Best Free ATS Software in 2026
Short answer: Zoho Recruit is the best free applicant tracking system in 2026. Its Forever Free plan costs $0, needs no credit card, and stays free indefinitely, though it caps an account at one active job per recruiter license. Pick Breezy HR when unlimited users matter more than job count, Recruitly for a lightweight recruiting CRM with five free job slots, and Odoo Recruitment when hiring is the only Odoo app the business needs. Everything ranked below position four charges from day one and is included for its trial, not a lasting free tier.
10 applicant tracking tools split into real free plans and the strongest free trials, priced on vendor pages in September 2026.
A genuinely free applicant tracking system is rarer than "best free ATS" listicles usually admit. Most recruiting software funds a 14-day trial and calls it a free plan, then asks for a card on day one. This guide separates the two: tools that still run a real hiring process at no monthly cost, and the strongest free trials for a buyer who will outgrow them fast. Toolradar data: of the 31 applicant tracking systems we track, 42% offer any free or freemium plan at all, which is the clearest sign of how thin the truly free end of this category is.
Zoho Recruit and Breezy HR anchor this list because their free tiers are production plans, not demo accounts with a countdown clock. Recruitly and Odoo Recruitment round out the free-forever group with narrower fits: a lightweight CRM built for a single recruiter, and a single free Odoo app rather than a dedicated ATS product. Workable and BambooHR publish no free plan at all but are worth a serious trial before the invoice starts, and this guide says exactly how long each trial runs and what it leaves out. For every company size, not only the free-budget buyer, see the applicant tracking systems guide; for a small business with some budget to spend, see best ATS for small business.
Methodology: ten tools were ranked against the 31 tools in the ATS category, first on whether the free tier runs a real hiring process and second, for the six that charge from the start, on trial length and depth. Every price on this page was verified on the vendor's own pricing page in September 2026, in US dollars, and no paid placement shaped the order.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Recruit | Free forever (1 job/recruiter license) | 4.43,146 reviews | A solo recruiter or hiring manager who wants a lasting free plan, not a 14-day demo. |
| Breezy HR | Free forever (Bootstrap, 1 open role) | 4.52,115 reviews | A team that wants several people collaborating on one hire without paying for seats. |
| Recruitly | Free (5 jobs, 5 users, 1,000 candidates) | 4.97 reviews | An independent recruiter or a single hiring manager who wants a lasting CRM-style ATS at no cost. |
| Odoo Recruitment | Free forever (1 app, unlimited users) | 4.21,686 reviews | A business that wants one free hiring app and does not need Odoo's other business apps yet. |
| Workable | 15-day trial, then $299/mo | 4.11,497 reviews | A team that wants the strongest AI-assisted sourcing and will pay once the trial ends. |
| BambooHR | Free trial, then $250/mo flat | 4.510,281 reviews | A team that wants hiring bundled with HR records once the trial confirms the fit. |
| Recooty | 15-day trial, then $79/mo annual | 4.8161 reviews | A small team that wants AI-assisted screening during the trial before committing to a paid plan. |
| Crelate | Free trial, no card, then $85/user/mo | 4.5903 reviews | A staffing agency or high-volume recruiter that wants agency-specific tools during a full-access trial. |
| Manatal | 14-day trial, then $15/user/mo | n/a | A budget-conscious team that wants AI screening and is comfortable paying per user after 14 days. |
| Recruitee | No list price | 4.4450 reviews | A team that wants a modern, collaborative ATS and does not mind a sales conversation for the number. |
Zoho Recruit
Top Pick- 4.4 on G2 (1,861 reviews)
- 4.5 on Capterra (1,282 reviews)
- 4.3 on SourceForge (3 reviews)
A solo recruiter or hiring manager who wants a lasting free plan, not a 14-day demo.
A team that wants several people collaborating on one hire without paying for seats.
Breezy HR's pricing is on the higher side compared to some competitors, especially the Startup tier at $189/month.
An independent recruiter or a single hiring manager who wants a lasting CRM-style ATS at no cost.
Recruitly's pricing is quite generous, especially with its robust Free tier and competitive Solo plan at $25/user/mo.
Watch out
Overage fees for exceeding limits
A business that wants one free hiring app and does not need Odoo's other business apps yet.
Odoo offers exceptional value for ERP.
A team that wants the strongest AI-assisted sourcing and will pay once the trial ends.
Workable's pricing, starting at $299/month for Standard and $599/month for Premier (for 1-20 employees), is on the higher side compared to some market alternatives, especially for smaller teams.
A team that wants hiring bundled with HR records once the trial confirms the fit.
It's best for growing companies looking for a scalable HR solution.
Watch out
Payroll is an additional add-on cost
A small team that wants AI-assisted screening during the trial before committing to a paid plan.
Recooty's pricing is fair for its feature set, especially for small to medium businesses.
A staffing agency or high-volume recruiter that wants agency-specific tools during a full-access trial.
Crelate's pricing, starting at $119/user/month for the Business tier, is on the higher end for an ATS/CRM, especially considering many advanced features are locked behind custom-priced tiers.
Watch out
Many advanced features are custom-priced add-ons.
A budget-conscious team that wants AI screening and is comfortable paying per user after 14 days.
Manatal's pricing is fair, especially for the AI-powered features included.
Watch out
Overage fees for jobs/candidates on Professional
A team that wants a modern, collaborative ATS and does not mind a sales conversation for the number.
Recruitee's pricing is on the expensive side compared to the market, especially for smaller businesses.
What counts as a genuinely free ATS
An applicant tracking system posts a job, collects applications in one place, and moves candidates through a pipeline from applied to hired. A free one does that without a card on file and without an expiration date, which is a much narrower bar than most vendors admit to.
Two shapes of "free" show up in this category, and confusing them is how a buyer ends up locked into an annual contract by week three. A free plan, like Zoho Recruit's Forever Free tier or Breezy HR's Bootstrap plan, keeps running indefinitely at a real, if limited, capacity. A free trial, like Workable's 15 days or BambooHR's undisclosed-length trial, is a countdown that ends in a paid invoice or a locked account, useful for testing a tool but not a hiring budget line.
Recruitly and Odoo Recruitment sit between the two: both run free forever, but each trades scope for the zero price tag. Recruitly caps a free account at 5 jobs and 1,000 candidates. Odoo's free tier only stays free if Recruitment is the single Odoo app installed, since the model is one free app, not a free platform.
Why the free-versus-trial distinction costs real money
Treating a 14-day trial as a free plan is the single most expensive mistake a budget-constrained hiring manager makes in this category. A business that builds a hiring process around Manatal's trial or Recooty's trial, then has the trial expire mid-search, faces a choice between paying an annual contract on short notice or losing candidate data mid-pipeline.
A genuine free plan changes that math. Zoho Recruit's zero-cost tier and Breezy HR's Bootstrap plan both stay usable past any single hiring cycle, which means a company that hires once or twice a year never has to budget for an ATS line item at all. The tradeoff is real too: Breezy Bootstrap caps out at one open position at a time, and Zoho's free tier limits a recruiter license to one active job, so a business hiring for two roles simultaneously hits the ceiling on both.
Key Features to Look For
A free tier that outlasts a trial period (Essential)
Zoho Recruit and Breezy HR both run indefinitely at no cost, not on a countdown. Recruitly and Odoo Recruitment do too, within narrower caps (5 jobs, or a single free app).
Job board and careers page distribution (Essential)
Every pick on this list posts to major boards and builds a branded careers page without a developer, free tier or paid. This is the highest-value feature for a business with no in-house recruiter.
A candidate pipeline, not a shared inbox (Essential)
Stage-based pipelines with one record per candidate. Breezy HR and Recruitee both build this around a hiring manager collaborating with a non-recruiter teammate.
A trial long enough to run one real requisition (Important)
Workable and Manatal both give 14 to 15 days with the full feature set unlocked, enough to post a role and screen a real batch of candidates before deciding.
User seats on the free tier (Important)
Breezy HR's Bootstrap plan allows unlimited users at no cost. Recruitly's free plan caps at 5 users. Zoho Recruit's free plan is scoped to one recruiter license per active job.
Email and interview templates (Nice to have)
Reusable rejection, interview, and offer templates save a non-recruiter the time of writing the same email every cycle. Most picks on this list ship this on the entry tier.
AI resume screening and matching (Nice to have)
Recooty and Manatal both score candidates against a job description automatically. Useful once a posting draws 50-plus applicants; unnecessary weight for one role at a time.
What to check before picking a free ATS
Read the free plan's job cap before assuming it fits. Zoho Recruit and Breezy HR both cap free accounts at one active job at a time, so a business hiring for two roles at once needs a paid tier or a second free account.
Separate a free plan from a free trial in every vendor's marketing copy. A landing page that says "start free" next to a paid tool almost always means a trial with a card requirement, not a lasting no-cost option.
Count how many jobs and candidates the business actually needs in a year before ruling out Recruitly's 5-job, 1,000-candidate free cap, which covers more hiring than it first looks like for an occasional hirer.
Confirm Odoo Recruitment stays free only if Recruitment is the sole Odoo app running; adding a second app (CRM, Sales) moves the whole account to a paid per-user plan.
Ask whether compliance reporting (EEOC, OFCCP) is required before ruling out a free tier; most budget and free ATS plans on this list do not include it at all.
Evaluation Checklist
On Zoho Recruit, confirm the one-active-job-per-license limit still fits before assuming the free plan covers a team hiring for two roles at once.
On Breezy HR, check the 30-day candidate data retention on Bootstrap before running a search that might take longer than a month to close.
On Recruitly, count expected candidates and contacts against the 1,000 and 200 free-tier caps before assuming the free plan covers a full hiring season.
On Odoo Recruitment, confirm no second Odoo app will be added later, since installing one moves the whole account off the free tier.
On Recruitee, get a number in writing before comparing it against a published free or paid price elsewhere on this list.
Pricing Overview
Free forever
A solo recruiter or single-location hiring manager posting one role at a time (Zoho Recruit, Breezy HR, Recruitly, Odoo Recruitment).
$0
Trial only, budget paid tier
$10 to $80/user/mo, after a 14 to 15-day trial
Core mid-range
Regular hiring volume with a full pipeline and reporting, once free and budget tiers are too thin (Breezy HR Startup, Workable Standard).
$150 to $300/mo
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Best for | Entry price | What it buys | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Most usable free-forever plan | Free (1 active job/recruiter license) | Candidate management, email, interview scheduling, 8/5 support | Free tier no card; Standard $25/recruiter/mo, Enterprise $50/recruiter/mo, both annual | |
Unlimited free users on one open role | Free (Bootstrap, 1 active position) | Unlimited users, branded careers page, 50-plus job boards, 30-day candidate retention | Free forever; Startup $157/mo annual or $189/mo monthly | |
Recruitly | Recruiting CRM for a solo recruiter | Free (5 jobs, 5 users, 1,000 candidates) | Job management, candidate pipeline, 200 contacts, 2 outreach campaigns | Free tier; Solo $25/user/mo monthly, discounts on annual billing |
One free app, unlimited users | Free (Recruitment as the only Odoo app) | Unlimited users on the Recruitment app and its dependencies, hosted on Odoo Online | Free forever for one app; Standard $31.10/user/mo annual if a second app is added | |
Workable | Deepest trial before paying, AI sourcing built in | 15-day trial, no card, then $299/mo | ATS, AI-assisted sourcing, job posting, onboarding and time-off tools | Monthly $299 (Standard) or $3,588/yr annual |
Trial into a flat small-business rate | Free trial (length undisclosed), then $250/mo flat (25 or fewer employees) | Candidate records, job posting, offer templates, up to 5 open jobs | Flat monthly under 25 employees, per-employee from $10 to $25/mo past that | |
Recooty | No-card trial with AI screening included | 15-day trial, no card, then $79/mo annual | 5 active jobs, 200-plus job boards, AI resume parsing and scoring, careers page builder | $79/mo annual or $99/mo monthly (Starter) |
Crelate | Full-access trial for a staffing-agency workflow | Free trial, no card, undated length, then $85/user/mo | 20,000 contacts, 2 users on Essentials, staffing-focused pipeline tools | Essentials $85/user/mo annual; Business $119/user/mo monthly or annual |
Manatal | Cheapest per-user trial-to-paid AI screening | 14-day trial, no card, then $15/user/mo annual | 15 jobs, 10,000 candidates, AI candidate scoring on the entry tier | $15/user/mo annual or $19/user/mo monthly (Professional) |
Recruitee | Collaborative pipeline, no published price at all | No list price | Up to 5 active positions, careers site, AI email drafting, mobile app (Start) | Quote-based, annual commitment by default, 20% discount over monthly |
Prices verified on each vendor's pricing page on September 25, 2026: Zoho Recruit pricing, Breezy HR pricing, Recruitly pricing, Odoo pricing, Workable pricing, BambooHR pricing, Recooty pricing, Crelate pricing, Manatal pricing, and Recruitee pricing. Recruitee publishes no list price and requires a quote.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
- ×
Ignoring the job or seat cap on a genuine free plan. Zoho Recruit's one-job-per-license limit and Breezy HR's one-open-role cap both force an upgrade the moment a second role opens.
- ×
Adding a second Odoo app without checking the pricing impact. Odoo Recruitment only stays free as the sole app; CRM or Sales alongside it moves the account to per-user billing.
- ×
Skipping the trial and building a hiring process around a demo account. A demo does not show real applicant volume; run one real open role through Workable, BambooHR, or Manatal's trial instead.
- ×
Assuming Recruitly's free plan scales past an individual recruiter. Its 1,000-candidate and 200-contact caps fit one person's pipeline, not an agency running several searches at once.
Expert Tips
- →
Start on Zoho Recruit or Breezy HR if hiring is occasional, and only move to a paid tier once a second simultaneous role or a longer candidate-retention window is actually needed.
- →
Install only the Recruitment app on Odoo and confirm no other app gets added later, since a second app quietly moves the whole account to per-user paid pricing.
- →
- →
Get Recruitee's quote in writing before comparing it against a published price like Zoho Recruit's or Workable's, since a verbal range is not a budgetable figure. See Zoho Recruit alternatives if the free-forever leader still is not the right fit.
- →
Check the applicant tracking systems guide and best ATS for small business once budget opens up beyond a free-only search.
Red Flags to Watch For
- !
A landing page that says "start free" next to a tool with no free plan in its own pricing table is describing a trial, not a lasting no-cost option.
- !
A free tier with no stated job, user, or candidate cap anywhere on the pricing page is not fully disclosed; assume a limit exists until the vendor states one.
- !
- !
A quote from Recruitee that ends with no number in writing is a sales conversation, not a figure that can be budgeted against.
The Bottom Line
Start with Zoho Recruit when a lasting, no-card free plan matters more than job volume, and move to Breezy HR when unlimited free users on one open role fits the hiring pattern better. Recruitly and Odoo Recruitment both stay free indefinitely too, within narrower caps: a solo recruiter's CRM and a single free business app.
Past position four, every pick charges once the trial ends. Workable and BambooHR give the longest, most complete trials for a team ready to pay soon. Recooty, Crelate, and Manatal fit narrower budgets or agency workflows once a paid tier is the plan. Recruitee closes the list for a team that wants a modern pipeline and does not mind a sales call for the number.
How we ranked: ten tools against the 31 tools in the ATS category, vendor pages checked in September 2026, no paid placement. Cite this: Toolradar, "Best Free ATS Software in 2026", September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free ATS software in 2026?
Zoho Recruit is the best free applicant tracking system in 2026, with a Forever Free plan that costs $0 and needs no credit card, limited to one active job per recruiter license. Breezy HR is the strongest runner-up for unlimited free users on one open role, and Recruitly and Odoo Recruitment both stay free indefinitely within narrower caps.
Is there a truly free ATS, not just a free trial?
Yes. Zoho Recruit, Breezy HR, Recruitly, and Odoo Recruitment all run free forever with no expiration date, unlike Workable, BambooHR, Recooty, Crelate, and Manatal, which all offer a trial (14 to 15 days where published; BambooHR and Crelate don't publish an exact length) that ends in a paid subscription or a locked account.
How much does an ATS cost once a free plan or trial runs out?
Verified in September 2026, paid entry prices run from Manatal's $15/user/mo up through Crelate's $119/user/mo, with Workable's $299/mo Standard and BambooHR's $250/mo flat rate in between. Zoho Recruit's paid Standard tier is billed per recruiter rather than per employee, and Recruitee publishes no list price at all.
Which free ATS has the fewest limits?
Breezy HR's Bootstrap plan allows unlimited users, the widest free-tier team size on this list, but caps the account at one open position at a time and retains candidate data for 30 days. Zoho Recruit caps at one active job per recruiter license instead, so the better fit depends on whether team size or job count matters more.
Zoho Recruit vs Breezy HR: which free plan should a small team pick?
Pick Zoho Recruit when a single recruiter is running the hiring process and wants candidate sourcing and premium job boards available on a near-term upgrade path. Pick Breezy HR when several people need to collaborate on the same open role for free, since Bootstrap allows unlimited users where Zoho's free tier is scoped per recruiter license.
Does Odoo Recruitment really stay free forever?
Yes, as long as Recruitment is the only Odoo app installed on the account; Odoo's One App Free plan gives unlimited users on that single app at no cost. Adding a second Odoo app, like CRM or Sales, moves the entire account to Odoo's per-user paid pricing, starting at $31.10/user/mo billed annually.
What is the longest free trial among the paid ATS tools?
Workable and Recooty both offer 15-day trials with no credit card required, a day longer than Manatal's 14-day window. BambooHR and Crelate both give full trial access but do not publish an exact day limit, so a buyer should confirm the cutoff directly with either vendor before relying on it.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Free ATS Software in 2026", updated September 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-free-ats-software