Top 12 free applicant tracking system
List of free applicant tracking system
- Monday.com
- Workable
- Manatal
- Recooty
- Zoho Recruit
- GoHire
- Wellfound
- Teamtailor
- Recruitee
- MightyRecruiter
- VanHack
- Dover
Human resource professionals often face significant challenges when managing the recruitment process. The entire process, from sorting through countless resumes to tracking candidate progress and scheduling interviews, can quickly become overwhelming.
This is especially true for growing businesses with limited resources.
Manually monitoring applicants not only consumes valuable time but also increases the risk of errors, miscommunication, and missed opportunities to hire top talent.
To help streamline this process, many companies are turning to a free applicant tracking system (ATS), a software tool designed to organize and simplify recruitment tasks.
These systems offer an efficient way to keep everything in one place, making it easier for HR teams to stay on top of every stage in the hiring journey.
In this article, we’ll explore 12 of the best free applicant tracking systems available for businesses today.
Essential features to look for in an applicant tracking system
When choosing an applicant tracking system, it’s important to pick one that matches your hiring needs. The right tool helps recruiters stay organized, save time, and hire the best candidates faster.
Look for the following important features:
Resume parsing
A good ATS should automatically extract key information from resumes, such as contact details, work experience, and skills. This feature cuts down on manual data entry and helps recruiters compare applicants more efficiently.
Customizable workflows
Every company has its own hiring process. Look for an ATS that lets you customize stages like screening, interviews, and final decisions. Flexibility helps teams stay on track and maintain consistency across different roles.
Job posting integration
Posting to multiple job boards can take time. A system with job board integration lets you post a position on several platforms at once, helping attract more applicants with less effort.
Candidate search and filters
The ability to quickly search and filter applicants by specific criteria (e.g., keywords, skills, or experience level) is a major time-saver. This helps hiring teams focus on the most relevant candidates without digging through every application.
Team collaboration tools
Recruiting often involves multiple decision-makers. A strong ATS allows team members to leave feedback, share notes, and score candidates within the platform. This keeps communication clear and organized.
Reporting and analytics
Data-driven insights help improve the hiring process over time. With reporting tools, you can track key metrics such as time-to-hire, source of hire, and candidate drop-off points.
These insights highlight what’s working and where adjustments can lead to better results.
These core features support smarter, faster, and more organized hiring decisions.
12 best free applicant tracking system
Below we have 12 free applicant tracking systems businesses can use:
1. Monday.com
Monday.com is a flexible work management platform that doubles as an applicant tracking system.
It supports hiring workflows with customizable columns, drag-and-drop candidate cards, and automation rules for repetitive tasks. Users can view pipelines through Gantt charts, calendars, or timelines.
Although advanced features like resume parsing and integrations require a paid plan, the free version offers access to templates and boards. It’s ideal for teams seeking a broader project management tool with built-in recruitment functions.
2. Workable
Workable offers a robust 15-day trial that provides full access to its Standard plan. Users can post unlimited jobs, manage applicants, build a career page, and automate job board distribution.
The platform stands out for its clean interface and ease of use across devices. Its sourcing tools and integration options make it a strong pick for businesses evaluating a feature-rich ATS.
While the free trial is time-limited, it gives recruiters a comprehensive experience of the platform’s potential.
3. Manatal
Manatal delivers an AI-driven applicant tracking system with strong value for its cost. During its 14-day free trial, users gain full access to candidate recommendations, email campaigns, and profile enrichment features.
This applicant tracking system is simple to set up and doesn’t require a credit card to try. Its transparent pricing and intuitive interface appeal to startups and agencies alike.
Manatal is ideal for teams wanting an affordable and modern hiring tool with strong automation.
4. Recooty
Recooty stands out for its ease of use and smooth setup process. The platform supports job postings to multiple boards, a customizable career site, and AI tools like candidate matching and job description generation.
Its clean interface allows for effortless scheduling, communication, and collaboration through built-in tools and integrations like Zoom and Google Calendar. The delayed email-sending feature is a thoughtful touch.
Recooty is perfect for small teams looking for a straightforward yet smart free application tracking system.
5. Zoho Recruit
Zoho Recruit’s free plan makes it a solid choice for small businesses. It combines applicant tracking with basic CRM features, supports email communication, and includes interview scheduling.
While limited in storage and job postings, it offers job board integration, multilingual support, and Google app sync. Users can also create simple career pages and access five email templates.
Zoho Recruit delivers meaningful value for businesses wanting essential hiring features at no cost.
6. GoHire
GoHire is a user-friendly ATS designed for startups and growing businesses. It offers unlimited hiring pipelines, team member access, and helpful AI tools for job descriptions, outreach, and onboarding.
The platform’s drag-and-drop career page editor is a standout feature, allowing teams to customize their brand presence easily..
GoHire is perfect for teams that want a scalable and intuitive hiring platform with strong customization options.
7. Wellfound
Wellfound, formerly AngelList Talent, offers a free ATS tailored to startups hiring global tech talent. It features unlimited job postings, in-app messaging, Slack integration, and a clean user interface.
The Wellfound platform attracts over 10 million startup-minded job seekers, making it a valuable resource for early-stage companies. During testing, its customizable workflow and uncluttered design stood out.
Unlike most free ATS platforms, Wellfound doesn’t restrict the number of postings, which gives hiring teams full flexibility from the start.
8. Teamtailor
Teamtailor combines applicant tracking with strong employer branding features. Its drag-and-drop career site builder requires no coding and is accessible on both desktop and mobile.
This platform includes DEI tools such as anonymous hiring and EEO surveys, helping businesses create fairer hiring practices. With a free trial that doesn’t require payment details, Teamtailor is a top pick for companies prioritizing candidate experience.
Its visual interface, ease of use, and team-friendly features make it a smart choice for SMBs.
9. Recruitee
Recruitee offers an 18-day free trial packed with useful features for SMBs. Its intuitive interface supports job posting, candidate tracking, interview scheduling, and internal referrals.
One major advantage is unlimited user access across all plans, making team collaboration seamless and cost-effective. Its features make it easy to assign roles, share notes, and evaluate candidates together.
For teams looking to streamline hiring decisions without added cost or complexity, Recruitee delivers solid functionality in a user-friendly package.
10. MightyRecruiter
MightyRecruiter stands out as a completely free applicant tracking system that allows unlimited job postings across more than 29 job boards. It offers access to an extensive resume database, a customizable career page, and built-in tools for screening and rating candidates.
The platform’s real-time reporting dashboard delivers clear insights into job posting performance, making it easy to track results.
MightyRecruiter has over 200 ready-to-use job description templates and intelligent candidate suggestions. It is a strong option for budget-conscious teams seeking broad reach and advanced features.
11. VanHack
VanHack offers a generous free applicant tracking system that supports unlimited users and job postings. It features a Kanban-style job pipeline, quick interview scheduling in just a few clicks, and keyword filtering for candidate searches.
This ATS caters primarily to tech roles, with many candidates open to relocation. Employers also gain access to a dedicated talent acquisition team and a helpful salary guide.
VanHack is a strong choice for startups seeking efficiency without upfront costs.
12. Dover
Dover delivers a free, intuitive ATS tailored for startups, featuring unlimited jobs and access to over 75 job boards.
The clean interface and helpful help center make it easy to navigate, even for first-time users. Built-in AI tools assist with job descriptions, candidate screening, and automated emails.
It also includes a chatbot for quick filtering based on user-set criteria. Dover’s seamless inbound automation and access to recruiting experts make it a standout option among free solutions.
Choosing the right free applicant tracking system
Finding the right free ATS can be a game-changer for businesses looking to streamline their hiring without adding costs. With so many options available, it’s important to pick a tool that actually fits your team’s workflow and goals.
Here are some key points to keep in mind when evaluating your choices:
- Assess your hiring needs. Before diving in, identify what features your team actually needs (e.g., job board integrations, resume filtering, or interview scheduling).
- Check user limits and job post caps. Some platforms may limit the number of users or active job listings on their free plans. Make sure the platform can handle your current workload.
- Review ease of use. A complicated interface can slow your hiring team down. Look for platforms with a clean layout, helpful onboarding, and minimal learning curve.
- Look at collaboration tools. If multiple team members are involved in hiring, features like comment threads, tagging, and shared evaluations will help keep the process organized.
- Explore automation options. Basic automation, like auto-replies to applicants or moving candidates through stages, can save valuable time.
- Consider scalability. Choose a platform that can grow with your company, offering affordable upgrade paths when you’re ready for more features.
Choosing carefully will save your team time, reduce hiring stress, and support long-term growth as your business scales.
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