With so many Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) on the market, finding the right one for your business can feel like a daunting task. For small or growing companies, the sheer number of options can easily become overwhelming.
To help you navigate this decision, I’ve narrowed it down to two standout platforms that are both well-suited for small business budgets: Ninja Gig and Freshteam. Both of these ATS solutions offer excellent value and features for small businesses. Below, I’ve put together a comparison to help you decide which platform might be the best fit for your team’s unique needs.
Ninja Gig – an affordable ATS for small businesses wanting to post unlimited jobs and receive unlimited applications.
I’ve had the opportunity to use Ninja Gig for quite a while now, and as a busy small business owner, I can honestly say it stands out as one of the most user-friendly applicant tracking systems I’ve tried. Managing a small business leaves little time for complicated setups, so I truly appreciated how straightforward Ninjagig made the process.
Once I have my job posting details prepared, I’m able to quickly create a customized recruitment page. The platform allows me to easily incorporate our own domain name and logo, giving the page a professional and personalized touch. Impressively, the entire setup took just a matter of minutes, allowing me to focus more on running my business with less administrative tasks.
What I Like
Besides making it super easy to post jobs to multiple job boards, Ninja Gig does an excellent job helping us understand the various job board requirements, craft a clear job description and application questions, and manage incoming applications from candidates.
Ninja Gig has seamless and easy to use job board integration, with our job listings automatically posted to sites like Indeed, Google Jobs, Monster, Jubil, ZipRecruiter, Facebook Jobs, LinkedIn, Oodle, and SimplyHired. And the best part is, it only takes one click to do it!
Applicants have shared that the user-friendly, mobile-optimized interface makes the application process fast and convenient. Additionally, the intuitive management tools make it simple for us to organize and monitor applications.
I like to volunteer with several nonprofits, and have found that Ninja Gig is really good at streamlining volunteer sign-ups, which makes the recruitment process much smoother and more efficient.
Their customer support is excellent, offering more than just regular email check-ins. We had access to a real, live representative who assisted us and answered any questions we had. This personalized support ensures we get the help we need whenever we need it.
What I Don’t like
Unlike other applicant tracking systems out there, Ninja Gig is really focused on doing one thing well, which is making the hiring process as simple and efficient as possible. It doesn’t try to be an all-in-one HR platform, so you won’t find features like employee onboarding, compliance management, training modules, or time and attendance tracking. Those are tools that bigger companies might need, but for most small businesses looking to hire, Ninja Gig keeps things straightforward with easy job posting, unlimited applications, and simple candidate management.
Another thing to keep in mind is branding customization. While Ninja Gig does let you set up a recruitment page with your own logo and even a custom domain name, you don’t get full control over brand colors. Instead, you have to choose from a few preset color palettes, which might not match your company’s exact look. This might not be a dealbreaker for everyone, but if having a perfectly branded career page is important to you, it’s something to consider.
Overall, these limitations probably won’t matter to a lot of small businesses, but it’s helpful to know what’s included and what’s not included, so you can decide if Ninja Gig is the right fit for your hiring needs.
Pricing
Ninja Gig provides an all-inclusive applicant tracking solution at a very reasonable price point of just $49 per month. One of the advantages of their pricing model is its transparency as there are no hidden fees, extra charges, or surprise costs to worry about. What you see is exactly what you pay, which gives small business owners peace of mind when it comes to budgeting for their hiring needs.
Another great benefit is that Ninja Gig offers a free trial, giving you the opportunity to test out all of the platform’s features before making any kind of financial commitment. This means you can explore the software, set up job postings, and get a true feel for how it works, completely risk-free and without having to sign any long-term contracts. This flexibility is especially helpful for small businesses or anyone who wants to make sure the product is the right fit before committing.
The platform itself is designed with the needs of small businesses in mind. It doesn’t overload you with unnecessary extras or complicated processes; instead, it focuses on delivering just the tools you actually need to post jobs, accept unlimited applications, and manage candidates efficiently.
Freshteam is a user-friendly and cost-effective HR platform designed with growing businesses in mind.
Freshteam by Freshworks really takes the stress out of hiring from start to finish. The interface is super easy to use, so we can quickly put together our job postings and share them on several different platforms with just a few clicks. This way, our openings get in front of a much bigger group of candidates right away, making it easier to find the right people. Plus, being able to manage everything all in one place saves us a ton of time and hassle during the recruitment process.
What I Like
One thing we really like is the automated resume parsing, where it pulls out all the important details from applications and organizes everything for you, which really cuts down on manual work. That way, our team can spend more time connecting with great candidates and making smart hiring decisions, instead of getting bogged down in paperwork. Freshteam is a great tool to help you manage every step of the recruitment process efficiently and effortlessly.
Freshteam isn’t just about posting jobs and finding candidates. It can actually take care of a lot of the little details that can otherwise eat up your time with great automations that really simplify things. For example, you can set up interviews, use scorecards to rate applicants, and send out offer letters, all without having to switch between different tools or spend time on repetitive tasks.
But what I really like is that Freshteam isn’t just for hiring and it can help you handle the whole employee journey. You can not only attract but onboard new hires really easily, so they have a smooth start with your team. And if someone’s leaving, Freshteam helps you manage their offboarding in a neat and organized way.
Keeping track of employee information is super simple, too. Everything’s saved in one place, so you’re not digging through files when you need something. Managing time off is also a breeze as employees can request leave, you can track balances, and even approve requests, all from the same dashboard. There’s an auto-approval feature for time off, which is especially handy for managers as it takes one more thing off your to-do list.
All in all, Freshteam pulls a lot of HR tasks together into one, easy-to-use platform, making life so much simpler for small business owners and managers.
What I Don’t Like
Setting up Freshteam is a more involved process compared to some simpler applicant tracking systems, so you should expect to spend a bit of time getting everything configured to suit your business needs. While it’s not overly complicated, there are several steps to follow, and it may take time to become familiar with all the available features and customize the system properly. The good news is that Freshteam does provide a handy cheat sheet that can help guide you through the setup process, which can make things a bit easier if you’re new to this kind of ATS software.
However, one thing to keep in mind is their customer support model. Freshteam does not offer live, real-time support through chat or phone calls. Instead, if you need help or have questions during setup or daily use, you’ll be asked to submit a ticket through their online support system. After that, you’ll need to wait for a response from their team, which means any troubleshooting or questions might take a bit longer to resolve compared to platforms with immediate customer support options.
Another aspect that can add to the time investment is figuring out their pricing structure. Freshteam offers multiple subscription tiers, each with different levels of functionality, so you’ll need to spend some time reviewing which plan best fits your company’s needs. Comparing features and weighing options may be a bit confusing at first if you’re unsure about which tools will be most valuable for your business.
Pricing
Freshteam is just one offering within the larger family of business software products provided by Freshworks, a company known for its suite of solutions aimed at helping companies manage different aspects of their operations. Alongside Freshteam, Freshworks offers popular products like Freshdesk for customer support, Freshsales for customer relationship management, and several others designed to streamline various business processes.
Because Freshteam is integrated within this comprehensive ecosystem, its pricing is somewhat higher compared to some other applicant tracking systems that focus solely on recruitment. Freshteam’s subscription plans start at $19 per month and can go as high as $99 per month, depending on the level of features and functionality your company is looking for. As you move up through the pricing tiers, you gain access to more advanced capabilities, such as additional automations, integration options, and broader HR management tools.
This somewhat higher price point reflects the fact that you’re not just getting a basic ATS, but a product that’s part of a wider range of business software that can work together seamlessly if you choose to use other Freshworks solutions. For companies that want a platform capable of growing with them and integrating across functions, this can be a real benefit.
A quick summary comparison of Ninja Gig versus Freshteam
|
Ninja Gig |
Freshteam |
|
|
Key Features |
One click job postings, customized domain recruitment page |
Automated resume parsing, onboard/offboard employees, offer a Freshworks community |
|
Target Business |
Small to mediums sized businesses |
Small to mediums sized businesses, has an enterprise option |
|
Pros |
Instant posting to job boards, simple user interface |
Streamlined HR services, multiple available integrations |
|
Cons |
Does not offer HR functionality, brand colors not available on application website |
Requires an involved setup process with a wide range of features to choose from |
|
Pricing |
$49/month all inclusive with 14 day free trial |
$19 to $99 per month, with different tiers offering varying levels of functionality |
Which option should I pick?
I know that picking the right Applicant Tracking System for your small business can feel pretty overwhelming and there are so many options out there. Hopefully, by narrowing it down to Ninja Gig and Freshteam, this comparison makes things a little easier. Both of these platforms have a lot to offer.
If you just want something straightforward, affordable, and easy to get started with, Ninja Gig is a fantastic option. It covers all the basics for posting jobs and managing applications without any unnecessary extras, so you can hit the ground running.
Freshteam, on the other hand, is a better fit if you’re looking for something a bit more robust. It not only handles hiring but also takes care of things like onboarding, offboarding, and employee management. Of course, it’s a bit more involved to set up and costs a bit more, but you get access to a lot of great features under one roof.
Really, the best choice just comes down to what your business needs right now. If you want to keep things simple and stick to a tight budget, Ninja Gig makes a lot of sense. But if you’re ready for a more complete HR solution that can grow with you, Freshteam is worth considering.
Hopefully, weighing the pros, cons, and pricing of both helps you feel confident about making the choice that fits your team best as you move forward.
