For most small business owners, simple is better when hiring. You are already doing a lot of work between reviewing and shuffling through resumes, playing Tetris with your calendar as you try to schedule interviews, and then honing in on the best candidate.
So, the last thing you want to be dealing with is a cumbersome Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
We’ve done the work of substantiating and verifying the easiest to use and simplest ATS platforms that currently exist for you.
Best Easy-To-Use ATS at a Glance
- NinjaGig – A simple and straightforward ATS
- JazzHR – Great starter ATS for first timers
- BreezyHR – For companies looking to improve their HR process
- Freshteam – A cost-effective hiring platform
- Workable – A flexible yet simple platform
- Folks – Automated job postings made easy
- Zoho Recruit – Combo applicant tracking with customer relationship tools
- Wizehire – Live hiring coach support
- AvaHR – Easy to customize
- PyjamaHR – Simplified candidate tracking
Here’s more detail about each of these platforms.
NinjaGig
NinjaGig is a powerful and easy-to-use hiring platform that simplifies online recruiting while keeping things budget-friendly. The platform gives you the flexibility to either stick with their default job application or create yours from scratch, and you can add as many custom questions as you’d like. Each business also gets a personalized job portal at yourcompany.ninjagig.com, making it easy for applicants to apply directly. The site is mobile-friendly, so candidates can submit applications from their phones or tablets.
To help you reach more job seekers, NinjaGig automatically shares your listings on major job boards like Indeed, Jooble, Google Jobs, and Monster. It also supports multiple languages, lets you post an unlimited number of jobs, and allows for unlimited applications.
Applicants can upload resumes and cover letters, and you’ll receive real-time email notifications as new submissions come in. Managing everything is simple through the secure admin portal, where you can review applicants, update job postings, and adjust your account settings with ease.
JazzHR
JazzHR is a simple, budget-friendly applicant tracking system that works especially well for small businesses or first-time users of recruiting software. It gives you all the key tools you need, like finding candidates, staying compliant, and keeping your hiring process organized, without piling on complicated features.
One thing that stands out is its flexibility. You can pick and choose the add-ons that make sense for your team, like candidate texting or Zoom integration; so you’re not paying for things you won’t use.
Helpful tools like automatic filtering of unqualified applicants and JazzCrowd, which compares salaries and candidates across similar companies, make hiring easier and more strategic. While it may not offer the deeper customization or analytics that larger or fast-growing companies might need, its pricing, ease of use, and core features make it a great fit for smaller teams looking to try out a new and dependable ATS.
BreezyHR
If you’re a small business with a basic hiring process already in place and you’re looking to improve it, BreezyHR is a great tool to consider. It’s easy to use and helps you handle everything from posting jobs across multiple boards to reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews, and checking out analytics all in one place. These features make the overall hiring process much more efficient and easier to manage.
One thing I really like about BreezyHR is how much it automates pre-screening candidates, sending out emails, scheduling interviews, and collecting team feedback at the click of a few buttons. The platform also makes it simple to post openings to about 50 different job boards, and their built-in interview guides are a huge help. With over 400 questions tailored to specific roles and skills, you don’t have to start from scratch every time you prepare for an interview.
Freshteam
Freshteam is a solid choice for growing businesses that want a cost-effective and easy-to-use HR platform. The layout is clean and straightforward, so putting together job postings and sharing them across multiple sites only takes a few clicks. This helps you get your job in front of more candidates right away, which means you are more likely to attract the right candidates.
One of the features I found especially helpful is the resume parser. It automatically pulls out important information from each application and organizes everything for you. This cuts down on manual work and gives your team more time to focus on evaluating the best candidates instead of sorting through piles of resumes.
Freshteam really shines because it handles so much more than just job postings. It helps with interview scheduling, applicant ratings using scorecards, and sending out offer letters, all from within one system. You won’t need to switch between different tools or spend time on repetitive tasks, which really simplifies the hiring process.
Beyond recruiting, Freshteam also supports the entire employee journey. You can onboard new team members smoothly and manage offboarding when someone moves on. All your employee data stays in one place, so it’s easy to find what you need. Time-off tracking is built into the platform too, so employees can request time away, check their balances, and get approvals quickly. Managers can even set up auto-approvals to save themselves time.
Setting up Freshteam does require a little effort. It isn’t too complex, but you’ll need to go through a few steps to get everything configured to match your business needs. The good news is they provide a setup guide that walks you through the process, which makes things a lot easier if you’re new to this kind of software.
Workable
Workable is a flexible ATS platform designed to help small and midsize businesses set up a better hiring process. Think applicant tracking and some simple HR tools in one platform.
You get access to a broad network of premium job boards, making it easier to reach top talent. It also covers everything from job postings and interview scheduling to onboarding and time-off tracking, which helps create a more structured and efficient process for your team. The platform also lets you store important HR documents and manage employee info in one central place, cutting down on the need for multiple systems.
Overall, Workable is a strong choice for companies that are growing quickly and need to put more structure around their hiring and HR processes. It keeps everything in one place, simplifies the workflow, and helps teams manage recruiting and employee operations more effectively as they scale.
Folks
Folks ATS is a hiring tool that’s great for small and midsize businesses that want to automate their entire recruitment process. It gives your team better visibility into the hiring pipeline while helping improve the overall quality of your hires. The platform is easy to use and built to support both recruiters and HR teams, making the whole process feel more organized and less stressful.
If you’re looking to bring more order and efficiency to your hiring process, you’ll enjoy the applicant tracking system. With all candidate details stored in one centralized dashboard, it’s easy to keep everything organized from start to finish. You can quickly publish job postings to job boards and handle communication through built-in tools that let you send emails and schedule interviews without juggling different platforms. The AI-powered resume parser helps surface the most relevant candidates right away, so your team can focus on the strongest applications without wasting time.
One of the most useful features for me was the recruitment analytics. The platform provides helpful data like how long it takes to fill a role and what each hire is costing, which gives your team a better understanding of how well your hiring process is working. For smaller teams, having these kinds of insights makes it easier to fine-tune your strategy and make more informed decisions moving forward.
Zoho Recruit
Zoho Recruit is a practical option for small businesses that want to manage both their hiring and client relationships in one place. It combines applicant tracking with customer relationship tools by connecting seamlessly with Zoho CRM, making it easier to build and maintain strong connections with both candidates and clients. Everything related to recruitment is centralized, so tasks like scheduling interviews or sending follow-up emails can be automated, keeping the process smooth and efficient.
One of the highlights is how easily the system pulls details from resumes to build out clear candidate profiles. This makes it simpler to review applicants and keep everything organized. You can also set up workflows that automate different parts of your hiring process, and it’s easy to post jobs directly to platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed.
The best part is that Zoho Recruit is budget-friendly, offering both free and affordable plans that include essential features like job posting, resume organization, and basic analytics.
Wizehire
Wizehire is a hiring platform that blends smart software with expert HR guidance. It’s affordable, simple to use, and packed with tools that take much of the stress out of hiring.
From automated resume parsing and candidate ranking to customizable job description templates, Wizehire helps you create strong postings, quickly spot the best applicants, and keep everything organized in one central dashboard. It even includes built-in video interview tools, so you can meet candidates without juggling multiple platforms. Your team can also leave comments and ratings right in the system, making collaboration seamless.
The platform also includes intuitive dashboards and analytics that highlight the most promising applicants based on your priorities. You can customize your hiring stages to match your workflow, review candidate details at a glance, and easily navigate skills assessments or screening responses.
Once you’ve made your choice, Wizehire’s onboarding tools help ensure a smooth transition for new hires. And if you ever need a hand, live hiring coaches are available to guide you through job postings and help attract the right talent, making it feel like you’ve got a recruitment expert right on your team.
AvaHR
AvaHR is an ATS designed specifically for small businesses, and I guarantee it does take the stress out of hiring from start to finish. It optimizes every step of the process, from posting jobs, reviewing resumes, and managing applicants, all within a straightforward, intuitive platform.
It offers a mix of features while staying affordable and easy to customize. You can adapt it to match your unique hiring workflows and take advantage of automations that post openings to more than 50 job boards, share listings on social media, build tailored hiring pipelines, and connect with candidates through text messaging.
AvaHR includes practical extras like resume parsing, tools to manage employee referrals, digital offer letters with e-signatures, and bulk action capabilities for faster processing in high-volume hiring. These features work together to save time, enhance collaboration, and help you secure top talent with less effort.
PyjamaHR
PyjamaHR is an AI-driven hiring platform that does a great job of taking the hassle out of recruitment by handling everything from finding candidates to making the final hire. It lets you post jobs, review applications, run interviews, and track all your hiring data in one easy place. The interface is simple to navigate, the AI tools do a lot of the heavy lifting, and it connects seamlessly with multiple job boards to help you reach the right talent faster.
This platform is packed with time-saving tools that can really take the stress out of hiring. From AI-powered resume shortlisting that quickly surfaces your best-fit candidates, to side-by-side comparison views that make decision-making easier, to in-depth recruitment analytics that give you a clearer picture of your hiring effort, it’s all built to help your team work smarter, easier, and faster.
In Summary: The Best Easy-To-Use ATS
The best ATS for your small business comes down to finding a balance between simplicity, efficiency, and the features you’ll actually use. But again, you’re on the NinjaGig blog, so I assume you understand that we won’t be exactly objective.
However, we also know, from talking to thousands of existing customers and small business owners that if you’re looking for a healthy mix of budget-friendly but gets the job done without leaving you pulling your hair out, NinjaGig is a great option.
I mean, isn’t the goal to make hiring less overwhelming, so you can spend more time doing what you really want to be doing? Selling and marketing your product or service.
Design Direction: Might be good to include a big bold CTA here with a “Try NinjaGig For Free”
