Best HR and recruiting tools
HR and recruiting tools split into two jobs: hire, then employ. This shortlist includes ATS products (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby), HRIS and payroll (BambooHR, Rippling, Gusto, Workday), and global employment (Deel, Remote, Oyster). LinkedIn Recruiter and job boards sit on the sourcing side. Pick the system of record for candidates and the system of record for employees separately.
What are HR and recruiting tools?
Recruiting tools (an ATS) track candidates, interviews, and offers. HR tools (an HRIS) track employees, time off, and often payroll. Some suites try to do both. Job boards and LinkedIn Recruiter feed the ATS. They are not an ATS. If offers live in email and employees live in a spreadsheet, you do not have either system yet.
This shortlist includes 15Five, ADP, Ashby, BambooHR, Culture Amp, Deel, and 24 more.
Who this shortlist is for
- Talent leads replacing a spreadsheet ATS
- People ops picking an HRIS or a global employer of record
- Startups comparing Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR, and Deel
How we picked
We include ATS, HRIS, payroll, EOR, and major sourcing products with a catalog profile. General email and calendar tools stay on productivity.
- Primary job is hiring, employee records, payroll, or sourcing talent
- Has a public product page and a pricing or edition signal
- Used by talent, people ops, or finance for headcount
- Not a generic CRM with a “recruiting” landing page only
The shortlist
Open a profile for pricing, alternatives, and a product page.

Greenhouse is the hiring operating system for people-first companies.
Alternative to Glassdoor

How to choose HR and recruiting software
Buy the ATS for the hiring team and the HRIS for the employee record. Connect them. Do not force interview kits into payroll software.
| If this is the job | Look at |
|---|---|
| Structured hiring | Greenhouse, Lever, or Ashby. Test scorecards, interview kits, and agency portals. |
| HRIS for a single country | BambooHR, Gusto, Justworks, or Rippling. Confirm payroll entities and benefits. |
| Global contractors and EOR | Deel, Remote, or Oyster. Read the employment entity and data residency terms. |
| Sourcing | LinkedIn Recruiter, Gem, SeekOut, or Wellfound. They feed the ATS. They should not replace it. |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an ATS and an HRIS?
An ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby) is for candidates and interviews. An HRIS (BambooHR, Workday, Rippling) is for employees, time off, and often payroll. Some vendors sell both. You still want a clear handoff when a candidate becomes an employee.
What is the best ATS for a startup?
Ashby, Greenhouse, and Lever are the names that come up most. Ashby is often shortlisted by smaller talent teams that want a modern UI. Greenhouse is common when you want structured interview kits. Lever is common when recruiting and CRM-style pipelines matter. Demo your real stages.
Do I need Deel if I already have Gusto?
Gusto covers US payroll and benefits for many small companies. Deel, Remote, and Oyster cover hiring in other countries through EOR or contractor tooling. You need the second product when you employ people Gusto cannot payroll. You do not need both for a US-only team.
Is LinkedIn Recruiter an ATS?
No. LinkedIn Recruiter is a sourcing and InMail product. You still need an ATS to run interviews, compliance, and reporting. Sync the two so notes do not live only in LinkedIn.
Workday vs BambooHR: who should look at which?
Workday shows up for larger companies that need a full HCM suite. BambooHR shows up for smaller people teams that want a simpler HRIS. Rippling is often in the same conversation when IT and payroll should share one employee record. The headcount and integration list decide this more than the marketing site.














































