What is applicant tracking system software?

Applicant tracking system software automates parts of the employee recruitment process—from job description postings to applicant review and hiring. Features can vary from one product to another, but common options include:

• Resume and job application storage and management
• Resume evaluation to identify preferable submissions and reject unsatisfactory applications
• Applicant suitability assessments to match submissions with the job description
• Application rankings based on how well they match
• Targeted keywords highlighting essential skills, titles and experience to narrow job candidate searches
• Job posting options
• Automated email features
• Interview scheduling
• Paperless onboarding

With applicant tracking systems, your company can reduce repetitive, time-consuming tasks related to recruiting and hiring. This allows your human resources team to focus on job duties that require a human touch.

Indeed’s ATS Sync integrations allow you to use Indeed with your ATS platform for a faster and easier hiring process. Find out if your ATS integrates with Indeed.

If you need ATS software with more functionality and professional paid features, take a look at these 2025 ATS Tools.

9 Free ATS software tools

If you’re ready to try a free version, check out these 2025 ATS tools.

BreezyHR

Price: The Bootstrap applicant tracking system is free. It covers one active position and one active candidate pool.

Key features:

• Posting on more than 50 job boards
• Resume parsing for quick applicant data processing
• Sourcing extension to expand your candidate pool
• Customizable career pages to integrate employer branding

BreezyHR is cloud-based software that’s quick to set up and easy to use. It provides an online knowledge base, video tutorials and weekly webinars, and you can get customer support via email. The software offers standard and customized tags for its resume parsing features to help with candidate selection.

Because the free version only allows one job opening and one candidate, BreezyHR’s Bootstrap plan is suitable for SMBs with limited hiring needs. Many of the advanced features and automation options are only available with paid plans.

Dover

Price: This ATS is free for unlimited jobs, users and candidates.

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.

iKrut

Price: A free version is available, or you can opt for the four-week free trial for the upgraded 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. You can post an unlimited number of jobs and have unlimited users. It also lets you post to social networks to reach more candidates.

The mass email rejection tool comes in handy when you have a large number of responses. iKrut is mobile-compatible and has an online interview scheduler for convenience. Premium options provide automation features, more reports and advanced communication tools.

Indeed

Price: Employers access free ATS features when they use Indeed to post a job.

Key features:

• A simple online dashboard for easy candidate management
• Performance reports to gain insight into your job postings
• A branded Career Page for all your Indeed job openings

You can access an online ATS when you use Indeed for your candidate experience. Your employer dashboard has flexible functionality that helps you easily manage your recruitment processes. You can review the status of your jobs, stats on screened applicants, scheduled interviews and job offers. Indeed’s email and interview scheduling options help you communicate with job applicants.

Team collaboration tools are also available, 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.

Jobsoid

Price: The Beginner plan is free and includes one user account and unlimited candidates.

Key features:

• One-click job board postings simplify the process
• A branded career site supports marketing strategies
• The Beginner plan 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. You get one user account and one job posting with this version. A branded career portal helps strengthen your online presence, and integration with your website is available to help 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. It doesn’t provide a resume scanner for free use, eliminating a core function of most ATS software. However, that option is available with an upgrade to one of their paid versions. You can change your subscription at any time if you want to try one of the paid versions to see if the additional features are worth it.

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
• A dedicated account manager and a variety of other customer support venues
• EEOC data capture for legal compliance and documentation if you’re audited

MightyRecruiter ATS lets you post jobs to multiple popular job sites and job boards at the same time with customizable job description templates. Social media account posting is also available to connect multiple candidate sources with your ATS. Screening questions and applicant tracking tools help narrow down your candidate pool to identify desirable candidates.

OpenCATS

Price: Free

Key features:

• Works on local, individual computers or a local network with customized access for multiple users
• Accommodates telecommuting team members
• Allows unlimited job openings, candidates and users
• Ability to brand OpenCATS with your company logo, website career page and emails

OpenCATS is open-source software, which means anyone can use and modify the website for free. This allows you to customize the tool for your needs, but you’ll need software design experience to make those changes, which means the average business owner will use it as-is.

Since it’s open-source software, security is your responsibility. OpenCATS doesn’t have a customer support department, so you’ll need to troubleshoot issues on your own.

SmartRecruiters

Price: The SmartStart plan is free for companies with fewer than 250 employees and up to 10 active job posts.

Key features:

• Build a branded career website to advertise your business while attracting applicants
• One-click job posting to more than 200 job boards and social media accounts
• SmartStart job widget easily posts jobs on your website, providing more exposure for your job opportunities
• Resume parsing is included

SmartRecruiter’s free SmartStart ATS cloud-based software allows an unlimited number of people to use the system. Active jobs are limited to 10. Candidate database management and scheduling management functions help simplify the application experience.

SmartStart is also designed to give job seekers a good experience. 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 can familiarize themselves with your company and the work environment.

Zoho Recruit

Price: Zoho Recruit is free for managing one active job.

Key features:

• Simple resume search without resume parsing
• Access to five email templates for candidate communication
• Supports 26 languages, giving international companies more options

Zoho Recruit offers a free, cloud-based ATS plan with limited functionality. 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.

Upgrading to paid plans gives you access to more features, such as resume parsing and automated emails. You also get a larger capacity on many features. For example, choosing the standard package gives you 250 tags, up from only 50 with the free version.

What to look for when choosing applicant tracking system software

Free ATS software can differ in their interfaces and features. Some factors to consider include:

1. Resume parsing and search

Automated resume analysis and filtering save labor hours and keep you objective. Only some free ATS software products offer resume scanners. However, even a simple resume search feature is helpful if you have a smaller number of applicants or only a few job postings.

2. Filters and tagging

Tags let you assign keywords to certain categories of applicants. For example, you might tag candidates based on a skill or job title. When you want to look at applications with a specific skill, you can use those tags to filter them. It’s a helpful feature for organizing applicant information and finding prospects with specific qualifications.

3. Job posting and candidate sourcing

Explore the job posting and candidate sourcing features of each option. Some platforms make it easy to post to multiple job platforms with one click. Candidate sourcing can be easier with applicant tracking systems that integrate with social media and job boards. This lets you import contact information from those sources to build a candidate pipeline.

With Indeed’s ATS integrations, you can create jobs on your ATS that are automatically included in Indeed’s search results. This can help expand the reach of your jobs without any additional effort.

4. Communication

Regular and clear communication with job seekers helps you nurture those leads. Applicant tracking systems that automate contact with applicants help you keep up with those communications. Interview scheduling, email Integration and automated emails are also useful for improving communication with job seekers and can save you time.

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. This is important if you have multiple people involved in the hiring process.

6. Report generation and analytics

You should be able to track progress during the applicant experience at any time with report generation. Analytics gives you a look at recruitment metrics to help with your budgets and strategies for future recruitment efforts.

7. Career pages

Company brand, values and reputation are key details job seekers consider when evaluating organizations. Including this vital information on a job board via a career page can attract candidates who match your needs.

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

Applicant tracking systems make tasks faster, easier and more efficient. You can get started faster with a simple interface that’s easy to learn and use.

10. Customer support

Even uncomplicated software can be confusing or have problems. Access to support to troubleshoot problems and answer common questions is invaluable.

Applicant tracking system software FAQs

What types of businesses can benefit from applicant tracking system software?

Companies of all sizes can benefit from using applicant tracking systems. They can be particularly helpful if you hire at least 20 new employees each year, but smaller organizations also gain value from keeping recruiting data organized and accessible. Businesses that recruit for a variety of positions are good candidates as well. Essentially, the more hiring you do, the more you’ll likely benefit from paid or free ATS software.

Why do you need an applicant tracking system?

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) handle the simple, repetitive parts of hiring so you can focus on building relationships with job seekers. They help you work efficiently to shorten your hiring time and allow you to focus on other tasks. This software makes it easier for team members to collaborate on hiring and communicate quickly with candidates.

Should I use a paid applicant tracking system or free ATS software?

To decide between paid or free ATS software, consider your business needs. Paid versions include more features and variety. However, they’re not all necessary, especially for smaller companies with minimal recruitment needs. Start with free 2025 ATS tools to see if they have the features you need. If you decide you need additional functions that only come with paid software, you can switch.