Best ATS for staffing agencies: timesheets, client billing and seat prices

What a desk that bills contractors needs

For a small contract staffing desk, Recruit CRM is the applicant tracking system (ATS) that keeps timesheets and client invoicing in one account. As read on October 27, 2026, Pro is $95 per user per month billed annually or $109 billed monthly, invoicing is on every plan, and timesheets cost 100 credits per active contractor a month for the first 15.

An ATS is the system of record for candidates and jobs, an active contractor is one billed in the calendar month, and credits are the shared balance that metered features such as timesheets and AI sourcing spend.

Timesheets, portals and client invoices

The Account Owner switches the Timesheets module on first, and timesheets can then be enabled only on Contract and Contract-to-Permanent jobs. A candidate becomes a contractor once timesheets are enabled on one of their jobs. Contractors submit hours in a contractor portal, clients approve them in a client portal, and invoices can only be created from approved timesheets, several to an invoice.

Credits are charged per active contractor billed in the calendar month, and each rate applies only inside its tier: 100 credits for contractors 1 to 15, 90 for 16 to 50, 80 for 51 to 150, 70 for 151 to 300, 60 for 301 to 500 and 50 above 500.

Credits come from the same pooled balance as AI sourcing and multiposting, and Pro brings 100 a month per seat. Recruit CRM's help center says credit billing applies to timesheet periods that start on or after October 1, 2026.

Payroll and accounting handoff

Recruit CRM says it calculates contractor pay and client billing from timesheets and does not run payroll, so payroll stays in a separate system.

Recruit CRM's Bill & Pay page lists accounting integrations as coming soon, while its FAQ on the same page says timesheet data can be integrated with QuickBooks, Xero and others, so ask which export route works today.

Seat prices for a staffing desk

Recruit CRM bills per named user on two bases. Pro is $109 billed monthly or $95 billed annually, with the year charged up front, and Business is $159 or $135. Bullhorn Starter is $99 per user per month and Core is $165, with every plan billed per user monthly and prices excluding VAT.

JobAdder lists no price and sells by request, and its Recruiter Lite for 1 to 5 users lists temp and contractor management. Zoho Recruit's staffing page lists timesheet management among its temp-staffing tools without naming a plan.

Pick Recruit CRM for a small contract desk, where the first 15 active contractors sit in the 100-credit tier. Pick Bullhorn when you want Middle Office as a separate product for timesheets and invoicing; Recruit CRM vs Bullhorn sets the plans side by side. Pick JobAdder Recruiter Lite for temp and contractor management on a desk of 1 to 5. Recruit CRM is a poor fit for a desk that needs payroll run inside the system.

A staffing desk can use Recruit CRM's 30-day free trial, within its usage caps, before choosing a plan. How to start a staffing agency adds the setup steps, and best CRM for recruitment agencies covers eight tools by seat price.