Recruitment CRMs are software that help recruiting agencies and teams track and engage with candidates and new hires. The top recruiting CRMs usually offer applicant tracking system (ATS) features like job board integrations and candidate scoring with typical CRM tools like activity tracking and an array of onboarding capabilities. We’ve identified the seven best recruiting CRMs to help you decide which would be the best for you and your team.
Here are the top seven CRMs for the recruiting industry:
- Manatal: Best overall recruitment CRM for features and usability (14-day free trial)
- Zoho Recruit: Best software for both CRM and ATS integrations (free starting price)
- monday.com: Best for managing a visual recruitment pipeline (free starting price)
- HubSpot CRM: Best free recruitment software with upgrades (free starting price)
- Recruiterflow: Best CRM for finding and assessing candidates (14-day free trial)
- Pipedrive: Best recruitment CRM software for a la carte features (14-day free trial)
- Tracker: Best software for onboarding and managing new hires (14-day free trial)
Overall, we found that Manatal is the best recruitment CRM, scoring the highest for ease of use and customer support. Most of our highest scoring options are industry-specific software, but three general CRMs made it onto the list as well. Continue reading to see each option’s use case, pricing, and key features, or jump down to see how we evaluated each CRM software.
Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless noted otherwise.
Top 4 Recruitment CRM Features
The top-ranking recruitment CRMs offer features such as:
With candidate shortlisting, you can mark candidates who are best fits for an opening. Sample criteria include whether they're actively in the market, are in your salary range, or match the job description skill set.
How We Evaluated the Best Recruitment CRM
To accurately score and determine the best recruiting CRM software, we defined six main categories that consisted of weighted subcriteria. Within each category, we ranked the tools out of five points and then added each up to get the total score. The CRM with the highest score was our overall winner, though all options have clear strengths. We also used our research to identify an ideal use case for each CRM option.
Evaluation Criteria
We prioritized scoring each software based on their recruitment tools and core CRM features, followed by their cost, to ensure each option offers holistic services at a fair price. Next, we considered ease of use and customization capabilities, as well as the type and quality of customer support solutions available for each tier.
We considered the industry-specific features offered by each CRM, such as candidate tracking and shortlisting, onboarding capabilities, skillset matching, and more.
This includes each option’s core CRM offerings like user activity tracking, pipeline management, and reports and dashboards.
We scored each software's subscription costs, billing options, and free trial periods or free versions, if offered.
We checked each tool’s usability based on customer ratings from review sites and if it offered resources like knowledge bases, training, and onboarding.
We evaluated each software’s customization capabilities in terms of onboarding, reporting metrics, views and filters, and the availability of third-party app integrations.
We assessed the type and quality of support solutions offered via phone, email, and live chat. We also looked into real user feedback on reputable review sites.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is Recruitment CRM Software & Why Is It Important for Modern Hiring Processes?
Recruitment CRMs are specialized software or tools designed to streamline staffing and recruiting processes. Companies and organizations can use this type of software for managing candidate relationships, tracking applications, and helping hiring teams collaborate easily. Having a reliable recruitment CRM ensures that your hiring process is efficient and that you make data-driven decisions when choosing candidates for specific roles.
What Features Should I Prioritize When Evaluating Recruitment CRM Software Options?
When weighing your recruitment CRM software options, look for a balance of
features like candidate tracking, shortlisting and scoring, and onboarding capabilities, as well as core CRM features such as contact management, pipelines, and basic reporting tools. Recruitment CRMs should also be affordable and transparent in their pricing, be easy to use, and offer customization capabilities or third-party app integrations.
How Do I Choose the Best Recruitment CRM Software for My Organization?
To determine the best recruitment CRM for your company or business, start by assessing your specific needs and goals in the hiring process. Also consider your budget and the capacity of your hiring team, so you’ll know how your chosen CRM can provide cost-effective solutions. It’s also important to read reviews and compare the top recruitment CRMs in the market, or if possible, request demos and trials of the software you’d like to consider.
Bottom Line: Best Recruitment CRM
Recruitment CRM software benefits recruiting agencies and TA departments by organizing their hiring from sourcing to placement and everything in between, and it also helps recruiters automate an otherwise tedious process. The top seven recruiting CRMs we’ve researched and ranked all prove to be valuable resources; check them out and see which one works best for you. If you’d prefer a general CRM instead, see our list of the best CRMs for salespeople.
This article was written by Allyssa Haygood-Taylor and updated by Kezia Jungco.