What is applicant tracking system software?
Applicant tracking system software automates a large part of the employee recruitment process—from job ad postings through applicant review and hiring. This software gathers and stores resumes and job applications. Most ATS software also analyzes those resumes, highlighting preferable submissions and rejecting unsatisfactory applications. This narrows the pool of job applicants that the human resources professional must review, making the process more efficient.
Some systems assess applicant suitability by matching job submissions with the job description. It assigns rankings based on how well they match. Targeted keywords highlighting essential skills, titles and experience are also used to narrow job candidate searches.
Many ATS programs include job posting options, automated email features, interview scheduling, paperless onboarding and other helpful options to streamline the hiring process. With ATS software, your company can avoid repetitive, time-consuming tasks. This allows your human resources pros to focus on other important job duties that require the human touch.
Did you know? Indeed’s ATS Sync integrations allow you to use Indeed together with your ATS platform for a faster and easier hiring process. Find out if your ATS integrates with Indeed.
Need ATS software with more functionality and professional paid features? Here are ATS Software Tools for 2024.
What to look for when choosing applicant tracking system software
When comparing free ATS systems for your company, there are various features to analyze:
1. Resume parsing and search
Automated resume analysis and filtering saves labor hours and strengthens objectivity. Unfortunately, many ATS systems lack resume scanners in free versions. However, even a simple resume search feature is helpful if you aren’t working with excessive applicants and job postings.
2. Filters and tagging
These features allow for applicant tracking to help with organization for recruitment and hiring. You can screen and categorize applicants by skills, experience and other parameters.
3. Job posting and candidate sourcing
A huge candidate pool gives you more choice and better opportunities to locate the right hire. Access to numerous job boards and social media integration supports more reach. Moreover, one-click posting saves you valuable time.
With Indeed’s ATS integrations, you can create jobs on your ATS they will automatically be included in Indeed’s search results without further action on your part. This can help expand the reach of your jobs without any additional effort.
4. Communication
Interview scheduling, email Integration and automated emails are advantageous tools in an ATS to enhance communication with job seekers and minimize time spent on recurring tasks.
5. Collaboration
Whether you’re in one location or spread around the globe, collaborative tools help team members stay on the same page and support each other’s efforts.
6. Report generation and analytics
You should be able to track progress during the applicant experience at any time with report generation. Analytics help you assess budgets and strategies for future recruitment efforts.
7. Career pages
Company brand, values and reputation are key characteristics that job seekers assess when choosing a business to work for. Including this vital information on a job board via a career page can attract quality candidates.
8. Mobile integration
Integration with iOS and Android apps gives your hiring team flexibility. They can respond and manage the candidate experience from anywhere.
9. User-friendliness
ATS software is meant to be a tool to make things faster, easier and more efficient. So, it needs to be simple to learn and use.
10. Customer support
Even uncomplicated software can malfunction or confuse the user. Access to support to troubleshoot problems and answer common questions is invaluable.
ATS Software Tools
Quick Navigation:
BreezyHR
Price: The Bootstrap applicant tracking system is free. It covers one active position and one active candidate pool.
Key features:
- BreezyHR lets you post a job on more than 50 job boards
- Resume parsing processes applicant data quickly
- The sourcing extension expands your candidate pool
- Customizable career pages let you integrate employer branding
BreezyHR is cloud-based software that’s quick to set up and easy to use. This contemporary system lets you focus on hiring, rather than learning new software. You can get customer support via email. Plus, there’s an online knowledge base, video tutorials and weekly webinars. You can use standard and customized tags with the resume parsing features, giving you more control over candidate selection. Because the free version only services one job opening and one candidate, BreezyHR’s Bootstrap plan is suitable for SMBs with limited hiring needs. For convenience and efficiency, you can post available interview dates and times so your job candidate can self-schedule.
Dover
Price: This ATS is free for unlimited jobs, users and candidates. It does not have a paid version.
Key features:
- An all-in-one platform (built-in sourcing, scheduling, careers page and application review)
- Quick review page that allows you to see every candidate in one place
- AI-powered applicant sorting to save time in identifying top candidates
Dover’s free ATS is designed to streamline recruitment for startups and in-house recruiting teams, especially those at companies with 1 to 250 employees. It simplifies the entire hiring process, from application to offer, by automating and centralizing key recruiting tasks.
For example, Dover automatically ranks applicants, helping you quickly identify the best matches for your roles. It also integrates with Slack, allowing you to receive notifications about top candidates and take immediate action without disrupting your existing workflow. Additionally, Dover provides tools for tracking and scheduling candidates, as well as a detailed candidate profile view that includes interview stages, notes and communication history.
Freshteam
Price: The Sprout free plan lets you manage up to 50 employees and up to three job postings.
Key features:
- The job posting management features include job-specific hiring teams, customizable hiring processes and interview scorecards
- The Sprout plan provides email integration with task management and follow-up email scheduling
- This plan includes some basic human resource information system features
Freshteam’s ATS Sprout plan gives you a good range of services for free. Run up to three job postings at a time with tailored procedures for each one. You can manage 50 candidates at once using integrated email and canned responses. So, it’s suitable for SMBs. Task and to-do reminders with follow-up emails help your team stay on task.
The Freshteam free plan also includes iOS and Android mobile apps that let you supervise your employee candidate experience even when you’re on the go. The HRIS features include an employee directory and organizational chart with basic employee profiles and simple search and filter elements. However, resume parsing is not included in this free version, limiting the benefits of ATS automation.
iKrut
Price: The free version includes unlimited job vacancies and users. Upon signing up, you have access to most premium and premium+ functions for four weeks, with the exclusion of a customized employer branded site and the resume bulk upload tool. After the trial period, choose to keep a 12-month paid premium plan or downgrade to the free version.
Key features:
- Job and candidate management tools streamline your hiring tasks
- Unlimited job board postings allow you to manage several different positions simultaneously
- Basic reports help you track the recruitment process
- iKrut email and telephone support is available to free account holders
This free software has a wide range of functions, including an easy-to-use ATS with management tools and iKrut customer support. There’s no limit to the number of jobs you can recruit for, and you can post to social networks to reach more candidates. A mass email rejection tool comes in handy with huge responses. Plus, iKrut is mobile-compatible and has an online interview scheduler for convenience. SMBs with several annual job postings can use this ATS software.
Indeed
Price: Employers access free ATS features when they use Indeed to post a job.
Key features:
- A simple online dashboard makes candidate management easy
- Performance reports are available to gain insight into your job postings
- You can create a branded Career Page for all your Indeed job openings with a unique URL
You enjoy access to an online ATS when you use Indeed for your applicant and candidate experience. Your employer dashboard has flexible functionality that helps you easily manage all your recruitment processes. You can review the status of your jobs, stats on screened applicants, scheduled interviews and job offers. Indeed also helps you communicate with job applicants with its email and interview scheduling functions. Team collaboration tools are available as well, with separate login credentials for other hiring professionals in your organization. Use your Career Page URL on your website, in marketing campaigns and on social media to reach a wide pool of candidates. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from Indeed’s candidate management dashboard.
Jobsoid
Price: The Beginner plan is free with one user account and unlimited candidates.
Key features:
- One-click job board postings simplify the process
- A branded career site supports marketing strategies
- Beginner is compatible with iOS and Android mobile apps for use with tablets and smartphones
The Jobsoid Beginner applicant tracking system is a free option suitable for startups and small businesses. One user account and one job posting are available with this version. You can create a branded career portal that boosts your branding efforts and online presence. Plus, integration with your website and Facebook page is available to extend your reach and attract more talent. Custom email templates and one-click job board posting eliminates repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Jobsoid offers limited online support for free customers. There is no resume scanner for free use, eliminating a core function of most ATS software. It is available with an upgrade to one of their paid versions, however.
MightyRecruiter
Price: This free end-to-end ATS software has no limitations and no paid versions.
Key features:
- Unlimited features for most key ATS functions make this a flexible free option
- A dedicated account manager and a variety of other customer support venues provide quick troubleshooting help
- EEOC data capture ensures legal compliance, and the documentation is available if you’re audited
MightyRecruiter ATS lets you post jobs to multiple popular job sites and job boards at once with customizable job description templates, providing excellent time-savings. Social media account posting is also available. Screening questions and applicant tracking tools help narrow down a vast candidate pool to identify desirable candidates.
The wide functionality of this free software makes it suitable for SMBs and nonprofits. With Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs reporting, even companies with federal contracts can benefit from MightyRecruiter’s ATS. One-on-one help from an account manager is available for dedicated support. Plus, chat, phone and email support is available during regular business hours in the central time zone.
OpenCATS
Price: This is open-source web-based software, free to use, modify or customize.
Key features:
- You can install OpenCATS on a local, individual computer or a local network with customized access to multiple users
- Can accommodate telecommuting team members
- Accommodates unlimited job openings, candidates and users, but it lacks bulk recruiting features for high-volume use
- Employers can brand OpenCATS with their own logo, website job page and emails
OpenCATS was designed with recruiters in mind. But employers can also use it to recruit candidates from outside or within the company. It’s well-suited to small to midsize organizations, and some enterprise businesses also benefit from OpenCATS. Resume parsing and resume search is no longer available. However, the developers are working on resolving those issues, and keyword searching is supported through a skill tagging function. Security is your responsibility and there’s no “customer” support. A working knowledge of computer programs is recommended, although the designers state it has a simple, intuitive interface requiring minimal training time for installation and use.
SmartRecruiters
Price: The SmartStart plan is free for companies with fewer than 250 employees and up to 10 active job posts.
Key features:
- This software lets you build your own branded career website to advertise your business while attracting applicants
- SmartStart’s one-click job posting to more than 200 job boards and social media accounts saves time and effort
- You can use the SmartStart job widget to easily post jobs on your own website for more exposure for your job opportunities
- Resume parsing is included
Applicant tracking and team collaboration are simple with SmartRecruiter’s free SmartStart ATS cloud-based software. An unlimited number of people in your company can use this system. Active jobs are limited to 10. Candidate database management and scheduling management functions help simplify the application experience.
SmartStart is designed to give job seekers a good experience, too. They can apply to multiple jobs with one click and track their progress online. Since you can post videos and testimonials on your career page, applicants have a better chance to familiarize themselves with your company and the work environment.
Zoho Recruit
Price: Zoho Recruit is free for managing up to one active job and one candidate.
Key features:
- A simple resume search is included in the free plan, but it does not provide resume parsing
- You have access to five email templates for candidate communication
- The software supports 26 languages, giving international companies more options
Zoho Recruit is based out of India, with 26 supported languages. Its free cloud-based ATS plan is very limited. Basic candidate management, email management, interview scheduling and contact management are part of the software’s core features. The candidate management functions include Indeed searches. Only one candidate or contact form is included, with an auto response feature. You can use resume tagging with up to 50 terms, and you get a career website page and a single employer profile. Zapier integration helps automate repetitive tasks within the software and enhance productivity with other apps.
You must upgrade to Zoho Recruit’s paid plans to access more desirable features, such as resume parsing and automated emails. However, their pricing is far lower than most US-based ATS software.
Applicant tracking system software FAQs
What types of businesses can benefit from applicant tracking system software?
If you hire at least 20 new employees each year, having an ATS in place is likely to be advantageous to your organization. Businesses who recruit for a variety of positions are good candidates as well. Essentially, the more hiring you do, the more you’ll benefit from streamlining the process with ATS.
Why do you need an applicant tracking system?
ATS software lets you focus on job candidates and new hires rather than the recruitment process and its many repetitive tasks. This boosts business efficiency, increasing ROI. Plus, it ensures more accuracy and compliance with the EEOC and other employment laws. ATS also supports collaborative hiring and delivers improved communication with job candidates.
Should I use a paid applicant tracking system or free ATS software?
Whether you should use free or paid ATS software depends on your individual business needs and the specific software you’re considering. Paid versions include more features and variety. But they’re not all necessary, especially for smaller companies with minimal recruitment needs. So, identify your company requirements and weigh them against the available offerings.
