12 Best CRM For Recruiting: From Startups to Enterprise in 2025

Managing candidates across multiple platforms can be challenging. A good CRM for recruiting will boost your hiring efficiency significantly.

The market has numerous recruitment CRM software options, which can make choosing the right one daunting. Each platform brings specific advantages to different recruiting needs - from Manatal's impressive 4.7 user satisfaction score to Bullhorn's solid 4.4 popularity rating. Your team's productivity will soar with the best CRM for recruiters. These systems automate candidate interactions and help you build stronger relationships without getting buried in paperwork. Teams of any size can benefit from these tools, with monthly per-user prices ranging from $15 to $129.

Our team has tested and reviewed top recruiting agency software to simplify your decision-making process. This piece covers everything you need - from Zoho Recruit's cloud-based flexibility with its free plan to Recruiterflow's cost-effective ATS and CRM combination that scores 4.5 in user satisfaction. Let's look at the 12 best options that will revolutionize your talent pipeline management in 2025.

What is a Recruiting CRM?

CRM in recruiting stands for Candidate Relationship Management—a term that reflects its main goal. A recruiting CRM differs from customer-focused CRMs because it's built to create and nurture relationships with potential talent.

A recruiting CRM works like a central command center for your hiring process. The software powers your sourcing team and helps you build and manage your candidate talent pool. You can organize candidate information, aid personalized outreach, and use advanced analytics to improve your hiring strategies.

Recruiters often ask: "If I already have an ATS, email, and spreadsheets, why do I need a CRM?" The answer is straightforward—this patchwork solution doesn't grow with your company and creates problems for companies of all sizes or recruiting agencies. Your ATS works as a workflow and compliance tool to manage applicants. The recruiting CRM creates an ecosystem of all passive and active candidates.

A resilient recruiting CRM provides these key features:

• A centralized candidate database you can search easily
• Talent pools you can build and nurture over time, whatever the hiring outcomes
• Automated communication workflows and follow-ups that save time
• Built-in analytics to measure recruitment performance
• Multiple channels to involve candidates personally

Modern recruiting CRMs automate repetitive tasks like data entry and assignment sharing. This reduces manual errors and lets your team focus on meaningful candidate interactions. Some platforms now use AI technology to find candidates who actively search and fit specific roles better.

Your recruiting CRM's integration with ATS and HRIS systems shows you alumni and current employees among external candidates. This integration creates nurturing paths that support internal mobility and boomerang hiring, which maximizes your investment return.

The recruitment world keeps changing, and Gartner now calls a good recruiting CRM a "core part of the key systems required" for modern talent acquisition teams. The right CRM helps you manage talent data properly, keep candidate information fresh, nurture potential hires, and track your recruitment marketing results.

6 Key Features of Recruiting CRM

A good recruiting CRM comes with unique features that make your talent acquisition process smoother. These tools help you build better relationships with candidates throughout their hiring process. Here are the key parts that make these platforms valuable to recruiting teams.

1. Centralized candidate database

The core of any recruiting CRM lies in its unified database that keeps all candidate information together. Your team won't need scattered spreadsheets or disconnected systems anymore. You can search and filter candidates by their skills, experience, location, and other criteria. Each profile contains detailed information like resumes, interview notes, communication history, and assessment results.

2. Hiring pipeline management

Good recruiting CRMs show visual pipeline views to help track each candidate's progress. You can move prospects through stages like sourced, contacted, interviewing, offered, and hired. This clear view helps spot bottlenecks and ensures qualified candidates don't slip away.

3. Email and communication automation

Your team can save hours every week using automated email sequences and messaging. The system triggers communications based on pipeline stages or candidate actions. You might set up automatic interview follow-ups or regular check-ins with passive candidates in your talent pool.

4. Talent pooling & segmentation

Your team can build talent pools based on skills, experience level, or location. This grouping helps find suitable candidates quickly for new positions without starting fresh. These pools become a great resource for future hiring needs.

5. Interview scheduling

No more back-and-forth emails to set up interviews. Modern recruiting CRMs connect with calendars to show live availability. Candidates can pick interview slots that work best for them.

6. Analytics and reporting

Built-in reporting helps measure what matters most. You can track metrics like time-to-hire, source effectiveness, and conversion rates at each stage. These numbers help improve your recruiting strategy and show your team's value to the organization.

1.

Image Source: Zoho

Zoho Recruit has become a trusted cloud-based applicant tracking system with over 800,000 recruiters worldwide. Since 2009, this recruitment platform combines ATS functionality and CRM features to help corporate HR teams and staffing agencies simplify their hiring process.

Zoho Recruit Use Case

Small and mid-sized businesses find Zoho Recruit a perfect fit when they need an affordable yet complete recruiting solution. Tech companies often use this platform to hire technical roles. Staffing agencies value it to manage high-volume recruiting for multiple clients. Companies using other Zoho products enjoy uninterrupted integration with Zoho CRM, People, and Mail.

Teams looking to balance functionality and usability will find this platform extremely useful. A user shared their experience: "Zoho Recruit was easy to implement, customizable, and affordable. We have been using it for four years and it has met all our needs".

Zoho Recruit Standout Features

Zoho Recruit comes packed with several powerful features:

• AI-powered tools: Resume parsing extracts candidate information automatically while Zia (Zoho's AI assistant) matches candidates to jobs based on skills and experience
• Candidate self-service portal: Applicants can track application status, schedule interviews, and upload documents
• Extensive integrations: The platform connects with over 75 job boards for one-click publishing
• Customizable workflows: Custom workflow rules and blueprints automate routine tasks

The platform organizes the entire hiring process effectively with its centralized candidate database, customizable career sites, and detailed hiring metrics analytics.

Zoho Recruit Limitations

Users have pointed out several drawbacks:

• The original setup can feel overwhelming because of extensive customization options
• The user interface looks dated compared to modern ATS designs
• Resume parsing needs accuracy improvements
• Problems with integration happen sometimes, especially with Microsoft Office 365 Outlook
• Lower-tier plans experience slower customer support response times

Zoho Recruit Pricing

Zoho Recruit's pricing tiers include:

• Forever Free: $0 (1 recruiter, 1 active job, 1 active candidate)
• Standard: $25/user/month (100 active jobs, resume management)
• Professional: $50/user/month (250 active jobs, AI matching, advanced analytics)
• Enterprise: $75/user/month (750 active jobs, custom roles, client portals)

Each paid plan includes a 14-day free trial with annual billing. Add-ons start at $6/license/month.

2.

Image Source: Recruit CRM

Recruit CRM delivers a complete solution built for recruitment agencies to optimize their hiring processes. The platform combines applicant tracking and candidate relationship management in one integrated system.

Recruit CRM Use Case

Small to medium-sized recruitment agencies benefit most from Recruit CRM. The software balances functionality with ease of use. Recruitment teams get great value from this tool, especially when they have high-volume hiring cycles. Building a rich candidate database is a vital part of industries like IT, healthcare, and sales. Teams can customize their workflows and communications based on specific requirements. The platform scales alongside your growing organization, making it perfect for expanding HR teams.

Recruit CRM Standout Features

GPT4 integration sets this platform apart from others, available with all pricing plans. The AI helps create recruiting content like job descriptions, candidate summaries, emails, and phone call transcripts. Customer support runs 24/7 with global agents ready on live chat. Response times stay under two minutes.

Other notable features include:

• Chrome sourcing extension that pulls candidate information directly from LinkedIn, email inboxes, and external websites
• Visual Kanban board with customizable stages for pipeline management
• AI-powered resume parser that extracts relevant information automatically
• Talent pooling with "hotlists" for curating qualified candidates over time

Recruit CRM Limitations

Recruit CRM comes with some drawbacks. Users can't rely on a fully functional mobile app due to loading errors. The platform restricts email template customization and struggles with third-party integrations. Large enterprises might find the system too inflexible for their complex global hiring needs or established processes.

Recruit CRM Pricing

Recruit CRM keeps pricing simple with three tiers:

• Pro: $100/user/month ($85/user/month when billed annually) - Has Chrome sourcing extension, AI resume parser, GPT integration, unlimited email templates
• Business: $150/user/month ($125/user/month when billed annually) - Adds email sequencing, phone recording, resume formatting
• Enterprise: $165/user/month (annual billing only) - Provides dedicated account manager, custom SLA, custom branding

Every plan includes unlimited users, job postings, and job boards. Social media integration and applicant tracking capabilities come standard.

3.

Image Source: Bullhorn

Bullhorn has spent 25 years in the staffing industry and delivers a reliable ATS and CRM platform designed for recruitment agencies. The cloud-based system combines candidate and client data management into one solution.

Bullhorn Use Case

Mid-sized to enterprise staffing and recruitment agencies that need complete candidate and client relationship management will find Bullhorn most valuable. The platform excels when teams must track job orders and candidate pipelines at the same time in high-volume recruiting environments. Teams can simplify their repetitive tasks through workflow automation - users have automated over 1 billion tasks so far. Recent industry data shows recruitment agencies using Bullhorn's automation submit 39% more candidates per recruiter and fill 22% more jobs.

Bullhorn Standout Features

The platform stands out through its recruiter-focused design:

• AI-Powered Capabilities: Has an AI Assistant that helps with job descriptions, outreach messages, and candidate matching
• Automation Platform: Creates workflows that trigger actions based on candidate activity (website visits, email opens) to improve conversion rates
• Integrated Email: Tracks all communications within candidate records and supports mass email campaigns
• VMS Integration: Connects with 110+ vendor management systems to import job records immediately

Recruiters can update records and communicate with candidates from anywhere through mobile access.

Bullhorn Limitations

Bullhorn comes with several challenges despite its strengths. The user interface seems outdated, with users calling it "clunky" and "bloated." Agencies must customize the system extensively to match their specific needs, which creates a steep learning curve. The customer support quality fluctuates widely - some users rate it as "horrible—honestly the worst I've ever seen." Sales-focused teams might find the CRM capabilities less effective compared to its ATS features.

Bullhorn Pricing

The platform's tiered pricing plans aren't displayed publicly on their website. Recent data shows pricing starts at:

• Team: $99/user/month (simple candidate and job management)
• Corporate: $199/user/month (adds unlimited data storage, API access, custom fields)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (has advanced reporting, lead tracking, pipeline management)

Complete setup implementation fees begin at $25,000, while monthly user costs can reach $250/user for combined ATS+CRM+backend modules.

4.

Image Source: jobadder.com

JobAdder brings together applicant tracking and CRM in one platform. This makes it a popular choice for recruitment professionals in industries of all types. Recruitment agencies like Arthur Edward and organizations like RSL Queensland trust this software to make their hiring process simpler through automation.

JobAdder Use Case

Recruitment agencies looking to streamline candidate management and client relationships find JobAdder extremely useful. Companies like Exchange Street and Shine Lawyers depend on JobAdder to handle their talent acquisition. The platform works great for mid-sized businesses going through growth phases, as PetDirect discovered when they needed a system to support their quick expansion. Companies dealing with high application volumes appreciate JobAdder's advanced search features that help them find the right candidates fast.

JobAdder Standout Features

JobAdder's recruitment CRM excels through these capabilities:

• Centralized candidate database with quick-view popups that let you view, import, and update information on one screen
• Job board integration that posts to 200+ job boards and social media channels at once
• Communication tools to send individual-specific messages through SMS, email, or WhatsApp using custom templates
• Deal tracking that turns closed deals into new job records with one click

The platform's mobile app sets it apart by letting recruiters handle tasks and keep candidates engaged while away from their desk.

JobAdder Limitations

JobAdder has its drawbacks despite its strong points. The system lacks flexibility in workflow customization, which limits how well it handles complex recruitment processes. Users say the mobile app's interface isn't user-friendly and sometimes has bugs. The platform provides just simple reporting and analytics without advanced visualization options. Some customers mention technical support can be slow to respond.

JobAdder Pricing

JobAdder skips standard packages in favor of custom pricing based on what you need. They use a three-step approach: They start with a consultation, show you a custom demo, and create a pricing plan that matches your requirements. This helps companies avoid paying for features they won't use while getting the recruitment tools they need.

5.

Image Source: Recruiterflow

Recruiterflow provides a complete ecosystem for staffing and recruiting businesses, built specifically for recruitment agencies. More than 1,700 recruitment agencies and 10,000+ recruiters worldwide trust this platform.

Recruiterflow Use Case

Recruitment agencies that want to scale their operations quickly will find Recruiterflow extremely valuable. Teams become more productive as the software automates repetitive tasks. MBR Partners demonstrates this value - they switched to Recruiterflow and saw immediate improvements in their recruiting operations. The platform acts as a central hub where teams can manage candidates, clients, and track deals. Small startups and large agencies with multiple clients benefit from its adaptable nature.

Recruiterflow Standout Features

The platform stands out with these capabilities:

• Multi-touch automation: Users can create and automate customized email and text campaigns to reach both active and passive candidates
• Time-saving automation: Each user saves four hours weekly, which lets them focus on strategic work
• AIRA (AI Twin): AI features handle routine tasks like call transcription, data cleanup, and candidate profile enrichment
• Superior data security: AWS servers in Germany store all data with GDPR compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption

Recruiterflow Limitations

Recruiterflow comes with some challenges despite its strengths. Users struggle with moving candidates in bulk through pipeline stages. The system sometimes fails to extract telephone numbers correctly from uploaded profiles. The interface layout could be better - tabs placed at opposite ends make navigation tricky.

Recruiterflow Pricing

The platform comes in three pricing tiers:

• Base Plan: $99/user/month ($85/user/month yearly) - Users get unlimited jobs, applicant tracking, and job board integrations
• Pro Plan: $109/user/month ($90/user/month yearly) - This adds email sequences, Zapier integration, and unlimited custom fields
• Advanced Plan: $129/user/month ($99/user/month yearly) - Users receive recruiting automation, priority support, and custom SLAs

Users can try the platform through a free trial before making a decision.

6.

Image Source: Greenhouse

Greenhouse provides a well-laid-out hiring approach that makes it the preferred recruitment CRM for growing companies. The platform helps teams find qualified candidates and creates a positive hiring experience through analytical insights.

Greenhouse Use Case

Greenhouse works best for mid to large-sized companies that handle large hiring volumes. Companies in tech, finance, and healthcare sectors depend on its resilient tracking capabilities. The platform excels in companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion with tools that reduce hiring bias. Companies worldwide can benefit from its multi-language support, which makes it perfect for international recruitment teams. The platform's structured approach helps companies standardize their interviews across departments.

Greenhouse Standout Features

The platform stands out with customizable scorecards that help evaluate candidates consistently. Its interview kits guide hiring teams through each stage and create fair assessment processes. You can organize prospects into pools based on specific criteria, which makes tracking and planning outreach efforts simple.

Greenhouse also features AI-generated scorecard summaries that analyze feedback themes and help teams understand key takeaways. Teams can eliminate email back-and-forth with the candidate self-scheduling feature. The platform connects with over 500 integrations and offers open API access. This lets you build a custom tech stack that syncs data automatically with Greenhouse.

Greenhouse Limitations

In spite of that, Greenhouse has several drawbacks. We designed the platform mainly for larger enterprises, which makes it less suitable for small or midsize firms. Users often find it hard to set up and customize without technical expertise. Smaller organizations might struggle with the pricing structure since it's based on company size rather than feature usage.

Users have reported issues with unclear billing structures and poor customer service. The candidate search function needs improvement as it only allows name searches instead of phone or email.

Greenhouse Pricing

Greenhouse comes in three main tiers: Essential, Advanced, and Expert. The pricing varies by a lot based on company size:

• 1-10 employees: approximately $6,500 annually
• 101-250 employees: around $15,000 annually
• Over 1000 employees: starting from $24,500 annually

Each tier offers different capabilities. Essential covers simple structured hiring, Advanced adds configuration and automation features, and Expert includes sophisticated tools and enhanced security.

7.

Image Source: SmartRecruiters

SmartRecruiters brands itself as the "AI Recruiting Company" that reshapes the scene of hiring for large enterprises. This talent acquisition platform combines an ATS with a native CRM module that helps strategic talent sourcing and proactive recruitment.

SmartRecruiters Use Case

SmartRecruiters serves mid-sized to large companies that want to streamline their hiring process. The platform supports more than 4,000 businesses, including Amazon, Visa, and McDonald's to build winning teams. Companies can excel with evergreen roles like sales managers or software engineers through pre-assembled talent communities. The platform's proactive sourcing capabilities help organizations reduce their time-to-hire. SmartRecruiters excels at turning passive talent into active applicants through targeted outreach.

SmartRecruiters Standout Features

SmartCRM stands out as the industry's first 100% native CRM+ATS built on one system. The unified data workflow follows a universal candidate profile. The platform's capabilities include:

• Talent communities tailored to hiring needs with filters for skills, geography, and diversity
• Winston, an AI-powered hiring agent that handles screening, scheduling, and candidate matching
• Multi-language support with 37 candidate-facing languages and 31 for hiring teams
• Live insights and analytics to measure outreach effectiveness

SmartRecruiters Limitations

The platform comes with notable drawbacks. Users often struggle with interview scheduling due to missing simple scheduling functions that need manual fixes. Recruiters miss important updates because the notification system fails to alert them about candidate communications. On top of that, some paid features seem complex and not user-friendly.

SmartRecruiters Pricing

SmartRecruiters comes with four main pricing tiers:

• Essential: Starting at $14,995 annually with simple ATS, CRM, and onboarding
• Professional: Custom pricing that adds AI-powered hiring agent and talent matching
• High Volume: Custom pricing that includes AI candidate screening and conversational chat
• Complete: Custom pricing that provides advanced analytics and custom in-app guidance

Each plan includes core functionality from job posting through onboarding.

Recruitment CRM

Conclusion

You might be wondering which solution fits your needs best after learning about these top recruiting CRM options. Your team size, budget, and recruitment workflow requirements will point you to the right choice.

Zoho Recruit with its free tier or Manatal at $15/user/month are great starting points for small agencies and startups. These tools give you the simple features you need without overwhelming complexity. Midsize recruiting firms do well with Recruiterflow or Recruit CRM. These platforms strike the right balance between functionality and user-friendliness while packing powerful automation features.

Enterprise organizations have their own set of challenges. Bullhorn, SmartRecruiters, and Greenhouse provide strong solutions for complex, high-volume hiring needs. The price tags are higher, but you get advanced features like AI-powered matching, extensive integrations, and customizable workflows.

Setup time varies quite a bit between platforms. Manatal gets you running quickly, while Greenhouse and Bullhorn need more setup time. This timeline should be part of your decision process.

AI capabilities are now standard in most platforms - from simple resume parsing to sophisticated candidate matching algorithms. These features can save your recruiters hours each week, though accuracy and effectiveness differ among tools.

Your CRM's customer support quality can make or break the experience. Recruit CRM's team responds within two minutes, while Bullhorn's users often express frustration with their support.

The right recruiting CRM becomes your team's command center. It organizes candidates, automates repetitive tasks, and delivers valuable analytics. Try the free trials and test each system with your actual workflows instead of generic demos.

Your CRM choice shapes your team's ability to build candidate relationships. Pick the right one and you'll turn your hiring process from scattered spreadsheets into an efficient talent acquisition system.