--- title: "ATS & CRM for Recruiting Agencies" description: "The ATS & CRM built for recruiting agencies. AI sourcing, multi-channel outreach, client portal, and placement management in one platform." url: "https://www.leonar.app/for-agencies/" lang: "en" alternates: fr: "https://www.leonar.app/fr/for-agencies/" de: "https://www.leonar.app/de/for-agencies/" image: "https://www.leonar.app/og/for-agencies-en.png" tokens: 11135 --- 1. [Home](https://www.leonar.app/) 2. For Agencies ATS & CRM for Recruiting Agencies # The all-in-one platform built for staffing agencies ATS, CRM, AI sourcing, and multi-channel outreach in a single workspace. Manage clients, candidates, and placements without juggling five different tools. ![Adrien Tedjirian](https://www.leonar.app/_astro/adrien-tedjirian.BbnmZr4f_Z11VCaN.webp) ![Dolihane Feddag](https://www.leonar.app/_astro/dolihane-feddag.DkmcuiI8_Z1aQ011.webp) ![Louis de Froment](https://www.leonar.app/_astro/louis-de-froment.Y5ImtxTq_Z1T7n4.webp) Trusted by 400+ recruiting agencies Rated on G2 7-day free trial Why Leonar ## Why agencies choose Leonar over other ATS and CRM tools ### Sourcing and outreach built in, not bolted on Most ATS platforms stop at tracking applicants. Leonar is the first ATS and CRM that includes AI sourcing across 870M+ profiles and multi-channel outreach (Email, LinkedIn, SMS, WhatsApp) in one platform. No add-ons, no extra subscriptions. ### The first ATS CRM built for AI agents Leonar is the first recruiting platform designed from the ground up for AI. Connect AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT through our MCP server to source candidates, manage pipelines, and launch outreach sequences using natural language. ### We handle your migration, start to finish Switching from Bullhorn, Vincere, or another ATS? Send us your data and our team takes care of everything: candidates, jobs, notes, pipeline history. No technical effort on your side, zero downtime. ### Built for agencies that source and engage at scale Leonar is designed for agencies where sourcing and candidate outreach are the core of daily work. AI shortlisting, automated multi-channel sequences, and a CRM that tracks every interaction across every mandate. Sound familiar? ## Agency recruiting is broken ### Too many tools, zero visibility Your ATS doesn't do outreach. Your outreach tool doesn't sync with your CRM. You spend more time switching tabs than actually recruiting. One platform for everything ### Clients can't see the pipeline Clients want real-time updates on their roles. You're stuck sending manual spreadsheets and status emails instead of recruiting. Client collaboration portal ### Scaling means more chaos Every new recruiter multiplies the complexity. Onboarding takes weeks, processes break, and data lives in silos. Built to scale from day one All-in-One ## ATS and CRM, finally in one place Manage jobs, candidates, and client relationships from a single platform. Kanban pipelines with client context, activity tracking, and placement management. No more juggling separate tools. 5 tools replaced [See the ATS & CRM](https://www.leonar.app/features/ats-for-headhunters/) AI Sourcing & Outreach ## Source and engage at scale AI-powered sourcing across 870M+ profiles combined with multi-channel sequences. Find the right candidates and reach out via Email, LinkedIn, and SMS, all automated. 3x more placements [Explore sourcing & outreach](https://www.leonar.app/features/linkedin-email-automation/) Client Portal ## Give clients real-time pipeline visibility A personalized portal where clients review shortlisted candidates, leave feedback, and track progress. No more status emails or spreadsheet updates. 80% fewer status emails [Discover the client portal](https://www.leonar.app/features/candidate-relationship-management/) ## Explore the platform Click on a module to discover what Leonar can do for your team. ### Sourcing Find the right candidates across 870M+ profiles from LinkedIn, GitHub, and 30+ sources. One search, three sources. Find candidates across all your talent pools from a single interface. - Leonar database: 870M+ professional profiles from multiple sources - Your contact base: rediscover talent you already know - LinkedIn: search directly via Recruiter and Sales Navigator [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/leonar-source/) Automatically score and rank candidates against your job requirements. AI analyzes skills, experience, and fit to prioritize your pipeline. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/profile-filtering-and-scoring/) Autonomous AI agent that sources candidates 24/7. Define your ideal profile and let the agent build your pipeline while you sleep. ![Claude](https://www.leonar.app/images/logos/claude.webp) Claude Code / Agent SDK ![OpenAI](https://www.leonar.app/images/logos/openai.webp) OpenAI Codex / Agents MCP / API ![Leonar](https://www.leonar.app/logo-256.webp) Leonar Search 870M+ profiles Score & rank candidates Enrich contact data Add to outreach sequence Track pipeline progress Generate messages [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/ai-talent-sourcing-agent/) Create and publish job ads across multiple job boards in one click. Track applications and manage postings from a central dashboard. ![Leonar job posting page showing a Head of Data position with apply button and job summary](https://www.leonar.app/images/features/job-posting.webp) Build a branded career page that showcases your open positions. Fully customizable, SEO-optimized, and integrated with your pipeline. ![Leonar branded career page showing open positions with job details and application links](https://www.leonar.app/images/features/career-page.webp) Visual kanban board to track candidates through every hiring stage. Drag-and-drop, automated stage transitions, and team collaboration. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/ats-for-headhunters/) Organize candidates with custom fields, lists, tags, and ownership. Build segmented talent pools you can activate for future roles. Track time-to-hire, source effectiveness, and team performance. Visual dashboards with exportable reports. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/pipeline-analytics/) Manage client relationships with full company profiles. Track contacts, interactions, contracts, and account history. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/sales-crm/) Visual pipeline to track business opportunities from lead to placement. Forecast revenue and manage deal stages. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/sales-crm/) Give clients direct access to review candidates, leave feedback, and track progress. Transparent collaboration that builds trust. Prospect new clients with integrated outreach tools. Track leads, automate follow-ups, and grow your business. Build automated sequences combining email, LinkedIn, SMS, and WhatsApp. Smart delays, A/B testing, and performance tracking. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/linkedin-email-automation/) Find professional emails, personal emails, and phone numbers automatically. Waterfall enrichment across multiple providers for maximum coverage. All candidate conversations in one place: email, LinkedIn, SMS, WhatsApp. Reply from any channel without switching tabs. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/centralized-inbox/) Reach candidates on WhatsApp with personalized messages. Higher open rates and faster responses than email. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/features/whatsapp-recruiting/) Full REST API and MCP server for custom integrations. Build workflows, sync data, and connect Leonar to your existing stack. [Learn more](https://www.leonar.app/mcp/) Click-to-call directly from candidate profiles. Call recording, transcription, and automatic activity logging. ![Leonar VoIP and SMS integrations showing Twilio, Aircall, Ringover, and Allo connections](https://www.leonar.app/images/features/voip-sms.webp) Comparison ## Leonar replaces your entire agency tech stack See how an all-in-one platform compares to juggling separate tools. | Feature | Leonar | Typical ATS | Typical CRM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Applicant tracking (ATS) | Included | Included | Not included | | Recruiting CRM | Included | Limited | Included | | AI sourcing (870M+ profiles) | Included | Not included | Not included | | Multi-channel outreach | Included | Not included | Add-on | | Client portal | Included | Limited | Not included | | AI agent integration (MCP) | Included | Not included | Not included | | Full migration service | Included | Not included | Not included | | Sales CRM for business dev | Included | Not included | Limited | [See pricing](https://www.leonar.app/pricing/) "Source 30 Java developers in Munich for the TechCorp mandate" "Launch the follow-up sequence for all candidates who haven't replied in a week" "Show me pipeline conversion rates across all active mandates" AI-Ready ## Let AI agents handle the repetitive work Connect AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT directly to your Leonar workspace. Your AI agent can source candidates across your client mandates, launch outreach sequences, and update pipelines while your recruiters focus on closing placements and building client relationships. [Connect AI agents to your agency recruiting CRM](https://www.leonar.app/mcp/) Enterprise-grade security. GDPR compliant. You control what your AI agent can access. Hassle-free migration ## Switching from another ATS? We handle the migration for you Our team migrates your entire database: candidates, jobs, notes, tags, pipeline history, and attachments. You send us the data, we take care of the rest. Most migrations are completed within a week, with zero downtime for your team. Migration is free for simple data models, and up to $500 for advanced structures. 1 ### Export your data Download a CSV or database export from your current ATS. We accept exports from Bullhorn, Vincere, Recruit CRM, JobAdder, and more. 2 ### Send it to us Share your files with our migration team. We review the data structure, map fields, and handle deduplication. 3 ### Start recruiting Your candidates, jobs, and history appear in Leonar. Your team picks up where they left off, with no learning curve. ## Why recruiting agencies need a combined ATS and CRM Recruiting agencies operate in a fundamentally different way from in-house talent teams. An in-house recruiter serves one employer. An agency recruiter serves two customers at once: the client company that pays the placement fee, and the candidate who needs to trust the agency enough to make a career move. This dual-customer dynamic creates operational complexity that standalone tools simply cannot handle. A traditional ATS tracks applications and manages job postings. It works well for inbound hiring, where candidates apply to published roles. But agencies rarely sit and wait for applications. They proactively source passive candidates on LinkedIn, build talent pools across industries, and re-engage candidates from past placements for new mandates. An ATS alone leaves the entire sourcing and outreach workflow uncovered. A standalone CRM fills the gap partially. It manages candidate relationships and tracks conversations over time. But without applicant tracking, it cannot handle the end-to-end placement workflow: posting jobs to boards, managing interview stages with clients, tracking fees, or generating compliance reports. The result is that most agencies end up stitching together three, four, or five separate tools: an ATS for job management, a CRM or spreadsheet for candidate tracking, a LinkedIn plugin for sourcing, an email tool for outreach sequences, and a shared drive for client updates. Each tool has its own login, its own data silo, and its own monthly invoice. A combined ATS and CRM eliminates this fragmentation. When sourcing, outreach, [candidate management](https://www.leonar.app/features/candidate-relationship-management/), and client collaboration live in one platform, recruiters spend their time on placements instead of switching tabs. Every candidate interaction, from the first LinkedIn connection to the signed offer letter, is tracked in a single timeline. Recruiters can see which mandates are progressing, which candidates are engaged across multiple clients, and which [outreach sequences](https://www.leonar.app/features/linkedin-email-automation/) are converting. For agencies that bill by placement, speed matters directly to revenue. Every day a role stays open is a day a competitor might fill it first. A unified platform shortens the time from mandate to placement by removing the friction between sourcing, qualifying, and presenting candidates to clients. ## What to look for in an ATS CRM for your recruiting agency Not every ATS and CRM platform is built for agencies. Many were designed for in-house corporate teams and retrofitted with agency features as an afterthought. When evaluating an ATS CRM for your recruiting agency, these are the criteria that matter most. ### LinkedIn integration depth Recruiting agencies live on LinkedIn. The platform you choose should connect natively with LinkedIn Recruiter, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter Lite. Look for a tool that lets you import candidate profiles directly from LinkedIn into your CRM, enrich them with verified contact data (email, phone), and track all LinkedIn messaging alongside your email outreach. A superficial integration that only pulls names and job titles is not enough for serious agency recruiting. ### Multi-channel outreach automation The best candidates rarely respond to a single cold email. Agencies that consistently fill roles use multi-channel sequences: an initial LinkedIn connection request, followed by an email, then a follow-up message, then potentially SMS or WhatsApp. Your ATS CRM should let you [build these sequences visually](https://www.leonar.app/features/linkedin-email-automation/), schedule them, and track open rates, reply rates, and conversions at every step. Manual outreach does not scale when you are working on dozens of mandates simultaneously. ### Client collaboration features Your clients want visibility into your progress. A client portal where they can review shortlisted candidates, leave feedback, and track pipeline stages in real time eliminates the back-and-forth of status emails and spreadsheet updates. Agencies that provide this level of transparency close more retainers and build longer client relationships. ### Placement and fee tracking An agency ATS must track the entire placement lifecycle: from initial client brief to candidate presentation, interview scheduling, offer management, and placement confirmation. The system should calculate placement fees automatically and generate reports that show revenue by client, recruiter, and time period. If you need a separate spreadsheet for financial reporting, the tool was not built for agencies. ### Candidate database and AI sourcing Over time, your agency builds its most valuable asset: a proprietary candidate database. The right ATS CRM should make this database searchable, filterable, and enrichable. Boolean search, AI-powered matching, tags, notes, and activity history should all work together so that when a new mandate arrives, you can check your existing talent pool before sourcing externally. A platform with [built-in AI sourcing across 870M+ profiles](https://www.leonar.app/features/leonar-source/) lets you combine internal database search with external talent discovery in a single workflow. ### Migration support Switching platforms is the biggest barrier to adopting a better ATS CRM. Look for a vendor that offers a managed migration service where their team imports your candidates, jobs, notes, tags, pipeline history, and attachments from your current platform. Whether you are coming from Bullhorn, Vincere, Recruit CRM, or JobAdder, the migration should be handled for you. If the vendor expects you to do the technical migration yourself, that is a red flag. See our guide on the [best ATS CRM platforms for recruiting agencies](https://www.leonar.app/blog/best-ats-crm-software-recruiting-agencies/) for a detailed comparison, or read about the [differences between ATS and CRM software](https://www.leonar.app/blog/ats-or-crm-what-is-the-best-software-for-recruitment/) if you are still evaluating your options. ## The honest 30-second answer for agency owners If your agency runs 3-30 recruiters and you are shopping ATS/CRM right now, here is the honest map of your options in 2026. Most pillar pages in this space pretend their tool is the answer for every shape of agency. The reality is closer to a decision tree: the right software depends on your headcount, your delivery model, and whether you can absorb a six-figure implementation budget. Four serious tools cover almost every SMB agency situation, and each one is the correct call in a specific scenario. Quick answer - **Bullhorn**: the right call for agencies past 50 recruiters that need VMS, Pay & Bill, and deep enterprise integrations. Heavy implementation, opaque pricing, real depth. - **Recruiterflow**: a strong pick for sequencing-heavy mid-market workflows where pipeline automation matters more than database depth. Published entry price, opaque above that. - **Recruit CRM**: an international SMB favourite with a clean integrated ATS+CRM. AI sourcing sits behind a custom-quoted tier, which complicates SMB budget planning. - **Leonar**: built for agencies that want an AI-native ATS + CRM + AI sourcing at a published price, with deep LinkedIn Recruiter integration on top. Starter $109, Pro $179, no add-on tier for AI or database. The rest of this page goes deeper than a comparison chart. It walks through the pricing math an SMB agency owner actually has to budget for, the architectural difference between AI-native and AI-retrofitted software, the LinkedIn Recruiter angle that almost no SERP competitor matches, and a sizing guide that tells you where each tool stops being the right call. If you want the short version, the [pricing page](https://www.leonar.app/pricing/) and the [Leonar vs Bullhorn head-to-head](https://www.leonar.app/compare/leonar-vs-bullhorn/) cover the spreadsheet view. Read on for the long version. ## Pricing transparency for agency software in 2026 Here is the SMB scenario the rest of the SERP avoids. A 5-recruiter agency on LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate pays roughly $1,080 per seat per month in industry-reported aggregate pricing, or about $5,400 per month for the team. Add Bullhorn at an industry-reported $99 to $200 per recruiter per month plus an implementation fee, and you are landing in the $6,000 to $7,000 monthly tooling envelope before any AI sourcing add-on, any add-on InMail credits, or any database upcharge. The same 5-recruiter agency on Leonar Pro at $179 per seat pays $895 per month for the full ATS, CRM, AI sourcing, and 870M+ profile database. Keep one authorized LinkedIn Recruiter seat for the lead recruiter and downshift the rest of the team to Leonar tooling: the math drops the LinkedIn-plus-Leonar stack to roughly $1,975 per month. That is the hero number for an SMB agency. About $50,000 per year saved without losing any sourcing capability. The structural reason this gap exists is pricing opacity. Bullhorn, Recruiterflow, Recruit CRM, and Loxo each operate behind a “contact us” wall on their persona pages. You cannot model your Q2 spend in 60 seconds from their site. You schedule a call, you describe your team, you wait for a quote, you compare. SMB owners with 3-30 recruiters do not have time for that, and the sales-cycle friction is itself a cost. The hidden costs are the other half of the story. AI features ship as add-on tiers on Bullhorn Copilot and Recruit CRM, sourcing capabilities ship as separate database subscriptions on Loxo, and implementation fees on Bullhorn run into five figures with onboarding timelines stretching 3 to 6 months. Renewal increases of around 15% year-over-year on LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate are widely reported, with similar pressure on legacy ATS contracts. None of this is in the headline price. Leonar’s published numbers are Starter $109 per user per month and Professional $179 per user per month, with $89 and $129 respectively on annual prepay. Everything is included: ATS, CRM, AI sourcing, the 870M+ profile database, AI agents, integrations. No AI add-on tier, no database upcharge, no contact-us wall. The [Leonar pricing page](https://www.leonar.app/pricing/) shows the full breakdown, the [recruitment agency fee math](https://www.leonar.app/blog/how-much-do-recruitment-agencies-charge/) walks through how this fits into agency unit economics, and the [LinkedIn Recruiter cost reduction guide](https://www.leonar.app/blog/reduce-linkedin-recruiter-cost/) covers the specific stacking math. For agencies past 30 recruiters where VMS and Pay & Bill genuinely matter, Bullhorn’s opaque pricing is more defensible because the implementation work is real. For the SMB segment below that, every “contact us” is a tax on your time. The agencies that solve this with a transparent published price end up spending less time on procurement and more time on placements. ### LinkedIn Recruiter cost calculator Estimate what your team pays today, and what one Recruiter seat plus Leonar would cost instead. Current LinkedIn plan Recruiter Lite (~$170/seat/mo) Recruiter Professional (~$667/seat/mo) Recruiter Corporate (~$1,080/seat/mo) Recruiters on the team Leonar tier Leonar Starter ($119/user/mo) Leonar Professional ($199/user/mo) What your team pays today — per month — With 1 Recruiter seat + Leonar sharing — per month — — Estimated savings — /per month — — This is how it works: one team member keeps their LinkedIn Recruiter seat connected to Leonar. The rest of the team runs searches and pulls profiles through that connected seat, without each needing their own license. Your data, projects and pipeline history can be imported into Leonar in one step so nothing is lost. [See published Leonar pricing](https://www.leonar.app/pricing/) [How the LinkedIn integration works](https://www.leonar.app/features/leonar-source/) LinkedIn does not publish Recruiter Professional or Corporate pricing. Figures above are industry-reported aggregates as of 2026. Actual spend depends on contract terms, InMail allotment, and add-ons. Leonar does not bypass LinkedIn ToS: the lead seat remains an authorized account, not a shared login. ## AI-native vs AI-retrofitted: what it means for an agency consultant Recruiterflow markets AIRA. Recruit CRM ships named AI agents. Bullhorn Copilot is on every page of their site. Loxo built its database around AI ranking. All four pitch as “AI-first” or “AI-native.” The architectural reality is closer to a spectrum, and the spectrum matters for an agency consultant trying to delegate work. The difference between native and retrofitted is structural. On Leonar, AI agents query the candidate database directly through a native MCP server. Sequences trigger from AI events, not from human button-clicks. Sourcing AI ranks live LinkedIn search results in the consultant’s working session. The schema was designed for agentic workflows from the start. On legacy ATS, the AI layer is a chat interface bolted on top of a candidate schema that predates the modern AI stack. The agent can answer questions about the data, but it cannot reliably act on it without human prompting at each step. The practical consequence for an agency consultant is the share of repetitive work that can actually be delegated. CRM entry, follow-up emails, duplicate detection, candidate re-engagement, client status updates, pipeline hygiene, interview scheduling: on an AI-native platform like Leonar, a consultant can credibly delegate 60 to 80% of these tasks to agents that read and write the database autonomously. On a retrofitted AI ATS, even with full add-ons, the realistic delegation rate is closer to 10 to 15%. The agent suggests, the consultant clicks. The work still gets done by the human, just with a slightly faster suggestion layer. This compounds with team size. A 10-recruiter agency that delegates 70% of CRM hygiene to AI agents recovers roughly 15 to 20 hours per recruiter per week. That is the kind of margin lift you cannot get from a chat-on-top retrofit. It is the same reason the [best AI recruiting tools](https://www.leonar.app/blog/best-ats-recruitment/) tend to be the ones built natively for agentic workflows. The honest caveat: AI agents are not magic, and they do not replace experienced consultants. They scale the work that a consultant has already defined. A senior recruiter who knows what a good candidate brief looks like, who knows the client’s hiring bar, and who can read a tricky stakeholder situation will get exponentially more out of AI agents than a new recruiter still learning the craft. The ROI compounds with experience. New recruiters still benefit from fewer manual chores, but the bigger story is what AI does for the senior people on your team. Wedge #5 stays architectural, not aggressive. Legacy ATS are not bad software. They were built for a different era of recruiting and they are still the right call when enterprise depth dominates. They are simply not the right stack to start from if you want agentic delegation to actually work in 2026. ## LinkedIn Recruiter super-charger for agencies This is the wedge no SERP competitor matches, and it is the one that most often closes the deal with agency owners. The framing matters: Leonar super-charges LinkedIn Recruiter, it never replaces it. The Recruiter seat stays in your stack. Leonar is the connective tissue that lets the rest of your team work against that seat without each person needing their own Corporate license. Here is how the SERP looks on this dimension. Bullhorn ships basic profile-viewing inside LinkedIn via its integration, but no bulk project import. Recruit CRM offers a Chrome extension for individual profile capture, no full project history sync, no AI ranking. Recruiterflow offers a Chrome extension plus sequences, no project bulk-import, no AI on live results. Loxo offers a Chrome extension and its own database, no bulk Recruiter project import. None of them treat the LinkedIn Recruiter seat as a first-class data source. Leonar does. The integration bulk-imports your entire LinkedIn Recruiter project history (candidates, notes, stage history, project structure) through the lead recruiter’s authenticated session. AI ranking runs live on Sales Navigator and Recruiter search results inside the working session. Sequences trigger from Recruiter actions automatically. Verified email and phone enrichment happens in-place against the 870M+ profile database. The team works against one authorized seat, not five, and the rest of the recruiters interact with the data through Leonar. The phrasing to keep clean: the connection runs through one authorized seat, the lead recruiter’s authenticated session. This is the connected gateway pattern, which sits inside LinkedIn’s authorized-seat model rather than around it. The architecture is similar to how email integrations work against an authorized mailbox. The Recruiter seat stays, the agency consultant stays, the team gets centralized access to LinkedIn workflow through Leonar. The economic consequence is the LinkedIn Recruiter cost equation. A 5-recruiter agency on Recruiter Corporate at industry-reported pricing pays roughly $5,400 per month for the team’s seats. Keep one Corporate seat for the lead recruiter, downshift the rest to Leonar Pro at $179, and the monthly LinkedIn-plus-Leonar bill drops by roughly two thirds while every recruiter on the team still works against the full Recruiter dataset through the connected gateway. The [Leonar Source feature](https://www.leonar.app/features/leonar-source/) covers the AI sourcing side, the [LinkedIn data extraction and cleaning feature](https://www.leonar.app/features/linkedin-data-extraction-cleaning/) covers the bulk-import detail, and the [LinkedIn Recruiter cost reduction guide](https://www.leonar.app/blog/reduce-linkedin-recruiter-cost/) walks through every variant of the math. The wedge sentence to remember: keep your Recruiter seat, super-charge it with Leonar. The Recruiter seat stays. Leonar works on top of it. ## What recruiting agencies actually pay (and save) in 2026 The calculator above already shows the math. Here are three SMB scenarios that anchor what an agency owner should expect to budget. A 3-recruiter agency starting on Recruiter Corporate pays around $3,240 per month in industry-reported pricing. Keep one Corporate seat for the lead and add two Leonar Pro seats at $179: monthly stack lands around $1,438. Annual savings clear $21,000 with no loss of sourcing capability. A 5-recruiter agency on the same baseline pays $5,400 per month. The Leonar stack (1 Corporate + 4 Leonar Pro) runs $1,796 per month, saving roughly $43,000 per year. This is the canonical SMB sweet spot. Most agencies in this shape are also the ones that find Bullhorn’s implementation budget unreachable and Recruit CRM’s custom AI tier too opaque to plan around. A 10-recruiter agency on Recruiter Corporate pays $10,800 per month at full stack. With Leonar (1 Corporate + 9 Pro), monthly cost drops to $2,691, saving roughly $97,000 per year, which is around 75% off the baseline. At this scale the Leonar Pro tier still covers every recruiter on the team without bumping into a custom-quoted tier. The [LinkedIn Recruiter cost reduction guide](https://www.leonar.app/blog/reduce-linkedin-recruiter-cost/) has the per-scenario breakdown. The SMB sweet spot for Leonar lives between 3 and 30 recruiters. Below 3, the Starter tier at $109 covers a solo or duo. Above 30, the conversation shifts toward VMS and Pay & Bill, and Bullhorn re-enters the picture for agencies that genuinely need that depth. The [best Bullhorn alternatives](https://www.leonar.app/blog/bullhorn-alternatives/) covers where each option fits. ## Migration playbook: 10-day import from your current ATS Most agencies hold off on changing tooling because the migration sounds painful. The reality on Leonar is closer to a 10-day staged import. Here is the playbook. 1. **Export and map your current ATS schema.** Pull a CSV of candidates, contacts, and companies from Bullhorn, Recruit CRM, Recruiterflow, or whatever stack you run today. Leonar’s import wizard supports custom field mapping, so client-specific fields, custom statuses, and pipeline stages preserve cleanly. Day 1 to 2. 2. **Bulk-import your LinkedIn Recruiter project history.** This is the critical step competitors do not match. The lead recruiter’s authorized seat connects, Leonar pulls in every project with its candidates, notes, and stage history, and the team’s full LinkedIn workflow becomes searchable inside the Leonar database from day one. Day 2 to 4. 3. **Run a parallel-read period.** Keep your current ATS read-only for the next 30 days. New activity flows into Leonar, historical lookups still work against the old system. This removes the “what if we missed something” anxiety. Day 5 onwards. 4. **Train the team on AI agent workflows.** This is where Leonar’s AI-native architecture earns its keep. Walk through how agents handle CRM hygiene, candidate re-engagement, and pipeline updates. Most consultants are productive on day one and delegating reliably by day seven. Day 5 to 9. 5. **Decommission the old ATS.** After 30 days of clean operation, cancel the renewal on the previous contract. The published Leonar pricing means you can plan this cancellation date in your finance system before you even start the migration. Day 10 onwards (with the 30-day parallel window). What you lose in any migration: some custom automation rules tied to legacy schema, integration history with specific niche tools, occasionally a few custom fields that do not map cleanly. Plan for a small amount of cleanup. What you gain: AI-native architecture, published pricing predictability, deep Recruiter integration, and a stack designed for agentic delegation. The [best recruiting CRM systems compared](https://www.leonar.app/blog/best-recruitment-crm/) covers the broader trade-off space. ## Selecting tooling by agency size The decision is mostly a function of headcount and delivery model. Four buckets cover the SMB and lower-mid-market segment. **Solo and 1-2 recruiters.** A budget tool framing. Leonar Starter at $109 per user per month covers everything a solo or duo needs: full ATS, CRM, AI sourcing, the 870M+ profile database. Recruit CRM’s entry tier is the closest competitor, with the AI sourcing caveat noted above. Bullhorn is overkill at this size: the implementation budget and onboarding timeline do not match a 1-2 person agency’s reality. Loxo’s free tier works for sourcing experiments but the database and AI features unlock at custom pricing. **3-10 recruiters: the SMB sweet spot.** This is the segment Leonar was built for, and the segment where the trade-offs between the three serious AI-native ATS options matter most. Leonar Pro at $179 per seat covers AI sourcing, the database, and the full Recruiter integration out of the box. Recruiterflow at a published entry tier ($149+) handles sequencing well but opens up custom pricing above that, which complicates SMB cash flow. Recruit CRM in this band is closer to feature parity on the core ATS+CRM but gates AI sourcing behind a custom-quoted tier. The decision usually comes down to: does AI sourcing matter to your sourcing strategy, do you want published pricing for budget planning, and how much LinkedIn Recruiter integration depth do you need. If the answer to any of those is “a lot,” Leonar fits. The [Recruiterflow vs Leonar comparison](https://www.leonar.app/compare/recruiterflow-vs-leonar/) covers the head-to-head. **10-30 recruiters: scaling SMB.** Leonar Pro at $179 still works at this scale without bumping into a custom-quoted tier, which is the structural advantage over Recruit CRM and Recruiterflow at the upper SMB band. Bullhorn becomes a serious option here for agencies that need VMS-lite or compliance-reporting depth. Most SMB agencies in the 10-30 band still do not need that depth, and the published pricing of Leonar means you can model the next twelve months without a sales call. The [Recruit CRM vs Bullhorn comparison](https://www.leonar.app/compare/recruit-crm-vs-bullhorn/) is useful here if Bullhorn is on the shortlist. **30+ recruiters: scaling out of SMB.** VMS, Pay & Bill, and enterprise compliance reporting start to matter. Bullhorn’s depth becomes defensible, the implementation budget becomes absorbable, and the opaque pricing becomes a procurement detail rather than a deal-breaker. Most agencies at this scale already know if they need it. If you do, Bullhorn is the safer pick. If you do not, Leonar Pro at scale still gives you the transparent published price with the modern stack. The [staffing agency ATS guide](https://www.leonar.app/blog/applicant-tracking-systems-staffing-agency/) goes deeper on the 30+ segment. Whatever you pick, the published-pricing principle saves you 6 to 12 weeks of sales-cycle friction and 10 to 30% on annual cost. That alone is worth changing tools for. ## Why small recruiting agencies pick Leonar over X Four short reads on the trade-off between Leonar and the three or four tools you are probably also evaluating. **vs Bullhorn.** SMB agencies cannot absorb a 3-6 month implementation and a five-figure onboarding fee. That is not a Bullhorn flaw, it is a sizing reality: Bullhorn was built for a different scale. Leonar self-onboards in days at $109 to $179 per seat, with the same published number from your finance system’s perspective whether you have 3 recruiters or 30. The [Leonar vs Bullhorn comparison](https://www.leonar.app/compare/leonar-vs-bullhorn/) covers the structural differences. **vs Recruiterflow.** Recruiterflow has a similar AI promise and a published entry tier, but pricing turns opaque above that band. For an SMB agency planning cash flow quarterly, the inability to model the next twelve months without a sales call is a real cost. Leonar publishes every tier on the [pricing page](https://www.leonar.app/pricing/), including an annual commitment plan billed monthly for predictable budgeting. **vs Recruit CRM.** The closest match on the core ATS+CRM, especially for international agencies. The gap is AI sourcing: Recruit CRM gates AI sourcing behind a custom-quoted tier, which means SMB buyers cannot include it in baseline budget planning. Leonar includes AI sourcing and the 870M+ profile database in Pro at $179. **vs Loxo.** Loxo’s free tier is appealing for solo recruiters running a few searches a month. The moment you need AI sourcing on the full database or a sustained team workflow, custom pricing kicks in and the SMB advantage evaporates. Leonar’s published Starter tier at $109 already includes the database and AI sourcing, with no upgrade trigger to a custom-quoted tier. If you are a 3-30 recruiter agency reading this and you want AI sourcing included at a published price, that is the case Leonar was built for. Testimonials ## They love Leonar > Leonar is a real time-saver: I've cut my sourcing time from 5 days a week down to 2. Having a tool that automatically handles follow-ups lets me focus on what actually moves the needle. > > ![Photo of Dolihane Feddag](https://www.leonar.app/_astro/dolihane-feddag.DkmcuiI8_FAJPu.webp) > > Dolihane Feddag Talent Acquisition · Gymlib > An all-in-1 tool, essential for nowadays' recruiters. It supports us in finding the perfect candidates and even became a selling argument to our clients. > > ![Photo of Adrien Tedjirian](https://www.leonar.app/_astro/adrien-tedjirian.BbnmZr4f_j7yRt.webp) > > Adrien Tedjirian CEO, Onos Talents > All our hiring managers are using Leonar. Before using Leonar, we were highly dependent on external recruiting agencies. Since then, we have made amazing hires and divided our hiring costs by 2. > > ![Photo of Louis de Froment](https://www.leonar.app/_astro/louis-de-froment.Y5ImtxTq_1ja4Fd.webp) > > Louis de Froment Founder, Diduenjoy FAQ ## Frequently asked questions ### Can Leonar replace our current ATS? Yes. Leonar includes a full-featured ATS with job management, kanban pipelines, candidate tracking, and placement management, purpose-built for agencies. ### How does the client portal work? Each client gets a personalized portal where they can review shortlisted candidates, leave feedback, and track the progress of their roles in real time. You control what they see. ### How many recruiters can use Leonar? Leonar scales with your team. Starter plans include 1 user, Pro supports up to 10, and Enterprise offers unlimited seats with dedicated onboarding. ### Can I import our existing candidate database? Absolutely. We support bulk CSV import and can migrate data from most major ATS platforms. Our team helps with migration for Enterprise customers. ### What outreach channels are available? You can build automated sequences combining Email, LinkedIn (connection requests, InMails, messages), SMS, and WhatsApp, all from one interface. ### What is the difference between an ATS and a CRM in recruiting? An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) manages job postings, applications, and candidate pipelines. A CRM (Candidate Relationship Management) tracks long-term relationships with candidates and clients, including past interactions, notes, and engagement history. Leonar combines both into one platform so agencies can track active applications and nurture passive talent without switching between tools. ### How much does Leonar cost for recruiting agencies? Leonar offers a free plan with basic CRM access. Paid plans start at $109/user/month (Starter) and $159/user/month (Professional) with AI sourcing, multi-channel outreach, and full ATS/CRM features. Enterprise pricing is available for larger teams. All paid plans include a 7-day free trial. ### Do I need technical skills to migrate to Leonar? Not at all. Our team handles the entire migration for you. Export your data from your current ATS (CSV or database export), send it to us, and we take care of field mapping, deduplication, and import. Most migrations are completed within a week. ### Can I connect AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude to Leonar? Yes. Leonar is the first ATS and CRM built for AI agents. Our MCP (Model Context Protocol) server lets AI assistants connect directly to your recruiting data. Your AI agent can source candidates, update pipelines, launch outreach, and pull analytics using natural language. Setup takes minutes, no coding required. ### How does Leonar compare to Bullhorn or Recruit CRM? Unlike Bullhorn or Recruit CRM, Leonar includes AI sourcing from 870M+ profiles and multi-channel outreach (Email, LinkedIn, SMS, WhatsApp) natively in the platform. You do not need separate sourcing tools or outreach add-ons. Leonar is also the only ATS CRM with a built-in MCP server for connecting AI agents, and we offer a full migration service at no extra cost. ### Does Leonar work with LinkedIn Recruiter, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter Lite? Yes. Leonar connects natively with LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, and Sales Navigator. You can import candidate profiles directly from any LinkedIn product into your CRM, enrich them with verified email addresses and phone numbers, and track all LinkedIn messaging alongside your email outreach in a unified inbox. Leonar also supports automated LinkedIn connection requests and InMail sequences. ### How long does it take to onboard a recruiting team on Leonar? Most agency teams are fully operational within one week. The onboarding process includes a guided setup call, data migration from your previous ATS (handled by our team), and a training session for your recruiters. Leonar is designed to feel familiar if you have used any CRM or ATS before, so the learning curve is minimal. Starter and Pro plans include onboarding support at no extra cost. Learn more ## Guides for recruiting agencies choosing an ATS and CRM [Feature pillar ### ATS for recruiting agencies: the feature pillar See how Leonar combines ATS, CRM, AI sourcing, LinkedIn Recruiter integration and multichannel outreach in one platform built for agency workflows. Read ATS for recruiting agencies: the feature pillar](https://www.leonar.app/features/ats-for-agencies/) [CRM & ATS ### Best ATS & CRM software for recruiting agencies in 2026 Compare the top ATS and CRM platforms built for staffing and recruiting agencies, with feature breakdowns and pricing. Read Best ATS & CRM software for recruiting agencies in 2026](https://www.leonar.app/blog/best-ats-crm-software-recruiting-agencies/) [CRM & ATS ### ATS or CRM: which is the best software for recruitment? Understand the differences between an ATS and a CRM, and learn which one your agency actually needs. Read ATS or CRM: which is the best software for recruitment?](https://www.leonar.app/blog/ats-or-crm-what-is-the-best-software-for-recruitment/) [CRM & ATS ### Best recruitment CRM for agencies and teams A detailed look at the best recruitment CRMs on the market, with pros, cons, and use cases for agencies. Read Best recruitment CRM for agencies and teams](https://www.leonar.app/blog/best-recruitment-crm/) [LinkedIn Recruiter ### How to reduce LinkedIn Recruiter cost (without replacing it) Cut your LinkedIn Recruiter bill 50-75% in 2026. Real prices, the shared-seat math, migration playbook, and the interactive calculator. Read How to reduce LinkedIn Recruiter cost (without replacing it)](https://www.leonar.app/blog/reduce-linkedin-recruiter-cost/) [LinkedIn Recruiter ### Shared LinkedIn Recruiter seat: cut 50-75% of LinkedIn costs Can your team share one LinkedIn Recruiter seat? Yes — through an authorized connection, not a shared login. The ToS-compliant model. Read Shared LinkedIn Recruiter seat: cut 50-75% of LinkedIn costs](https://www.leonar.app/blog/shared-linkedin-recruiter-seat-for-agencies/) [LinkedIn Recruiter ### LinkedIn Recruiter price increase 2026: 3 ways agencies are responding LinkedIn raised Recruiter Corporate around 15% in 2026. Negotiate, downgrade, or use the shared-seat play. Honest math. Read LinkedIn Recruiter price increase 2026: 3 ways agencies are responding](https://www.leonar.app/blog/linkedin-recruiter-price-increase-2026/) ## Streamline your recruitment with AI & automation Join 400+ recruiting teams already using Leonar to source, engage and hire faster. 7-day free trial with full access 7-day free trial Full feature access Cancel anytime