Top 11 ATS (Applicant Tracking System) for Small Businesses in 2024

In 2024, making your way through the hiring process, saving time, and getting the best candidates has become a necessity. But that is not possible unless you start using the best applicant tracking systems for your medium-sized business.

This article explains why ATS investment is critical for small businesses and how to select the right one.

Why Your Small Business Needs an Applicant Tracking System?

The reality is that when you're running a small business, every hire is a big deal. 

Selecting the right applicant tracking system could be the difference between smooth sailing and chaos. 

The recruitment workflow-based ATS helps you track candidates and ensures you do not lose the best talent in your pipeline. Imagine juggling hundreds of resumes manually—it's like trying to herd cats!

What to Look for in an ATS for Small Businesses?

Choosing the best ATS for your small business can feel like finding a needle in a haystack.

Some key features to consider include:

• Ease of use: All you need is a system that doesn't play the maze game on you. Instead, look for an ATS that's friendly and intuitive in navigation.
• Customizable: Your business is unique, so your ATS must be flexible enough to meet your specific needs.
• Integration: Ensure the compatibility of the ATS with other HR tools and software for small businesses you use.
• Customer Service: When things go wrong, you want a customer support team as dependable as a Swiss watch.

Top 11 Best Applicant Tracking Systems for Small Businesses in 2024

Getting the right ATS in place can make all the difference. Here are the top 11 best applicant tracking systems designed to help small businesses streamline their recruitment process:

1. factoHR

factoHR provides end-to-end applicant tracking services customized for small businesses. 

It easily integrates with payroll and HR systems, making it a single powerhouse solution that eases the whole process from recruitment to onboarding.

Key features:

• Easy integration with HR and payroll systems
• User-friendly interface
• Detailed analytics and reporting

Pros:

• It is a complete HR suite and very useful.
• Good customer support.
• It is very scalable for growing businesses.

2. BambooHR

BambooHR is a cloud-based applicant tracking system designed to cater to small and medium-sized businesses. 

This software presents an intuitive interface, in-depth analytics and integration capabilities with other HR systems.

Key features include:

• Customizable dashboards.
• Detailed analytics.
• Integration with job boards.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface.
• Great customer support.
• Rich reporting mechanisms.

Cons:

• It is costilier.

3. Zoho Recruit

Another good option you might want to consider for a full-featured recruitment platform is Zoho Recruit. 

The software allows the posting of multiple jobs, parsing resumes, and the ability to work with other members of both the recruiting team and hiring managers.

Key features include:

• AI-powered candidate matching—customizable workflows.
• Extensive job board integrations.

Pros:

• Overall very affordable.
• It's pretty easy to use.
• It has strong integration capabilities

Cons:

• Limited customer support hours.
• The initial setup can be complex.

4. Workable

Workable targets small businesses that work together to execute hiring activities. With a good number of advanced AI features, it doesn't come as a surprise that many small teams find it easy to trust Workable.

Key Features:

• Sourcing with artificial intelligence.
• Team collaboration.
• A mobile-first user experience.

Pros:

• Easy to set up.
• Very rich in AI features.
• Great collaborative features.

Cons:

• Higher pricing for advanced features.
• Limited customization.

5. Jobvite

Jobvite provides businesses of all sizes with an easy-to-use modern applicant tracking system to attract, engage, and hire better candidates. Its social recruiting tools and candidate tracking are second to none.

Key Features:

• Social recruiting.
• Advanced analytics.
• Candidate relationship management.

Pros:

• Strong social media integration.
• Comprehensive reporting.
• Excellent customer support.

Cons:

• Can be expensive for small businesses.
• Steeper learning curve.

6. Greenhouse

Greenhouse provides a powerful yet simple Recruitment Management System. It is best suited to small businesses that want to improve their hiring processes and want to identify top talent quickly.

Key Features:

• Structured hiring process.
• Interview plans that can be customized.
• Strong reporting tools.

Pros:

• Highly customizable.
• Robust analytics
• Great support staff

Cons:

• Higher in cost
• Complex setup process

7. Lever

Lever is a software that combines both ATS and CRM capabilities, therefore giving it the versatility to use with small businesses, hence helping to streamline the recruitment process from posting of jobs to tracking candidates—candidate relationship management Customizable pipelines Advanced Analytics

Pros:

• Intuitive interface
• Excellent candidate management
• Strong set of integration options.

Cons:

• Pricey.
• Less customization for lower tiers.

8. iCIMS

iCIMS is an ATS built for small and medium-sized businesses. It has strong features such as job board integrations, applicant screening, and deep analytics to streamline your recruitment workflow.

Key Features:

• Job board integrations.
• Applicant screening.
• Advanced reporting.

Pros:

• Comprehensive feature set.
• Scalable solutions.
• Great customer support.

Cons:

• Expensive for small-sized businesses.
• The user interface is complicated.

9. JazzHR

Known for being one of the affordable and simple tools, JazzHR is the best investment for those small businesses that are running out of budget but need an ATS perfectly suitable.

Key Features:

• Customizable workflows.
• Resume parsing.
• Interview scheduling.

Pros:

• Affordable.
• User-friendly.
• Good support system.

Cons:

• Not that advanced in many features.
• Simple reporting.

10. SmartRecruiters

SmartRecruiters offers a free trial and packs enough features to make it a clear favorite for many users. 

Its collaborative hiring process and easy-to-use interface have made it popular with small businesses.

Key Features:

• Collaboration hiring.
• Mobile recruiting.
• Advanced analytics.

Pros:

• Very intuitive to use.
• Excellent collaboration tools.
• Get started with a free trial.

Cons:

• The premium features are expensive.
• Limited scope for customization.

11. Recruitee

Recruitee is a genuinely stylish recruitment app with solid features aimed at small businesses; it's job board integrations and collaborative hiring breathe welcome fresh air into your otherwise humdrum hiring process. 

It's perfect for small businesses in 2024 that are looking to streamline their hiring process.

Key Features:

• Job board integrations 
• Collaborative hiring 
• Customizable workflows

Pros:

• Modern interface
• Great integration capabilities
• Excellent support

Cons:

• At premium pricing
• Some advanced features are tricky to learn.

How to Select the Right ATS for Your Small Business?

Selecting the right ATS for your small business is just like shopping for the ideal pair of shoes: it has to fit perfectly ;))

Here are some pointers to help you: 

1. Differentiate Your Needs: Realize what the primary features of your business need to be.
2. Do you need solid reporting, worry-free integration, or outstanding customer support? 
3. Consider whether the trial is free to try the ATS under real-life conditions. It will give a feel for the system's ease of use and functionality.
4. Read reviews and small business testimonials. Experiences give you a good idea of how it works.

How an ATS Streamlines Recruitment?

An ATS can greatly save time and streamline the recruitment process. You can be pretty confident that your recruiting effort is, without a doubt, as effective and time-efficient as you can somehow make it in everything from posting jobs to screening applicants. 

It's like having a virtual assistant that doesn't need sleep.

Nice isn't it?

Getting the Most Out of an Applicant Tracking System

To optimize the return on your investment in an ATS, train your team well in its capabilities and how to use it. 

After that, keep it up to date, especially about new job postings, and use reporting tools to track the recruitment process to tweak your hiring strategy and find the best talent for your business.

The Future of ATS Systems for Small Business

With technological advances, the features and capabilities of ATS systems will increase. 

We predict that in 2024, even more advanced tools that are AI-based will further speed up and facilitate the hiring process. 

Being up-to-date with this will give your small business a competitive advantage in the job market.

Bottom Line

Investing in an applicant tracking system tailored for small businesses is not just a smart move—it's essential. By choosing an intuitive, customizable, and well-integrated ATS, you can streamline your hiring process, save valuable time, and secure top talent effortlessly.

Start optimizing your recruitment today and set your business on the path to success.