ATS for freelance recruiters: solo seat prices, limits and trials

What one seat costs

A freelance recruiter working alone can start on Zoho Recruit's Forever Free plan at $0 or pay $15 per user per month for Manatal Professional on annual billing. Recruit CRM Pro is $95 per user per month billed annually, as read on October 27, 2026, with $1,140 charged up front for the year. An applicant tracking system (ATS) holds candidates, jobs and pipeline stages.

Free and low-cost starts

Zoho Recruit's Forever Free plan allows 1 active job and no resume parsing. Zoho words its Standard plan as perfect for small teams and freelancers: $25 per user per month billed annually, or $30 billed monthly, with 100 active jobs, per Zoho's price data.

Manatal words Professional as for individuals and small teams. It allows up to 15 jobs per account and up to 10,000 candidates, and it starts with a 14-day trial that needs no card. Manatal charges after the trial if a valid payment method was entered.

When a solo recruiter needs a client CRM too

Recruit CRM keeps companies, contacts and deal pipelines on every plan, next to candidates and jobs, and invoicing is on every plan too. Clients can view candidates, add feedback and update stages without a Recruit CRM login. Bullhorn Starter lists client management; its pricing page calls Starter designed for 1 to 2 users, and its FAQ says Bullhorn offers no free trial.

Pick Recruit CRM Pro for a freelancer who bills clients and tracks deals in one system and will pay for it. Pick Zoho Recruit to stay at $0, or Manatal for a $15 seat.

Limits a solo desk hits first

Zoho's Forever Free stops at 1 active job, and Manatal Professional stops at 15 jobs. Recruit CRM Pro allows 1 hiring pipeline, 1 mailbox connection and 15 custom fields for its single user, with record caps per user, per the help center. Crelate Essentials stops at 2 users and 20k contacts, so a solo recruiter who adds a partner stays inside it.

Recruit CRM's terms make all subscription charges nonrefundable and make the rest of the term's charges due if you end early, unless Recruit CRM waives them in writing.

A freelancer can test Recruit CRM alone for 30 days, inside the trial's usage caps. Best free CRM for recruitment sets free plans against free trials, Recruit CRM pricing lists every plan, and best ATS for small recruitment agencies covers the step to a desk of 2 to 10.