrive at Pro, which is quote only, so the two published tiers are ATS-only
#3Vincere
Best for: Recruitment agencies running perm, contract and temp desks in one workflow4.5/5 on
G2 (403 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit vincere.io
Starting priceStartup £150 per month flat for 1 user; Core £95 per user per month for 2 to 7 users; Pro from £85 per user per month for 7 or more users. Startup and Core are 30-day rolling contracts with no annual lock-in (vincere.io/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026). Prices are published in GBP only.
Free planNo; no free trial. The vendor's own startup page says it does not currently offer a free trial, and a demo is offered instead.
Vincere is the only tool here that treats perm, contract and temp as one workflow rather than three products. The ATS and client CRM sit next to business-development tools, temp and contract management with scheduling and timesheets, and Pay and Bill on Pro, so a mixed-desk agency can run its whole business in one system. The 30-day rolling contracts on Startup and Core are unusual in this list and suit an agency that does not want an annual lock-in.
What we like- A recruitment operating system for perm, contract and temp desks in one workflow, with ATS plus client CRM, business-development tools, temp and contract management with scheduling and timesheets, and Pay and Bill on Pro
Watch out for- Prices are published in GBP only, so a US agency must convert, and AI matching, AI agents, meeting assistant and Pay and Bill are all paid add-ons on Core rather than part of the £95 seat
#4Recruit CRM
Best for: Small and mid-size agencies that want timesheets and billing built into the ATS and CRM4.8/5 on
G2 (120 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit recruitcrm.io
Starting pricePro $95 per user per month billed annually ($109 month-to-month); Business $135 ($159); Enterprise $215 ($259); annual billing is 2 months free (recruitcrm.io/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026; dollar figures did not render, so these figures come from independent reads dated 17 to 30 October 2026)
Free planNo; 30-day free trial, stated on the vendor pricing page
Recruit CRM is the most practical pick for a contract-heavy agency because the timesheets and billing module is built in, not bolted on. Contractors log hours, managers approve them, and approved time flows into invoicing, with pay and bill rates calculated by margin or markup from the placement record. The hiring-manager portal, Chrome sourcing extension and multichannel sequences cover the front office, and job multiposting reaches more than 3,000 boards.
What we like- ATS plus CRM built for small and mid-size agencies, with a hiring-manager portal, Chrome sourcing extension, multichannel sequences across email, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, and a built-in timesheets and billing module
Watch out for- The seat price is not the total cost, because job multiposting, WhatsApp, LinkedIn messaging, AI sourcing, advanced analytics and contractor timesheets all consume credits on top of the subscription
#5Zoho Recruit
Best for: Recruitment agencies on the tightest budget, especially those already using Zoho apps4.4/5 on
G2 (1,867 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit zoho.com
Starting priceStaffing Agency edition: Forever Free $0 with 1 active job; Standard $25 per user per month billed annually ($30 monthly); Professional $50 ($60); Enterprise $75 ($90) (zoho.com/recruit/pricing.html and Zoho help center, checked 11 Nov 2026; the public page defaults to the Corporate HR edition, so agency rates come from Zoho's help center, September 2026)
Free planYes; Forever Free with 1 active job. 15-day free trial with full Enterprise features, plus a 45-day money-back guarantee, both stated on the vendor pricing page.
Zoho Recruit is the cheapest genuine agency system here, and the only one with a permanent free plan, which makes it the right starting point for a new agency. The Staffing Agency edition is a real agency product, not a relabelled HR tool, with client and staffing portals, territory management and candidate pre-screening, and the active-job allowance grows from 100 on Standard to 750 on Enterprise.
What we like- A dedicated Staffing Agency edition with client and staffing portals, territory management, candidate pre-screening and 100 to 750 active jobs per licence by tier, plus Zia AI matching from Professional
Watch out for- The agency pricing lives in a help-center article, not on the marketing pricing page, so buyers easily compare the wrong table, and portals, AI matching and advanced automation are gated at Professional and Enterprise
#6Loxo
Best for: Agencies that want AI agents to run sourcing, screening and outreach at scale4.6/5 on
G2 (182 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit loxo.co
Starting priceCore starts at $149 per user per month billed annually. Professional: price no longer published; the live page says to book a demo to see pricing, billed annually. Enterprise is custom (loxo.co/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026).
Free planNo; the former free tier is gone. 7-day free trial with the full Professional platform including Loxo Source and the AI agent workforce, no credit card, stated on the vendor pricing page.
Loxo is the most ambitious tool in this list: it combines the ATS, the recruiting CRM and the sales CRM for business development with a talent graph of more than 850 million profiles and AI agents that write job descriptions, build longlists of up to 10,000 screened candidates, rank shortlists and run outreach. For an agency that wants AI to do the first pass on every role, nothing else here matches it.
What we like- All-in-one Talent Intelligence Platform with ATS plus recruiting CRM plus sales CRM, plus Loxo Source, a proprietary 850-million-plus professional talent graph, and AI agents that run intake, longlists, ranked shortlists and multi-channel outreach
Watch out for- Annual plans paid up front only, so a 5-seat team commits a full year before its first placement, and agent work is metered in credits at 2,500 per seat a month on Professional
#7Crelate
Best for: US mid-market recruitment agencies that want deep customisation and client portals4.4/5 on
G2 (222 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit crelate.com
Starting priceEssentials $85 per user per month paid annually, up to 2 users and 20,000 contacts; Business $119 per user per month; Business Plus custom; Platform custom, usage-based (crelate.com/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026)
Free planNo; free trial listed on G2, though the vendor pricing page itself does not state the trial length
Crelate has served US mid-market agencies since 2012, and its strength is configurability: custom workflows, fields, activities and document types let an agency shape the system around its own process, and client portals carry per-portal branding so each client sees its own identity. The branded job portal and the Indeed, Dice and CareerBuilder integrations cover the sourcing side, and the SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications matter to agencies whose clients ask about security.
What we like- Configurable full-desk ATS and CRM for US mid-market agencies, with deep customisation of workflows and fields, client portals, a branded job portal, Indeed, Dice and CareerBuilder integrations, and SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification
Watch out for- The tier Crelate markets hardest, Business Plus, with the AI Co-Pilot, automation and sequencing, premium client portals and RingCentral, is quote only, and email, texting, eSignature and enrichment are additional-fee add-ons even on paid plans
#8
JobAdder
Best for: Recruitment agencies that want a SEEK-owned ATS and CRM with broad job board distribution
Visit jobadder.com
Starting priceQuote only. Plans are Recruiter Lite for 1 to 5 users, Recruiter Essential for 6 to 20, Recruiter Pro for 21 or more, and Business (jobadder.com/pricing, checked 11 Nov 2026)
Free planNo; no free trial listed on the vendor page, and Capterra records no free trial available, third-party, August 2026
JobAdder is owned by SEEK, and that shows in the distribution: built-in multi-posting, a branded careers page and candidate portal, and Broadbean distribution put jobs in front of candidates with less manual work. The front office covers the ATS and the recruitment CRM together, with temp and contractor talent pools for agencies that run contract desks, and business-development and sales pipelines for winning new clients.
What we like- Front-office ATS plus recruitment CRM built for agencies, owned by SEEK, with built-in multi-posting to job boards, a branded careers page and candidate portal, temp and contractor talent pools, business-development and sales pipelines, plus Broadbean distribution
Watch out for- Plans are tiered by headcount rather than by features, so the agency is slotted by team size, and API access is unavailable on Lite and only an add-on on Essential
Frequently asked questions
How much does recruitment agency software cost per month?
Expect $15 to $165 per user a month on published prices, or a sales quote. Manatal Professional costs $15 per user a month, Zoho Recruit Standard costs $25, Crelate Essentials costs $85, Recruit CRM Pro costs $95, Bullhorn Starter costs $99, and Bullhorn Core costs $165. JobAdder publishes no price, and Loxo Professional is quote only.
What is the difference between an ATS and a recruitment agency CRM?
An ATS tracks candidates through hiring stages for a single employer, while a recruitment agency CRM tracks clients, business development, placements and billing across many employers. An agency needs both. Bullhorn, Vincere, JobAdder, Recruit CRM, Manatal, Zoho Recruit and Crelate all combine the two, but the CRM often sits on a higher tier, as with Bullhorn Pro, so confirm the tier you buy includes the client side.
Which recruitment agency software is best for a small agency?
Manatal Professional at $15 per user a month is the best value for a small perm agency, with AI enrichment and a candidate CRM included. Zoho Recruit is the cheapest starting point, with a free plan for 1 active job and Standard at $25 per user a month. Recruit CRM Pro at $95 per user a month is the better pick for a small agency that bills contractors, because timesheets and billing are built in.
Do these tools handle temp and contract placements?
Some do, and the desk type decides the pick. Vincere covers perm, contract and temp in one workflow with scheduling, timesheets and Pay and Bill on Pro. Recruit CRM includes a timesheets and billing module that calculates contractor pay and client bill rates. JobAdder has temp and contractor talent pools.
Can I try recruitment agency software before paying?
Most tools offer a trial or a demo. Recruit CRM offers a 30-day free trial, Manatal offers a trial on every plan, Loxo offers a 7-day free trial of the full Professional platform, and Zoho Recruit offers a 15-day free trial plus a 45-day money-back guarantee. Bullhorn and Vincere offer no free trial and sell through a demo, JobAdder lists no trial, and Crelate's trial length is not stated on its own pricing page.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.manatal.com/pricing
- https://www.bullhorn.com/small-agency-software/pricing/
- https://www.vincere.io/pricing/
- https://recruitcrm.io/pricing
- https://www.zoho.com/recruit/pricing.html
- https://loxo.co/pricing
- https://www.crelate.com/pricing
- https://jobadder.com/pricing
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 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.