Free Applicant Tracking Systems
Which applicant tracking and recruiting tools a startup can hire with for free today, how many open jobs and users the free plan allows, whether it posts to job boards, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Recruiting tools change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you post your first job with it.
Applicant tracking systems a startup can use for free today include Zoho Recruit (Free forever, 1 active job per recruiter), JobScore (Free 30-day trial), Breezy HR (Free forever, one active job at a time), Recooty (15-day free trial, no card needed), and OpenCATS (Free and open source, self-hosted). Each of the 9 free offers below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, whether it posts to job boards, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
The first hires decide a startup's future, and they arrive through a pile of applications, referrals and inbound messages. An applicant tracking system keeps every candidate in one pipeline. A few have a standing free plan; most start with a free trial.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free plan can allow one active job at a time or one recruiter, and job board posting or integrations can be kept for paid plans. Each tool below shows what is free, its main limit, whether it posts to job boards, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which tools we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which tools are listed or where.
Applicant tracking systems with a free plan
Post jobs and track candidates, on a plan that stays free.
- 1
Zoho Recruit
A solo recruiter with one open role at a time
Zoho Recruit's Free plan is forever free with one active job per recruiter license. The first paid plan is Standard at US$25 per recruiter a month, billed annually.
- 2
Breezy HR
A startup filling its first open role
Breezy's Bootstrap plan is free forever for one active job or candidate pool at a time, and it distributes that role to 50+ job boards.
Start free at Breezy HRReferral linkTerms read on breezy.hr on Breezy HR: the free allowance and how to start - 3
OpenCATS
A team that wants to own and host its recruiting data
OpenCATS is free, open-source applicant tracking and recruiting CRM software. You host it yourself, and you can inspect the code.
Applicant tracking systems with a free trial
Fuller recruiting suites, starting with a free trial.
- 1
JobScore
A team that wants the longest trial before paying
JobScore gives a free 30-day trial. Its LITE plan with 2 open jobs costs $69 a month.
- What's free
- Free 30-day trial (source: jobscore.com)
- First paid plan
- LITE: $69 a month, 2 open jobs (source: jobscore.com)
- 2
Recooty
A small team posting to several job boards at once
Recooty's 15-day free trial needs no credit card. Its Starter plan allows 5 active job posts and posting to Indeed, LinkedIn and Google for Jobs, and costs $79 a month billed annually.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: recooty.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $79 a month, billed annually (source: recooty.com)
- 3
Homerun
A team that wants almost every hiring feature before paying
Homerun starts every new account on a 15-day free trial with almost all of its applicant tracking and HR features, and no credit card is needed.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: homerun.co)
- 4
Manatal
A small team testing a per-user recruiting tool
Manatal offers a 14-day free trial with no card required, which leaves out free and premium job board posting. Its Professional plan is $15 per user a month, billed annually.
- Payment card
- No card required (source: manatal.com)
- 5
JazzHR
A small team that wants unlimited users during a trial
JazzHR's free trial runs 14 days with unlimited users and no credit card required. Its Hero plan for getting started is $1,000 a year, billed annually.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: jazzhr.com)
- First paid plan
- Hero: $1,000 a year, billed annually (source: jazzhr.com)
- 6
Recruitee
A hiring team that wants to test the software first
Recruitee offers a free trial of its applicant tracking software, and the pricing page says no credit card is required. The page does not state the trial length or a dollar price.
- Payment card
- No card required (source: recruitee.com)
Start free at RecruiteeTerms read on recruitee.com on Recruitee: the free allowance and how to start
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How this comparison is built
The list covers applicant tracking and recruiting tools a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each tool's terms. Every term comes from the tool's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on active jobs or recruiters, or job board posting kept for paid plans, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these tools pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a tool appears, and no tool pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
Is there a free applicant tracking system?
Yes. By the terms each provider states, Zoho Recruit is free forever with 1 active job per recruiter, Breezy HR is free forever with one active job at a time, and OpenCATS is free and open source to host yourself.
Is Zoho Recruit free?
Yes. Zoho Recruit's free plan is free forever with 1 active job per recruiter license. Standard costs US$25 a recruiter a month, billed annually.
Which ATS has the longest free trial?
JobScore offers a free 30-day trial, Recooty and Homerun 15 days, and Manatal and JazzHR 14 days.
How much does an ATS cost after the trial?
By each provider's own pricing, Manatal Professional costs $15 a user a month and Zoho Recruit Standard US$25 a recruiter a month, both billed annually, while JobScore LITE costs $69 a month for 2 open jobs.
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