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
- Startups on a budget should start free: Breezy HR's Bootstrap plan (one active role) and Freshteam's free tier (up to 50 employees) cost nothing.
- Workable at $299 a month and JazzHR at $75 a month offer published pricing and trials, the safest bets for early teams.
- Ashby at $400 a month and Lever by quote serve startups that hire at real volume and want all-in-one recruiting.
- Manatal at $15 per user per month is the cheapest per-seat AI-assisted ATS for lean teams that live on LinkedIn sourcing.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Breezy HR | Free start for one open role | Free (Bootstrap) | Free plan |
 Freshteam | Free ATS plus HR basics | Free (up to 50 employees) | Free plan |
 JazzHR | Affordable flat-fee ATS | $75/month (Hero, billed annually) | Free trial |
 Manatal | AI-assisted ATS on a budget | $15/user/month (Professional, billed annually) | Free trial (14 days) |
 Workable | All-in-one hiring and HR | $299/month (Standard) | Free trial (15 days) |
 Ashby | All-in-one recruiting for scaling teams | $400/month (Foundations) | No |
 Recruitee | Collaborative hiring with job slots | See website | Free trial (18 days) |
 Lever | High-volume startup hiring | See website | No |
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We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The top recruiting software for startups
Starting priceFree (Bootstrap)
Free planFree plan
Breezy HR's Bootstrap plan is free forever for one active position or candidate pool, with unlimited users, resume parsing, distribution to 50-plus job boards and GDPR compliance. Paid tiers run Startup at $157 a month billed annually ($189 monthly), Growth at $273 and Business at $439, all with unlimited users and candidates, plus a 14-day free trial.
The flat-fee model is the draw. Every hiring manager and interviewer gets access at no per-seat cost, and the drag-and-drop pipelines, automations and video meetings cover the core hiring workflow. Breezy posts to major job boards with one click and handles screening questionnaires and scorecards on higher tiers.
The honest caveats: one active position is genuinely limiting for growing teams; interview scorecards and eSignatures need Growth; and add-ons like SMS, onboarding and AI credits stack on top. For founders making their first hires, the free tier is the cheapest way to run a real pipeline.
What we like- Real free tier
- Unlimited users on paid plans
- One-click posting to 50-plus job boards
Watch out for- Free tier limited to one position
- Key features gated on Growth
- Add-ons add up
Starting priceFree (up to 50 employees)
Free planFree plan
Freshteam by Freshworks offers a free-forever plan for up to 50 active employees with a basic ATS: kanban pipelines, email templates, a career site, employee directory and time-off management. Paid tiers run Growth at $1 per employee per month plus a $59.99 platform fee, Pro at $2 plus $99.99, and Enterprise at $4 plus $169.99, with a free trial on signup.
The value is breadth for zero dollars. Small startups get applicant tracking, onboarding, leave management and an org chart in one system, with integrations to Slack, Zoom, Google Calendar and the wider Freshworks ecosystem. Paid tiers add autopilot recruiting automation, custom pipelines, scorecards and offer management.
The honest limits: the free tier caps published job postings (3 on Free, 20 on Growth); the platform fee means the headline per-employee price understates cost; and customization and integrations are limited next to dedicated ATS platforms. For startups that want HR basics with hiring included, free, it is hard to beat.
What we like- Free for up to 50 employees
- ATS plus onboarding and time off
- Part of Freshworks ecosystem
Watch out for- Free tier caps job postings
- Paid plans add platform fees
- Customization is limited
Starting price$75/month (Hero, billed annually)
Free planFree trial
JazzHR publishes its pricing: Hero at $75 a month billed annually ($99 monthly) with 3 active jobs, Plus at $269 ($325 monthly) with 200 jobs, and Pro at $420 ($499 monthly) with unlimited jobs, unlimited users on every plan and a free trial. It focuses on the hiring workflow and stops there: job posting and syndication, resume parsing, custom stages, interview scheduling, evaluations and reporting.
The flat fee with unlimited users makes it cheap for teams where many managers interview. Setup is quick, the workflows are straightforward, and the ATS covers the essentials without the HRIS bloat that startups do not need yet.
The honest caveats: the 3-job cap on Hero bites fast, and extra jobs cost $9 each per month; candidate texting, eSignatures and advanced reporting are paid add-ons; and there is no permanent free tier. For startups hiring steadily for a handful of roles, Hero or Plus is an honest, affordable ATS.
What we like- Flat-fee pricing with unlimited users
- Cheap Hero entry tier
- Straightforward workflows
Watch out for- Hero caps at 3 jobs
- Add-ons cost extra
- No free plan
Starting price$15/user/month (Professional, billed annually)
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Manatal is the budget AI ATS: Professional at $15 per user per month billed annually ($19 monthly), Enterprise at $35 and Enterprise Plus at $55, with a 14-day free trial requiring no credit card. It combines an ATS with a recruiting CRM, AI candidate recommendations and scoring, LinkedIn and social profile enrichment, a Chrome sourcing extension and a branded career page builder.
The value proposition is clear: AI-assisted matching and social sourcing at the lowest per-seat price in the category, with 10,000 candidates and 15 open jobs on Professional. For lean startup teams and founder-led hiring, it punches above its price.
The honest limits: per-user pricing means costs grow with every hiring manager you add; workflow automations only come on Enterprise; and API access and SSO are Enterprise Plus features. There is no free plan. For small teams that source on LinkedIn and want AI help shortlisting, Manatal is the price leader.
What we like- Cheapest AI-assisted ATS
- Social and LinkedIn sourcing
- 14-day trial with no card
Watch out for- Per-user costs scale with team
- Automations need Enterprise
- No free plan
Starting price$299/month (Standard)
Free planFree trial (15 days)
Workable's Standard plan is $299 a month for companies with 1 to 20 employees, with Premier at $599 and Enterprise at $719, all with a 15-day free trial and no credit card. It bundles a full ATS (AI-powered sourcing, 200-plus job board postings, video interviews on higher tiers) with core HR, onboarding, time off and payroll preparation.
The all-in-one pitch suits startups that want hiring and basic HR in one subscription instead of two. Pricing is per company rather than per seat, AI sourcing credits come on Standard, and the 270-plus integrations cover the HR stack. Annual billing commits upfront at the same monthly rate.
The honest caveats: pricing climbs with employee headcount past 20; texting, video interviews, assessments and performance reviews are add-ons on Standard; and there is no free plan. For startups that will use both the ATS and the HRIS, Standard is fair value.
What we like- Published pricing
- AI sourcing included
- ATS plus HRIS and onboarding
Watch out for- Per-company pricing scales with headcount
- Add-ons on Standard
- No free plan
Starting price$400/month (Foundations)
Free planNo
Ashby's All-in-One Foundations plan is $400 a month for up to 100 employees, with a 10 percent annual discount, combining applicant tracking, candidate CRM, interview scheduling automation, offer management and built-in hiring analytics. Plus and Enterprise tiers are quote-based, with add-ons for advanced scheduling and an AI notetaker. There is no free trial or free plan.
Ashby is the startup world's prestige ATS: Y Combinator companies and high-growth tech teams choose it because sourcing, outreach, scheduling and analytics live in one system instead of five integrations. The analytics are genuinely best-in-class for pipeline health and time-to-hire.
The honest reality: $400 a month with no trial is a commitment for an early startup, and smaller teams hiring occasionally will not use the depth. It earns its keep when hiring is a weekly activity with multiple stakeholders. For startups scaling past 30 people with serious hiring velocity, Ashby is the category benchmark.
What we like- ATS, CRM, scheduling and analytics in one
- Built for high-growth startups
- Transparent entry price
Watch out for- No free trial or free plan
- $400 floor is steep for pre-seed
- Implementation costs on larger deals
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial (18 days)
Recruitee (part of Tellent) is the Amsterdam-born collaborative hiring platform with ATS, employer branding, sourcing and analytics, priced around active job slots across Launch, Scale and Lead tiers, with an 18-day free trial. Published figures vary across sources, so confirm the current pricing page before budgeting.
The collaboration model is the strength: hiring teams, scorecards, evaluations and branded career pages built for distributed decision-making, with 250-plus job board integrations. The job-slot model suits startups with cyclical hiring, since you pay for open roles rather than seats.
The honest caveats: pricing transparency is poor, with third-party figures ranging widely; costs scale with team size and slots; and add-ons like texting and WhatsApp hiring cost extra. It is a strong product that you should evaluate on a demo, not a price page.
What we like- Strong collaboration workflows
- Job-slot pricing suits cyclical hiring
- 18-day trial
Watch out for- Published prices vary by source
- Costs scale with users and slots
- No free plan
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Lever is the candidate-relationship ATS for startups that compete for talent: a full CRM for nurturing candidates, advanced automation, interview scheduling, offer management and analytics, sold by quote through an enterprise sales motion. There is no free trial and no published pricing.
The CRM-first design is the differentiator. Startups hiring engineers and go-to-market talent in competitive markets use Lever to run sourcing campaigns, nurture pipelines and manage referrals with the sophistication of a sales team. The automation and reporting are built for talent teams, not occasional hiring.
The honest reality: Lever sells like enterprise software, with pricing to match, and it is overkill for a startup making five hires a year. When hiring is a core company function with dedicated recruiters, Lever belongs on the shortlist; before that, the cheaper tools above do the job.
What we like- Top-tier candidate CRM
- Strong automation
- Built for competitive hiring
Watch out for- Quote-only pricing
- Enterprise sales motion
- Overkill for occasional hiring
What to compare before you buy
Flat fee vs per-seat vs per-slot
The category prices three ways. Flat fee (Breezy HR, JazzHR, Workable) is predictable and friendly to teams with many interviewers. Per-seat (Manatal, Recruitee) grows with every hiring manager. Per-slot (Recruitee) suits cyclical hiring. Model your actual hiring pattern against each, because the cheapest sticker price is not always the cheapest year.
Free tier limits
Free tiers here are real but bounded: Breezy HR's Bootstrap covers one active position, Freshteam's free tier caps job postings and employees. Both are enough to run your first hires professionally. When you outgrow them, the paid tiers are still cheaper than enterprise ATS platforms.
How we chose
We built this list from vendor pricing pages and 2026 industry coverage, cross-checking published prices against at least two sources. Every tool had to offer applicant tracking with job posting and candidate pipelines, be startup-appropriate in price or buying motion, and be live today. Prices are stated exactly as vendors publish them; where published figures conflicted or were quote-only, we wrote "See website". We did not run hands-on trials; this guide reflects documented capabilities as each vendor presents them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free recruiting software for startups?
Breezy HR's Bootstrap plan is free for one active position with unlimited users, and Freshteam's free tier covers up to 50 employees with a basic ATS. Both are genuinely free with no time limit. They cover a startup's first hires; upgrade when you run multiple open roles.
How much should a startup spend on recruiting software?
Early startups spend $0 to $150 a month: free tiers, then Manatal at $15 per user per month or JazzHR at $75 a month. Growing startups with constant hiring spend $300 to $600 a month on Workable or Ashby. Enterprise ATS platforms cost far more and are unnecessary before you have dedicated recruiters.
What is an ATS?
An applicant tracking system manages hiring end to end: posting jobs to job boards, collecting applications, screening and scoring candidates, scheduling interviews, collaborating with hiring teams and making offers. Every tool on this list is an ATS, with some adding CRM, HRIS or onboarding.
Do I need recruiting software for my first hires?
A spreadsheet works for one or two hires, but an ATS pays off quickly: a branded career page, one-click job board posting, automated screening and a professional candidate experience. Breezy HR and Freshteam make the professional option free, so there is little reason to stay on spreadsheets.
What is the difference between an ATS and a recruiting CRM?
An ATS manages active applicants through a hiring pipeline. A CRM nurtures talent over time: sourcing passive candidates, running outreach campaigns and building talent pools for future roles. Lever and Ashby combine both; Manatal adds CRM features; the simpler tools are ATS-first.
How long does it take to set up an ATS?
Self-serve tools (Breezy HR, Freshteam, JazzHR, Manatal, Workable) get you posting jobs within a day, with career pages and pipelines configured in an afternoon. Ashby and Lever involve onboarding projects measured in weeks. Budget the setup time against your hiring urgency.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.workable.com/pricing/
- https://www.ashbyhq.com/pricing
- https://breezy.hr/pricing
- https://www.freshworks.com/hrms/freshteam/pricing/
- https://www.jazzhr.com/pricing/
- https://recruitee.com/pricing/
- https://www.manatal.com/pricing/
- https://www.lever.co/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 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.