Build your recruiting stack
Company type changes the right answer more than company size. Pick yours for a complete stack — one tool per category, an alternative, a budget range, and the purchases to avoid.
Startups (under 50 employees)
Hire your first 50 people without buying enterprise software. The goal is one system of record, fast outbound for the roles that matter, and nothing you will rip out at Series B.
Budget: Roughly $400–$1,500 per month all-in before job-ad spend.
Core picks: Ashby, Noon, Cal.com…
8 categoriesScale-ups (50–500 employees)
You now have a recruiting team, hiring managers who need dashboards, and interview loops that eat engineering time. The stack should add structure and automation without fragmenting data.
Budget: Roughly $4,000–$15,000 per month before job-ad spend and LinkedIn seats.
Core picks: Greenhouse, Noon, Gem…
10 categoriesEnterprise (500+ employees)
Global compliance, thousands of hiring managers, and many hiring types (professional, hourly, campus, executive) mean a suite at the core and specialists at the edges.
Budget: Typically $250,000 to several million per year depending on hiring volume and geography.
Core picks: SmartRecruiters, SeekOut, Phenom…
7 categoriesStaffing & recruiting agencies
Agencies sell speed and reach. The stack is an agency ATS/CRM at the core, the best sourcing and outreach you can afford per desk, and automation that keeps candidates warm between placements.
Budget: Roughly $250–$600 per recruiter per month for software before LinkedIn seats and job ads.
Core picks: Bullhorn, Noon, Sense…
7 categoriesHigh-volume & hourly hiring
Retail, logistics, hospitality, healthcare support, and customer service hire in the hundreds or thousands. Speed to interview and candidate drop-off matter more than sourcing depth.
Budget: Dominated by job-ad spend; software typically $5–$25 per hire at scale.
Core picks: iCIMS, Paradox (Olivia), Appcast…
7 categoriesSolo recruiters & small teams
One person, many roles. Spend on the two things that save hours — automated sourcing and scheduling — and keep everything else free or cheap.
Budget: Roughly $100–$500 per month.
Core picks: Breezy HR, Noon, Cal.com…