15 Best Free Applicant Tracking Systems in 2026
Not every startup can afford $149–$15,000/month for hiring software. These 15 ATS platforms offer genuine free plans — not just trials. Ranked by what you actually get for $0.
Quick Comparison of Free Tiers
| ATS | Free Jobs | AI Screening | Candidates | Upgrade Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curriculo ATS | 1 active | Signal-based scoring | Unlimited | $50/mo |
| Breezy HR | 1 position | No | Limited | $157/mo |
| Zoho Recruit | 1 active | Basic | Limited | $25/user/mo |
| Freshteam | Unlimited (50 employees) | No | 50 employees | $71/mo |
| Dover | 1 role | AI sourcing | Limited | Custom |
| OpenCATS | Unlimited | No | Unlimited | Free (open source) |
| MightyRecruiter | 1 job | No | Limited | $249/mo |
15 Free ATS Platforms Reviewed
Each review covers what’s free, what’s limited, who it’s best for, and the upgrade path.
#1 Curriculo ATS
1 active job postings, AI resume screening with signal-based Impact Scoring, unlimited candidates, built-in analytics dashboard, CSV export. No time limit — the free plan is permanent.
Team collaboration requires Pro. API access is Pro-only. No custom branding on the free tier.
Startups with 5–200 employees who want AI screening without paying enterprise prices. Founders hiring for their first 3 roles.
$50/month flat for Pro — unlimited jobs, team collaboration, API access, priority support. No per-seat fees.
#2 Breezy HR
1 active position, basic candidate pipeline, visual kanban board, career site. Permanent free plan.
No AI screening. Limited to 1 position at a time. No team features, no integrations, no reporting.
Very small teams hiring for a single role at a time. Good visual interface for non-technical users.
$157/month for Startup plan with unlimited positions and basic automation.
#3 Zoho Recruit
1 active job, basic resume parsing, candidate management, email templates. Permanent free plan.
1 job limit. Basic parsing only (no AI scoring). Limited candidates. No workflow automation.
Teams already using the Zoho ecosystem (Zoho CRM, Zoho People). Seamless integration with existing Zoho tools.
$25/user/month for Standard with more jobs, advanced analytics, and workflow rules.
#4 Freshteam
Unlimited job postings (up to 50 employees), career site, basic applicant tracking, employee directory. Permanent free plan.
Capped at 50 employees. No AI features. Limited customization. Basic reporting only.
Small companies under 50 employees who want HR + ATS in one tool. Part of the Freshworks suite.
$71/month for Growth plan with advanced hiring features and higher employee limits.
#5 Dover
1 active role, AI-powered outbound sourcing, automated candidate outreach, ATS pipeline management.
Single role limit. Limited sourcing volume on free. Advanced automation requires paid plan.
Startups that want AI-powered outbound recruiting (Dover reaches out to candidates for you). Strong if you need sourcing, not just tracking.
Custom pricing based on hiring volume and roles.
#6 OpenCATS
Unlimited jobs, unlimited candidates, full ATS functionality. Open-source and completely free forever.
No AI screening. No cloud hosting — you must self-host. Requires technical setup (PHP/MySQL). No official support. Dated UI.
Technical teams who want full control and zero cost. Agencies that need unlimited capacity and have dev resources for setup.
None needed — it’s fully open-source. Cost is your hosting and maintenance time.
#7 MightyRecruiter
1 job posting, access to 29M+ candidate database, basic tracking and pipeline management.
Single job limit. No AI screening. Limited database search on free. No team collaboration.
Small businesses that want access to a large candidate database without paying for job boards.
$249/month for full platform access with unlimited jobs and advanced search.
#8 Loxo
Free tier for solo recruiters. Includes AI-powered sourcing, basic CRM, candidate tracking, and outreach sequencing.
Single user only. Limited sourcing credits. No team features. Advanced AI tools require paid plan.
Solo recruiters and small agencies who want AI sourcing capabilities without upfront costs.
Custom pricing for teams with expanded sourcing and CRM features.
#9 Recruiteze
Free plan with basic candidate tracking, resume storage, and job posting management. Simple interface.
Very limited functionality. No AI features. Minimal integrations. Basic reporting only.
Very small teams or solo operators who need a simple, no-frills tracking system.
Paid plans starting at low monthly rates for additional features and capacity.
#10 HiringThing
Free trial only — not a permanent free plan. Includes full platform access during trial period.
Trial expires. No permanent free tier. Private-label ATS primarily designed for resellers and PEOs.
PEOs, staffing firms, and HR software companies that want to white-label an ATS under their own brand.
Custom pricing based on white-label volume and feature requirements.
#11 Trakstar Hire
Free trial only. Full platform access during trial including job posting distribution and collaborative hiring tools.
Not permanently free. Mid-market pricing after trial. No AI screening on any tier.
Mid-market companies (50–500 employees) who want structured hiring with job board distribution.
Custom pricing based on company size and hiring volume.
#12 OrangeHRM
Open-source community edition with basic HR management and recruitment module. Self-hosted. Free forever.
ATS module is basic — more of an HR system with recruitment add-on. Requires self-hosting. No AI. Limited community support.
Organizations that need a full HR suite (not just ATS) and have technical resources for self-hosting.
OrangeHRM Advanced (cloud-hosted) with professional support and additional modules.
#13 iSmartRecruit
Free trial with AI-powered features including candidate matching, resume parsing, and workflow automation.
Trial-only — no permanent free plan. Enterprise-focused pricing after trial.
Staffing agencies and large enterprises that want AI-powered recruitment with extensive customization.
Custom enterprise pricing based on users and features.
#14 WebHR
Free for up to 5 employees. Includes basic HR, time & attendance, and recruitment module.
5-employee cap. ATS is a small part of the broader HR platform. Very basic recruitment features. No AI.
Micro-businesses (under 5 employees) that want an all-in-one HR + basic recruitment tool.
$2/employee/month for paid plans with more modules and capacity.
#15 Recooty
7-day free trial only. Includes job posting, career page, and basic applicant tracking during trial.
Not permanently free — 7-day trial only. Very short evaluation window. No AI features.
Budget-conscious small businesses looking for an affordable (not free) ATS at $49/month after trial.
$49/month after trial for the starter plan with basic ATS features.
What to Look For in a Free ATS
Before committing to any platform, evaluate these five criteria to make sure the free tier actually meets your needs.
- Job posting limits — How many active jobs can you run simultaneously? Most free plans cap at 1. Curriculo ATS offers 3.
- AI screening availability — Does the free tier include any AI-powered candidate evaluation, or is it manual-only? Only CurriculoATS includes AI scoring at $0.
- Candidate limits — Some platforms cap the number of candidates or applications you can receive. Check for hidden volume limits.
- Data retention — How long does the platform keep your candidate data? Some free tiers purge data after 30–90 days. Verify retention policies.
- Upgrade pricing — When you outgrow free, what does the next tier cost? The jump from $0 to $249/month (MightyRecruiter) is very different from $0 to $50/month (CurriculoATS).
Which free ATS has the best AI?
CurriculoATS. It is the only free ATS with signal-based impact scoring that evaluates candidates on measurable outcomes — revenue generated, teams scaled, systems built — rather than keyword frequency. Every other free ATS either has no AI or locks AI features behind paid plans.
Are free ATS plans really free forever?
CurriculoATS, Breezy HR, Zoho Recruit, and Freshteam have permanent free plans (not trials). Others like HiringThing, Trakstar Hire, iSmartRecruit, and Recooty offer limited-time free trials only. Always verify whether “free” means permanently free or trial-only before investing time in setup.
What’s the catch with free ATS?
Job limits (usually 1–3 active positions), no team collaboration, basic analytics, and limited or no customer support. Curriculo ATS is the most generous free tier at 1 active job plus AI screening included. Most other platforms limit you to 1 job with no AI.
When should I upgrade from free?
When you consistently have 4 or more open roles, need team collaboration so multiple people can review candidates, or require API access for integrations with your existing tools (Slack, HRIS, etc.).
Can I export data from a free ATS?
Varies by platform. Curriculo ATS supports CSV export on all plans including free. Some platforms restrict data export to paid tiers or make it difficult to leave. Always check each platform’s data portability policy before committing your candidate data.