Top 10 ATS systems: The ultimate recruiter's guide

Looking for an Applicant Tracking System that actually makes hiring easier instead of adding more complexity? You're not alone. With hundreds of ATS platforms out there, finding the right one feels like searching for a needle in a haystack – except the haystack is on fire and the needle keeps changing shape.

Here's the deal: the right ATS can cut your time-to-hire in half, improve candidate experience, and make your recruiters actually enjoy their jobs. The wrong one? That's a $50K investment that'll have your team drowning in clunky workflows and missed candidates.

This guide breaks down the top 10 ATS systems that recruiters are actually using in 2026 – from nimble startups to enterprise giants. We've analyzed their websites, dug through G2 reviews, and compared pricing so you don't have to. No fluff, no affiliate bias, just straight talk about what works and what doesn't.

How we selected these ATS systems

We evaluated platforms based on:

• Core ATS functionality (candidate tracking, pipeline management, job posting)
• User reviews from G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius
• Pricing transparency and value for money
• Integration capabilities and tech stack compatibility
• Recruiter feedback on day-to-day usability

Let's dive in.

1. PeopleForce: The all-in-one HR platform that doesn't break the bank

Best for: Small to mid-sized companies (50-500 employees) wanting an affordable, modular HR solution with strong ATS capabilities

Pricing: Starting at $2.50 per employee/month (minimum $125/month for up to 50 employees)

What PeopleForce actually does

PeopleForce is that rare platform that combines a full-featured ATS with HR management tools without the enterprise price tag. Originally built for SMBs, it's evolved into a genuinely versatile system that works whether you're hiring 5 people or 50.

The ATS (called "PeopleRecruit") sits inside their larger HR platform, which means when you hire someone, they seamlessly flow from candidate to employee without re-entering data. It's the kind of integration that sounds obvious but most standalone ATS platforms can't pull off.

Key features

The ATS core:

What makes it different:

What recruiters are saying (G2 Reviews)

The Good:

The Challenges:

The real talk

PeopleForce is the "Why isn't everyone using this?" option. It's not trying to be everything to everyone—it's focused on companies that want solid HR and recruiting without paying Greenhouse prices.

The ATS itself is straightforward: post jobs, track candidates, collect feedback, make offers. Where it shines is the integration with the rest of HR. New hires automatically get onboarding workflows, performance review schedules, and time-off policies without anyone manually updating five different systems.

Who Should Skip It: Enterprise companies needing advanced analytics and complex approval workflows. PeopleForce is powerful, but it's not built for 5,000-employee organizations with matrix reporting structures.

Who Should Try It: Any growing company (20-500 employees) that's tired of juggling separate systems for recruiting, HR, performance management, and time tracking. The 14-day free trial is actually useful—you get full access, not a gimped demo.

2. Greenhouse: The analytics powerhouse

Best for: Mid-market to enterprise companies (200+ employees) that treat recruiting as a data-driven operation

Pricing: Custom pricing; typically $6,000-$25,000+ annually depending on company size and features

What Greenhouse actually does

Greenhouse is what you get when engineering-minded people build an ATS: structured hiring processes, deep analytics, and endless configurability. It's the platform recruiters point to when they want to "prove ROI" to leadership.

The core philosophy is "structured hiring"—consistent interview processes, standardized scorecards, and data to back up hiring decisions. If your CEO asks "Why is engineering hiring so slow?" Greenhouse gives you charts, not guesses.

Key features

Pricing breakdown (based on user reports)

Add-ons like sourcing tools, advanced analytics, and integrations cost extra. One user reported:"We were quoted $27K for 190 employees, plus $1K implementation fee."

The real talk

Greenhouse is the Salesforce of ATS platforms: powerful, expensive, and loved by data nerds. If you have a recruiting ops team and need to prove that your $2M recruiting budget is working, Greenhouse delivers.

But here's the catch: you're paying a 30-50% premium for the brand and polish. Functionally, Greenhouse does what Lever, Ashby, and even PeopleForce do—just with more enterprise-grade reporting and a bigger support org.

Who Should Skip It: Startups, small teams, or anyone hiring fewer than 20 people/year. Greenhouse is overkill if you're not regularly running recruiting data analysis.

Who Should Try It: Companies with dedicated recruiting teams, executive buy-in for structured hiring, and budget for a premium tool. If you're scaling from 100 to 500+ employees, Greenhouse scales with you.

3. Ashby: The data nerd's dream ATS

Best for: Tech startups and growth companies (50-500 employees) that want best-in-class analytics without enterprise bloat

Pricing: Starting at $300-$400/month for small teams; scales with company size. No free trial. "Elevated" user seats cost $800/year per seat.

What Ashby actually does

Built by ex-Google engineers frustrated with clunky ATS platforms, Ashby is what happens when you prioritize data and speed over everything else. Think of it as Greenhouse's younger, faster, more affordable cousin.

The killer feature? Custom reporting that doesn't require a data science degree.You can build dashboards tracking any recruiting metric imaginable—time-to-hire by source, quality-of-hire by channel, conversion rates at each funnel stage—in minutes, not hours.

Key features

What makes it different

Ashby consolidates what usually takes 3-4 tools: ATS, CRM, sourcing platform, and analytics. Most teams report eliminating other subscriptions after switching to Ashby.
The AI features actually work—interview summaries catch details you missed, candidate filters use natural language ("Find candidates with startup experience and ML skills"), and email templates adapt to context.

The real talk

Ashby is for teams that get recruiting metrics. If your CEO asks "What's our engineering funnel conversion rate?" and you light up instead of panic, Ashby is your platform.

The pricing is interesting: $5-8 per employee/month sounds cheap, but "elevated" user access ($800/year per recruiter) adds up fast. For a 200-person company with 5 recruiters, you're looking at $10K-15K/year minimum.

Who Should Skip It: Non-technical teams, companies with simple hiring needs, or anyone who doesn't care about data beyond "did we hire someone?" Ashby rewards power users but frustrates casual ones.

Who Should Try It: Tech startups hiring 20-100 people/year, companies with recruiting ops teams, or any org where "data-driven recruiting" isn't just buzzwords. If you're currently using 4 different tools for recruiting, Ashby pays for itself quickly.

4. SmartRecruiters: The enterprise workhorse

Best for: Mid-market to enterprise companies (250+ employees) needing high-volume, multi-location recruiting with strong compliance

Pricing: Custom quote-based pricing; typically quote-based with annual contracts

What SmartRecruiters actually does

SmartRecruiters bills itself as a "Talent Acquisition Suite" (not just an ATS), which is marketing speak for "we do recruitment marketing + applicant tracking + analytics all in one."

The real strength? Handling scale. If you're hiring 500 people across 20 locations in 10 countries, SmartRecruiters keeps everything organized without falling apart. It's built for the messy reality of enterprise recruiting.

Key features

The real talk

SmartRecruiters is the Honda Accord of ATS platforms: reliable, gets the job done, not particularly exciting, but you won't regret buying it.

It's especially strong if you're hiring hourly workers, managing remote teams, or need multilingual support. The recruitment marketing tools (career sites, job distribution) are better than most standalone ATS platforms.

Who Should Skip It: Small teams (under 50 employees), companies wanting cutting-edge analytics, or tech-forward startups that prioritize speed over enterprise features.

Who Should Try It: Multi-location companies, retail/hospitality businesses hiring in volume, or any org with complex compliance needs (healthcare, finance). If you're running 50+ requisitions simultaneously, SmartRecruiters keeps you sane.

5. Lever: Beautiful design, premium price

Best for: High-growth startups (50-200 employees) that prioritize candidate experience and employer branding

Pricing: Custom pricing; industry reports suggest $6-8 per employee/month or $12K-25K annually depending on features

What Lever actually does

Lever is what happens when designers build an ATS: clean interface, smooth workflows, and candidate-facing tools that actually impress applicants. It combines ATS + CRM (they call it "LeverTRM"), which means you can nurture passive candidates alongside active applicants.

The interface is Lever's calling card. It's genuinely intuitive—hiring managers can use it without training, recruiters onboard in hours instead of days, and candidates regularly compliment the application experience.

Key features

What recruiters are saying

The Good:

The Challenges:

The real talk

Lever is the ATS you choose when candidate experience and employer brand matter more than cutting-edge analytics. If you're a startup competing against Google/Facebook for talent, Lever makes your hiring process feel premium.

But you're paying for polish. Functionally, Lever does what Greenhouse, Ashby, and even Workable do—just prettier and with less depth. One user summed it up:"We're paying $18K/year for Lever when JazzHR would do the same for $4K."

Who Should Skip It: Budget-conscious startups, companies needing advanced analytics, or enterprise-scale recruiting. Lever is built for speed and simplicity, not complexity.

Who Should Try It: Startups in competitive hiring markets, companies where employer brand is a recruiting advantage, or any team that's watched candidates drop off due to clunky application processes. The UI genuinely matters here.

6. Workable: The sourcing champion

Best for: Small to mid-sized companies (20-250 employees) that prioritize candidate sourcing and global hiring

Pricing: Starting at $169/month (up to 20 employees); scales with company size. Free 15-day trial.

What Workable actually does

Workable is the ATS for teams that find candidates, not just process applications. The sourcing tools—LinkedIn Recruiter integration, AI-powered candidate matching, access to 400M+ candidate profiles—are legitimately best-in-class for a mid-market platform.

It's also expanded beyond pure ATS: Workable now includes HRIS features (onboarding, time tracking, payroll reporting), making it a lightweight alternative to full HR suites like BambooHR.

Key features

What recruiters are saying

The Good:

The Challenges:

Pricing reality check

Workable's pricing model is interesting (and controversial): you pay based on total employee count, not active job postings. That's great if you're a 50-person company hiring aggressively, but painful if you're a 300-person company filling 3 roles.

• Starter: $169/month (up to 20 employees)
• Standard: $299/month (21-50 employees)
• Premier: $599/month (51-100 employees)

Add the HR module? Prices jump to $249/$349/$679 respectively.

The real talk

Workable is the "value pick" for growing companies. You get enterprise-grade sourcing tools, solid ATS functionality, and basic HRIS features for less than Greenhouse or Lever.

The catch? You're locked into company-size pricing. If you're a 200-person company hiring occasionally, you're overpaying. If you're a 50-person startup hiring aggressively, it's a steal.

Who Should Skip It: Large companies with low hiring volume, enterprises needing deep analytics, or anyone who wants granular control over workflows.

Who Should Try It: Startups and scale-ups (20-200 employees) hiring 10+ people/year, especially in competitive markets where sourcing tools matter. The 15-day trial is generous—use it to test the sourcing features specifically.

7. Recruitee: The collaborative hiring expert

Best for: Companies (any size) that prioritize team collaboration and want transparent pricing

Pricing: Starting at $109/month for unlimited job postings; flat rate regardless of company size

What Recruitee actually does

Recruitee (now part of Tellent) is the ATS for teams that actuallycollaborateon hiring. The platform is built around the idea that great hiring happens when recruiters, hiring managers, and team members work together seamlessly.

The standout feature? Transparent, flat-rate pricing. Most ATS platforms hide pricing or charge per employee/per job. Recruitee just says "$109/month for unlimited jobs, period." That honesty is refreshing.

Key features

What recruiters are saying

The Good:

The Challenges:

The real talk

Recruitee is the "honest broker" ATS. No games, no hidden pricing, no "contact sales for a quote." You know what you're paying from day one, and the platform delivers solid ATS functionality without trying to be everything to everyone.

The collaboration tools are genuinely useful—hiring managers can leave feedback, view candidate history, and track progress without needing recruiter hand-holding. That alone saves hours per week.

Who Should Skip It: Enterprise companies needing advanced analytics or AI-powered features. Recruitee is straightforward but not cutting-edge.

Who Should Try It: Any company (startup to 500 employees) that wants predictable pricing and collaborative hiring. The flat-rate model makes it especially attractive for high-volume hiring without per-job costs.

8. Breezy HR: The user-friendly starter

Best for: Small businesses (10-100 employees) hiring occasionally and wanting extreme ease of use

Pricing: Free "Bootstrap" plan for 1 active job; paid plans start at ~$157/month

What Breezy actually does

Breezy is the ATS for teams that find most recruiting software too complicated. The entire platform is designed around "make it simple"—drag-and-drop pipelines, visual candidate tracking, minimal clicks to complete tasks.

It's not trying to replace Greenhouse or compete with Ashby's analytics. Breezy's mission is helping small businesses hire without needing a dedicated recruiter.

Key features

What recruiters are saying

The Good:

The Challenges:

The real talk

Breezy is the "starter ATS" that small businesses graduate from, not to. It's perfect when you're hiring 5-10 people/year and don't have a dedicated recruiter. But once you're hiring regularly or need analytics, you'll outgrow it.

One user nailed it:"After deploying Breezy at four organizations, I can say it's one of the most thoughtfully designed ATS for small teams. Hiring managers are productive immediately."

Who Should Skip It: Mid-sized to large companies, high-volume recruiters, or anyone needing advanced analytics and automation.

Who Should Try It: Small businesses (10-50 employees) hiring 1-5 people/year, HR teams of one, or anyone upgrading from Excel spreadsheets. The free plan lets you test with one active job—enough to decide if it fits.

9. Rippling: When you need HR + IT + Finance in one platform

Best for: Tech-forward companies (50-1000 employees) wanting unified HR, payroll, IT management, and recruiting

Pricing: Base HRIS starts at $8 per employee/month + $35/month platform fee; recruiting module is an add-on

What Rippling actually does

Rippling isn't an ATS company—it's aworkforce management platform that happens to include recruiting. If you need to hire someone, provision their laptop, set up payroll, grant software access, and start performance reviews all from one system, Rippling does that.

The ATS module is solid but not groundbreaking. Where Rippling shines is what happens after you hire: seamless onboarding, automated IT provisioning, instant payroll setup, benefits enrollment—all connected.

Key features

ATS capabilities:

Beyond recruiting:

What users are saying

The Good:

The Challenges:

The real talk

Rippling is the ATS you choose when recruiting is part of your problem, not the whole problem. If you're also struggling with IT provisioning, payroll across multiple states/countries, or benefits administration, Rippling makes sense. If you just need an ATS? It's overkill.

The pricing is modular: start at $8/employee/month, add recruiting (~$4-8/employee/month), add payroll ($35-50/month base + per-employee fees), add IT management ($5/employee/month), add benefits, add time tracking... You see where this goes.

For a 100-person company using HRIS + Recruiting + Payroll + IT: expect ~$25-35 per employee/month total, so $30K-42K annually.

Who Should Skip It: Small businesses under 50 employees (too complex), companies needing best-in-class ATS features (recruiting is not Rippling's strength), or anyone on a tight budget.

Who Should Try It: Tech companies (50-500 employees) managing remote teams, companies hiring internationally, or any org that's currently juggling separate systems for HR, payroll, IT, and recruiting. The unified approach pays off if you use multiple modules.

10. Deel: The global hiring specialist

Best for: Companies hiring international contractors and employees across 150+ countries

Pricing: Contractor management ~$49/month per contractor; EOR services ~$599/year per employee; custom pricing for HR platform

What Deel actually does

Deel is the "hire anyone, anywhere" platform. Need to hire a developer in Brazil? Designer in Poland? Customer success rep in Singapore? Deel handles the legal entity, local compliance, payroll, benefits, and tax filings so you don't have to.

The ATS functionality exists, but it's not Deel's strength. Where Deel dominates isglobal employment logistics—turning "We want to hire internationally" from a 6-month nightmare into a 2-day process.

Key features

What users are saying

The Good:

The Challenges:

The real talk

Deel is not an ATS-first platform—it's a global employment platform with ATS features tacked on. If your primary need is international hiring logistics, Deel is unmatched. If you just need a better way to track candidates in your home country? Look elsewhere.

The pricing makes sense for contractors ($49/month per contractor is reasonable) but gets expensive for full-time employees. At $599/year per employee for EOR services, a 10-person international team costs $6K/year just for Deel—not including payroll, benefits, or HRIS modules.

Who Should Skip It: Domestic-only hiring, small budgets, or anyone needing ATS-first functionality. Deel's recruiting tools are basic compared to dedicated platforms.

Who Should Try It: Companies hiring remote contractors, startups building distributed teams, or any org expanding internationally without local entities. If you're asking "How do we hire in Europe?" Deel answers that question immediately.

Comparison table: quick reference

How to choose the right ATS for your team

If you're a startup (10-50 employees):

If you're a growth company (50-250 employees):

If you're hiring internationally:

The bottom line

There's no "best" ATS for everyone—only the best ATS for your situation. Here's the honest truth:

The right move? Pick 2-3 platforms from this list based on your size/budget/needs, then actually test them. Most offer free trials or demos. Ask your recruiters to try building a real job posting, tracking a candidate, and running a report. The best ATS is the one your team will actually use without complaining.

Good luck hiring. You've got this.