I researched Applicant Tracking Systems (So you don’t have to)

Are you having a hard time handling your talent pool and worried with upcoming GDPR? Then you probably tried to find some technology such as ATS software that will solve your problem. Here is the next obstacle for you – there are a number of them! Don’t worry; we researched applicant tracking systems, so you don’t have to.

What does ATS stand for?

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a handy little thing that will help you automate the company’s recruiting and staffing efforts. You will be able to handle all kind of things easier – from job posting to hiring. Moreover,  ATS can help you manage candidate’s data. Based on the data you collect, you will be able to improve candidates experience, which will save you time and make you more productive. 

The bad news for HR and PeopOps teams is there is a bunch of them (more than 300 in the market at the moment to be exact). Our team tends to move fast so we can keep our average time per hire at 2 weeks. From the moment we receive the job description to the moment a stressed manager starts thanking us, we only think about tracking our time and productivity. Staffing agencies use CRM’s and we couldn’t afford the whole team to do the research. The decision was I should do it. I’ve found an article named The top 100 ATS in 2018 . Oh, the excitement.

I wanted to learn which ATS are the biggest sharks out there using.

Well, none of them. Google developed their own ATS product called Hire. The bad news is that this software is available only for companies that use G Suite and are based in US. 

Facebook also developed CRM for their needs. This might not be the best solution for every company cause it takes up a lot of planning and resources if you want those cool features like video interviewing or employee referrals. We developed CRM for our needs and it’s far from perfect. It’s also far from cheap and we don’t even have “the cool features”.

The truth is, most of the applicant tracking systems are built for small to mid sized businesses. Large organizations usually need more custom features and I figured Breezy has that option. Also comes with a “custom” price.

What happened when I used the ATS

I researched a bunch of them, but decided to write an overall review for just a few of the most popular ones. The most common elements are: career sites, applicant tracking, advanced search options, interviewing tools and analytics.

Enterprise-Level Powerhouses

1. Greenhouse – Still the gold standard for structured hiring processes. Greenhouse offers structured hiring processes, while Lever combines ATS and CRM for better candidate engagement. What we love: their interview scorecards actually reduce bias, and their 500+ integrations mean it plays nice with your existing tech stack. What we hate: the price tag will make your CFO wince, and the learning curve is steeper than your typical startup wants to handle.

2. Lever – The relationship-builder. Unlike Greenhouse, Lever combines applicant tracking and candidate relationship management in a single platform, which is crucial when you’re building long-term talent pipelines in competitive markets. Their visual pipelines are intuitive, and customers see 3x higher engagement with mobile messaging compared to other platforms.

3. Workday – For when you need everything. If you’re already using Workday for HR and finance, their ATS makes sense. But if you’re not, the complexity might not be worth it for hiring alone.

Mid-Market Champions

4. BambooHR – The all-in-one favorite. BambooHR is significantly better at customer support with an average hold time of 35 seconds and resolution time of 3-4 minutes. Perfect for companies that want their ATS to be part of a larger HR solution rather than a standalone beast.

5. Workable – The sourcing powerhouse. Their candidate database and LinkedIn integration are solid, but where they really shine is job distribution. One click posts to hundreds of job boards—which matters when you’re trying to reach passive candidates.

6. JazzHR – The SMB champion. Simple, affordable, and gets the job done. For small and medium businesses looking for their very first ATS, BambooHR is a great option, but JazzHR offers more recruiting-specific features at a lower price point.

7. Lattice – Our personal favorite for companies that need both HRIS and ATS functionality in one seamless platform. What sets Lettuce apart is its intelligent integration between HR management and applicant tracking, when a candidate gets hired, their data flows directly into employee records without the usual data migration headaches. The interface is surprisingly intuitive for an enterprise-grade system, and their mobile experience actually works. Perfect for scaling companies that want to avoid the complexity of managing multiple HR systems.

What to focus on when choosing an ATS

Social Media Sourcing (The 2025 Reality Check)

Let’s rethink how you approach social media integration. Most ATS platforms now offer native LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter posting, but the game has changed. What we’re seeing with platform engineering roles and AI positions is that the best candidates aren’t scrolling job boards—they’re in Discord servers, GitHub discussions, and niche communities.

Your ATS should handle the basics (automated posting, social media integration), but don’t expect it to solve your sourcing challenges. The best recruiting teams use their ATS for pipeline management and go elsewhere for candidate discovery.

Compliance with Local Laws (GDPR and Beyond)

Given the current market shift toward remote-first hiring, compliance isn’t just about GDPR anymore. You need systems that can handle:

• Data residency requirements across multiple countries
• Right-to-be-forgotten requests at scale
• Audit trails for every candidate interaction
• EEO reporting that actually makes sense

All ATSs we’ve reviewed disclose where data is stored, and how it is protected, but dig deeper into their compliance documentation before you commit.

Mobile Capabilities (Because Your Candidates Are on Their Phones)

Here’s what most companies miss about mobile optimization: it’s not about having an app, it’s about having a mobile experience that doesn’t make top candidates abandon your application process.

The best mobile ATS experiences include:

• One-click LinkedIn profile import
• Resume upload from cloud storage
• Real-time application status updates
• Mobile-optimized interview scheduling

BambooHR includes an ATS mobile app called BambooHR Hiring, that allows you to review candidates the instant they apply, quickly coordinate with hiring team members, which is crucial when you’re trying to move fast on competitive hires.

What I learned losing my mind over this ATS madness ?

AI isn’t magic, but it’s useful – Early adopter companies implementing AI sourcing tools are seeing a 75% reduction in cost per screen. The key is understanding where AI helps (job description writting) versus where humans still win (interviews, cultural fit, technical depth).

Integration is everything – Your ATS needs to play nice with Slack, your HRIS, your background check provider, and whatever new tool your engineering team adopts next month. Single-sign-on isn’t optional anymore.

Candidate experience drives employer brand – In competitive tech markets, your ATS is often the first impression candidates have of your company. A clunky application process signals a clunky organization.

Analytics matter more than features – You need to know your time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and source effectiveness. But more importantly, you need actionable insights, not just pretty dashboards.

Pricing models are getting creative – Watch out for per-user pricing that explodes as your team grows, or per-job pricing that penalizes you for hiring volume.

Applicant tracking system for small business

Small businesses usually don’t have hiring managers, so somebody from the office will have an extra job to hire someone. This task can be really stressful, especially because this can be a distraction from your day to day duties. The solution? Well, ATS can be a huge help if you know how to choose the right one. 

Earlier, it was harder and more expensive for small businesses to find ATS that fits their needs. The time has changed, so is the ATS. If you’re satisfied with basic data processing, applicant communication, and simple recruitment analytics, you can find affordable or even free ATS that can help you track your candidates. For example, Zoho Recruiter we mentioned above is free, so you can try this one or you can request a demo version of another ATS. 

As a small business owner, you have to find an applicant tracking system that will make your job easier, but first you have to think about your needs. Here are some questions that will help you decide which ATS to use:

• How often does your company hire? If vacancies are rare, then you don’t need to pay annually for ATS. 
• How many applicants will apply (approximately)? Some ATS are limiting candidate interactions or the number of applications you’re able to receive. 
• How many users should have access to ATS? With small price comes the limitation of a number of users, so you might have to pay when you add additional employees.
• Do you need time-to-hire and efficiency reporting? (Yes, you do!) These reports will help you focus on sources that are the best for the interviewing process and help you understand how you can improve the hiring process. For example, if it takes you a long time to provide feedback to candidates, that can be bad for their hiring experience. When you collect data, you will have proof that something has to be improved. 
• In the end, can you answer the question – what would your perfect ATS look like? 

Application tracking software for staffing agencies 

Your ATS needs to be your CRM – Lever combines applicant tracking and candidate relationship management in a single platform, so your team can nurture talent pools without cobbling together multiple tools. You’re not just tracking applications; you’re building long-term relationships with talent.

Speed trumps completeness – Top candidates are only on the market for an average of 10 days, so your system needs to help you move faster than your competition. Look for automated interview scheduling, templated communications, and one-click job posting.

Data portability is non-negotiable – You need to own your candidate database and be able to export it cleanly. Too many agencies get locked into platforms because migration seems impossible.

Remember, what works for one recruitment agency won’t necessarily work for yours. The key is understanding your unique workflow and finding a system that amplifies your strengths rather than forcing you into someone else’s process.

Every recruitment company works differently, so there is no simple answer to the question which application tracking software for staffing agencies should you use. You will have to ask yourself what the unique business requirements of your company are?

Maybe you have recruitment niche, or perhaps you have to track people from different fields of work. If one ATS works for one recruitment agency, it doesn’t mean that it will work for yours. Remember, a good applicant tracking system should be tailored to your specific needs.

Candidate experience is one of the key metrics you should watch since talent acquisition became so competitive. Companies must evolve to reach new standards in recruiting and become more efficient in attracting, screening and hiring the best.