Free ATS plans for small recruiting agencies
On October 30, 2026, two of the ATS products we track publish a free plan on their own pricing page: Spectacled Starter and Zoho Recruit Free. OpenCATS is free, open-source software you host yourself. Bullhorn, Crelate, JobAdder, Loxo, Manatal, Recruit CRM and Recruiterflow list no free plan; most offer a free trial or a demo instead.
Updated · from each vendor's own site, checked the same day · Sources
Which ATS tools have a free plan, and what are the limits?
Three free options, each with a different catch: a seat and job limit, a one-job limit, or running the software yourself.
| Free option | Limits | What it includes | What it leaves out | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenCATSFree and open source; you host it | No plan limits; your own server | Applicant tracking and a recruiting CRM, maintained by the OpenCATS community | Hosting, updates, backups and security are yours; no paid hosted option is listed | None |
| Spectacled StarterFree forever, no card | 1 seat, 5 active jobs, 500 candidates, 100 AI actions a month | The full web app: every candidate graded A to D with the reason, client review links, CRM, careers site, Claude connector | More seats and limits; the Chrome extension comes with Agency | $99a seat a month, billed annually |
| Zoho Recruit Free"Forever Free" | 1 active job per recruiter license | Candidate management, email management, interview scheduling, 8/5 support | Sourcing, résumé management, premium job boards, a branded careers site and AI, which start on Standard; add-ons aren't supported | $25a recruiter a month, billed yearly |
Listed alphabetically. Zoho Recruit doesn't state a user or candidate limit for its free plan, and sells the same plans to in-house teams as well as agencies. OpenCATS' latest release is v0.11.1; its documentation covers what it needs to run.
Which agency ATS tools offer a free trial instead?
A trial shows you the paid product for a few weeks; then you pay or leave. Here is what each pricing page offers.
| Product | Free plan | Free trial | Paid plans from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullhorn | None | "Bullhorn does not currently offer a free trial" | $99 a user a month (Starter) |
| Crelate | None | Yes; length not stated | $85 a user a month, paid annually (Essentials, up to 2 users) |
| JobAdder | None | None listed; "Book a demo" | "Request pricing" |
| Loxo | None | 7 days of Professional, no card | $149 a user a month, billed annually, paid up front (Core, "starts at") |
| Manatal | None | 14 days, no card | $15 a user a month, billed annually (Professional) |
| Recruit CRM | None | 30 days | $95 a user a month, billed annually (Pro) |
| Recruiterflow | None | Not stated on its pricing page | $119 a user a month, billed annually (Platform) |
| Zoho Recruit | Yes | 15 days of Enterprise, then the Free plan | $25 a recruiter a month, billed yearly (Standard) |
Every paid price, with the cost at 3, 10 and 25 seats: Agency ATS pricing in 2026.
When does a small agency outgrow a free ATS?
Usually the day a second recruiter joins or the fifth client role opens. Watch for these.
- A second recruiterSpectacled Starter is one seat; Zoho Recruit Free counts jobs per recruiter license.
- More open roles than the limitFive active jobs on Spectacled Starter, one per license on Zoho Recruit Free. Closed jobs don't count against an active-job limit.
- A bigger candidate databaseSpectacled Starter holds 500 candidates. Candidate import is a CSV, 500 rows a file.
- More AI writing than the allowanceStarter includes 100 AI actions a month. Grading candidates is never counted against it.
- Time spent running serversOpenCATS costs nothing to license; the hosting, updates and backups take someone's time.
Which free option fits your agency?
Each one suits a different starting point.
| If you | Look first at |
|---|---|
| Want full control of the code and your server, and have someone to run it | OpenCATS |
| Hire for one role at a time and want a free plan from a large software suite | Zoho Recruit Free |
| Are a recruiter on your own, working several client roles, and want each candidate graded with the reason and sent to clients without a login | Spectacled Starter |
| Need a full staffing platform from day one | A trial of a paid plan; see the table above |
Free ATS questions
Is there a free ATS for recruiting agencies?
Yes. Spectacled Starter is free forever for one seat, with 5 active jobs, 500 candidates and 100 AI actions a month, and no card. Zoho Recruit has a free plan with one active job per recruiter license, and OpenCATS is free open-source software you host yourself. Checked October 30, 2026.
What's the catch with a free ATS?
Limits. Free plans cap seats, active jobs or candidates, and self-hosted software moves hosting, updates and backups onto you. Check which limit you'll reach first: for most solo recruiters it's the number of open roles.
Does Loxo have a free plan?
No. Loxo's pricing page lists no free plan. It offers a 7-day free trial of Professional with no card, and Core starts at $149 per user per month, billed annually and paid up front.
Does Bullhorn have a free plan or trial?
No. Bullhorn lists no free plan, and its small-agency pricing page says "Bullhorn does not currently offer a free trial". Starter is $99 per user per month.
Is OpenCATS really free?
Yes. OpenCATS describes itself as free, open-source applicant tracking and recruiting CRM software maintained by its community. You host it yourself, so the cost is your server and the time to run it.
What happens when I outgrow Spectacled Starter?
Move to Professional at $99 a seat a month billed annually, or $119 month to month, with unlimited jobs, candidates and AI actions. Your candidates, jobs and clients stay where they are.
Sources
- OpenCATS, opencats.org, checked October 30, 2026.
- Spectacled, spectacled.ai/pricing.html, October 30, 2026.
- Zoho Recruit, zoho.com/recruit/pricing.html, checked October 30, 2026.
- Bullhorn, bullhorn.com/small-agency-software/pricing; Crelate, crelate.com/pricing; JobAdder, jobadder.com/pricing; Loxo, loxo.co/pricing; Manatal, manatal.com/pricing; Recruit CRM, recruitcrm.io/pricing; Recruiterflow, recruiterflow.com/pricing. All checked October 30, 2026.
Spotted something out of date? Email hello@spectacled.ai and we'll correct the page and its date. All comparisons
