Applicant Tracking Systems for Small Businesses Compared
If your hiring lives in an inbox, a spreadsheet and a few sticky notes, good candidates slip through the cracks. An applicant tracking system (ATS) puts every job, applicant and interview note in one place. This comparison walks you through five well-known options, what to look for, and a simple scorecard so you can pick the right fit for a small team.
Key takeaways
- An ATS is worth considering once you hire regularly, have more than one person interviewing, or lose track of applicants.
- Workable, BambooHR, Greenhouse, Breezy HR and Recruitee each suit different team sizes and hiring styles.
- Focus on job posting reach, a clear pipeline, structured interview feedback, candidate communication and data privacy.
- Run a free trial with a real job before you commit, and check current features, pricing and privacy policies.
Spring is a busy hiring season for many small businesses. Cafes, garden centers, tour operators and shops start recruiting for the warmer months, while service businesses often add staff after the first quarter. If you are about to open a few roles, early March is a smart time to decide how you will manage the flood of applications.
This article focuses only on applicant tracking, the part of hiring between "we posted a job" and "we made an offer". Broader HR software, payroll and onboarding tools are separate decisions. A quick note: hiring involves employment law, which varies by country and state. This is general information, not legal advice, so check official guidance or speak to an employment professional about your own process.
What an applicant tracking system actually does
At its simplest, an ATS replaces the shared hiring inbox. Most tools offer a similar core set of features:
- Job posting. Create a job description once and publish it to your careers page and, depending on the tool, to job boards.
- A careers page. A branded page listing your open roles with an application form.
- A candidate pipeline. A board or list showing where each applicant is: applied, screened, interviewed, offered, hired or rejected.
- Collaboration. Shared notes, ratings and interview scorecards so everyone sees the same information.
- Scheduling and email. Templates for common messages and tools to book interviews.
- Reporting. Basic numbers such as how many applicants each job attracted and where they came from.
The value is not just tidiness. When candidates get prompt replies and interviewers use the same questions, you make fairer decisions and leave a better impression, even on people you do not hire.
Signs you are ready for one
You probably do not need an ATS to hire one person a year. It starts to pay off when you hire several times a year, when two or more people review candidates, when applications arrive from many sources, or when you have already forgotten to reply to someone. If any of those sound familiar, keep reading.
Five applicant tracking systems compared
Below are five well-known applicant tracking systems that small businesses often look at. This is not a ranking. Features, plans and pricing change frequently, so treat this as a starting point and check each provider's current details.
Workable
Workable is a dedicated recruiting tool known for job posting and sourcing features. It is often considered by small and growing teams that hire across several roles and want help reaching candidates. Look at how its job board distribution works in your country, and whether its plans fit the number of jobs you expect to have open at once.
BambooHR
BambooHR is primarily an HR platform for employee records, with an applicant tracking feature included in some plans. It can suit businesses that want hiring and employee information in one system. Check which plan includes hiring features and whether its recruiting tools are deep enough for your volume.
Greenhouse
Greenhouse is known for structured hiring: defined interview plans, scorecards and consistent evaluation. It tends to appeal to companies that hire frequently and want a rigorous, repeatable process. For a very small team, consider whether you will use its depth or whether a simpler tool would be enough.
Breezy HR
Breezy HR is a recruiting tool with a visual, drag-and-drop pipeline. Many small businesses find this kind of board easy to learn. Check what is included at each tier, especially automation, questionnaires and integrations.
Recruitee
Recruitee is a collaborative hiring tool with a strong focus on team involvement and a customizable careers page. It is used by teams in Europe and elsewhere. Look at its collaboration features, careers site options and how it handles data privacy in your region.
Dedicated recruiting tools
- Deeper hiring features such as sourcing, scorecards and automation
- Often better job board reach and careers pages
- Built around the candidate pipeline
All-in-one HR platforms with an ATS
- Hiring and employee records in one system
- Fewer logins and less data copying after a hire
- Recruiting features may be lighter than a specialist tool
Common mistake
Choosing the tool with the longest feature list. A small team that hires a handful of people a year rarely needs advanced sourcing or complex approval chains, and unused features make the tool harder to learn. Choose based on the features you will use in the next 12 months.
Features that matter most for small teams
When you compare tools, these are the features that usually make the biggest difference for a small business.
Ease of use
If hiring managers find the tool confusing, they go back to email. Ask everyone who will interview to try the trial and tell you honestly whether it makes their life easier.
Job posting and careers page
Check which job boards the tool can post to in your country, which are free and which cost extra, and whether the careers page looks good on a phone. Many applicants apply from mobile, so test the application form yourself.
Structured feedback
Scorecards with the same criteria for every candidate help reduce bias and make decisions easier to explain. Look for the ability to set interview questions and rating scales per role.
Candidate communication
Email templates, interview scheduling links and polite rejection messages save hours and protect your reputation. Some tools connect with booking tools such as Calendly so candidates can choose their own slot.
Privacy and data retention
Applicant data is personal data. In the UK and EU, GDPR applies to how you collect, store and delete it. Look for consent options, retention settings and easy deletion. In the US, rules vary by state. Check each tool's privacy policy and where it stores data.
Integrations
Consider whether the tool connects with your calendar, email, HR system and any assessment tools you use. Fewer manual steps means fewer mistakes.
An ATS comparison scorecard you can copy
Rate each tool from 1 to 5 on the criteria that matter to you, after testing it with a real job. The scores below are made-up examples to show how the scorecard works, not ratings of any real product.
| Tool | Ease of use (1 to 5) | Job posting reach | Scorecards | Candidate emails | Privacy settings | Fits our budget? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool A (example) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Yes | Team liked the board view |
| Tool B (example) | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Stretch | Strong, but more than we need |
| Tool C (example) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Yes | Also holds employee records |
Add a weighting column if some criteria matter more. For a busy shop hiring seasonal staff, ease of use and mobile applications might count double. For a startup hiring engineers, structured scorecards may matter most.
How to choose and set up your ATS
Use these steps to go from a shortlist to a working system without disrupting your hiring.
- List your hiring needs. How many roles a year, who interviews, which countries you hire in and where your best candidates come from.
- Shortlist two or three tools. Use the features section above to rule out tools that clearly do not fit.
- Trial with a real job. Post a live or mock role, apply as a candidate yourself, and move a test applicant through every stage.
- Involve your interviewers. Ask each person to leave feedback in the trial and fill in the scorecard.
- Check the fine print. Confirm pricing, user limits, contract length, data location, privacy terms and how to export your data if you leave.
- Set up your pipeline. Keep stages simple: Applied, Screen, Interview, Final, Offer, Hired, Not selected.
- Write templates. Create emails for acknowledgment, interview invitation, rejection and offer, plus a scorecard for each role.
- Review after your first hire. Note what worked and remove any steps nobody used.
Hypothetical example
Imagine Maya, who runs a garden center and hires six seasonal assistants each spring. Last year, applications came through email, walk-ins and a job board, and two good applicants never heard back. This year, she trials two tools with a real seasonal role. Her shift leads find one tool's drag-and-drop board easier, and it lets walk-in applicants apply by scanning a QR code at the till. She picks that tool, sets up five stages and three email templates, and every applicant now gets a reply within a few days.
Pro tip
Before you migrate, export your existing applicant spreadsheet and decide what you actually need to keep. Old applicant data may be subject to retention rules, so this is also a good moment to delete records you no longer have a reason to hold.
Keeping your hiring fair and compliant
An ATS can support a fair process, but it cannot guarantee one. Some tools include AI features that rank or screen applicants. If you use them, understand how they work, check results for unfair patterns and keep a human making the final decision. Rules on automated decision-making and AI in hiring are developing in several places, so check current guidance where you hire.
Also keep good records of why candidates were or were not selected, use consistent questions, and tell applicants how their data will be used. If you are unsure about a specific rule, ask a qualified employment adviser.
Your ATS selection checklist
- Write down how many roles you hire for each year and who interviews
- Decide whether you want a dedicated recruiting tool or an HR platform with hiring
- Shortlist two or three tools and start free trials
- Test the careers page and application form on a phone
- Ask every interviewer to try the scorecards and feedback tools
- Fill in the comparison scorecard with real test results
- Check pricing, user limits, contract terms and data export options
- Review privacy settings and data retention for your region
- Set up simple stages, email templates and role scorecards
Frequently asked questions
Is an applicant tracking system worth it for a very small business?
It depends on how often you hire. If you fill one role a year, a tidy spreadsheet and email templates may be enough. If you hire several times a year, involve more than one interviewer or receive many applications, an ATS usually saves time and improves the candidate experience.
Can an ATS post my jobs to job boards automatically?
Many tools can publish to a range of job boards, but which boards are included, and whether some cost extra, varies by tool and country. Check the current details with each provider during your trial.
Should I use the AI screening features?
Use them carefully. AI features can save time sorting applications, but they can also reflect bias in the data they learn from. Review how the feature works, check its results and keep a human responsible for decisions. Check current rules on automated decisions where you hire.
How long should I keep applicant data?
There is no single answer. In the UK and EU, GDPR expects you to keep personal data only as long as necessary and to tell applicants how long that is. Requirements differ elsewhere. Set a retention period in your ATS and check official guidance or ask a professional.
Related reading
The bottom line
The right applicant tracking system is the one your team will actually use. Workable, BambooHR, Greenhouse, Breezy HR and Recruitee each take a different approach, from dedicated recruiting depth to hiring inside a wider HR platform. Shortlist two or three, test them with a real job and score them on the features that matter for your hiring.
Start your trials now, before spring hiring picks up, and set up simple stages and friendly email templates from day one. Your candidates will notice the difference, and so will your team.
