Last updated: October 2026. Written by the Curriculo team.
For most small businesses that hire a few roles a year, start with Curriculo ATS. Starter is free forever with unlimited jobs and team members, 1,000 candidates ranked, and no per-seat fees on any plan. Each applicant gets a 0 to 100 score with a written AI summary. Use Zoho, Breezy, JazzHR, or BambooHR when those fit better.
Quick picks
- Unlimited jobs and members on free forever Starter: Curriculo ATS.
- Already in Zoho: Zoho Recruit Forever Free, then paid per recruiter on Zoho Recruit pricing.
- Simple paid ATS with annual plans: JazzHR Hero at $1,000/yr on JazzHR pricing.
- Hiring plus HRIS: BambooHR, Custom quote on BambooHR pricing.
- One active role on a free plan: Breezy HR Bootstrap, or Dover free ATS.
- Recruiting plus HR suite: Workable Standard at $299/mo for 1 to 20 employees on Workable pricing.
- Collaborative small teams: Recruitee, Custom quote.
- Low per-user entry: Manatal, per user on Manatal pricing.
Comparison table (as of Oct 2026)
Prices and limits come from each vendor's own public pricing page, checked October 5, 2026. Where a vendor publishes no dollar price, the cell says Custom quote.
| ATS | Best for | Free plan | Starting paid price | Team / users | AI scoring notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curriculo ATS | Most small teams that hire | Yes, forever: unlimited jobs and members, 1,000 ranked | Pro $50 | Unlimited, no per-seat fees on any plan | Impact Score 0 to 100 on Starter | Curriculo pricing |
| Zoho Recruit | Teams already in Zoho | Forever Free, 1 active job per recruiter license | Standard priced per recruiter/month, see Zoho Recruit pricing | Per recruiter license | AI matching listed on Enterprise | Zoho Recruit pricing |
| JazzHR | Simple paid ATS, annual plans | No permanent free plan | Hero $1,000/yr billed annually, starting at 3 job postings/month | Unlimited users on standard plans | AI matching from Plus | JazzHR pricing |
| BambooHR | Hiring plus HRIS | No | Custom quote | Custom quote | Custom quote | BambooHR pricing |
| Breezy HR | One active role on a free plan | Bootstrap free forever, 1 active pool or position | Startup $157/mo (annual pricing shown) | Unlimited users on Bootstrap | Breezy Intelligence add-on (credits) | Breezy HR pricing |
| Workable | Recruiting plus HR bundle | Trial only, not free forever | Standard $299/mo (1 to 20 employees) | Plan by employee band | Workable Agent add-on (AI credits) | Workable pricing |
| Recruitee | Collaborative small teams | Trial only | Custom quote | Custom quote | Custom quote | Recruitee |
| Manatal | Low per-user marketing pitch | Trial only | Per user, see Manatal pricing | Per user | Custom quote | Manatal pricing |
| Dover | Free ATS plus optional marketplace | Yes, free ATS | Marketplace hours, Custom quote | Unlimited on free ATS | Sorting on free; depth varies | Dover pricing |
| Greenhouse | Structured hiring when you scale | No | Custom quote | Custom quote | Custom quote | Greenhouse pricing |
Curriculo ATS scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against your job, with a written AI summary of the fit. Set up in about 15 minutes. No credit card. Pro is $50 with 10,000 candidates ranked. Details: Curriculo pricing. Employer-side low-star reviews. Theme counts are keyword-tagged. Reviewer names are omitted. Older quotes are dated opinions. Breezy HR is strong on a free forever one-role plan, and low-star reviews most often cite support delays and reliability gaps. No applicants and account terminated with no warning. Tech Support is ABSOLUTELY USELESS. We posted six open positions and after a full week, we received zero resumes. Zoho Recruit fits teams already in Zoho, and low-star reviews most often cite support gaps and a steep learning curve. We were oversold on on things that the system could do It's the most difficult software to navigate JazzHR is a simple SMB ATS on flat annual plans, and low-star reviews most often cite cancellation and billing friction. My low rating is entirely about their cancellation process, which feels unnecessarily difficult and very one-sided in favor of JazzHR. Horrible, made multiple attempts to sort out my issues of overbilling to JazzHR and I have received no communication from their end for weeks. BambooHR is strong as hiring plus HRIS, and this small sample points to integration gaps and confusing navigation, not payroll tooling. The lack of basic modern integrations like LinkedIn makes it feel like software from 10 years ago. Add the random server outages into the mix It was a constant state of confusion and difficult to navigate. Workable is a capable recruiting and HR suite, and low-star reviews most often cite support delays and rising monthly cost. Account managers are useless and add no value. All escalations and requests are ignored. Our bill went from $99/mo, to $ $200+/mo, to $400/mo, and finally over $800/mo. for ONE job posting. we're stuck with them for one more entire year. Recruitee fits collaborative hiring teams, and low-star reviews most often cite support gaps and unexpected price changes. nice of them to double our monthly payments with not one email letting us know of this massive increase Apparently if you are a consultancy company of 2 people you need to go for the highest pricing plan. Manatal is a per-user ATS popular with agencies, and low-star reviews most often cite support, contracts, and export limits. This service is the definition of a ROACH MOTEL. When I asked to cancel the subscription and get a refund for the month I had already paid, they told me it was impossible Greenhouse is strong for structured hiring, and this small sample points to slow loads and demo-to-reality gaps. We were lied to during our demo and told that Greenhouse could do things it could not. We have MAJOR buyers remorse. Needing to wait 10+ minutes for a candidate profile to load is unacceptable Individual opinions from a low-star sample, not a verdict for every buyer.What users complain about
Breezy HR
n=38
Trustpilot review, Sep 2026
Trustpilot review, Jan 2026
Trustpilot review, Aug 2025Zoho Recruit
n=14
Capterra review, Sep 2025
Capterra review, Jun 2024JazzHR
n=22
Capterra review, Dec 2025
Capterra review, Jun 2025BambooHR
n=6, small sample
Capterra review, Apr 2026
Capterra review, Jul 2026Workable
n=27
Trustpilot review, Jan 2026
Trustpilot review, Jul 2026
Trustpilot review, Dec 2025Recruitee
n=24
Trustpilot review, Sep 2026
Trustpilot review, Oct 2025Manatal
n=24
Trustpilot review, Mar 2025
Trustpilot review, Dec 2025Greenhouse
n=9, small sample
Capterra review, Feb 2025
Capterra review, Jul 2024
Who should pick X, who should pick Curriculo ATS
Pick Zoho Recruit if you already live in Zoho and Forever Free or per-recruiter pricing fits.
Pick JazzHR if flat annual pricing and a simple tracker fit, and Hero's 3-job cap is enough.
Pick BambooHR when HRIS is the must-have and hiring is secondary.
Pick Breezy HR if built-in video matters and one active Bootstrap role is enough.
Pick Workable if recruiting plus HR in one suite at $299/mo Standard fits.
Pick Recruitee if collaborative hiring polish on a custom quote fits.
Pick Manatal if per-user agency workflows on Manatal pricing fit.
Pick Dover if you want a free ATS and may buy marketplace recruiter hours later.
Pick Greenhouse if you need enterprise structured hiring and already have budget for a custom quote.
You get unlimited jobs and members on free forever Starter, so a small team can hire without waiting on a sales quote. Curriculo ATS scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against your job, with a written AI summary of the fit. Pro is $50 with 10,000 ranked candidates.
FAQ
What is the best ATS for small business in 2026
For most small teams, Curriculo ATS. Starter is free forever with unlimited jobs and members, and an AI candidate ranking shortlist on day one. Zoho Recruit, JazzHR, Breezy HR, and Workable fit narrower stacks or price shapes.
What is the most affordable small business hiring software
Curriculo ATS Starter is free forever. JazzHR Hero is $1,000/yr on JazzHR pricing. Breezy Bootstrap is free for one active role. Confirm live numbers on each linked pricing page before you buy.
What is the easiest ATS to get started
Curriculo ATS is set up in about 15 minutes with no credit card. Post a job, connect Gmail or Microsoft 365, and open candidates in score order.
Is Curriculo a lower published price than Greenhouse for a small team
Curriculo publishes free Starter and Pro is $50. Greenhouse is Custom quote on Greenhouse pricing. Compare your Greenhouse quote to those public Curriculo numbers.
What do JazzHR reviews miss if you only read the stars
Low-star JazzHR reviews in this sample often mention cancellation and billing friction. Read recent Capterra listings alongside Hero's 3-job cap on JazzHR pricing.
Does a free ATS work for SMB hiring in 2026
Yes, if the free plan covers your active roles. Curriculo Starter and Dover free ATS allow unlimited jobs. Breezy Bootstrap and Zoho Forever Free cap active jobs. See best free ATS for limits.
Best ATS for startups on a budget, or for SMB in 2026
If you hire a few roles at a time and need ranked shortlists without a sales quote, start with Curriculo ATS. If you need HRIS, video, or a Zoho stack, pick BambooHR, Breezy HR, or Zoho Recruit instead.
Related pages
- Best free ATS
- Best ATS for startups
- AI candidate ranking
- Curriculo pricing
- ATS for independent recruiters
- Workable comparison
- Dover comparison
- Greenhouse alternatives
- JazzHR alternatives
Ready to try Curriculo ATS? Start free.
Sources
- Curriculo pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Zoho Recruit pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- JazzHR pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- BambooHR pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Breezy HR pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Workable pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Manatal pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Dover pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Greenhouse pricing, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Recruitee, checked Oct 5, 2026