Recruitly is a CRM and ATS for recruitment agencies with sourcing, marketing, an AI phone system and meeting assistant. | applicant-tracking
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HR & Payroll
Best Applicant tracking system in India (2026)
An applicant tracking system manages job postings, applications, interview stages and offers. Indian hiring has its own requirements — Naukri integration, high application volume, and campus recruitment drives that global products handle poorly.
95 products compared39 made in India20 with a free plan
Top rated here
1
Zoho Recruit
Applicant tracking for in-house teams and staffing agencies.
Free plan
Freshteam ATS
Recruiting in Freshteam.
Free plan
iimjobs by Naukri
Management job board and hiring tools.
Pay as you go
Keka Hire
ATS integrated with Keka HR.
₹6,999/mo
HackerEarth
Developer assessments and hackathons built in Bengaluru.
₹12,000/mo
View
Recruiting platform combining ATS, CRM, candidate sourcing and outreach for search firms.
Free plan
Starts at
Free plan
Resume builder.
Free plan
Starts at
Free plan
Coding tests for hiring.
Starts at
On request
Recruiting software with AI candidate sourcing, video interviews and applicant tracking for teams
AI poweredFree plan
Starts at
Free plan
Recruiting software and split placement network for independent recruiters and staffing firms
Free plan
Starts at
Free plan
Structured hiring ATS for scaling companies.
Starts at
On request
Enterprise ATS.
Enterprise ready
Starts at
On request
Recruiting platform.
Starts at
On request
Skills assessment platform.
Starts at
On request
ATS and CRM for recruiting.
Starts at
On request
Enterprise talent acquisition.
Enterprise ready
Starts at
On request
AI interviewer for recruiters that screens applicants with async interviews
AI poweredNewFree plan
Starts at
Free plan
Staffing agency CRM and ATS.
Starts at
On request
ATS for staffing firms.
Starts at
On request
Video interviewing and assessments.
Starts at
On request
Resume builder.
Best value
Starts at
₹200/mo
Resume builder.
Best value
Starts at
₹200/mo
Employer branding and ATS.
Starts at
On request
Recruitment agency platform.
Starts at
On request
All-in-one recruiting for scaling startups.
Starts at
On request
Sourcing on LinkedIn.
Starts at
On request
Affordable applicant tracking system for small and mid-sized employers to post jobs, screen candidates and hire
Starts at
On request
Recruitment CRM and applicant tracking software for staffing agencies with automation and AI features
AI powered
Starts at
On request
Applicant tracking system for posting jobs, reviewing candidates and scheduling interviews.
Starts at
On request
Hireology is a recruitment platform for multi-location retail automotive, hospitality and facility-based healthcare employers. | applicant-tracking
Starts at
On request
TalentLyft is a recruitment marketing and applicant tracking system. | applicant-tracking
Starts at
Paid plans
SeekOut is an AI recruiting platform to source candidates, screen inbound applicants and engage passive talent. | applicant-tracking
AI powered
Starts at
Paid plans
Recruitment CRM and applicant tracking system built for staffing agencies and executive search.
Starts at
$85/user/month billed annually
HireHive is recruiting software to manage hiring and applicants in one place. | applicant-tracking
Starts at
Paid plans
JobAdder is ATS and CRM recruitment software built for recruiters. | applicant-tracking
Starts at
On request
AI-assisted applicant tracking for SMBs with job posting, screening and candidate pipelines.
AI powered
Starts at
$79/month billed annually (Starter)
AI recruiting software for frontline industries, with licence verification at source for healthcare.
AI powered
Starts at
On request
JOIN is an ATS for SMB hiring that posts to 250+ job boards and supports structured interviews. | applicant-tracking
Starts at
Paid plans
Design-led ATS for 21-250 person companies with branded job posts, careers pages and hiring pipelines.
Starts at
From €109/month on an annual contract (3 job slots)
100Hires is recruiting software for small businesses to post jobs, screen candidates with AI and hire. | applicant-tracking
AI powered
Starts at
Paid plans
Applicant tracking system running parallel hiring streams with careers sites, scheduling and onboarding.
Starts at
On request
Job description and job ad platform that uses AI to standardise, optimise and publish better job postings
AI powered
Starts at
On request
Recruitment software for small businesses to post jobs, screen applicants and manage hiring pipelines
Starts at
Paid plans
Skills assessment platform that uses AI to test and rank candidates on real job tasks
AI powered
Starts at
On request
Recruitment marketing analytics platform to optimise job advertising and candidate conversion
Starts at
On request
Recruitment software that formats CVs and candidate presentations for agencies
Starts at
On request
Occupop provides recruitment software; occupop.com now presents Cezanne HR software. | applicant-tracking
Starts at
On request
Recruitment CRM and ATS for high-volume hiring with AI screening, chat and interview scheduling
AI powered
Starts at
On request
Tracker is an ATS and CRM built for staffing and recruiting agencies. | applicant-tracking
Starts at
Paid plans
Ordered by App Advisor rating. Nothing here is paid placement — see how we rate software.
How to choose applicant tracking system
Check Naukri and LinkedIn integration — that is where Indian applications come from.
If you hire in volume, test resume parsing and bulk actions with a real batch of CVs.
For staffing agencies, look for client-facing portals and submission tracking.
What to look for
- ✓ Job posting to Naukri, LinkedIn and Indeed
- ✓ Careers page and referral portal
- ✓ Resume parsing and screening
- ✓ Interview scheduling and scorecards
- ✓ Offer letters and e-sign
- ✓ Candidate communication via WhatsApp and email
- ✓ Campus and bulk hiring
- ✓ Recruitment analytics
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Applicant tracking system — frequently asked questions
Is there a free applicant tracking system?+
Zoho Recruit, Freshteam (legacy) and several Indian HRMS suites include free or low-cost recruiting modules for small teams.
Applicant tracking system by industry
Applicant tracking system — popular searches
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India buyer's guide
Applicant tracking system in India: prices, free plans and how to choose
An applicant tracking system is the record-keeping core of hiring: every applicant, every stage, every interview score and every decision is stored against a job opening so nothing depends on one recruiter's inbox. For Indian companies it also becomes the audit trail that shows why a candidate was shortlisted or rejected, who approved an offer, and how personal data received from applicants is stored and eventually deleted.
What separates a useful ATS from a frustrating one is the quality of its pipeline mechanics. Good systems let you define stages per role, enforce structured scorecards, stop duplicate records when the same person applies twice, and search the whole database by skills, location and notice period. Weak ones become a dumping ground of unsearchable PDFs, where recruiters stop updating stages and reports on time-in-stage are meaningless.
Best applicant tracking system in India: verified comparison
Judge the best ATS in India on data quality over time, not first impressions. Check whether stages can be customised per job family, whether moving a candidate triggers the right email or WhatsApp template, how well search works across tens of thousands of old profiles, and whether duplicates are merged rather than multiplied. Audit logs of who changed what, sensible permissions for hiring managers, and clean exports into your HRMS matter as much as the interface.
| Product | Lowest published price | Free plan | Free trial | Demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho RecruitMade in India | ₹0 forever source | Yes source | 15 days source | On request source |
 Zoho Recruit for StaffingMade in India | ₹0 forever source | Yes source | 15 days source | On request source |
| Keka HireMade in India | Not published | — | Yes source | On request source |
 CutshortMade in India | ₹30,000 per month source | — | Yes source | On request source |
 Recruit CRMMade in India | ₹2,599 per user/month source | — | Yes source | On request source |
 TalentRecruitMade in India | Not published | — | — | On request source |
Checked on each vendor's official website (September 2026). A dash means the vendor does not publish it or we could not verify it — not that the feature is missing. Prices exclude GST unless the source says otherwise. App Advisor publishes no user ratings.
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Tell us your team size, city and budget. An advisor sends a shortlist that fits and arranges demos; vendors quote you directly. Compare prices for your team size before you commit.
Choosing applicant tracking system: top picks, Indian options and reviews
Top applicant tracking system for small business in India
Small businesses need an ATS that a single person can run: a straightforward kanban pipeline, reusable job templates, basic scorecards, an embedded apply form for the website and quick rejection emails in bulk. Avoid systems that need a consultant to configure stages. Look for pricing that does not penalise you for keeping old candidates in the database and for occasional hiring managers logging in.
Indian applicant tracking system
Indian-built applicant tracking systems tend to store fields Indian recruiters actually filter on, such as current CTC, expected CTC, notice period and preferred city, and parse resumes accordingly. They commonly offer WhatsApp and SMS stage notifications, consent capture aligned with Indian data protection expectations, INR billing with GST invoices and support during Indian business hours. Some also handle multiple legal entities or group companies within one tenant.
Zoho RecruitFreshteam ATSiimjobs by NaukriKeka HireHackerEarthInterviewBit HiringHireXL (Xobin)Monster India (foundit)
Applicant tracking system reviews in India
App Advisor publishes no user ratings, and ATS reviews often reflect how well a previous admin configured the system. In your trial, check the things reviewers complain about most: import a real batch of resumes and count parsing errors, search for a skill and notice-period combination, have an interviewer submit a scorecard on mobile, and pull a time-in-stage report. Those results tell you more than any star score. How App Advisor rates software.
Applicant tracking system comparison in India
An ATS comparison should cover custom pipeline stages, scorecard and interview kit design, resume parsing accuracy, duplicate detection and merge, Boolean and field search across the database, bulk actions, email and WhatsApp templates tied to stages, permission levels, audit trail, data retention and anonymisation rules, careers page and apply form, reporting on funnel conversion and time-in-stage, and APIs or native connectors to HRMS and assessment tools.
What applicant tracking system costs in India
Applicant tracking system price in India
Applicant tracking systems in India are generally priced per recruiter seat, per active job, or on company headcount bands. Some charge for database size or number of stored candidates. Interviewer access may be free or charged. Integrations with assessment, video interview and background check services often carry their own usage-based fees billed by those providers or passed through the ATS.
- Zoho Recruit — from ₹0 forever (Free) source
- Zoho Recruit for Staffing — from ₹0 forever (Forever Free) source
- Cutshort — from ₹30,000 per month (Subscription (monthly)) source
- Recruit CRM — from ₹2,599 per user/month (Pro) source
Applicant tracking system subscription cost in India
Beyond the base plan, costs come from extra recruiter seats, higher active-job limits, SMS and WhatsApp message credits, premium parsing or sourcing features, single sign-on, API access and dedicated account management. Migrating old candidate data may attract a one-time fee. Annual billing usually carries a discount, and 18% GST is added to the invoice. Check whether storage of older candidates increases your bill over time.
Free plans, free trials and demos
Free applicant tracking system in India
Free ATS plans typically cap active jobs and recruiters, limit resume parsing volume and stored candidates, and exclude custom stages, scorecards, integrations and advanced reports. Branding on the careers page may be fixed to the vendor's style. Some free plans also delete inactive data after a period, which can conflict with your need to keep a searchable talent pool.
- Zoho Recruit — free plan: “FREE ₹ 0 ₹0 Forever Free” source
- Zoho Recruit for Staffing — free plan: “Forever Free ₹ 0 ₹0 Perfect for testing waters.” source
Applicant tracking system free trial in India
Trial lengths as each vendor states them are listed on the free applicant tracking system page.
Applicant tracking system demo in India
Ask the demo presenter to import a batch of your resumes and show parsing accuracy, then search for a combination like skill, city and notice period. Ask how duplicates are merged and whether history is kept. Request a look at the audit log, the data retention settings, the interviewer's mobile scorecard and the report showing drop-off between stages for a specific job.
Applicant tracking system by type of business
Applicant tracking system for startups in India
Startups need an ATS that enforces structured interviewing early so hiring standards survive rapid growth. Useful features are scorecards per competency, interview kits, referral tracking, calendar integration and a searchable pool of past applicants for future roles. Transparent per-seat or per-job pricing and quick setup matter more than enterprise workflow depth. Tagging silver-medallist candidates for later roles is especially valuable while the team is still small.
- Zoho Recruit — “Recruitment basics for startups looking to hire their first teams.” source
- Zoho Recruit for Staffing — “Perfect for small teams and freelancers.” source
- Keka Hire — “BY COMPANY SIZE Small Business Growing businesses Enterprise Large organizations” source
- Cutshort — “20–99 Startup” source
Applicant tracking system for MSMEs in India
For MSMEs, an ATS should replace email folders with a single pipeline that the owner and one or two managers can see. Valuable features include simple stage templates, bulk rejection messages, WhatsApp notifications for candidates who rarely check email, and a talent pool for repeat roles like sales executives or accountants. Keep configuration light and pricing predictable.
- Zoho Recruit — “Recruitment basics for startups looking to hire their first teams.” source
- Zoho Recruit for Staffing — “Perfect for small teams and freelancers.” source
- Keka Hire — “BY COMPANY SIZE Small Business Growing businesses Enterprise Large organizations” source
- Cutshort — “20–99 Startup” source
Applicant tracking system for manufacturers in India
Manufacturers using an ATS need stages that reflect plant hiring: application, trade test, practical, interview, medical and document verification. The system should handle plant-wise openings, bulk candidates from ITI or diploma drives, contractor-supplied candidates and approval by plant HR and department heads. Reports should show pipeline status by plant and trade. Stage-level notes from trade tests should stay attached to the profile for rehire decisions.
Applicant tracking system for retailers in India
Retailers use an ATS for high-volume store roles, so bulk operations and speed are key. Look for mobile apply forms, auto-screening questions such as location and availability for weekend shifts, bulk interview scheduling, and store-manager access limited to their outlet's candidates. Reusing past applicants for new store openings saves sourcing cost. Rejected applicants can be tagged for the next store opening in the same city.
Applicant tracking system for agencies in India
Recruitment agencies need an ATS with client, job-order and submission tracking, so each candidate can be shown against the clients they were submitted to and their outcomes. Duplicate checks across clients, placement records with guarantee periods and a searchable talent database are central. In-house hiring at creative agencies instead values portfolio links and assignment tracking.
- Zoho Recruit for Staffing — “For high-performing staffing agencies that reshape hiring” source
- Recruit CRM — “AI-powered Applicant Tracking System and CRM built for recruitment agencies and ” source
- TalentRecruit — “making it ideal for staffing agencies and RPO firms” source
GST and switching providers
Applicant tracking system with GST support
An ATS subscription is charged GST at 18%, and you should receive a tax invoice showing your GSTIN and the vendor's GSTIN so input tax credit can be claimed. If you pay for add-ons like assessments through the ATS, check whether they are included on the same invoice. The ATS itself does not file GST returns or generate e-invoices.
Applicant tracking system alternatives in India
Look at alternatives when recruiters bypass the system, parsing and search are so poor that the database is unused, or reporting cannot answer basic funnel questions. Switching means exporting candidates, resumes, notes, scorecards and stage history, checking consent records transfer too, and cleaning duplicates before import. Review contract renewal dates and avoid migrating in the middle of a peak hiring period.
Zoho Recruit alternativesFreshteam ATS alternativesiimjobs by Naukri alternativesKeka Hire alternativesHackerEarth alternativesInterviewBit Hiring alternatives
Partner, affiliate and reseller programs
Applicant tracking system affiliate program in India
ATS affiliate programmes usually pay for referred sign-ups that become paying customers, either as a one-time bounty or a share of recurring subscription revenue. Check cookie duration, attribution rules for trials, payout schedules and restrictions on paid advertising. Your credibility depends on recommending systems suited to your readers' hiring volume. Also confirm whether referrals from free-plan sign-ups that upgrade months later are still credited to you.
Applicant tracking system partner program in India
ATS partner programmes typically serve HR tech consultants, HRMS vendors and RPO providers who configure pipelines and integrations for clients. Before joining, check certification requirements, sandbox access, API documentation quality, lead registration rules and whether partners are listed in the vendor's directory. Understand who supports the client once implementation is complete. Ask, too, whether partners get early access to new parsing or integration features before clients do.
Applicant tracking system reseller program in India
ATS resellers typically purchase licences at wholesale and resell with their own implementation and support services, sometimes under a white-label arrangement. Examine pricing freedom, contract length, renewal ownership, branding limits and data processing agreements. You will need to invoice end customers with GST and ensure candidate data handling commitments pass through to them. Confirm who handles deletion requests from candidates under your end customers' accounts.
- Zoho — Zoho Affiliate Program (affiliate): 15% Commission on every qualified sale for the first 12 months program page
- Keka — Keka Referral partners (referral) program page
All verified programs across categories are in the software partner program directory. More India software guides: business software in India.
Applicant tracking system in India: FAQs
What is the difference between an ATS and recruitment software?+
The terms overlap. An ATS focuses on tracking applicants through stages and keeping records, while broader recruitment software adds sourcing, job distribution, careers sites and candidate marketing. Many products do both. Decide which gap you need to fill: organisation and records, or reach and sourcing.
Can an ATS read resumes in Word, PDF and scanned formats?+
Most parse Word and text-based PDFs well, but scanned images need OCR and results vary. Resumes with tables, columns or photos can also confuse parsers. Test with a sample of the actual resumes you receive, including ones from job portals and those sent over WhatsApp.
Do we need candidate consent to store resumes in an ATS?+
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act you should process personal data for a stated purpose with notice and consent. An ATS helps by capturing consent on the apply form and letting you set retention periods. Tell candidates if you keep their profile for future roles.
How do we stop duplicate candidate records?+
Choose an ATS that detects duplicates on email, phone and name combinations and lets recruiters merge records while keeping history. Train the team to search before adding manually. Duplicates often arise when the same person applies via a portal and a referral, so test that exact scenario.
Can we move data from our old ATS?+
Usually, if your current vendor allows a full export including resumes, notes and stages. The new vendor may offer migration assistance, sometimes for a fee. Map fields in advance, especially custom ones like notice period, and check attachments are linked correctly after import.
Will an ATS integrate with our HRMS?+
Many offer native connectors or APIs to push hired candidates into HRMS or onboarding tools, avoiding re-entry of names, designations and joining dates. Ask which fields sync, whether documents are transferred, and what happens if the integration fails partway. Test it with one real hire.
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