Best Applicant Tracking Systems for Small Business in 2026
Small businesses don't need enterprise ATS complexity. We tested 12+ recruiting tools to find the 5 best for companies hiring 1-20 roles per year without a dedicated recruiter.
Watch: Best ATS for Small Business
What Small Businesses Need in an ATS
Simple Job Posting & Distribution
Post to multiple job boards with one click. Indeed, LinkedIn, and Google Jobs integration without manually copying listings to each site.
Easy Candidate Management
A simple pipeline view to track applicants from application to offer. No complex workflows — just drag-and-drop candidate stages.
Collaborative Hiring
Hiring managers need to review resumes, leave notes, and score candidates without learning complex software. Simple sharing and feedback tools.
Affordable Pricing
Enterprise ATS platforms cost $10,000+/year. Small businesses need effective recruiting for under $200/month with no long-term contracts.
Top 5 Applicant Tracking Systems for Small Business
BambooHR ATS
Best Overall ATS for Small Business
Why It's Best for Small Business
BambooHR includes a capable ATS within their HRIS platform. One system for HR records, onboarding, AND recruiting means no integration headaches and lower total cost.
Key Features
- Job posting to multiple boards
- Customisable application forms
- Candidate pipeline management
- Collaborative hiring tools
Additional Capabilities
- Interview scheduling
- Offer letter templates
- Career page builder
- Onboarding integration
✓ Pros
- Included with HRIS (no extra cost)
- Seamless onboarding handoff
- Very easy to use
- Good job board integrations
- Hiring manager friendly
✗ Cons
- Less powerful than dedicated ATS
- Limited sourcing tools
- Basic analytics
- No CRM capabilities
Small businesses (25-200 employees) wanting ATS bundled with HRIS
JazzHR
Best Affordable Dedicated ATS
Why It's Best for Small Business
JazzHR offers the most ATS features at the lowest price point. Purpose-built for small business recruiting with unlimited users and jobs on higher tiers.
Key Features
- Unlimited job postings (on paid plans)
- Job board syndication
- Customisable pipelines
- Interview guides
Additional Capabilities
- Offer management
- Career page builder
- Reports & compliance
- E-signatures
✓ Pros
- Most affordable dedicated ATS
- Unlimited users
- Good feature set for price
- Compliance tools included
- Easy to learn
✗ Cons
- Interface feels dated
- Limited integrations
- No HRIS features
- Basic reporting
Small businesses (10-100 employees) wanting affordable dedicated recruiting software
Greenhouse
Best for Quality-Focused Small Business Hiring
Why It's Best for Small Business
Greenhouse is premium but delivers the best structured hiring process. If making great hires is critical to your business, the investment in better hiring decisions pays for itself.
Key Features
- Structured interview kits
- Scorecards and evaluation
- Job board integrations
- Career page builder
Additional Capabilities
- DEI tools
- Analytics and reporting
- Candidate experience tools
- Offer management
✓ Pros
- Best structured hiring process
- Excellent interview tools
- Strong analytics
- Great candidate experience
- DEI features included
✗ Cons
- Most expensive option
- May be overkill for low-volume hiring
- Longer setup time
- Sales-required pricing
Quality-focused small businesses (25-200 employees) where every hire matters
Homerun
Best for Employer Branding on a Budget
Why It's Best for Small Business
Homerun creates beautiful job posts and career pages that help small businesses compete with bigger brands for talent. The design-first approach stands out in a sea of boring job listings.
Key Features
- Beautiful job post templates
- Branded career page builder
- Team page with culture content
- Simple candidate pipeline
Additional Capabilities
- Collaborative hiring tools
- Email templates
- Basic analytics
- GDPR compliant
✓ Pros
- Best-looking job posts
- Free tier available
- Great employer branding
- Very easy to use
- Good for European companies
✗ Cons
- Limited ATS features
- No job board syndication
- Basic pipeline
- Small platform
Design-conscious small businesses (5-50 employees) wanting beautiful employer branding
Rippling ATS
Best for Automated Recruiting + Onboarding
Why It's Best for Small Business
Rippling's ATS connects directly to onboarding, IT provisioning, and payroll. When you hire someone, everything from the offer letter to their laptop order triggers automatically.
Key Features
- Job posting distribution
- Candidate pipeline
- Interview scheduling
- Offer letter generation
Additional Capabilities
- Automated onboarding handoff
- Background checks
- Compliance tools
- Reporting
✓ Pros
- Best onboarding handoff
- Full HR platform included
- Automated transitions
- Device provisioning included
- Modern interface
✗ Cons
- ATS is newer/less mature
- Requires Rippling platform
- Higher total investment
- Less recruiting-specific depth
Small businesses (25-200 employees) wanting recruiting that flows into automated onboarding
Quick Comparison
| Platform | Pricing | Job Boards | Ease of Use | Onboarding | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR | $5.25/user (incl) | Good | Excellent | Built-in | 25-200 |
| JazzHR | $75/month | Good | Good | None | 10-100 |
| Greenhouse | $6,000+/yr | Excellent | Good | None | 25-200 |
| Homerun | Free-$79/mo | Basic | Excellent | None | 5-50 |
| Rippling | $8/user | Good | Good | Excellent | 25-200 |
Ready to Choose?
Explore our full guide to applicant tracking systems with detailed reviews, feature comparisons, and implementation tips for small businesses.
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