5 Top-Rated Applicant Tracking Software for Small Business

Hiring managers often spend a lot of time managing an overwhelming volume of applications and finding qualified candidates. An applicant tracking system can ease this process for human resource professionals by automating recurring tasks, such as application management, candidate evaluation, and communication. 

To help you narrow down applicant tracking software options, this article highlights, in alphabetical order, the five top-rated applicant tracking software for small businesses based on user reviews. For each product, we include overall user ratings along with the highest-rated attribute, product benefits, review excerpts from industry professionals, and product pricing.

We selected products for this article based on their average ratings between January 2022 - January 2024, which may differ from their current overall average ratings.

100Hires is an applicant tracking system that offers features, such as job posting, candidate management, interview scheduling, and workflow management to simplify the recruitment process. The software allows recruiters to import candidate profiles from social platforms, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, and store candidates’ resumes in an integrated database. It offers a variety of email templates that can be used to schedule interviews, send offer letters, reject candidates, and welcome new hires to the team. In addition to the email templates, 100Hires also provides a Chrome extension for easy data access and import.

Commonly discussed topics by 100Hires reviewers 

Based on our analysis of 100Hires reviews on GetApp, the most commonly discussed topics are:

• User-friendly interface and integrations: 97.8% of users appreciate the user-friendly interface of the system and time-saving automation features. They also like the software’s integration with social media platforms, communication tools, and other job boards.

• Efficient recruitment management: 97% of users appreciate the comprehensive functionality of the tool, including AI for job descriptions and Chrome extensions for data import, which significantly enhances efficiency. Additionally, they like the ability of the software to tailor to specific recruitment needs.

• Versatile candidate management system: 95.7% of users appreciate the Chrome extension provided by the tool as it facilitates the easy import of candidate profiles from LinkedIn and other platforms. They also like the software for its customizable workflows, collaborative tools, and robust reporting features. 

Review excerpts from small business users who have used 100Hires for applicant tracking:

"It is fully automated ATS, Which can save you time as much as you want and job posting and candidate features are also very impressive and helpful. And you can easily schedule interviews from this compare to other ATS." (ZeelBa Chavda, Talent Acquisition, 2023) 

"I really liked the chrome extension feature which helps to import candidates from LinkedIn with their contact details & pdf profiles & also facilitates maintaining notes & qualifying candidates." (Priti Srivastava, Senior Recruiter, 2023)

"It's a great tool for sourcing which allows you to transfer candidate information from platforms to the ATS, and it saves you a lot of time." (Stefan Markovic, CEO, 2022)

"The software has all the necessary tools to facilitate the work of the recruiter, such as automatic addition of candidates through the Chrome extension and search on different platforms." (Nina Tseplyaeva Salmaz, Talent Acquisition, 2022)

"It helps me manage my recruitment process a lot better and provides visibility of the process with just a tap either on the platform or using Chrome extension." (Nicholas Ogundipe, Senior Associate, Career Development Services, 2023)

Read all 100Hires reviews here.

Chattr is an automated hiring software that provides users with the ability to pause and reopen job postings, and boost job advertisements for a specific period. The software enables an equal distribution of monthly sponsorship across all open jobs. Chattr’s AI-powered intelligent assistance automates the entire recruiting process—from sourcing to onboarding, eliminating the need for conducting time-consuming staffing processes manually and improving efficiency in hiring. In addition to this, the software provides notifications of upcoming interviews and allows for easy addition and removal of job postings.

Commonly discussed topics by Chattr reviewers 

Based on our analysis of Chattr reviews on GetApp, the most commonly discussed topics are:

• Simplified employee interview scheduling: 100% of users claim that the tool offers managers endless opportunities to organize their schedules. They also appreciate that the system not only streamlines the scheduling process but also fosters improved communication between candidates and managers. 

• Efficient recruitment: 90.9% of users appreciate the software for its flexibility to schedule interviews at any time. They also find it effective in managing interviews and sourcing candidates globally, which helps in increasing the pool and quality of candidates. 

• Enhanced resume management: 78.8% of users appreciate the software for its ability to pause and reopen job postings, schedule interviews, and send automated notifications. They also like the software’s ease of use and its ability to integrate with traditional hiring methods.

Review excerpts from small business users who have used Chattr for applicant tracking:

"The ability to pause jobs and then reopen them, boost advertising for a period of 14 days to fill positions quickly, and still have our monthly sponsorship cover all open jobs equally is amazing." (Yvette Lampp, Accounting Office Manager, 2023)

"I like the notification of upcoming interviews, and the screening process for jobs that are posted, also the ease of removing and adding available job postings" (Leslie Kidd, Franchise Trainer, 2023)

"The best thing Chattr provided for our process was the ability for a candidate to schedule an interview at any time of the day." (Philip Personette, Director of Operations Recruiting and Onboarding, 2023)

"I like that we can source candidates from all over the web." (Allen Bowers, Unit Manager, 2023)

"I really like chattr because they schedule interviews for you and they make the interviewing process way more efficient." (Zackary Davis, District manager, 2023)

Read all Chattr reviews here.

Recruit CRM is a recruitment software that allows users to identify keywords that potential candidates are using for their job search, offering insights they need to optimize their job postings. It also includes a hotlist feature that lets users create a curated list of candidates for future reference. Recruiters can share this list with other members of the team and perform bulk actions, such as editing or deleting hotlists. Recruit CRM allows users to create hotlists for companies, contacts, candidates, and jobs. It also includes an integrated chat function for swift customer support.

Commonly discussed topics by Recruit CRM reviewers 

Based on our analysis of Recruit CRM reviews on GetApp, the most commonly discussed topics are:

• Outstanding customer service: 93.5% of users value the customer service provided by Recruit CRM. They describe the support team as swift, 24/7 available, and friendly. Users also appreciate the integrated chat function for instantly connecting with the support team. 

• Customization capabilities: 85.7% of users appreciate the system for its customization capabilities that allow users to tailor the platform to their specific needs. They like the system's ability to modify stages in their pipeline, set modules, and make quick changes whenever required. 

• Easy candidate management: 76% of users appreciate the software for its efficiency and ease of use in managing candidates. They highlight the convenience of keyword-based job searches, onboarding of new staff, candidate matching, and advertisement posting. 

Review excerpts from small business users who have used Recruit CRM for applicant tracking:

"I like the way were able to search for a job using keywords, and the employees that have those certain skills are the ones to pop up." (Giahn Arzola, Recruiting Supervisor, 2023)

"Simple to train new staff on, add-ons such as adding clients and candidates easily are great and saves all our staff a considerable amount of time." (Peter Murtough, Managing Director, 2024)

"The service of customer support is swift, looks like 24x7 available, they have very friendly staff in case I needed some support or had questions." (Alex Kroone, Chief Executive Officer, 2022)

"Recruit CRM allows you to customize stages in your pipeline which makes it a solid applicant tracking system." (Brittni Arthur, CRM Consultant, 2022)

"The feature that I like most about Recruit CRM is that I can customize the features on the platform." (Natalie Goldring, Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant, Client Manager, 2023)

Read all Recruit CRM reviews here.

Recruiterflow is a recruitment tool that centralizes candidate information, providing easy access to resumes, contact details, interview feedback, and communication history. The software allows HR professionals to create interview scorecards and add interview instructions and notes to these scorecards. Recruiters can customize these scorecards by adding the required skills for the job role, open-ended questions, and recommendations. Team members can view these scorecards on the candidate profile. If the candidate has been interviewed for multiple job roles, users can select the desired role from the jobs drop-down section in the scorecards.

Commonly discussed topics by Recruiterflow reviewers 

Based on our analysis of Recruiterflow reviews on GetApp, the most commonly discussed topics are:

• Enhanced recruitment efficiency: 94.7% of users appreciate the automation capabilities of the tool that enables recruiters to focus on high-value tasks, such as candidate engagement and evaluation. They like that the tool acts as a comprehensive solution for recruitment, job posting, and applicant tracking. 

• Effective team management: 88.9% of users value the software’s ease of use and the friendly, helpful nature of the customer service team. Additionally, they appreciate the introduction of Kanban viewing for jobs.

• Efficient candidate management 76.7% of users like that the software automates marketing and recruitment processes, facilitates easy tracking of applicants, and provides valuable data on job boards. They also appreciate that it centralizes candidate information, facilitating access to resumes, contact details, and interview feedback. 

Review excerpts from small business users who have used Recruiterflow for applicant tracking:

"We are able to automate the marketing and recruitment process, keep track of applicants and view data on where we get the most return on investment with job boards." (Jack Short, Director, 2023)

"Having all candidate information in one place allows recruiters to access resumes, contact details, interview feedback, and communication history with ease." (Beatrice Joita, Consultant, 2023)

"Recruiter Flow provides incredible customer service. If I ever have questions or problems, they are prompt in getting it figured out." (Kasha Starr, Recruiter, 2023)

"Recruiterflow was our top source for recruitment, job posting, and overall ATS system" (Bridget Reyes, HR Manager, 2023)

Read all Recruiterflow reviews here.

Rippling is a workforce management system that centralizes HR, payroll, and IT processes. The software allows HR managers to customize interview stages based on position, department, and seniority and create approval workflows for open positions. It also offers various recruiting reports, such as time-to-fill, offer acceptance rates and time-per-stage reports that can be customized and filtered to gain deeper insights into the efficiency of the hiring process. Users can download these reports as spreadsheets and share them with the larger team, every day, week, or month.

Commonly discussed topics by Rippling reviewers 

Based on our analysis of Rippling reviews on GetApp, the most commonly discussed topics are:

• Enhanced HR management: 96.4% of users appreciate the software for its automation features and seamless integrations, which help them streamline HR processes and reduce manual efforts. They also value the system for its ability to simplify HR-related tasks, organize records, and involve employees.

• Simplified HR processes: 89.5% of users say that the tool allows for efficient management of employee onboarding, payroll, benefits, and IT provisioning. They also appreciate the transparency, user-friendly interface, and the ability of the tool to handle complex tasks, such as tax and payroll calculations.

• Efficient customer service: 78.6% of users commend the software for its customer service, which includes round-the-clock live chat, email, and phone support. They also appreciate the smooth operation and ease of setup provided by Rippling, which further enhances their overall user experience.

Review excerpts from small business users who have used Rippling for applicant tracking:

"It is the easiest way to manage the headcount of the company and know their titles, hiring dates and those who leave, and the reason for leaving to manage attrition or turnover, also very smooth and easy when using the payroll online calculator and the employee incidents history." (Mohamed Halim, Senior Workforce/Data Analyst, 2022)

"The ability to handle employee onboarding, payroll, benefits, and IT provisioning in one place streamlined our HR processes and improved overall efficiency." (Marek Tyczyński, CEO, 2023)

"Rippling has helped organize our HR affairs, and it has also enabled us to get our employees involved, which has given us greater freedom to have perfect control over all records and documents and make sure they are always up-to-date." (Liza Coyoca, HR Officer, 2022)

"The software provides excellent customer support, with 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support available." (Sharma Binaya, Review for Rippling, 2023)

"What I like most about Rippling is that all of the services it provides are very well setup and run extremely smoothly and are super easy to setup." (Jason Chernetskiy, COO, 2023)

Read all Rippling reviews here.

Applicant tracking software includes the core features: 

• Candidate profiles: Stores candidate information, including the candidate’s resume, contact data, work experience, education skills, application history, assessment results, and additional documents in a centralized location. This feature allows recruiters and hiring managers to access and evaluate relevant information about individual candidates stored within the database. 

• Job posting: Enables HR professionals to create, manage, and post job openings on various online platforms, including job boards, career sites, and social media platforms. Users can input details about the job, such as title, description, and skill requirements, and customize the appearance of the postings to align with their branding. 

All products listed in this report include the key features mentioned above. Besides these core features, applicant tracking software commonly tends to offer:

• Application management

• Careers page

• Collaboration tools

• Email management

• Interview scheduling

• Resume parsing

• Resume storage

• Workflow management

Here are some factors to consider while you look for the best applicant tracking software for small business: 

• Evaluate assessment management features: While evaluating potential applicant tracking software solutions, consider assessment management features to evaluate candidates’ skills and suitability for specific roles. These features may include test creation, a question bank, job alignment, assessment distribution, scoring, and online feedback capabilities. HR managers can use these features to create a variety of assessments, such as skills and cognitive tests, and associate them with specific job positions. These are also helpful in distributing assessments to candidates through online platforms and providing feedback to candidates on their performance. 

• Assess interview scheduling capabilities: Before investing in the best applicant tracking system, make sure that the software allows hiring managers to coordinate and schedule interviews with job candidates. The software should help candidates input their availability for the interview, facilitating the selection of interview times that suit both the hiring manager and the candidate. An applicant tracking tool with interview scheduling functionality enables recruiters to send automated invitations to candidates with details about the interview and offers real-time updates on interview schedules. It also allows for easy rescheduling or cancellation of interviews. 

• Look for integration with job boards: Integration with online job boards, such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor, allows recruiters to post job openings on multiple platforms simultaneously. Human resource professionals can use this feature to track the performance of these postings and analyze which job boards are most effective in attracting qualified candidates. This further helps them optimize their recruitment strategies and make adjustments if necessary.

Consider asking your vendor the following questions so that you find the best applicant tracking software for your small business:

• Does the software offer a resume parsing feature?

Resume parsing in applicant tracking software allows a hiring manager to extract relevant information from resumes submitted by job applicants. This information may include contact details, work experience, education, skills, and other relevant data that may be important to a particular job role. Resume parsing often includes the ability to recognize keywords and phrases relevant to specific job roles, helping recruiting managers identify candidates who possess the desired skills and qualifications. 

• Does the software offer custom templates?

Consider a tool that offers pre-built templates, including email, job description, and offer letter templates to maintain consistency in communication and documentation processes. Recruiting managers can use these templates to send interview invitations, rejection letters, follow-up messages, and job offers to candidates. Several ATS tools also offer templates for interview evaluation, ensuring a standardized approach to candidate assessment. 

• What are the collaboration features offered by the tool?

While evaluating the best applicant tracking system, make sure that the software offers necessary collaboration options, such as built-in chats, audio/video calls, link sharing, commenting, collaborative reviews, and automated email notifications to facilitate communication and coordination among team members. These features ensure that all stakeholders, including the applicant and the interviewer, are kept informed of the application status.