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12 Free ExactHire Applicant Tracking Alternatives Ranked by Real Users (2026)

Explore 12 alternatives to ExactHire Applicant Tracking — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

Top free ExactHire Applicant Tracking alternatives, compared at a glance

Quick answer

The ExactHire Applicant Tracking alternatives buyers shortlist most are TrackerRMS, CleverStaff and MyNextHire. TrackerRMS ranks first with a SpotScore of 8.6. Compare all 12 on score, rating, and pricing below.

A tool that fits one team can frustrate another, so if ExactHire Applicant Tracking is frustrating yours, these 12 applicant tracking system (ats) free alternatives are worth a look. We rank them by SpotScore, which combines verified user satisfaction with market presence, then ratings and pricing. The table gives a quick side-by-side; the sections below explain each pick.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
TrackerRMSStreamline your recruitment process with TrackerRMS.8.6Not yet ratedFreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
CleverStaffEfficient recruiting starts with CleverStaff.8.6★★★★★ 4.6(5)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
MyNextHireBoost your hiring process with advanced technology.8.2Not yet ratedFreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
ZipRecruiterFind your dream job with ZipRecruiter.9.8Not yet ratedFreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
BambooHRStreamline your HR processes for better business results.9.8★★★★★ 4.74(1093)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
WorkableEfficient hiring, simplified for small businesses.9.6★★★★ 4.35(225)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Breezy HRHire smarter, not harder.9.5★★★★★ 4.5(432)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Zoho RecruitHire the best talent with ease.9.4★★★★★ 4.55(256)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
FreshteamStreamlining your hiring process, one click at a time.9.4★★★★ 4.49(77)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
TalentLyftEfficiently hire top technical talents with ease.9.3★★★★★ 4.88(20)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
RecruiteeEffortless hiring for growing businesses.9.3★★★★ 4.48(107)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
ManatalStreamline your recruitment process with Manatal ATS.9.2★★★★★ 4.91(191)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes

8.6

SpotScore

TrackerRMS

TrackerRMS

Streamline your recruitment process with TrackerRMS.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is TrackerRMS?

TrackerRMS is a versatile applicant tracking system that can manage any type of recruiting needs, and we're here to help to set it up and customize it to fit company's needs. Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley with offices in Ireland and the U.K., TrackerRMS has been used by some of ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

TrackerRMS offers custom pricing plan

8.6

SpotScore

CleverStaff

CleverStaff

Efficient recruiting starts with CleverStaff.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is CleverStaff?

CleverStaff is an applicant tracking system for recruitment agencies and in-house HR teams that prioritize fast candidate database search and efficient pipeline management over complex workflow automation. It is designed to retrieve and match candidates quickly from existing talent pools rather ...

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CleverStaff offers custom pricing plan

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Reach in-market buyersRank above rivals2M+ buyers a year

8.2

SpotScore

MyNextHire

MyNextHire

Boost your hiring process with advanced technology.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is MyNextHire?

MyNextHire is an ATS for mid-sized businesses that want to consolidate recruiting, new hire onboarding, training management, and payroll in one platform rather than maintaining separate HR tools. The breadth of features addresses HR team fragmentation but introduces complexity and cost that may ...

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Free Trial·

MyNextHire offers custom pricing plan

9.8

SpotScore

ZipRecruiter - Applicant Tracking System

ZipRecruiter

Find your dream job with ZipRecruiter.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is ZipRecruiter?

ZipRecruiter helps make job-hunting easier and faster with millions of open opportunities across the U.S. Quickly and easily upload your resume, apply to your desired positions, and get notified instantly when your application is reviewed. The platform also features customizable templates, ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

ZipRecruiter offers custom pricing plan

9.8

SpotScore

BambooHR - HR Software

BambooHR

Streamline your HR processes for better business results.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is BambooHR?

BambooHR is an HR platform built for small and mid-sized businesses — typically 10 to 500 employees — covering employee records, onboarding, time-off tracking, and performance management in one system. It replaces fragmented spreadsheets and disconnected tools by centralizing all employee data ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

BambooHR offers custom pricing plan

9.6

SpotScore

Workable

Workable

Efficient hiring, simplified for small businesses.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Workable?

Workable is the simple, affordable Applicant Tracking System (ATS) purpose-built for small businesses. Features include Integrated Company Management (Shell), Receive, review and approve applicants from desktop or mobile device in real time, Attract more applicants than traditional ATS products ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $299/month when yearly

9.5

SpotScore

Breezy HR

Breezy HR

Hire smarter, not harder.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Breezy HR?

Breezy HR is an applicant tracking system for small and mid-size hiring teams that want to automate recruiting workflows — job advertising, candidate scorecards, automated responses, and interview scheduling — without dedicated HR software expertise. Its drag-and-drop pipeline and team ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Breezy HR offers custom pricing plan

9.4

SpotScore

Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit

Hire the best talent with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is Zoho Recruit?

Zoho Recruit is an easy-to-use Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for all hiring needs. Backed by Zoho’s 15 years of experience in SaaS, the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) offers a wide range of features from candidate sourcing, screening and shortlisting to job postings, resumes tracking and ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

9.4

SpotScore

Freshteam

Freshteam

Streamlining your hiring process, one click at a time.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is Freshteam?

Freshteam is an applicant tracking system (ATS) that helps companies attract applicants from social media sites and provides features for hiring, applicant tracking and posting jobs to social media sites quickly and easily. The Freshteam ATS includes Applicant Tracking System software with over ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

9.3

SpotScore

TalentLyft

TalentLyft

Efficiently hire top technical talents with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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Add to compare

What is TalentLyft?

TalentLyft is an ATS for in-house HR and talent acquisition teams at mid-sized companies that want a single platform for sourcing, tracking, and interviewing candidates. It combines LinkedIn integration, scorecards, customizable career pages, and candidate communication tools so recruiters can ...

Read more about TalentLyft
Free TrialTry Free →·

TalentLyft offers custom pricing plan

9.3

SpotScore

Recruitee

Recruitee

Effortless hiring for growing businesses.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Recruitee?

Recruitee is a powerful Applicant Tracking System for small and medium businesses. It's delivered as SaaS, so user doesn't need to install, update or maintain anything. Thanks to its simple interface and visual workflow, user can easily build userr ATS in minutes and focus on the things that ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Recruitee offers custom pricing plan

9.2

SpotScore

Manatal

Manatal

Streamline your recruitment process with Manatal ATS.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Manatal?

The Manatal Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a web-based applicant tracking and job management system. ATS technology assists in the recruitment process by helping employers to find, screen, and hire candidates for open positions with its features include recruitment, scheduling, messaging, ...

Read more about Manatal
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Manatal offers custom pricing plan

Why these ExactHire Applicant Tracking alternatives stand out

TrackerRMS8.6Best for teams of all sizes

Highly customizable

Watch for: Complex setup process

CleverStaff8.6Best for teams of all sizes

Time-saving features

Watch for: Limited customization options

MyNextHire8.2Best for teams of all sizes

Comprehensive management features

Watch for: Higher cost for small businesses

ZipRecruiter9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Efficient and friendly customer service with quick issue resolution.

Watch for: Limited mention of the platform's features and functionalities in the reviews.

BambooHR9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Automates HR processes including document signing, onboarding, and payroll.

Watch for: Lacks advanced features found in more comprehensive HRIS platforms.

Workable9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Simplifies recruitment by centralizing candidate information, increasing organization, and ensuring seamless collaboration across teams.

Watch for: Limited flexibility and customization options, such as restrictions on editing workflows and approval pathways, which can be a challenge for larger organizations.

Breezy HR9.5Best for teams of all sizes

Simplifies recruitment with a user-friendly interface, requiring minimal training for new users.

Watch for: Occasional irrelevant applications can consume time, highlighting the need for better filtering or blocking policies.

Zoho Recruit9.4Best for teams of all sizes

Full-featured and customizable ATS with features like resume parsing, automation, and candidate tracking that enhance efficiency and organization.

Watch for: Initial setup can feel complex, requiring heavy customization and some self-learning effort.

Freshteam9.4Best for teams of all sizes

Automates recruitment tasks, reducing manual work for HR teams.

Watch for: Buggy behavior occasionally disrupts user experience, such as issues with notifications, screen freezes, or incorrect emails.

TalentLyft9.3Best for teams of all sizes

Interface simplifies the hiring and selection process.

Watch for: Occasional technical bugs and errors, such as issues with email notifications and candidate disqualification processes.

Recruitee9.3Best for teams of all sizes

Interface is accessible for recruiters at all experience levels.

Watch for: Post-interview engagement and onboarding automation features are limited.

Manatal9.2Best for teams of all sizes

Very user-friendly and intuitive, even for non-technical users, with minimal onboarding time.

Watch for: Limited career page and user interface language options, currently supporting only English/Spanish.

Why teams look for a ExactHire Applicant Tracking alternative

Here's what tends to push teams toward a ExactHire Applicant Tracking alternative:

  • Limited customization options
  • Basic reporting features
  • May lack advanced integrations

What a good ExactHire Applicant Tracking alternative should have

By the numbers, these 12 applicant tracking system (ats) free alternatives shake out as follows: 12 offer a free tier; and Manatal is the highest rated at 4.91 across 191 reviews.

Our ranking criteria.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to ExactHire Applicant Tracking are Manatal (4.9★), TalentLyft (4.9★), BambooHR (4.7★). Compare all 12 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to ExactHire Applicant Tracking, prioritize: Access Control, Collaboration Tools, Candidate Database, Candidate Sourcing, Job Boards, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply ExactHire Applicant Tracking is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend shortlisting 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

Which ExactHire Applicant Tracking alternative should make your shortlist?

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — TrackerRMS, CleverStaff and MyNextHire let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: Manatal has the strongest star rating (4.91★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: TrackerRMS has the highest Spotsaas Score (8.6) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

How to leave ExactHire Applicant Tracking behind

Switching away from ExactHire Applicant Tracking is safest in stages. Export your data, verify the new tool can import it, and confirm the features you depend on. Run a pilot first, then migrate fully, keeping ExactHire Applicant Tracking running until you've validated the fit. Free trials above help.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].