For many businesses, hiring the right candidate can be a long and expensive adventure. Not only does a vacant position cost companies time and resources, the hunt for a qualified candidate can also add up quickly.
With the ever-changing recruitment landscape – and the increasing need to keep costs down – businesses are looking for a better approach. The strongest recruitment strategies minimize cost-per-hire, give job seekers a positive experience, and fill candidate pipelines quickly.
To do this, many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATSs) – software that automates and simplifies recruiting and hiring.
The right ATS can help you do things such as:
- Coordinate your recruitment efforts across your entire organization
- Streamline candidate tracking, evaluation, and communication
- Analyze your workflow to improve efficiency
However, these systems can come with a high price tag — especially if you are recruiting a large number of employees. Some companies offer them as add-ons to human resource management systems (HRMSs). Others provide flexible subscription services that can be configured to meet your organization’s specific needs. Most have a free version or free trial period available.
Whether you’re new to recruitment software or thinking of switching to a new tool, consider using a free applicant tracking software to streamline your process.
Here are seven of our favorite free applicant tracking systems and a summary of the features they offer.
| Company | Ideal For | Key Free Features |
| Zoho Recruit‘s end-to-end ATS is part of its recruitment platform. This integration might be too much for the needs of a small business. | Large companies in rapid expansion | – Users: 1 – Job postings: 1 – Candidate management – Team collaboration – Third-party integrations: 1 – Zapier – Career site setup |
| SmartStart is a free version of SmartRecruiters enterprise talent acquisition site. The system is a powerful social media recruiting tool for small to mid-size businesses. | Small to mid-size businesses interested in recruiting via social media | – Users: Unlimited – Job postings: 10 – Candidate management – Team collaboration – Third-party integrations: Multi – Career site setup |
| iKrut is heavily used in the startup community. This easy-to-use system has a comprehensive range of free functions, from thorough reporting to building a branded career microsite. | Startups with ever-changing recruiting needs | – Users: Unlimited – Job postings: Unlimited – Candidate management – Team collaboration – Third-party integrations: Social – Career site setup – Reporting: Basic |
| OpenCATS, an open-source ATS solution, requires a bit of technical knowledge to configure and lacks direct customer support. | – Users: Unlimited – Job postings: Unlimited – Candidate management – Team collaboration – Third-party integrations: Job boards | |
| Sprout, Freshteam’s free ATS, helps small companies stay organized with basic applicant tracking, interview scheduling, and integration with Google services. | Companies with up to 50 employees | – Users: 50 – Job postings: 3 – Candidate management – Team collaboration – Third-party integrations: Email – Career site setup: Basic |
| MightyRecruiter‘s features help you find and recruit top talent. MightyRecruiter also offers assistance in job description creation. | All types of organizations looking to recruit online | – Users: Unlimited – Job postings: 29 – Candidate management – Team collaboration – Career site setup |
| Recruiteze allows companies to manage job candidates all in one place, making posting jobs, finding candidates and filling positions easily. The free system, however, lacks essential features such as a careers page, candidate workflow, online job applications, and bulk resume upload. However, you can try some of the advanced features while on a free trial. | Companies looking to start simple and make recruiting more sophisticated over time | – Users: 1 – Job postings: Unlimited – Candidate management: up to 500 – Team collaboration – Third-party integrations: Multi – Career site setup |
Are free ATSs as good as paid versions?
The answer is: It really depends on your needs. Do you handle scheduling? Do you do background checks? Do you want to automate candidate communications or CV management? Are candidate proficiency assessments a part of your process? Whatever your specific needs, there are technologies out there with the features you are looking for.
Once you’ve found a program that can handle your specific needs, we recommend taking a look at these other important features:
- Data analysis and reporting
- Feature customization
- Flexibility and control
- Intuitive user interface
- System accessibility and integration
- Workflow automation
Conclusion
As you have probably guessed, there are dozens of ATSs on the market. Finding the right one for your needs can be a process of trial and error.
No matter which system you choose, as your recruitment process matures, you may need to upgrade your subscription to continue to see its time-saving benefits. The key to success is to think of your choice as an investment, making sure you choose software that will grow with your changing needs.
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