What Is an Applicant Tracking System?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that helps recruiters collect, organise and move candidates through hiring. Here’s how it works, what to look for, and how Beagler does it differently.
How an applicant tracking system works
An applicant tracking system centralises every candidate and job application in one place. Instead of digging through inboxes and spreadsheets, recruiters see each candidate’s stage — applied, screening, interview, offer, hired — and move them through a visual pipeline.
Modern systems do more than store resumes. They parse a CV into a structured profile, suggest skills, schedule interviews, and keep the whole team aligned on who’s doing what. The best ones connect hiring to the rest of the business — clients, invoicing and reporting.
Beagler is an applicant tracking system that does exactly that, and adds a recruitment CRM, invoicing and payroll so agencies don’t need a separate tool for each job.
What to look for in an ATS
The capabilities that actually move time-to-hire.
Visual pipeline
Drag candidates through clear stages so nothing stalls or gets forgotten.
Resume parsing
Turn a CV into a complete, searchable profile automatically.
AI matching
Get the best-fit candidates surfaced for each role instead of searching manually.
Collaboration
Notes, tasks and shared visibility so the whole team stays aligned.
Scheduling
Book interviews and sync them to Google or Outlook with reminders.
Reporting
Track placements, time-to-hire and revenue without exporting to a spreadsheet.
Affordable Pricing for
Every Recruiter
Simple, transparent pricing built for every recruiter. No hidden fees, no surprises. Just powerful features to help you grow.
Free Plan
$0.00- Active Clients5
- Active Job Postings5
- Candidate Uploads30/month
- Create Invoices5/month
- Team Collaboration–
- Employee Management–
- Payroll & Expense Management–
- Review–
- Reports & Analytics–
- IntegrationsLimited
- Advanced Filter–
- AI Matching Feature–
- Public Job Portal–
Standard Plan
$9.90/user- Active ClientsUnlimited
- Active Job PostingsUnlimited
- Candidate Uploads200/month
- Create InvoicesUnlimited
- Team Collaboration
- Employee Management–
- Payroll & Expense Management–
- Review
- Reports & Analytics–
- Integrations
- Advanced Filter
- AI Matching Feature200 Actions/month
- Public Job Portal
Pro Plan
$12.90/user- Active ClientsUnlimited
- Active Job PostingsUnlimited
- Candidate UploadsUnlimited
- Create InvoicesUnlimited
- Team Collaboration
- Employee Management
- Payroll & Expense Management
- Review
- Reports & Analytics
- Integrations
- Advanced Filter
- AI Matching Feature400 Actions/month
- Public Job Portal
Applicant tracking systems — common questions
What does an applicant tracking system do?
It collects job applications, parses resumes into structured profiles, and helps recruiters move candidates through hiring stages — sourcing, screening, interviewing and offers — while keeping the whole team aligned in one place.
Who uses an ATS?
Recruitment agencies, staffing firms and in-house talent teams use an ATS to manage candidates at scale. Beagler is designed for small and growing agencies as well as in-house recruiters.
What’s the difference between an ATS and a recruitment CRM?
An ATS manages candidates and applications; a recruitment CRM manages clients and relationships. Beagler combines both, plus invoicing and payroll, in a single platform.
Does an ATS use AI?
Increasingly, yes. Beagler’s AI parses resumes, suggests skill tags and smart-matches candidates to roles to reduce manual data entry and speed up shortlisting.
How much does an ATS cost?
Pricing varies widely — from free-but-limited tools to enterprise systems with quote-based pricing. Beagler publishes its pricing: a free plan with caps, Standard at $9.90 per user per month and Pro at $12.90, with a 30 day free trial.
Your whole recruitment desk,
finally in one place
Join the recruiters who run their clients, candidates, invoicing and payroll on Beagler. Start your free trial in a few minutes, no credit card needed.