Which applicant tracking system should a small business or recruiter use?
Zoho Recruit for a small business hiring a few roles, Workable once hiring is constant, and Manatal or Recruit CRM if you are a recruiter or agency. Zoho Recruit has a forever-free plan with one active job and a Standard plan at US$25 a recruiter a month billed annually. Workable is priced by company size, $299 a month for 1 to 20 employees, with job-board posting and a 15-day trial. Manatal is the low-cost pick for independent recruiters at $15 a user a month billed yearly for up to 15 jobs. Recruit CRM, at $95 a user a month, tracks clients and placements as well as candidates, which is what a staffing agency bills on. If you already run greytHR, its Recruit add-on is ₹2,500 a recruiter a month. While you fill one role at a time, a free plan is enough; pay for an ATS when several roles run at once and candidates start slipping between inboxes.
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An explainer of what an ATS does with an application, from parsing a CV to ranking and filtering, which also tells an employer how candidates experience the tool they pick.
Zoho's short tour of posting a job, collecting applicants and moving them through stages, enough to judge whether the free plan covers a founder's first hires.
A hands-on buyer's guide to ATS products, last updated October 2026, sorting them by who they suit (Workable for small teams needing fast setup, Manatal for small businesses valuing easy setup, Greenhouse for structured hiring at larger companies).
Zoho's applicant tracking system for companies and staffing agencies. The page lists a forever-free plan with one active job, Standard at US$25 a recruiter a month and Enterprise at US$50, billed annually, a 15-day trial and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Workable is an applicant tracking system with job-board posting, sourcing and an HR module, priced by company size. The page lists Standard at $299 a month for 1 to 20 employees, with add-ons for texting, video interviews and assessments, and a 15-day free trial with no card.
A low-cost ATS and recruitment CRM used by small companies and independent recruiters. The page lists Professional at $15 a user a month billed yearly ($19 monthly) for up to 15 jobs, and Enterprise at $35 yearly ($39 monthly) with unlimited jobs.
An ATS and CRM built for staffing and recruitment agencies, tracking clients and placements as well as candidates. The page lists Pro at $95 a user a month, Business at $135 and Enterprise at $215, each with pooled AI credits, and a 30-day free trial.
India-built HR and payroll used by small and mid-sized firms. The page lists Essential at ₹2,495 a month including 50 employees (₹45 per employee above that) and Growth at ₹4,495 a month (₹85 above 50), which adds attendance, shifts, overtime and geo-fencing, plus add-ons such as expenses at ₹35 a user a month and Recruit at ₹2,500 a recruiter a month.
