7 Best Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) for Small Businesses

Hiring can be overwhelming, especially when you’re running a small business with limited time, staff, and resources. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can be your secret weapon, helping you stay organized, save time, and find the right talent faster.

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or building a growing team, here are seven ATS tools that are affordable, easy to use, and packed with features small businesses will love:

1. HiveMind AI

HiveMind AI is more than a typical ATS, it’s an AI-powered hiring assistant. It not only tracks applications but also calls candidates, screens them using smart questions, and automatically ranks resumes so you only deal with top matches.

Small business owners appreciate how simple, hands-free, and cost-effective HiveMind is. There’s no need for an in-house recruiter, HiveMind handles the heavy lifting so you can focus on running your business.

2. Breezy HR

If you’re looking for a clean, visual way to manage candidates, Breezy HR delivers. Its drag-and-drop pipeline makes it easy to move applicants through each stage of the hiring process. You can also post to job boards, schedule interviews, and message applicants, all in one place.

Breezy is perfect for teams that want organization without complexity.

3. Workable

Workable is a great choice for small businesses planning to scale. It offers powerful features like job posting, resume screening, and background checks, all while keeping the interface user-friendly.

It’s slightly more advanced than some tools, but it’s a great fit if you want an ATS that can grow with your team.

4. JazzHR

JazzHR is built with small and midsize businesses in mind. It offers customizable workflows, branded job listings, and automation tools to speed up the hiring process.

5. Zoho Recruit

Part of the larger Zoho suite, Zoho Recruit is a great option if you’re already using Zoho products, or even if you’re not. It offers end-to-end applicant tracking, interview scheduling, and email templates to streamline communication.

There’s even a free version for very small teams, with scalable pricing as you grow.

6. Recruitee

Recruitee combines a sleek user interface with powerful collaboration tools. It’s ideal for small businesses that want to involve team members in the hiring process, thanks to features like shared evaluations and task assignments.

Plus, its automation tools help cut down on manual tasks, making recruiting faster and easier.

7. Manatal

Manatal is a newer player but already gaining attention for its AI-powered candidate recommendations and social media recruitment features. It also allows you to enrich resumes with data from LinkedIn and other platforms.

For small teams that want next-gen tools at a reasonable price, Manatal is worth checking out.

Conclusion

You don’t need a full HR department to make great hires. With the best applicant tracking systems for small businesses, you can streamline your process, stay organized, and find top talent, even with limited time and resources.

The best ATS platforms are designed with simplicity, affordability, and efficiency in mind. They help you stay organized, track applicants effortlessly, and reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks — so you can focus on choosing the right talent for your team.

Whether you're looking for AI-powered intelligence like HiveMind AI that assists in screening candidates, a visual and user-friendly interface like Breezy HR, or a scalable solution like Workable that grows with your business, there's an ATS that fits your workflow, team size, and budget.

With these tools at your fingertips, you can make confident hiring decisions faster — no full HR department required.

Choose the one that fits your team’s needs and start hiring smarter today.