Finding the right Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is crucial for small recruitment agencies. Unlike large in-house recruitment teams, small agencies juggle multiple clients and roles, often with limited resources. Without the right ATS, you’re stuck switching between spreadsheets, emails, and different tools — which slows you down and makes it hard to deliver the best experience for your clients and candidates.

In this article, we’ll break down the key challenges small recruitment agencies face when managing recruitment for multiple clients at once, and why the right ATS can make all the difference. We’ll also share our shortlist of the best ATS options designed specifically for small agencies, so you can find one that fits your team’s workflow and budget.

So, whether you're currently using an ATS or thinking about it, this post should be really useful for you.

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Why Small Recruitment Agencies Need an ATS (and the Challenges They Face)

Running a small recruitment agency isn’t easy. You’re not just hiring for one company — you’re managing recruitment for several clients, often in completely different industries. Each client has unique needs, processes, and employer branding, which means your ATS must be flexible and allow you to switch seamlessly between different companies’ hiring workflows.

Here’s why this matters:

✅ If your ATS doesn’t support working with multiple clients, you’ll end up using separate spreadsheets, documents, or even different ATS logins — wasting time and causing confusion.

✅ Switching between clients manually increases the risk of missing candidate updates, duplicating work, or making mistakes in communication.

✅ For small agencies, every hour saved is critical. An ATS that can handle multiple clients and lets you quickly toggle between them gives you a huge competitive edge.

In addition to these challenges, small agencies face the usual hurdles:

• Tight budgets and limited team size.

• Less tolerance for clunky, overcomplicated software.

• A need for an intuitive system that everyone can learn quickly.

This is why choosing an ATS that’s specifically designed for small agencies — with easy client-switching, affordable pricing, and a simple, streamlined interface — is essential to scale your business and compete with larger agencies.

What Makes an ATS Ideal for Small Recruitment Agencies?

Not all ATS platforms are created equal — especially when you’re a small agency working with multiple clients. Here’s what to look for when choosing an ATS that will actually make your life easier:

Simplicity and Ease of Use

Small agencies often don’t have dedicated IT teams or time to train recruiters on a complex tool. You need an ATS that’s intuitive and easy to learn, so you can get your team up and running without a long onboarding process.

Multi-Client Management

Your clients expect you to treat them like your only priority. That’s hard to do if your ATS doesn’t let you keep their hiring pipelines and branding separate. A great ATS for small agencies lets you switch seamlessly between different clients — managing their roles, interviews, and candidates in clean, separate workflows. No more juggling logins or trying to remember which spreadsheet belongs to whom.

Unlimited User Invitations

In small agencies, collaboration is everything. And often, you’ll want to invite your clients’ hiring managers or internal HR to follow the process, give feedback, or stay updated.

Some ATS tools put a limit on how many users you can invite before they start charging extra fees. That’s not ideal for a small agency with multiple clients — especially if you want to show transparency and involve your clients directly in the hiring process.

Look for an ATS that allows unlimited user invitations, so you can easily add as many team members or client-side collaborators as you need, without worrying about additional costs.

Cost-Effectiveness

As a small agency, you can’t afford a huge monthly bill for software you’re not fully using. The best ATS options for small agencies have clear, predictable pricing — and let you choose the plan that fits your needs without being forced into a bloated “enterprise” tier.

Flexibility and Integration

Your ATS shouldn’t force you to change how you already work. Instead, it should integrate with the tools you rely on — whether that’s your email, calendar, or even LinkedIn. Flexible integrations save time and ensure you’re not duplicating tasks.

Responsive Support and Onboarding

When you’re a small team, every minute counts. The best ATS providers know this and offer fast, helpful support to get you set up and to help if something goes wrong. Good onboarding resources — like step-by-step guides or video demos — can also make a huge difference.

Comparing ATS for Small Recruitment Agencies

When selecting an ATS for your small recruitment agency, it’s essential to consider tools that align with your specific needs—especially if you’re managing multiple clients and require seamless collaboration. Let’s delve into three popular options: Recruit CRM, Hirefly and Recruiterflow.

1 - Hirefly

Overview:

Hirefly is a recruitment tool designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers an intuitive platform to create branded career pages, post jobs, and manage candidates efficiently—all without requiring technical expertise. 

Pricing:

• Essential Plan: $29/month; Includes 3 open jobs, unlimited candidates, publishing to job platforms, and unlimited team members.

• Full Plan: $59/month; Offers everything in the Essential Plan plus unlimited jobs, custom domain, and removal of Hirefly branding. 

• Try 30 days for free.

  
  

Key Features:

• User-Friendly Interface: Drag-and-drop candidate pipeline, customizable application stages, and easy tracking of applications.

• Branded Career Pages: Create responsive career pages aligned with your company’s branding without any technical skills.

• Job Distribution: Publish job posts to major job boards with a few clicks.

• Unlimited Team Members: Invite as many team members or client-side collaborators as needed without additional costs. 

User Feedback:

• Pros: Users appreciate its simplicity, affordability, and the ability to manage applications effectively.

• Cons: Some users have noted limited integrations with external platforms and a desire for more advanced/enterprice features. Becomes quite expensive for teams since pricing is per seat (per user).

  
  

2 - Recruit CRM

Overview:

Recruit CRM is a comprehensive ATS and CRM solution tailored for recruitment and executive search businesses. It offers a unified platform to manage candidates, clients, emails, calls, job postings, and more .

Pricing:

• Pro Plan: $100/user/month; includes features like Chrome sourcing extension, GPT integration, unlimited email templates, and integrated mailbox .

• Business Plan: $150/user/month; adds automated email sequencing, executive search report generator, resume formatting, and open API access.

• Enterprise Plan: $165/user/month; offers custom SLA, dedicated servers, and a dedicated account manager.

  
  

Key Features:

• Multi-Client Management: Allows seamless switching between different clients, managing their roles, interviews, and candidates in separate workflows.

• Integrated Communication: Built-in email client and phone calling features streamline communication with candidates and clients.

• Automation & AI: Offers AI-powered resume parsing and candidate matching to accelerate candidate selection .

  
  

User Feedback:

• Pros: Users appreciate its user-friendly interface and comprehensive feature set.

• Cons: Some users have noted limited integrations with external platforms and a need for more extensive customization options. Becomes expensive for larger teams since pricing is per seat (per user).

3 - RecruiterFlow

Overview:

Recruiterflow is a modern ATS and CRM platform designed for staffing and recruiting agencies. It emphasizes simplicity, automation, and productivity .

Pricing:

• Base Plan: $99/user/month; includes unlimited jobs, branded career pages, and advanced automation options .

• Pro Plan: $109/user/month; adds features like email sequences and advanced reporting.

• Advanced Plan: $129/user/month; offers additional customization and support options.

  
  

Key Features:

• Client Collaboration: Allows inviting clients to the platform to follow the recruitment process, though the number of client-side users may be limited based on the plan.

• Automation: Provides robust automation features, including email sequences and task management.

• Integrations: Offers integrations with tools like Zapier and job boards, though some users have mentioned a desire for more third-party integrations .

  
  

User Feedback:

• Pros: Users commend its intuitive interface and strong automation capabilities.

• Cons: Some users have reported a learning curve for new users and a need for more detailed reporting features
  
  

Comparison Summary

Hirefly is an excellent choice for small recruitment agencies seeking an affordable and user-friendly ATS. Its intuitive design and unlimited user invitations make it ideal for teams that require collaboration without additional costs. However, agencies needing advanced features, a CRM or extensive integrations may need to consider RecruitCRM or RecruiterFlow.

How to Choose the Best ATS for Your Small Recruitment Agency

When you’re a small recruitment agency, choosing the right ATS isn’t about having the fanciest features — it’s about finding a tool that fits your workflows, your clients, and your budget.

Here’s a simple framework to help you decide:

Step 1: Identify Your Core Needs

Before getting dazzled by advanced features, be honest about what you really need.

• Do you need an integrated CRM to manage client relationships, or can you handle this separately?

• Do you really need automations like email sequences, or would a straightforward, user-friendly interface do the trick?

• Do you plan to invite client-side users to collaborate, and does the tool make that easy (and affordable)?

Step 2: Prioritize Must-Haves vs. Nice-to-Haves

• Must-haves for most small agencies: easy-to-use interface, multi-client management, unlimited user invitations (including clients), and fair pricing.

• Nice-to-haves might include advanced automation or AI-powered matching, which can be helpful but aren’t always essential when you’re a small team.

Step 3: Test with a Free Trial or Demo

Don’t rely solely on reviews. Most ATS providers offer free trials or demos — use them! Have your team test out switching between clients, inviting collaborators, and running your typical workflows.

Ask yourself:

• Is this saving me time?

• Is it simple enough that my whole team (and even my clients) can adopt it quickly?

Step 4: Think Long-Term but Start Small

Yes, you want an ATS that can grow with your agency — but that doesn’t mean overpaying for features you won’t use today. Choose a tool that meets your immediate needs and has the flexibility to add on features later if you really need them.

FAQs About ATS for Small Recruitment Agencies

1️⃣ Do small agencies really need a full-featured ATS with CRM and automations?

Not always! Many small agencies find they don’t need a full CRM or complex automations to start. What’s most important is a tool that helps you stay organized, collaborate easily, and switch between client accounts without losing track of candidates.

2️⃣ What if I’m already using spreadsheets and email — is an ATS worth it?

Yes — an ATS eliminates the hassle of managing multiple spreadsheets, reducing the risk of errors and saving you hours each week. Even basic ATS features like drag-and-drop pipelines and easy candidate search can be game-changers for a small agency.

3️⃣ Is it expensive to use an ATS when you have multiple team members?

Some ATS providers charge per user, which can add up fast. If you’re planning to invite clients or external collaborators, look for a tool that offers unlimited user invitations (or at least generous limits) to avoid surprise costs.

4️⃣ How long does it take to get up and running with a new ATS?

Most modern ATS platforms are designed to be user-friendly, with guided onboarding or helpful tutorials. Plan for a few hours to set up workflows and train your team. The payoff: a more streamlined, organized hiring process.

5️⃣ Can I switch to a new ATS later if I outgrow the one I choose?

Absolutely. Many ATS platforms make it easy to export your data (like candidates and job postings) if you decide to switch later. The key is to start with something that fits your needs today — and upgrade only when you’re ready.

Still unsure whether you need CRM and automations or just a simple, affordable ATS to manage your small recruitment agency’s hiring process? For most small recruitment agencies, the basics done well (multi-client support, collaboration, and ease of use) are more important than fancy CRM and automations. Don’t overcomplicate things — start with what you’ll actually use. Reach out to us for tailored advice — or explore our 30 day free trial to see what fits best 👇🏼