10 Best Recruiting Agency Software Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
With so many different recruiting agency software available, figuring out which one is the best fit for your team is hard. You know you need software that can track the needs of multiple clients, create separate talent pools for different purposes, and handle back-office functions like invoicing, but you need to figure out which tool is the best. In this article, I'll help you make this choice easier by sharing my insights on the best recruiting agency software on the market today.
What is Recruiting Agency Software?
Recruiting agency software is a tool that's used by professional recruiters to organize their recruiting campaigns and related talent pools for different clients. They follow a team-based hiring model and include internal communication and collaboration tools, as well as other back-office functions such as accounting, invoicing, and time-tracking tools, plus client-facing portals.
Recruiting agency software ultimately supports faster and better hiring through automation, improved candidate data management, and transparent team-based communication and collaboration tools. You can use these solutions to automate all aspects of the recruiting process – from job posting to resume parsing, background screening, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, candidate nurturing, and reporting. They’re designed to simplify the process of recruiting for multiple clients simultaneously, allowing you to fill numerous positions quickly while still offering a great client and candidate experience.
Overviews of the 10 Best Recruiting Agency Software
Here’s my assessment of the best recruiting agency software available today, along with descriptions of their key features and why they made my list.
Manatal is an award-winning recruitment and applicant tracking software solution that connects with thousands of popular and niche job posting channels from paid and unpaid sources. Their software is used in over 90 countries and includes sophisticated features like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
Why I picked Manatal: Manatal offers advanced social media recruitment tools like a Chrome extension for importing LinkedIn profiles and simple job post social sharing directly from your career page to platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Line. Their user interface is also simple to follow, meaning little to no training is required for you to get up and running with their system fast.
Manatal Standout Features & Integrations:
Standout features for Manatal include their intelligent candidate sourcing and AI-powered recommendations. These features work in tandem to help you sift through your stacks of candidate data, with the system automatically picking out candidates who check the most boxes. To make this feature the most effective, you can use customizable fields and search criteria for the AI engine to use in its algorithm, giving more weight to whatever factors you deem most important for each role, be it specific skills, work experience, academic background, or any other requirements.
Integrations are available with Facebook, Gmail, G Suite, Line, LinkedIn, Microsoft Outlook, Office 365, Wechat, and WhatsApp. Zapier integration and API access are available on their custom plan subscription.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Candidate sourcing tool draws from 2,500+ job platforms
- Includes task tracking and team collaboration tools
- You can create customizable career landing pages with embedded application forms
Cons:
- SMS recruitment features only available in their top-level plan
- Annual billing only
Zoho Recruit is a recruiting agency software that helps your team source, track, and hire top talent. The solution allows you to create custom workflows and speed up your hiring processes.
Why I picked Zoho Recruit: I chose Zoho Recruit because it enables you to post your open positions on 75+ job boards and social media so they can gain immediate exposure. This makes the software ideal for staffing organizations who want to fill many job openings at once.
Besides talent sourcing, Zoho Recruit also offers effective candidate retention features. The recruitment solution enables you to create personalized workflows for your candidates, allowing you to include custom triggers that activate only when job seekers perform certain actions so you can keep candidates engaged throughout the process.
Zoho Recruit Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include background checks, skill assessments, and automated surveys. Combined, these features enable you to fill your pipelines with valuable candidates who are also a cultural match for your organization.
Integrations include all Zoho tools, communication solutions, and social media platforms, such as Twilio, Screen Magic, Slack, Google Suite, Microsoft Outlook, MailChimp, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, and LinkedIn.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Friendly toward novice users
- Good variety of job boards available
- Mobile app available
Cons:
- Limited design customization options
- Self-help documents could be better
Unnanu Hire is an advanced hiring platform that uses artificial intelligence and automation to optimize the recruiting process. Due to its ability to manage large volumes of candidate data and quickly rank candidate applications in bulk, it's a great tool for recruiting agencies who are dealing with high-volume hiring. Using Unnanu Hire, you can manage job postings, track applicants, and even conduct video interviews.
Why I picked Unnanu Hire: I included Unnanu Hire in this list because I really like its AI-powered candidate-matching capabilities. By leveraging AI algorithms, Unnanu Hire accurately analyzes job requirements and candidate profiles to find the best match for each position. Unnanu Hire also has a pre-populated talent database sourced from around the web, giving you quick and easy access to hundreds of vetted candidates (part of the Pro plan and above).
Unnanu Hire Standout Features & Integrations:
One of the standout features of Unnanu Hire is its video interviewing capability. Instead of having to schedule and conduct interviews in person or via a separate video conferencing tool, you can do it all within Unnanu Hire. This makes the whole process more efficient and provides a better candidate experience on the receiving end too.
Another feature that I really appreciate is the applicant tracking system. It's super easy to see where each applicant is in the hiring process, and you can even set up automated emails to keep candidates updated. It's a great way to keep everything organized and ensure no one falls through the cracks.
Integrations are not currently listed on their site.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Free plan includes unlimited job postings
- Supports mass emails and other bulk actions
- Includes a pre-populated talent database
Cons:
- AI evaluations costs extra
- Limited customer support on lower plans
Crelate is a recruiting agency software that allows you to source, track, and manage your candidates. The solution offers a straightforward user interface that’s easy to grasp for inexperienced users.
Why I picked Crelate: I selected Crelate for my top 10 list due to its clean user interface. The software is well structured, so you can find the functionality you need without wasting time. In addition, the recruiting platform offers a click-and-drag functionality, allowing you to select and move multiple candidates through the recruitment process easily.
The platform’s search feature is specific and you can rely on it to find candidate lists or individual candidates within a list. Crelate is easy to use, which is why I picked it as the best solution for beginners.
Crelate Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include resume parsing and automated candidate profile creation. Crelate pulls the information from your candidate’s resumes and uses it to create detailed profiles, complete with each job seeker’s social media information.
Integrations include communication and analytics tools, and ATS solutions, such as ZoomInfo, hireEZ, CareerBuilder, Seekout, Glassdoor, Monster, JobInventory, Dice, CareerJet, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Outlook.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great support department
- Automation features help you capture candidate data
- Drag-and-drop visual editor
Cons:
- Limited number of email templates
- You can’t customize the required fields for job applications
TargetRecruit is a recruiting agency solution that enables you to source, screen, interview, and hire candidates in a straightforward interface. The solution helps you build customizable career pages that match your client’s official website’s look and feel.
Why I picked TargetRecruit: I selected TargetRecruit because it makes it easy to create complex career pages. The software offers a variety of templates to start with, but you can also build your own career page from scratch. The career pages allow your candidates to search your open positions by title, skills, or location. They can create and update profiles, submit resumes, activate notifications so they receive alerts when you open a job that matches their profile, and complete onboarding and compliance docs.
Besides career portals, TargetRecruit also offers great automation features. The software allows you to create fully-automated workflows that rely on custom triggers to keep your candidates engaged. You can build and edit your workflows without writing a single line of code, using simple if-this-than-that logic or a visual drag-and-drop builder.
TargetRecruit Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include Boolean search, advanced filters, mass candidate-facing actions, and in-depth reporting. I’m also a fan of TargetRecruit’s reporting features. The platform enables all your users to create custom reports and dashboards using only the data accessible with their permission levels, and they can also export reports to clients via email.
Integrations include CRMs, accounting and invoicing tools, and job posting solutions, such as QuickBooks, PayChex, ADP, ZoomInfo, Quip, DocuSign, Salesforce, CloudCall, Relias, and DataTrim.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great reporting features
- Flexible, customizable solution
- Multiple add-ons available
Cons:
- May be less effective outside North America
- Advanced features may feel overwhelming
Bullhorn is a cloud-based recruiting agency platform that enables you to keep your candidate records organized so you can find your client’s next great hire in your own database.
Why I picked Bullhorn: I picked Bullhorn because it enables you to organize your database using a combination of lists, notes, and files. The solution lets you customize your candidate columns to uncover previous job seekers who might be good fits for new job openings so you can reach out and re-engage passive candidates in your recruitment funnel.
Bullhorn allows you to share your job postings on multiple job boards or social media. The software’s parsing technology extracts all the valuable information from your candidates’ resumes and stores candidate profiles in your database so you can find qualified candidates in future searches.
Bullhorn Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include recruitment automation and personalization. Bullhorn allows you to create custom recruitment flows using omnichannel communication. This enables you to attract candidates on social media, engage them via SMS, and nurture them through emails – creating candidate journeys that offer great experiences.
Integrations include applicant tracking systems (ATS), communication tools, background checkers, and customer relationship management (CRM) tools, such as Accurate Background, ADP, Checkr, First Advantage, hireEZ, Indeed, Arya, SkillCheck, LinkedIn, and Sterling.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Robust reporting and analytics capabilities
- Great for omnichannel communication
- Allows you to build multi-step custom flows
Cons:
- Large number of features can feel overwhelming
- User interface can feel clunky when performing large searches
Arya is a recruiting agency platform that helps you find diverse candidates so you can meet your client’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals. The software enables you to reduce your team’s unconscious bias so you can assess candidates on skills and experience alone.
Why I picked Arya: Arya made my list thanks to its ability to consolidate the diverse candidates in your talent pool in a list. This helps you identify diverse talent without having to rely on dedicated diversity job boards.
Arya automatically hides candidate information during the sourcing phase so your team can evaluate job seekers exclusively on their skills and experience. The platform also offers diversity hiring reports so you can measure your progress and present them to clients.
Arya Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include advanced search filters, job posting, talent engagement, and AI search and match. I’m a fan of Arya’s AI search and match feature. Arya’s AI analyzes 300+ candidate attributes to find individuals who match your job description and would make a good addition to your team.
Integrations include applicant tracking software, job boards, and CRMs, such as ADP, Greenhouse, Jobvite, SmartRecruiters, Oracle, Workable, JobDiva, Workday, Monster, and Cornerstone.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Simple onboarding
- Powerful AI sourcing tool
- Helpful support staff
Cons:
- Limited workflow customization options
- Platform can feel clunky when performing advanced searches
Gem is a recruiting platform that helps you keep your talent pool engaged with branded messaging. The software creates a central location for all your communication so you can follow up on conversations and create automated outreach campaigns.
Why I picked Gem: I picked Gem because it enables your talent team to build authentic relationships with candidates in your talent pool. The software pulls data from emails, candidate applications, interview feedback, and social media to create a clear view of all your interactions with job seekers. Gem’s Chrome extension allows you to view your relationship history with specific candidates when you browse social media or use your email solution, so you can quickly catch up on previous conversations and send follow-ups to continue your nurturing efforts.
Gem also enables you to run branded recruitment marketing campaigns so you can attract future candidates by showcasing your company’s or your client’s values. You can create multi-step sequences to keep your best talent warm and reengage candidates when you promote new positions.
Gem Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include talent sourcing, applicant tracking, candidate management, automation, and detailed reports. I like Gem’s statistics dashboard because it allows your talent team to check their metrics and see how effective they are. This helps them improve their day-to-day work tasks and their recruiting performance.
Integrations include popular ATS solutions, and communication and collaboration tools, such as Ashby, JazzHR, ICiMS, Jobvite, Lever, Workday, SmartRecruiters, GMail, Calendly, Slack, and Microsoft Outlook.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Allows you to nurture candidates with multichannel customizable sequences
- Helps you keep your candidate database organized with lists
- Good variety of communication templates
Cons:
- Reports customization could be easier
- Setting up dashboards can be time-consuming
Vincere is a recruiting agency software that helps you amplify your talent acquisition efforts with AI candidate matching. The solution’s advanced search features allow you to uncover highly-skilled candidates for your hard-to-fill positions.
Why I picked Vincere: Even though Vincere is great at a lot of things, it made it into my top 10 list thanks to its advanced AI. The platform’s AI helps you speed up your recruiting efforts by matching candidates from your database with your open positions based on the job description. And if the perfect candidate is not available, the AI offers you a shortlist of similar candidates so you can reach out to them.
Besides its powerful AI, Vincere also offers a powerful search feature. The search feature automatically adds boolean formatting to your searches and allows you to sift through multiple profiles with ready-made filters.
Vincere Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include custom dashboards, AI forecasting, gamification, search save, and wildcard searching. I enjoy Vincere’s wildcard search feature. When you activate this feature, the software shows you results for different variations of the root words in your search. This helps you include candidates who have not optimized their resumes but are still talented in your shortlists.
Integrations include e-signature tools, marketing software, and candidate evaluation platforms, such as Broadbean, Idibu, Referoo, WaveTrackR, Indeed, TalentTicker, Sense, Elay, MailChimp, SendGrid, Twilio, and Zoom.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful AI capabilities
- Good variety of advanced search filters
- Proactive customer support team
Cons:
- Limited design customization options for emails
- Platform can lag when performing advanced searches
JobAdder is a recruiting agency platform that enables you to track applicants through your recruiting funnels. The solution gives you an overview of your recruiting efforts, allowing you to identify potential bottlenecks in your workflows.
Why I picked JobAdder: JobAdder made my list thanks to its applicant tracking features. The platform shows hiring managers the status of each candidate in real-time, allowing them to understand how the hiring process is going at a glance. Team members can rate candidates and leave comments for one another in candidate profiles, ensuring that only the best candidates move deeper into the funnel.
JobAdder’s Interview and Task dashboard enables you to keep your team members on track. The dashboard allows you to view upcoming tasks so you can optimize your calendar and your team’s workload.
JobAdder Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include candidate records, search and match automation, record enrichment, and talent pools. Combined, these features allow you to source candidates in a short amount of time by performing lookalike searches with advanced filters.
Integrations include communication, CRM, payroll, and ATS solutions, such as BambooHR, Calendly, Checkmate, Applyflow, Seek, Aircall, Deputy, Deel, QuickBooks, and HubSpot.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great mobile app
- Interview scorecards
- Good customization options
Cons:
- Some functionalities may seem complicated to novice users
- May lag when saving multiple candidate profiles at once
The 10 Best Recruiting Agency Software Comparison Chart
This comparison chart summarizes basic details about each of my top recruiting agency software selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials or demos side-by-side to help you find the best software for your budget and business needs.
Tools | Price | |
---|---|---|
Manatal | From $15/user/month | Website |
Zoho Recruit | From $30/user/month | Website |
Unnanu Hire | From $99/2 users/month | Website |
Crelate | From $99/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
TargetRecruit | From $175/user/month | Website |
Bullhorn | Pricing upon request | Website |
Arya | Pricing upon request | Website |
Gem | Pricing upon request | Website |
Vincere | Pricing upon request | Website |
JobAdder | Pricing upon request | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareOther Options
Here are some other solutions I assessed while doing my research. They didn’t make it into my top 10 list, but they’re still worth checking out:
- Mindscope
Best for mobile-first candidate experiences
- Top Echelon
Best for pipeline management
- Recruit CRM
Best for integrated recruitment automation
- hireEZ
Best for candidate sourcing using AI
- Tracker
Best for ATS & CRM in one
- Recruiterflow
Best for custom hiring pipelines
- TalentReef
Best for sourcing candidates for hourly positions
- CATS
Best for small staffing agencies
- CEIPAL
Best for advanced candidate ranking
- PCRecruiter
Best for job management
Selection Criteria for Recruiting Agency Software
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best recruiting agency software for this article:
Core Functionalities
Recruiting agency software solutions should enable you to source, screen, interview, and hire candidates. They should offer the following functionalities:
- Automation: The tool should enable you to automate some, if not all, of the steps involved in the recruiting process, so you can fill a large number of positions in a short amount of time.
- Applicant tracking: You should be able to track the progress of each candidate you present to your clients so you can calculate your time-to-fill metrics and get paid for your performance.
Key Features
Even though recruiting agency platforms offer a variety of features, the following are essential:
- Job posting: The solution should enable you to post jobs in multiple places so you have a better chance of reaching your target audience.
- Candidate sourcing: The tool should help you attract candidates from multiple sources, such as social media, job boards, career sites, and so on.
- Communication management: Being able to control your communications from a central location enables you to follow up on discussions and nurture candidates with ease.
Usability
Despite the fact that they offer a lot of features, I selected only tools that are easy to use for this list. Your team members should be able to source, screen, interview, and recommend candidates to clients without encountering any roadblocks. However, you should keep in mind that some of the advanced features these tools offer may have steeper learning curves.
Software Integrations
I picked tools that offer native integrations with applicant tracking systems, communication tools, CRMs, and background-checking solutions so you can include them in your app ecosystem.
Advanced Search Filters
One of the common problems staffing agencies face is finding qualified individuals for clients who operate in high-demand industries, such as healthcare or IT. I chose staffing solutions that offer advanced search filters so you can identify the right candidates without wasting time.
Reporting and Analytics
Recruiting agencies have to be aware of their metrics at all times. That’s why I selected recruiting tools that enable you to create detailed reports, so you can present your results to your clients.
People Also Ask
Curious to learn more about recruiting agency software? Here are some answers to common questions on this topic:
What are the benefits of using a recruiting agency?
Using a recruiting agency offers multiple benefits, including:
- Expertise: Recruiting agencies source candidates for multiple clients, so they know how to expand their reach and present your offer to your target audience.
- Shorter time-to-hire: Staffing agencies generally have extensive candidate databases, so they’re more likely to find a suitable candidate in a short amount of time and have better recruitment metrics than internal HR departments.
How much do recruiting agencies typically charge?
There’s no general answer to this question, as the agency’s fees are correlated with their expertise, the type of contract you sign (temporary or permanent agreement), and how difficult it is to hire and retain talent in your industry. That’s why some agencies might seem too expensive while others would fit into your recruitment budget easier.
What special techniques do recruiters use to source the best candidates?
Recruiting firms use a variety of techniques to find top candidates, including:
- Networking: Recruiters build professional relationships with candidates and other HR professionals by attending online and offline events, such as job fairs or industry-specific seminars.
- Social media recruiting: Top recruiters leverage social media to connect with skilled individuals they can later recommend for job vacancies.
- Headhunting: Recruiters sometimes approach potential candidates directly, especially if they want to fill senior-level positions.
- Talent pooling: Most recruiters maintain a database of potential candidates at all times, even if they’re not actively trying to fill any positions. They nurture the talent pool so they can quickly find the right candidates for future job openings.
Other Software Reviews for Professional Recruiters
If you’re interested in improving your recruiting efforts, you may want to check out these other reviews from People Managing People experts:
- Best Staffing Software for Recruiting & Staffing
- Best Video Interviewing Software for Virtual Interviews
- Best Pre-Employment Testing Software for Evaluating Potential Staff
- Best Diversity Recruiting Software for DEI Hiring
- Best AI Recruiting Software for High-Volume Sourcing
Final Thoughts
Recruiting agency software can help you fill your client’s open positions in record time. They offer a wealth of features for you and your team, while also providing a great customer experience for candidates who enter your pipelines.
And offering a great candidate experience is the key to success in today’s job market. As Liz Corey, CHRO at Velosio, said: “A positive candidate experience can lead to better quality of hires. If the recruitment process is efficient, informative and respectful, candidates are more likely to accept job offers. Additionally, if it’s easy for candidates to apply, you will receive more and better quality applicants. You don’t want to lose out on a qualified candidate because you made it difficult to apply. You want to attract the best candidates for the position and reduce the risk of turnover.”
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