How to Choose an ATS for Your Recruitment Agency
Recruitment agencies have different needs than corporate HR teams. You're managing multiple clients, presenting candidates professionally, tracking commissions, and racing competitors to place the same talent.
Most ATS platforms are built for in-house recruiters. Here's what agencies actually need—and how to evaluate platforms that deliver.
Transparency note: Hireo is built by BetterQA. We'll explain where it fits and where alternatives work better.
What to Look For
Branded CV Generation
The problem is that clients expect professionally formatted candidate profiles, but original CVs come in every format imaginable—Word docs, PDFs, LinkedIn exports, even screenshots. The time spent manually reformatting CVs is time not spent finding and closing candidates.
When evaluating platforms, ask whether you can generate branded CVs in one click, whether anonymization options are available for blind screening, and whether you can maintain multiple brand templates for different clients. If the answer is "export and format in Word," move on.
Time impact: 20-30 minutes saved per candidate submission.
Speed to Submit
The problem is that when you find a great candidate, your competitors have found them too. First to submit often wins. This is especially true in technical recruiting where top candidates receive multiple outreach messages daily.
When evaluating platforms, assess how fast CV parsing happens (under 60 seconds is table stakes), how many clicks from upload to client submission, and whether you can bulk-process candidates. Anything over 60 seconds to parse a CV will create bottlenecks at scale.
Multi-Client Management
The problem is that you're working with 10, 20, or 50 clients simultaneously. Each has different requirements, contacts, and fee structures. Switching context between clients shouldn't require mental gymnastics.
When evaluating platforms, look for clear client separation and workflows, easy context switching between clients, and client-specific branding and templates.
Client Portal Access
The problem is that clients want visibility into candidates without you manually sending updates. Email chains create confusion and lose information.
When evaluating platforms, look for secure client portals for candidate review, feedback collection within the platform, and progress tracking that eliminates email chains.
Candidate Ownership Tracking
The problem is that disputes over who submitted a candidate first can kill client relationships and commissions. Without clear documentation, these disputes become he-said-she-said situations.
When evaluating platforms, look for timestamped submission records, clear audit trails, and documented candidate ownership.
Evaluation Framework
Questions to Ask Every Vendor
Ask them to show you one-click branded CV generation. If they can't demonstrate this, the platform wasn't built for agencies.
Ask how long CV parsing takes, and time it yourself with a real CV during the demo rather than accepting their claimed performance.
Ask whether clients can access a portal without you sending PDFs. Manual sharing doesn't scale, and any process that requires you to be in the loop creates bottlenecks.
Ask how pricing works as you grow. Per-placement fees can destroy margins on high-volume accounts—calculate the real cost at your expected volume.
Ask about VMS integrations. These are essential for staffing work, less critical for executive search.
The ROI Calculation
Time savings per candidate tell the story. Manual CV formatting averages 25 minutes. With AI-powered generation, it drops to 30 seconds.
For an agency submitting 100 candidates per month, manual formatting consumes 42 hours per month—essentially a full workweek—on formatting alone. With proper tools, that drops to under 1 hour per month.
At average recruiter hourly cost of $35, that's $1,435/month in labor savings. The ROI on proper tooling is typically positive within the first month.
Solutions to Consider
Hireo — Recommended for AI-Powered Agency Efficiency
Hireo was designed with recruitment agencies in mind. The branded CV generation alone justifies the investment for most agencies.
Key strengths include 30-second CV parsing (fastest in market), branded CV generation with multiple templates, client portal for self-service candidate review, one-click anonymization for blind screening, and transparent per-user pricing with no per-placement fees.
Best for agencies prioritizing speed and branded presentations.
Current limitations include being a newer platform than industry veterans, building integrations with legacy agency tools, and commission tracking coming soon.
Pricing follows a per-user model with all features included. Try free for 14 days.
Bullhorn — Best for Established Staffing Firms
Bullhorn is the industry standard for staffing agencies with deep VMS integrations, best for large staffing agencies especially in contingent workforce.
Key strengths include deep staffing-specific workflows, VMS integrations (Fieldglass, Beeline, etc.), built-in commission tracking, strong CRM functionality, and large partner ecosystem.
Limitations include expensive pricing for full functionality, complex implementation, dated interface, and weak AI capabilities.
Pricing typically runs $99-150+/user/month for full features.
Vincere — Best for Growing Agencies
Vincere targets recruitment agencies specifically with competitive pricing, best for mid-size agencies wanting a modern platform.
Key strengths include being built specifically for agencies, good CRM and ATS combination, included client portal, modern interface, and competitive pricing.
Limitations include less market presence than Bullhorn, AI features still developing, and limited branded CV features.
Pricing starts from $29/user/month.
JobAdder — Best for APAC and UK Agencies
Strong regional presence with agency-focused features makes JobAdder best for agencies in Australian and UK markets.
Key strengths include agency-centric workflows, good regional job board integrations, client management features, and mobile-friendly design.
Limitations include weaker presence in US/EU markets, basic CV formatting, and limited AI capabilities.
Pricing starts from $70/user/month.
Recruit CRM — Best Budget Option
An affordable entry point for agencies just starting out, Recruit CRM is best for new or small agencies with basic needs.
Key strengths include very affordable pricing, coverage of basic agency needs, and easy implementation.
Limitations include limited scalability, no branded CV generation, and minimal AI functionality.
Pricing starts from $40/user/month.
Feature Comparison
Different capabilities matter for different agency types. CV parsing speed is 30 seconds for Hireo versus minutes for Bullhorn, Vincere, and JobAdder. Branded CV generation is full-featured in Hireo, limited in Bullhorn, and basic in Vincere and JobAdder. AI job matching is advanced in Hireo and basic in others. Client portal comes included with Hireo, as an add-on for Bullhorn, and included with Vincere and JobAdder. Multi-brand support exists in Hireo but not others. One-click anonymization is available in Hireo while others require manual processes. Commission tracking is coming to Hireo while Bullhorn, Vincere, and JobAdder have it built in. VMS integration is building in Hireo while Bullhorn has deep integration and Vincere and JobAdder have standard integration.
Making Your Decision
If speed and branded presentations matter most, Hireo's 30-second CV generation and multi-brand support are purpose-built for agency workflows.
If you're an established staffing firm, Bullhorn's VMS integrations and commission tracking are hard to replace.
If budget is tight, Vincere or Recruit CRM get agencies started without major investment.
If you're in APAC/UK, JobAdder's regional focus and integrations may suit better.
Run a pilot with your actual CV volume and client workflows before committing.
Conclusion
Agencies need tools built for agencies, not repurposed corporate HR platforms. The right choice depends on your size, volume, and specialization. Test with real workflows before deciding.
Ready to see what AI-native agency tools look like? Try Hireo free—branded CVs in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes.
Hireo is built by BetterQA, a software quality company that needed to hire 50+ engineers and built the tools we wished existed.