11 Best ATS & CRM for Recruiting and Staffing Agencies (2026)

The best ATS for recruitment agencies runs both sides of the desk. Candidates sit on one side. Client companies, job orders and new-business deals sit on the other. If the two live in separate tools, your consultants retype records and lose track of who said what. A good staffing CRM keeps both in one record.

We compared 11 ATS and CRM platforms built for recruiting and staffing agencies, using their public pages on 30 October 2026. Leonar is our product. It leads this list because it is recruitment agency software built as one recruiting CRM and ATS, with your own AI working in it. Looking for a UK shortlist? Read our guide to the best recruitment CRM for UK agencies.

Quick comparison: 11 best ATS and CRM tools for recruiting agencies

Prices are per user per month in US dollars unless stated, before tax, as shown on each vendor’s page on 30 October 2026. Billing terms differ, so compare like with like.

Tool	Best for	Entry price and trial
Leonar	One ATS-CRM with your own AI in it	$199 monthly, $149 prepaid annually (Professional); 14-day trial, no card
Bullhorn	Large staffing firms	$99 (Starter), CRM on quote-based Pro; no free trial
Recruit CRM	Small and mid-sized agencies	$95 (Pro) billed annually, $109 monthly; 30-day trial
Recruiterflow	Search and boutique agencies	$119 (Platform) billed annually, $149 monthly
Loxo	All-in-one sourcing and CRM	$149 billed annually (Core); 7-day Professional trial
Vincere	Perm, temp and contract	A$195 (Core, 2 to 7 users, Australian page)
Tracker	Staffing compliance and back office	$79 billed monthly (Launch)
JobAdder	UK, Australian and NZ agencies	On request
Crelate	Executive search firms	$85 billed annually, up to 2 users; free trial
Manatal	Budget ATS and CRM	$15 billed annually, $19 monthly; 14-day trial
Zoho Recruit	Free entry plan	Free for 1 active job; 15-day trial

What an ATS CRM does for a recruiting or staffing agency

An ATS CRM is one system that handles both halves of agency work. The applicant tracking side manages job orders, applications, shortlists and interview stages. The CRM side manages relationships: passive candidates, client contacts, companies and the deals that bring in new business.

ATS vs CRM: inbound and outbound in one record

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is built for people who come to you. It collects applications, parses resumes and moves each applicant through your hiring stages. A CRM is built for going to people. You use it to find passive candidates, follow up over weeks or months, and keep in touch with hiring managers between roles.

For an agency, the split matters less than the link between the two. A consultant should see a candidate’s last reply, the client brief and the open deal on one screen. Our guide on ATS or CRM for recruitment covers the trade-offs in more depth.

Why a staffing CRM differs from in-house recruiting software

An in-house team fills its own roles. An agency sells a service, so its software has to do three more jobs. That is what to look for in a CRM for staffing companies, and what separates the best staffing CRM from a generic tool.

First, it needs a business-development pipeline. Prospects, deals and forecasts for new client wins should sit next to the candidate database. Without one, you are back in a spreadsheet the moment you chase new business. Our guide to candidate CRM vs client CRM explains why the two record types matter.

Second, it serves many clients at once. Each client wants its own shortlist, feedback loop and progress view. A client portal turns that into a link instead of a daily email thread. Per-client reporting on time to fill and submissions shows each client what you delivered.

Third, it keeps the candidate for years. An agency may place the same contractor at five clients over a decade. So every record needs full contact history, past placements and availability, not just the current application. For the in-house view of the market, see our roundup of the best recruitment CRM software.

How we compared these 11 agency ATS and CRM platforms

We read each vendor’s public pricing and product pages on 30 October 2026. Figures such as profile counts and customer numbers are the vendors’ own. The “best for” labels are our judgment.

We looked at six things that decide whether an agency keeps a tool past its first year:

• ATS and CRM depth: job orders and applications, plus client companies, contacts and deals.
• Outreach and sourcing: which channels the sequences cover, and whether the tool brings its own profile database.
• Agency desk features: client portals, placement history, and temp and contract support.
• AI: whether the AI works on your own records, and on which plan.
• Price clarity: what is published, what needs a quote, and what sits in add-ons or credits.
• Daily use: whether the interface is simple enough that consultants open it every day.

The 11 best ATS and CRM tools for recruiting and staffing agencies

1. Leonar: best for agencies that want one ATS-CRM with their own AI

Leonar is an ATS-CRM for recruitment agencies. Leonar has an MCP server: your AI assistant works directly in your Leonar data, with more than 100 tools. Data migration is included with an annual subscription; otherwise, we provide a quote. Sequences run across email, SMS, WhatsApp, calls and tasks. Professional costs $199 per user per month, excluding tax, $169 on a 12-month commitment billed monthly, or $149 with annual prepayment.

In practice, you connect Claude or ChatGPT to your Leonar workspace once. It finds your candidates, updates your pipeline and prepares your sequences. Inside the app, Leo, the built-in AI assistant, searches your talent pool and sources new profiles from Leonar Source, a database of 870M+ profiles.

• Best for: agencies that want candidates, client companies and deals in one recruiting CRM, with their own AI working on that data.
• Why agencies switch: one tool instead of an ATS, a CRM and a sourcing add-on, and a team that moves your data for you.
• On the agency desk: clients follow each shortlist in a client portal and leave feedback there. The ATS module adds a career page and an applications inbox.
• Good to know: Leo is on for every account. AI sourcing is activated at setup. Job multiposting, a sourcing agent and call transcription are options.

See current Leonar pricing for the plan details and the 14-day free trial, with no credit card.

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2. Bullhorn: best for large staffing firms

Bullhorn is an AI recruitment platform for staffing and recruitment firms of every size. It reports 10,000+ customers and 300+ ecosystem partners, and says 80% of the world’s largest staffing agencies run on it. Amplify, its AI layer, covers search and match, a staffing chat assistant and digital workers for screening and outreach.

• Best for: large staffing firms with established processes and a need for a wide partner network.
• Price: Starter is $99 and Core is $165 per user per month, before tax. Pro, Max and the larger-agency plans are quote-based. The page does not state billing or contract terms.
• Check before you buy: the small agency plan page places the recruitment CRM and Amplify features on Pro, so ask for that quote. There is no free trial.

Our Bullhorn pricing worksheet helps you build that quote, our Bullhorn reviews gather what staffing teams report, and our Bullhorn alternatives guide and Leonar vs Bullhorn comparison cover lighter options.

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3. Recruit CRM: best for small and mid-sized agencies

Recruit CRM calls itself an AI-first ATS and CRM for recruitment agencies, used by agency recruiters across 100+ countries. It combines a resume parser, AI candidate matching and job multiposting to 5,000+ job boards. Its Pro plan also lists an MCP connection for Claude and other AI assistants.

• Best for: small and mid-sized agencies that want an ATS and CRM at a published seat price.
• Price: the Recruit CRM pricing page showed Pro at $95, Business at $135 and Enterprise at $215 per user per month billed annually ($109, $159 and $259 billed monthly, checked 9 November 2026), with a 30-day free trial and annual billing that saves up to 17%.
• Check before you buy: Pro allows one hiring pipeline and one outreach sequence, while Business allows 100 pipelines. Executive search reports start on Business. Many features draw on a shared pool of credits.

Weighing a switch? Read our Recruit CRM alternatives guide or Recruit CRM vs Leonar.

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4. Recruiterflow: best for search and boutique agencies

Recruiterflow serves executive search, recruiting and staffing agencies, and says 2,100+ search firms use it. The Platform plan covers the ATS and CRM, multichannel sequences, recruitment and sales automation, reports and API access. The AIRA plan adds AI agents such as a notetaker, a matchmaker and job change alerts.

• Best for: independent and boutique firms that want a focused agency platform.
• Price: Platform is $119 per user per month billed annually, or $149 billed monthly (checked 9 November 2026). AIRA is custom. The page states no seat minimum or trial.
• Check before you buy: the phone and email finder sits on AIRA, not Platform. Self-serve CSV import is free, while white-glove migration is paid and typically takes 6 to 8 weeks.

For the trade-offs, see our Recruiterflow alternatives review or Recruiterflow vs Leonar.

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5. Loxo: best all-in-one sourcing and CRM

Loxo describes itself as a talent intelligence platform that unifies sourcing, CRM, ATS, outreach and AI agents. It cites an 850-million-person talent graph, and lists direct hire, executive search and staffing firms among its users.

• Best for: growing firms that want sourcing, CRM and outreach in one system instead of separate tools.
• Price: Core starts at $149 per user per month, billed annually and paid up front. Professional is priced after a demo, and Enterprise is custom. The 7-day trial covers Professional.
• Check before you buy: the 850M+ graph and the 2,500 monthly credits per seat are listed under Professional, so get that quote before you compare totals.

Our Loxo pricing breakdown, Loxo reviews, Loxo alternatives and Loxo vs Leonar comparison go further.

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6. Vincere: best for perm, temp and contract on one platform

Access Vincere, owned by The Access Group, combines CRM and ATS for perm, contract and temp desks. It adds AI candidate scoring, a meeting assistant and a copilot that answers questions about your data.

• Best for: agencies that run several desk types and want timesheets close to the CRM.
• Price: the Australian price page lists Core at A$195 per user per month for 2 to 7 users, and Pro at A$175 for 7+ users. Other regions may differ, so ask for a local quote.
• Check before you buy: Core includes temp and contract scheduling and timesheets, while built-in Pay and Bill and the client portal are listed on Pro.

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7. Tracker: best for staffing compliance and back office

Tracker, also known as Tracker RMS, is an ATS and CRM for staffing and recruiting agencies. It holds right-to-work, IR35 status and credentials on the placement record, and adds timesheets and payroll links on higher plans.

• Best for: staffing firms in regulated sectors, where credentials must be checked before a placement.
• Price: Launch is $79 and Core is $99 per user per month, billed monthly. Professional and Enterprise are custom.
• Check before you buy: there is a 6-month minimum term and a one-time setup fee. Timesheets start on Professional. Compliance automation and full back office are Enterprise features.

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8. JobAdder: best for UK, Australian and New Zealand agencies

JobAdder is an AI-powered recruitment platform used by 4,000+ agencies and 27,000+ recruiters, by its own count. Its customer stories centre on Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. It lists 130+ job boards and 180+ integration partners.

• Best for: agencies in those regions that want a broad job board and partner network.
• Price: plans are priced on request. The tiers are Recruiter Lite, Essential, Pro and Business, and add-ons are priced separately.
• Check before you buy: annual contracts are standard, with monthly or yearly payment. Recruiter Lite covers perm only, while Essential and Pro add temp.

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9. Crelate: best for executive search firms

Crelate combines sourcing, recruiting CRM and applicant tracking, and says 1,500+ recruiting teams use it. For retained and confidential search, it offers a branded client portal, off-limits flags and branded submittals that merge a resume, cover letter and notes into one PDF.

• Best for: executive search and boutique firms where each placement carries a long client relationship.
• Price: Essentials is $85 per user per month paid annually, for up to 2 users and 20,000 contacts. Business is $119. Business Plus and Platform are custom.
• Check before you buy: client portals start on Business, while automation and sequences are listed on Business Plus. Its MCP server needs Business Plus or above.

For the wider search market, read our guide to executive search software.

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10. Manatal: best budget ATS and CRM

Manatal is AI recruitment software for HR teams, agencies and headhunters. It offers AI candidate recommendations, a recruitment CRM for leads, clients, placements and revenue, and job posting to 2,500+ channels.

• Best for: small agencies, solo recruiters and teams watching their budget.
• Price: Professional is $15 per user per month billed annually ($19 monthly). Enterprise is $35 ($39 monthly) and Enterprise Plus is $55 ($59 monthly). There is a 14-day trial with some features limited.
• Check before you buy: Professional stops at 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates, and workflow automation starts on Enterprise. The AI Interviewer is an add-on.

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11. Zoho Recruit: best free entry plan

Zoho Recruit offers an ATS and CRM with separate editions for staffing agencies and corporate HR. It posts to 75+ job boards in one click and lists 50+ integrations, including Zoho CRM, Zoho Sign and Zoho Analytics.

• Best for: agencies already on Zoho, and small teams that want to start for free.
• Price: the free plan covers one active job. Standard, Professional and Enterprise are priced per user on the live page, where you pick your currency. Annual billing saves two months, and there is a 15-day trial.
• Check before you buy: the plan comparison caps active jobs at 100, 250 and 750, and the free plan at 5,000 records.

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Temp and contract desk criteria most agency CRMs miss

Perm desks and temp desks look alike in a demo. They are not. If your agency runs contract or temporary placements, the best CRM for staffing agencies has to answer four questions that a perm-only tool skips.

Who is free, and from when? A temp desk needs availability and assignment end dates on every candidate. Then you can line up the next role before the current one ends. That redeployment loop is where contract desks earn repeat margin, and our staffing redeployment workflow shows how to run it week by week.

Is the assignment its own record? Contract work means start and end dates, extensions, rates and margin. The CRM should track the assignment linked to both the candidate and the client, not buried in a note.

Where do timesheets, pay and bill live? Some platforms build them in. On the vendors’ own pages, Vincere includes timesheets on Core and Pay and Bill on Pro, and Tracker adds timesheets from Professional. Other agencies keep a separate payroll tool next to their ATS CRM. Both work, but decide before you buy, because adding billing later is painful.

Are compliance checks tracked? Contract placements carry heavier checks: right-to-work, certifications and, in the UK, IR35 status. A good staffing CRM stores documents and expiry dates, then warns you before a certification lapses. Tracker holds these on the placement record.

If timesheets and payroll must sit in the same staffing agency software, shortlist Vincere and Tracker first. If your desk is mostly perm and contract roles with payroll handled elsewhere, the shortlist opens up to every tool in this list.

What recruitment software for agencies costs in 2026

Software for recruitment agencies is priced per seat, and that adds up fast. A tool at a modest price per user still multiplies across a ten-person desk. So the real question is what each seat includes.

Watch for three cost traps. The first is a public entry price that turns into a quote at the useful tier. Bullhorn publishes Starter and Core, but its small agency page places the recruitment CRM on the quote-based Pro plan. Loxo publishes Core, but its talent graph sits on Professional, priced after a demo. The second is add-on creep, where sourcing, AI or a client portal each sit on a higher plan or carry a separate fee. The third is credits, where enrichment and contact lookups are metered, so your bill moves with your activity.

To compare fairly, price the full stack per seat per year: software, sourcing, enrichment credits, setup fees and migration. Our recruiting software pricing comparison lines up Loxo, Recruiterflow and Recruit CRM tier by tier.

Leonar Professional costs $199 per user per month, $169 on a 12-month commitment billed monthly, or $149 with annual prepayment. Tailored AI implementation and support are quoted separately, from five users. See current Leonar pricing for what each seat includes.

How to choose an ATS CRM for your agency in five steps

Most agencies buy the wrong way. They watch three demos and the nicest screen wins. Six months later, half the team is back in a spreadsheet. These five steps take about two weeks.

Step 1: write down your desk. Perm, contract, temp or retained search? Each needs different records. A small perm agency can start with our guide to the best ATS for small recruitment agencies.

Step 2: map your stack. List what your consultants use every day: email, calendar, phone, job boards, payroll and invoicing. Check that each link is native or runs through an open API, and ask who sets up your stages, templates and users during onboarding.

Step 3: price the full stack. Add every seat, add-on, credit pack and setup fee for a year. When AI or sourcing sits behind a quote, the entry price is not your real price.

Step 4: run a pilot on two live roles. Invite three consultants and time your three most common tasks. Can one of them add a candidate, start a sequence, link the profile to a client brief and update the deal without retyping anything?

Step 5: plan the move before you sign. Ask which records, fields, notes and files will move, and who does the work. Our data migration page explains how our team takes over your data from your current tool’s exports. Run a CRM clean-up first, whatever tool you pick.

Verdict: the best ATS for recruitment agencies, by agency type

Choose by the way your desk works, not by the longest feature list.

Agencies that want one ATS-CRM with their own AI in it: Leonar. Candidates, clients, deals and sequences live in one workspace. Claude or ChatGPT works directly in that data, and a team moves your data for you.

Small and mid-sized agencies: Recruit CRM or Recruiterflow. Both publish seat prices and sell to agencies first. Check the pipeline and sequence limits on Recruit CRM Pro, and which features sit on Recruiterflow AIRA.

Large staffing firms: Bullhorn. It reports 10,000+ customers and 300+ partners. Ask for the Pro quote, since that is where the recruitment CRM sits.

Temp and contract desks: Vincere or Tracker. Both put timesheets close to the placement record. Tracker leans further into compliance, and Vincere covers perm, temp and contract on one platform.

Executive search: Crelate. Branded submittals, off-limits flags and a client portal fit retained work. Recruiterflow and Leonar suit search boutiques too.

Tight budgets: Manatal or Zoho Recruit. Manatal starts at $15 per user per month billed annually, and Zoho Recruit’s free plan covers one active job.

Whatever you shortlist, test it on real roles during the trial. For standalone views of each half of the market, read our lists of the best ATS for recruitment and the best recruitment CRM software. To see how Leonar runs an agency desk end to end, start with our recruitment agency software page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best ATS for recruitment agencies?

It depends on your desk. Agencies that want one ATS-CRM, with their own AI assistant working in it and help moving their data, should look at Leonar. Small and mid-sized agencies also shortlist Recruit CRM or Recruiterflow. Large staffing firms usually look at Bullhorn. Executive search firms should look at Crelate. Temp and contract desks should compare Vincere and Tracker for timesheets and pay and bill.

What is the best ATS for staffing agencies?

For temp and contract work, check timesheets, assignment dates and compliance before anything else. On the vendors' own pages, Vincere includes temp scheduling and timesheets on Core, Tracker adds timesheets from Professional, and JobAdder adds temp on Essential and Pro. Bullhorn suits large staffing firms. Agencies that place mostly perm and contract roles and run payroll in a separate tool can add Leonar to the list.

Is an ATS or a CRM better for a staffing agency?

You need both, ideally in one platform. The ATS tracks applicants through each job order. The CRM manages client companies, new-business deals and the passive candidates who have not applied. When both share one database, nobody retypes a record and fewer placements slip. Most agency platforms in this list now combine the two.

How much does ATS and CRM software for agencies cost?

On 30 October 2026, Manatal started at $15 per user per month billed annually and Zoho Recruit had a free plan for one active job. Tracker Launch was $79, Crelate Essentials $85, Recruit CRM Pro $95, Bullhorn Starter $99, Recruiterflow Platform $119 billed annually, and Loxo Core $149. Leonar Professional costs $199 per user per month, $169 on a 12-month commitment billed monthly, or $149 with annual prepayment. JobAdder is priced on request.

What is the best ATS for a small recruitment agency?

Start with price and setup time. Manatal and the Zoho Recruit free plan have the lowest entry point. Crelate Essentials covers up to two users. Recruit CRM and Leonar suit small agencies that want the client side and outreach in the same tool. Run a two-week trial on real roles before you sign.

Can I move my data from my current agency ATS?

Yes, with most vendors, but ask for a written plan first. At Leonar, our team takes over your data from your current tool's exports. Data migration is included with an annual subscription; otherwise, we provide a quote. Recruiterflow, for comparison, offers free self-serve CSV import and a paid white-glove migration that it says typically takes 6 to 8 weeks.