Behind every growth-focused business are skilled teams that can guide planned operations and pivot when needs arise.
To hire such skilled employees, the efficiency of the process is a must. In this scenario, applicant tracking software with powerful features can help you.
However, the tricky part is to balance your needs with your budget. With various recruitment tools available, how do you find one that streamlines your hiring without burning a hole in your pocket?
Let us explore the specifics of ATS pricing so you can choose the one tool with maximum ROI.
ATS pricing models
Applicant tracking system pricing depends on various factors such as features, recruiting team size, number of vacancies, deployment options, storage capacity, etc. In general, these are the most common ATS pricing models:
1. Flat rate
The flat rate pricing model is when an ATS vendor charges a fixed fee for their services. It factors all the fixed and variable costs into the final pricing, which is usually calculated based on the company’s size.
Since no fluctuations in the number of users change the fee, a flat rate is one of the simplest ATS pricing models. If you have the budget to commit to a multi-year contract upfront, this is the ideal choice.
2. Pay-per-user pricing
In a pay-per-user pricing model, the vendor charges the client for each employee who has access to the system.
Opt for this ATS pricing model if you are a small-scale company with a limited team and lower hiring demands since you are only charged for users on the admin side. You can give the tool access to only the recruiter(s) and save money. However, it’s best to involve as many stakeholders in the recruiting process while staying within your budget.
3. Pay-per-vacancy pricing
The pay-per-vacancy or pay-per-job pricing model is when the ATS vendor charges you for the number of job openings you post. Once you fill a vacancy, the system archives it and doesn’t charge you for it any longer.
This is also a good option for small companies with lower hiring volumes. However, if you have regular hiring needs, costs add up quickly in the ATS pricing model.
4. Pay-per-module pricing
This pricing model typically applies when recruitment is a part of a larger HR platform. You can add ATS as a feature, and the cost will add to what you already pay for the HR solution, like a CRM or an employee onboarding tool.
Key applicant tracking system metrics
There are multiple aspects you must consider, but here are the top five applicant tracking system metrics:
Features
While you don’t want to go overboard with the spending, features must always take the front seat when you look for an ATS.
First, list all the hiring tasks you want to streamline. Then, check the available ATS tools aligning with your needs. Your goal is to create a balance between opted features and the budget.
Scalability
As you grow your company, your recruitment needs will also increase. So, make sure you choose an ATS that grows with you.
The best practice here is to check how many add-ons your chosen recruiting software offers with the packages. Ask questions like-
- Are the plans flexible enough?
- What is the customization standard of the platform’s ATS pricing?
- Do the ATS benefits include ample integrations?
Customization
Every company has unique recruitment needs—and your chosen ATS platform should fit into that like a glove. So, we strongly recommend you invest in a customizable hiring tool.
You can opt for free trials of a few applicant tracking tools and assess if they are customizable enough to fit your requirements. See if you can tailor automated workflows, outreach templates, and search filters based on your needs.
Support
Every software comes with a learning curve. So, ensure your selected ATS delivers prompt customer support. Go through customer reviews to see how their existing customers feel about their client service. Your chosen software should also have multiple service channels, including contact numbers, email, and chatbot.
Budget
Ultimately, your ATS pricing selection amounts to how much you can invest in a recruitment tool. So, assess your entire talent acquisition budget and see how much funds can go to an ATS without compromising your other hiring operations.
Small businesses and start-ups are prone to budget constraints. If you are one of them, we suggest you look for a tool with a freemium ATS pricing model. A pay-per-user pricing model also works if you have a small recruitment team.
For mid-scale companies, tier-based ATS pricing makes more sense as you can scale up the services according to your needs. However, a custom pricing model is a better fit if you have a bigger budget or advanced functionality needs.
ATS solutions for modern recruitment teams
Now that you know what various ATS pricing looks like and the features you must prioritize, let’s simplify your decision-making further. Here are five reliable ATS tools you can consider for a streamlined hiring process:
1. Kula
Let’s kick off our list with one of the most feature-rich and all-in-one ATS tools for hypergrowth companies, Kula. From automated recruiting workflows to AI-powered interview highlights, this nifty recruitment tool is everything you need for an accelerated and effortless hiring process.
Features
- Out-of-the-box career page builder to represent a credible recruiter image
- AI-powered candidate matching to find the right profiles instantly
- Personalized candidate engagement flows across the entire recruitment funnel
- Automated resume parsing to save time and improve screening accuracy
- Centralized candidate repository with advanced search and filters for an organized hiring cycle
- Automated interview notes in easy-to-read format to streamline feedback delivery to every candidate
- Recruitment analytics and conversational analytics to stay on top of your hiring
Pros
- Integrates with Microsoft Outlook, InMail, Gmail, and Slack
- Automated reach-out and follow-up sequences make the hiring process feel like a breeze
- Helps you score thousands of inbound candidates and surfaces the top profiles for the vacancy
- Reduces feedback time and improves candidate communication
- Lets hiring managers keep track of their recruiting team’s performance
Pricing
Tailor built for in-house recruiters in high-growth tech companies, Kula offers a pay-per-user pricing model. You simply need to put the number of recruiters you have and the number of vacancies you want to fill, and we will send you a detailed breakdown of the charges.
You can also get started for free.
2. Greenhouse
Next on our list is Greenhouse, another impressive ATS software designed for enterprise-grade hiring cycles. It offers candidate scorecards, a dynamic dashboard, and accurate data visualization to keep your recruitment process organized and result-driven.
Features
- Automated candidate sourcing from major and niche job boards
- Candidate recommendations based on historical and industry performance
- Alerts, notifications, and action-triggered recruitment task scheduling
- Automated and personalized outreach
- Hiring performance analytics
Pros
- Generates granular insights to help you improve your recruitment process with every cycle
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- Has a steep learning curve
Pricing
You can communicate your hiring requirements to get a customized quote.
3. Lever
Lever offers custom-tailored recruitment workflows to make your recruitment team’s life easier. Specifically built to cater to the recruitment needs of small and scaling businesses, it lets you source and nurture the best candidates with minimal effort.
Features
- Built-in CRM
- Integrations with all major job boards
- Automated interview scheduling and feedback collection
- Automated candidate outreach
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Easy to collaborate and communicate with all the stakeholders
Cons
- No feature to access attachments from past applications
Pricing
Available on request
4. Pinpoint
The next addition to our list is Pinpoint, an intuitive recruitment tool with flexible ATS pricing. Here, you can set expectations upfront with the candidate, thanks to its clean and simple hiring workflows. You can even run candidate surveys to gauge their experience and use the insights to improve your future recruitment cycles.
Features
- Branded career sites
- Candidate surveys
- Automation for employee referrals
- Job posting and distribution across all the best job sites
- Customizable application form builder
Pros
- Extremely beginner-friendly with top-notch customer support
- Lets you create an inclusive recruitment process with multilingual candidate experience
Cons
- The integrations aren’t as robust as other ATS tools
Pricing
Custom quotes are available on request
5. Workable
Workable is another popular ATS tool to identify, hire, onboard, and manage the best talents.
Features
- Career page builder
- Dynamic job posting across popular job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Google, along with the regional ones
- Candidate referrals and social media sharing
- Multilingual recruitment
Pros
- Excellent for a region-based hiring process
- Email templates for department-based recruitment outreach
Cons
- Issues with interview scheduling through Outlook calendars
Pricing
Workable’s ATS pricing starts at $149/month. The Standard and Premier packages are available at $299/month and $599/month.
Get the best applicant tracking system pricing
Now that you know all the necessary information about ATS pricing and solutions, opt for one that fits your budget and offers the required features, scalability, customizations, and support.
Want an ATS that checks all the above boxes? Look no further than Kula.
Just sign up for a free trial and see for yourself!
