Best Applicant Tracking System 2027: AI Features Compared
· 7 min read
By ReadyATS Team · Published Nov 2, 2026 · Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Prices and features checked Nov 2, 2026
Disclosure: ReadyATS publishes this guide, and ReadyATS is our product. We applied the same criteria to every tool.
Quick answer: The best applicant tracking system for most small and mid-size employers in 2027 is ReadyATS, which starts at $199/mo with $0 per user and includes Ask Maya, an AI assistant with a daily briefing. Pick Ashby for deep AI on a larger team, Breezy HR for unlimited users at a flat price, Zoho Recruit for a free plan, BambooHR if you want ATS inside an HR suite, and Lever or Greenhouse for enterprise programs that buy through a sales quote.
Table of contents
- How we ranked
- What are the top 5 applicant tracking systems?
- Main comparison table
- AI features compared
- The tools, one by one
- Which ATS is best for a small business?
- Is there a free applicant tracking system?
- Which ATS is best for candidate experience?
- Why ReadyATS
- FAQ
- References
How we ranked
We scored each tool on four things, using only what each vendor publishes on its own site: - Price: is a price published, and do you pay per user? - AI features: screening, an assistant, sourcing help, scheduling, and languages. - Ease of use: can a small team start without an implementation project? - SMB and mid-size fit: is the product and plan lineup aimed at teams like yours?
If a vendor page did not say something, we wrote "Not stated." That means we could not confirm it, not that the feature is missing.
What are the top 5 applicant tracking systems?
- ReadyATS: best overall for features and value for small and mid-size employers.
- Ashby: best for AI depth on a growing in-house recruiting team.
- Breezy HR: best for flat pricing with unlimited users.
- Zoho Recruit: best free starting point.
- Greenhouse: best for structured hiring at larger companies.
Also reviewed: Workable, JazzHR, BambooHR and Lever.
Main comparison table
| Tool | Entry price (as published) | Best for | AI features (headline) | paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReadyATS | $199/mo, or $179/mo billed yearly; $0 per user | SMB and mid-size value | Ask Maya assistant, AI resume scoring with evidence | No long-term commitment, cancel anytime |
| Ashby | Foundations $400/mo (shown for 1 to 10 employees) | AI depth | AI-Assisted Application Review, Ashby Assistant | Not stated |
| Breezy HR | $157/mo annual, $189/mo monthly | Unlimited users | Breezy Intelligence (add-on) | 14 days, no card |
| Zoho Recruit | Free plan (1 active job) | Free plan | Zia AI assistant, AI Candidate Matching | 15 days |
| Greenhouse | Quote only | Structured hiring | AI Notetaker, Talent Matching | Not stated |
| Workable | Standard $299/mo (annual) | Mid-size all-in-one | AI Recruiting Agent (announced) | Yes, "Get started" |
| JazzHR | Hero $1,000/yr | Budget basics | Not stated | Yes, "Try JazzHR for free" |
| BambooHR | Core $10 per employee/mo or flat $250/mo (small companies) | ATS inside HR suite | Ask BambooHR AI assistant (HR data) | Not stated |
| Lever | Quote only | ATS plus CRM | AI-powered screening, interview summaries | Not stated |
Prices from each vendor's own pricing page, checked Nov 2, 2026.
AI features compared
| Tool | Resume screening / scoring | AI assistant | Sourcing | Scheduling | Multilingual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReadyATS | Yes: AI resume scoring with evidence, ranked shortlists | Yes: Ask Maya with daily briefing | Yes: Maya suggests past applicants for a new job; self-updating talent pools | Yes: Google Meet and Zoom links | Yes: nine languages |
| Ashby | Yes: AI-Assisted Application Review (no numeric ranking, by design) | Yes: Ashby Assistant | Yes: AI Talent Rediscovery, AI candidate search | Yes: auto-scheduling (add-on or Enterprise) | Not stated |
| Breezy HR | Partial: Breezy Intelligence scores video interviews (add-on) | Not stated | Not stated | Yes: self-scheduling (not AI) | Yes: "Multi-Language Support" |
| Zoho Recruit | Yes: AI Candidate Matching (Enterprise) | Yes: Zia | Yes: AI-assisted sourcing | Yes: interview scheduling | Not stated |
| Greenhouse | Yes: Talent Matching | Not stated | Yes: Greenhouse Sourcing | Yes: scheduling | Not stated |
| Workable | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| JazzHR | Not stated (knockout questions, not AI) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| BambooHR | Not stated | Yes: Ask BambooHR (HR questions) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Lever | Yes: AI-powered screening and matching | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Checked Nov 2, 2026 on each vendor's own pages; see References.
The tools, one by one
1. ReadyATS: best overall for SMB and mid-size value
- Price: Basic $199/mo, or $179/mo billed yearly. Unlimited applicants and users at $0 per user. Pro $499/mo.
- AI: Ask Maya with a daily briefing, AI resume scoring with evidence, talent pools that stay live as new applicants match, and Maya suggesting past applicants who fit a new job.
- Also: Indeed and ZipRecruiter feeds, SMS, Google Meet and Zoom scheduling, nine languages, GDPR tools.
- Room to grow: upgrade to Pro anytime for video interviews, onboarding e-signatures and SMS campaigns. No long-term commitment, cancel anytime.
2. Ashby: best for AI depth
- Price: Foundations $400/mo for 1 to 10 employees.
- AI: application review with citations, Ashby Assistant, talent rediscovery, AI notetaker.
- Watch out: auto-scheduling is an add-on or Enterprise feature.
3. Breezy HR: best for unlimited users
- Price: $157/mo annual. Unlimited users and positions.
- AI: Breezy Intelligence, sold as an add-on that runs on credits.
- Watch out: SMS is an add-on on Growth.
4. Zoho Recruit: best free starting point
- Price: Free Forever plan with 1 active job. Paid tiers are licensed per recruiter.
- AI: Zia assistant; AI Candidate Matching on Enterprise.
5. Greenhouse: best for structured hiring
- Price: quote only. Plans Core, Plus, Pro.
- AI: AI Notetaker, Talent Matching, AI report filters on higher tiers.
Workable: best mid-size all-in-one
- Price: Standard $299/mo billed annually. paid plan offered. Workable announces an AI Recruiting Agent; details were not on the pricing page.
JazzHR: best for basic needs on a tight budget
- Price: Hero $1,000/yr. Knockout questions and a resume parser. No AI features stated on the pages we checked.
BambooHR: best when you want HR and hiring together
- Price: per employee, or flat pricing for small companies. Its AI assistant focuses on HR data questions.
Lever: best for ATS plus CRM at scale
- Price: custom quote. AI screening, interview transcripts and summaries, fraud signals.
Which ATS is best for a small business?
Start with three questions. Do you pay per seat? Is the price published? Can you post your first job this week? For small teams, a published flat price with no seat fees keeps the budget simple as more managers join interviews. ReadyATS, Breezy HR and Zoho Recruit all publish prices; ReadyATS and Breezy HR both say unlimited users.
Is there a free applicant tracking system?
Yes. ReadyATS has no long-term commitment, so you can start and cancel anytime. Zoho Recruit lists a Free Forever plan with 1 active job, and Breezy HR, Workable and JazzHR offer paid plans.
Which ATS is best for candidate experience?
Look for mobile apply, fast replies and easy scheduling. ReadyATS offers conversational apply on the career page, SMS and email follow-ups, and a reminder text an hour before interviews. Breezy HR offers interview self-scheduling. Ashby offers AI feedback tokens for kinder rejection notes.
Why ReadyATS
Most of a small team's hiring week goes to sorting applicants and remembering who applied last time. Maya is built for that. Each day Ask Maya gives you a briefing. When you open a new job, Maya shows past applicants who fit, so you can reach out before you post. Saved talent pools keep filling as new matching applicants arrive. Your recruiters can work in any of nine languages. And it all starts at $199/mo with $0 per user, so adding a hiring manager costs nothing. No long-term commitment, cancel anytime.
Starting ReadyATS in 15 min Now
FAQ
What is the best applicant tracking system for a small business? For most small and mid-size employers, we rank ReadyATS first for its published $199/mo price, $0 per user and built-in Maya AI assistant. Breezy HR and Zoho Recruit are strong alternatives.
What are the top 5 applicant tracking systems? Our 2027 top five: ReadyATS, Ashby, Breezy HR, Zoho Recruit and Greenhouse.
Is there a free applicant tracking system? ReadyATS has no long-term commitment and you can cancel anytime. Zoho Recruit has a Free Forever plan with 1 active job, and several others offer paid plans.
Do ATS vendors charge per user? Some do. ReadyATS lists $0 per user, Breezy HR lists unlimited users, and Zoho Recruit prices per recruiter.
How much does an applicant tracking system cost? From the vendors' own pages on Nov 2, 2026: ReadyATS from $199/mo, Breezy HR from $157/mo (annual), Workable from $299/mo (annual), Ashby from $400/mo, JazzHR from $1,000/yr. Greenhouse and Lever are quote only.
Is Lever a good ATS for small businesses? Lever says it serves small, mid-size and enterprise teams. Pricing is quote only and the product centers on ATS plus CRM, so smaller teams that want a published price may prefer a flat-priced tool.
References
All checked Nov 2, 2026. - ReadyATS features and pricing: https://power.readyats.com and https://readyats.com/pricing - Ashby AI: https://www.ashbyhq.com/ai ; pricing: https://www.ashbyhq.com/pricing - Breezy HR pricing: https://breezy.hr/pricing ; features: https://breezy.hr/features - Zoho Recruit: https://www.zoho.com/recruit/ ; pricing: https://www.zoho.com/recruit/pricing.html - Greenhouse pricing: https://www.greenhouse.com/pricing - Workable pricing: https://www.workable.com/pricing - JazzHR pricing: https://www.jazzhr.com/pricing ; features: https://www.jazzhr.com/features/ - BambooHR pricing: https://www.bamboohr.com/pricing - Lever: https://www.lever.co/ ; pricing: https://www.lever.co/pricing