Skip to main content

With so many recruiting software tailored to the needs of small businesses, finding the right system for you can be challenging. You want cost-effective software that saves you time, makes your hiring process more efficient, and provides access to a wider pool of candidates, but you need to figure out which tool is the best fit. In this post, I'll help you make this choice simpler and easier by sharing my insights on the top recruiting software for small businesses based on my personal recruiting experience with a small company that experienced rapid growth.

What is Recruitment Software?

Recruitment software is a tool that organizes the key phases of the recruitment process to make it more efficient, reduce administrative burdens, and promote better data-driven hiring decisions. You can use it to advertise job openings, collect and track applications, screen candidates, improve collaboration with hiring managers, and provide an enhanced candidate experience.

Recruiting software makes it easier to reach a wider pool of candidates, and improves the efficiency and effectiveness of your key recruitment touchpoints. By saving time and reducing costs, small businesses can optimize their recruiting strategies and compete for top talent effectively.

Overviews of the 10 Best Recruitment Software for Small Businesses

Here’s a brief description of each recruitment software that showcases each system’s best use case, their noteworthy features, and some pros & cons. I’ve also included screenshots to give you a snapshot of their user interface too.

Best recruiting database software for marketing and attracting top talent

  • Free demo available
  • From $600/month (paid annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

Pinpoint is a talent acquisition software that streamlines HR processes by offering a range of features and resources. It helps in-house talent acquisition and people teams with applicant tracking, recruitment automation, and candidate experience.

Why I Picked Pinpoint: Pinpoint is a recruiting database software that enables employers to stand out from competitors by creating state-of-the-art career sites using savvy marketing strategies. With Pinpoint, organizations can attract the right candidates, make better hiring decisions, and engage new hires from the moment they say 'yes'.

Pinpoint focuses on providing a positive candidate experience. The software offers features such as personalized communication, branded career portals, and easy application processes. It aims to create a seamless and engaging experience for candidates, enhancing their perception of the organization.

Pinpoint provides detailed applicant tracking capabilities, allowing users to manage and track candidate applications throughout the hiring process. It enables recruiters to easily review and evaluate candidate profiles, track their progress, and collaborate with team members.

Pinpoint Standout Features and Integrations

Features include advertising on over 1,415 job sites, a branded career page, employee referrals, online application forms, offer management tools, employee onboarding, and team collaboration tools.

Integrations with Pinpoint cover many different categories including background checks, employer branding, interviewing tools, job boards, messages, and HRIS. There are over 100 integrations including Asana, BambooHR, Clickup, Docusign, Sapling, Zapier, and Zoom.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Extensive marketing capacity
  • Modern visual interface
  • Excellent customer service

Cons:

  • Paid plans are best for big companies
  • Facebook AD manager setup takes time

Best for recruiting and retaining hourly workers

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4/5

TalentReef is a recruitment, hiring, and onboarding platform that also provides tools for managing ongoing employee engagement levels and tracking employee performance.

Why I picked TalentReef: This software covers the entire recruitment process. From posting jobs to sourcing and screening candidates, it has all the necessary features to fill your talent pool, including resume parsing and interview scheduling. Once you've selected the best applicants for open roles, you can move them into an automated onboarding flow right in the same system.

What stands out about this platform is its ongoing retention tools, to help you keep top talent around once you've hired them. This includes employee performance reviews, feedback and recognition tools, and goal setting features. Turnover is a known challenge for hourly staff, and this software helps you combat it from the time of hiring.

TalentReef Standout Features and Integrations

Features include chat applications, SMS management, branded career pages, job board management, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, a talent community, campaign communications, onboarding, compliance, performance management, and reporting and analytics tools.

Integrations include payroll systems, candidate assessment tools, background check providers, and learning management systems, though individual platforms are not specified.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Recruitment and talent management in one place
  • Specifically designed for the needs of hourly workers
  • Customizable workflows and templates

Cons:

  • May not be suited to salaried workers
  • Pricing is not transparent

Best AI-powered recruiting software

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $15/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.9/5

Manatal offers AI-based recruitment software that helps small businesses and other organizations source and hire candidates faster.

Why I picked Manatal: This easy-to-use recruitment software allows you to customize recruitment pipelines with a slick, drag-and-drop interface. Kanban boards give you an overview of the recruitment process in a single-board view.

With Manatal, you can post your jobs to 2,500 job channels, including both free and premium-priced options. All sponsored job campaigns can be managed from a single platform.

The Manatal artificial intelligence engine suggests the best candidates for each job, and eliminates redundant tasks. It also scores candidates’ profiles based on job requirements to facilitate the screening process.

Manatal Standout Features and Integrations

Features include applicant tracking software, unlimited custom job pipelines, candidates quick search, advanced search, and boolean search.

Integrations include Codility, Facebook, Flexjobs, Indeed, Instajobs, Line, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Candidate recommendations increase efficiency
  • Structured candidate management
  • Customizable templates

Cons:

  • No way to save filters
  • Sometimes laggy

Best for small businesses with less than 100 employees

  • 7-day free trial
  • From $89/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

VIVAHR is a recruitment software that's designed specifically for small businesses. Their cloud-based solution helps teams streamline their hiring process, making it easier for businesses to find, engage, and hire top talent.

Why I picked VIVAHR: I included VIVAHR in this list because it's an all-in-one solution that includes all the features you need to overhaul your recruitment process for an affordable price. You can use it to manage your job postings, sort resumes and rank candidates, and keep track of applicants through every phase of your recruitment process. Plus, it's specifically designed for small businesses, so it addresses those needs and challenges explicitly.

VIVAHR Standout Features and Integrations

Several standout features for VIVAHR include the ability to post to 50+ job boards at once, share job openings over social media, collect internal employee referrals, create custom pipelines, and communicate with candidates through text messages. Their recruiting software also includes the ability to send digital offers to top-tier candidates, which can be signed with e-signature, providing a better candidate experience for your soon-to-be new hires.

Integrations are available with over 860 apps, including CRM systems like Twilio, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive, and with work operating systems like Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365. It also integrates with numerous job boards, including LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter, which allows you to post jobs to multiple platforms with just a few clicks.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Well-suited for hiring trade services, hospitality, and healthcare workers
  • Numerous software integrations available
  • Suitable for small businesses with multiple locations

Cons:

  • Starter package has limited features
  • Could use more job board integrations compared to other systems

Best for AI-enhanced recruitment automation

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $50/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Recruit CRM is a recruitment automation platform that offers a comprehensive range of features for an affordable price, making it a solid option for small businesses to consider. It offers both an applicant tracking system (ATS) and candidate relationship management (CRM) software, plus numerous automations and integrations to enhance all phases of the recruitment process and help recruiters work smarter.

Why I picked Recruit CRM: I included Recruit CRM in this list because of the intuitive way it manages client and candidate relationships, which is critical for small businesses that need to maximize their resources efficiently. It also includes an email sequencing feature that uses AI + automated triggers and templates to ensure prompt email responses to all candidate communications and an AI integration that can help write job descriptions, notes, candidate summaries, or new templates.

Recruit CRM Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a Chrome sourcing extension, a Kanban talent pipeline view, an AI resume parser, robust reporting, live chat support, and data migration. Recruit CRM is known for its intuitive and customizable platform, exceptional customer service, and constant product updates. It also offers quick user comfort, unlimited live training, and a responsive support team, which are all essential for small businesses with limited internal resources.

Integrations include Chrome, LinkedIn, Xing, Gmail, and Outlook. Additionally, the platform integrates with over 5,000 apps through Zapier or Integrately (paid plan required).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Customer support is responsive to user feedback
  • 24/7 live chat customer support
  • Full integration of ChatGPT4 into it's software

Cons:

  • No built-in spell check function within email campaigns
  • Lack of native integrations

Best for mitigating bias in candidate scoring

  • Free plan available
  • From $99/2 users/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

Unnanu Hire is a digital tool that supports various aspects of your talent acquisition process. It employs contextual analysis to facilitate bias-free candidate scoring, and provides a talent database you can use to source qualified individuals for your open roles.

Why I chose Unnanu Hire: The software supports the swift identification of qualified candidates and aims to eliminate resume bias, positioning it as a suitable option for organizations seeking to make impartial hiring decisions. I selected it as a good recruitment software for small businesses because of its intelligent candidate scoring system that employs patented technology and contextual analysis for understanding resumes.

In addition to reducing bias in resume screening, the platform provides AI-powered candidate-matching capabilities. By leveraging AI algorithms, it accurately analyzes job requirements and then cross-references to find candidate profiles that match each position. The software also has a pre-populated talent database sourced from around the web, giving you quick and easy access to hundreds of vetted candidates.

Unnanu Hire Standout Features and Integrations

Features include pre-populated talent database, AI-powered resume scanning, bias mitigation in candidate assessment, video interview management, automated emails, communications management, and integrated offers and onboarding tools.

Integrations are not currently listed by the provider.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Supports mass emails and other bulk actions
  • Includes a pre-populated talent database
  • Free plan with unlimited job postings

Cons:

  • Limited customer support with lower-tier plans
  • AI resume scanner comes as a paid add-on

Best for fast resume screening

  • 21-day free trial
  • From $1.20/user/month + $71/month base fee
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

Freshteam helps organizations automate their entire recruiting process, using artificial intelligence to improve elements such as sourcing, screening, interviewing, and managing candidates.

Why I picked Freshteam: When using Freshteam, you can post all your open positions to major job boards with a single click. You can also use sponsored job listings or display a list of open positions on any webpage. 

Each candidate has a single profile that holds their entire history with your organization, including everything from emails and interview feedback to notes and sourcing methods. Freshteam reminds you when a response is due, sends out automatic notifications, and gives you clear visibility into the candidate pipeline. 

Each recruiter gets a dashboard telling them what needs their attention. Team members can discuss candidates, leave comments, add ratings, and consolidate their hiring decisions.  

Freshteam Standout Features and Integrations

Features include candidate sourcing, resume screening, talent pool management, interview scheduling, offer management, recruitment workflows, and interview scorecards. 

Integrations include Adzuna, CV Library, Dr. Job, Indeed, Instahyre, JobTarget, Jooble, LinkedIn, Monster, and ZipRecruiter.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Kanban boards for job pipelines
  • Robust and reliable
  • Easy to embed job postings

Cons:

  • Reporting could be improved
  • Needs better drag-and-drop editing

Best recruitment software for assisted onboarding

  • 15-day free trial + free demo
  • From $149/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

As one of the world’s most popular recruiting systems, Workable helps you make the right hires as quickly as possible.

Why I picked Workable: This software solution allows you to fill your candidate pipeline quickly by posting to over 200 job sites, as well as using AI-powered sourcing and employee referrals. You can collaborate with HR teams to evaluate applicants, gather feedback, and decide who’s best for the job.

Workable automates processes and manual tasks such as scheduling interviews and getting approvals. The mobile app makes it easy to recruit from anywhere, while ISO certification ensures that your candidate data is always safe and accessible.

Workable Standout Features and Integrations

Features include candidate sourcing, social sourcing, job posting, sourcing metrics, candidate search, AI assistance, candidate management, and dashboards.

Integrations include CharlieHR, Enboarder, Gmail, Google Calendar, Humaans, LinkedIn, Microsoft 365 Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Paylocity, and Personio.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Tracking candidates by email ID
  • Highly customizable
  • Efficient candidate grouping

Cons:

  • Too many clicks required
  • No way to consolidate candidate information

Best recruitment software for unlimited users

  • Free demo available
  • From $49/month (3 job postings)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

JazzHR is a recruiting system that offers unlimited users and jobs to businesses without any added fees or costs.

Why I picked JazzHR: This software is designed to be ready to use ‘out of the box’ so you can get up to speed quickly and start recruiting the people you need. Because every business is different JazzHR allows you to create a customized recruiting solution that meets your specific needs. 

You can build custom workflows for each job opening to stay organized and focused, discuss candidates, and keep your hiring team up-to-date with activity streams. The software also eliminates redundant tasks, automatically assigns work, and keeps your processes moving. 

You can add your branding to everything from emails to careers pages to give candidates a consistent experience. Plus, you can create custom workflows to keep candidates in the loop and train team members using their customizable guides. 

JazzHR Standout Features and Integrations

Features include applicant tracking, candidate experience, candidate sourcing, collaborative hiring, compliance, reporting, employer branding, interviews, assessments, offers, and eSignatures.

Integrations include ADP Workforce Now, BambooHR, Google Analytics 360, Google Calendar, Gusto, Indeed, LinkedIn, Rippling, Twitter, and ZipRecruiter.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Easy to communicate with candidates
  • Automatic notifications
  • Easy to set up and use

Cons:

  • Reporting tools could be improved
  • Occasional dashboard glitches

Best recruiting software for automated offer letters

  • Free demo available
  • From $8/employee/month + a $49 base fee/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Eddy is an employee management software suite that helps you manage people, payroll, and human resources processes.

Why I picked Eddy: Eddy’s hiring system allows you to promote open positions to all major job boards in a single click. You can post an unlimited number of jobs automatically to your career page, social media accounts, and sponsored job boards.

You can create a custom, drag-and-drop hiring pipeline tailored to your unique hiring process for each active job. The software shows you exactly where each candidate is within the hiring process, so you can organize your candidate data productively.

The system allows qualified candidates to book their own interviews and keeps them informed during every stage of the hiring process. It also automates the sending of personalized offer letters based on their results. 

Eddy Standout Features and Integrations

Key features include job posting, time-off management, progress tracking, interview scheduling, drag-and-drop pipelines, secure document storage, and reporting.

Integrations include Glassdoor and Indeed.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • A great starter HR platform
  • Clean and uncluttered
  • Easy to configure

Cons:

  • Limited customization
  • More job editing features required

The 10 Best Recruitment Software For Small Businesses Summary

Here’s a comparison chart that summarizes basic details about each of my top recruitment software selections for small business owners. 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.

Tools Price
Pinpoint From $600/month (paid annually)
TalentReef Pricing upon request
Manatal From $15/user/month
VIVAHR From $89/month
Recruit CRM From $50/user/month
Unnanu Hire From $99/2 users/month
Freshteam From $1.20/user/month + $71/month base fee
Workable From $149/month
JazzHR From $49/month (3 job postings)
Eddy From $8/employee/month + a $49 base fee/month
Preview Image - <h2 class="c-block__title b-summary-table__title c-listicle__title h3" > Compare Software Specs Side by Side</h2>

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

Compare Software

Other Options

Here are a few more worthwhile options that didn’t make the best recruitment software for small businesses list:

  1. GoHire

    Best for integrating recruiting within your existing website

  2. Homerun

    Best recruiting software for ready-to-use job templates

  3. LeverTRM

    Best for talent relationship management

  4. Canditech

    Best recruiting software with job-simulation tests

  5. Recruitee

    Best collaborative hiring software

  6. Zoho Recruit

    Best for an all-in-one talent acquisition solution

  7. Teamtailor

    Best end-to-end recruitment management

  8. Tracker

    Best for small staffing agencies

  9. Greenhouse

    Best recruiting software for a structured approach to hiring

  10. Haystack Pro

    Best for video-forward recruitment strategies

How I Selected the Best Recruitment Software for Small Business

Selecting the best recruitment software for small businesses is an important decision. So you may be wondering how I narrowed down my selection. To build this top 10 list, I evaluated and compared a wide range of recruitment software with positive user ratings.

After determining my full list of top choices, I further refined my list by using the selection criteria below. That way, I was able to see how each platform stacked up against the next one. I also drew on my years of people management experience to pinpoint the features that add a lot of value.

Selection Criteria

Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best recruitment software for small businesses for this article:

Functionality

I selected software with the basic functionalities needed for recruitment, such as posting job openings, managing applications, scheduling interviews, and sending automated messages.

User-Friendliness

I expect recruiting software to be easy to use, with a user-friendly interface, and intuitive navigation. It should also offer customizable features to suit specific recruitment needs.

Security

Good recruitment tools must have robust security features to protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.

Support

I chose software that offers good customer support, including training resources, tutorials, and responsive customer service.

Software Integrations 

Recruitment software for small business should integrate with other tools used throughout the recruitment process. These may include HR management software, job boards, and social media platforms.

Pricing

I looked for software that’s cost-effective and offers a good value for the price. I compared pricing plans to see which one offers the best features for the cost and noted whether any software providers offered free plans in addition to their paid plans.

Keeping on top of trends in recruitment software is crucial for recruiters in small business to stay competitive in attracting and hiring top talent. By staying informed about the latest advancements in recruitment software, recruiters can leverage innovative tools and features to streamline their recruitment processes, improve efficiency, and enhance the candidate experience. Understanding emerging trends also allows recruiters in small businesses to optimize their recruitment strategies, maximize resources, and effectively compete with larger organizations in the talent market. Here are four trends to keep an eye on in 2024:

AI-Driven Candidate Sourcing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how small businesses source candidates, directly addressing the challenge of attracting the right people from a limited talent pool. AI-driven tools can scour multiple platforms, including social media and professional networks, to identify potential candidates who may not be actively seeking new opportunities but match the required skill set. This proactive approach expands the talent pool, ensuring that small businesses aren't limited to applicants who respond to job postings.

Automated Application and Data Management

The influx of applications can overwhelm small business HR teams, making it difficult to efficiently process and evaluate candidates. Advanced automation in recruitment software addresses this by simplifying application management, ensuring a more streamlined and effective recruitment process. Other benefits include:

  • Automated Sorting: The software automatically categorizes and ranks candidates, allowing HR teams to focus on the most promising applications.
  • Integration Features: The software seamlessly connects with email platforms and calendars for efficient scheduling and communication.
  • Reduced Manual Workload: The software significantly cuts down the time spent on manual sorting and scheduling, increasing overall productivity.

Incorporating automation tools in the recruitment process can significantly ease the burden of application management. Small business HR teams should look for software that offers customizable sorting criteria and seamless integration with existing communication tools for optimal efficiency.

Bias-Free Recruitment Tools

Unconscious bias in the hiring process is a critical concern, especially for small businesses aiming to build diverse teams. The latest recruitment software includes tools designed to eliminate bias, such as anonymized resumes and AI-based screening that focuses solely on skills and experience. By reducing human biases, these tools help create a more diverse and inclusive workforce, which is essential for innovation and growth—even for businesses with less than 50 employees.

Competitive Edge through Employer Branding

Small businesses often struggle to compete with larger companies in attracting top talent. Leveraging recruitment software to enhance employer branding is a strategic way to appeal to candidates seeking a meaningful work culture and values. Employer branding tools can offer several benefits, including:

  • Multimedia-Rich Content: Create visually appealing job postings and career pages to showcase the company's unique culture and ethos.
  • Brand Storytelling: Use the platform to narrate the company's mission, values, and vision, connecting with candidates on a deeper level.
  • Increased Attractiveness: A strong employer brand can make a small business more appealing to top talent who value company culture and growth opportunities.

For small businesses, investing in recruitment software that offers robust employer branding tools is a wise move. It not only levels the playing field with larger competitors but also helps attract candidates who resonate with the company's vision and values.

For small businesses and startups, adopting these emerging trends in recruitment software can significantly enhance their hiring process. These tools not only streamline recruitment but also ensure the acquisition of high-quality talent, which is crucial for the growth and success of any organization.

People Also Ask

Here are answers to the questions I most often receive regarding recruitment software for small business.

What features are covered by recruitment software?

Recruitment software typically covers features such as job posting, resume management, applicant tracking, candidate screening, pre-employment assessments, scheduling interviews, recruitment marketing, and communication with candidates. Some software may also offer reporting and recruiting metrics to help organizations track and measure the effectiveness of their recruitment efforts.

How can small businesses get the most out of their recruiting software?

Small businesses can get the most out of their recruiting software by first identifying their specific recruitment needs and ensuring the software they choose has the necessary functionalities.

They should also invest time in properly configuring and customizing the software to their needs, as well as updating and optimizing their recruitment process based on data and feedback. Costs should be considered as part of overall recruitment budgeting.

Are there other types of recruitment software I should consider?

Yes, there are many different types of recruitment software available, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), recruiting CRM systems, and video interviewing software. The type of recruitment software you should consider depends on your specific needs and recruitment process.

Level Up Your Recruiting

Recruiting is a fast-moving field where it’s important to be up-to-date with the latest trends and innovations. So be sure to sign up for our People Managing People newsletter, so we can keep you updated with the latest news. We’re always adding useful and informative articles, such as our podcast episode on how to approach hiring and recruitment when you don’t have HR.

With the help of the best recruitment software for small businesses, you can level up your recruiting and build the best team in your niche. Success in business is all about hiring the right people and the tools on my list will give you a head start toward success.

By Kim Behnke

Kim Behnke is an HR Tool Expert & Writer for People Managing People. She draws on her 9 years of human resources experience and her keen eye for systematic processes to support her analyses of the top HR tools on the market. She is passionate about maximizing efficiencies and streamlining workflows to ensure internal systems run smoothly. Kim's HR experience includes recruitment, onboarding, performance management, training and development, policy development and enforcement, and HR analytics. She also has degrees in psychology, writing, publishing, and technical communication, and recently completed a Certified Digital HR Specialist program through the Academy to Innovate HR. When away from her desk, she can usually be found outside tending to her ever-expanding garden.