ApplicantStack vs Homerun (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ApplicantStack and Homerun share a 2.4 GPA, neither has a free plan, and ApplicantStack starts cheaper, at $29.99 a month against about $121.77 a month.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ApplicantStack grades higher on value for money. Homerun grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ApplicantStack
Low-cost applicant tracking with optional onboarding
Homerun
Applicant tracking and simple HR for small teams, priced in euros
Which one is for you
Pick ApplicantStack if
- Fits if you hire a few roles at a time and want to keep costs low
- Works for small teams that want onboarding in the same system at the top plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you hire often: Starter allows 1 active job and Growth 3
- Pricey if you want unlimited jobs, which start at Recruit, $109.99 a month
- Watch out: candidate texting, including premium texting, costs extra
- Watch out: every plan includes 1 admin and 5 hiring manager seats, and extra seats are on Recruit and Bundle only
- Tight if you want billing terms, as the page doesn't say whether prices are monthly or yearly
Pick Homerun if
- Fits if you hire for two or three roles at a time
- Works for small teams that want hiring and time off in one tool
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 3 roles open, as Core holds 3 job slots
- Skip it if a 12-month contract that renews unless you cancel 30 days ahead puts you off
- Not for you if you want a US dollar price, as it's euros or pounds only
- Pricey if you grow: each 5 more slots on Plus cost €105 a month paid annually, and 50 slots is quoted
- Watch out: the pricing page's comparison table lists other plans and prices than its plan cards
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAApplicantStackFair | 2.4GPAHomerunFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$29.99 a month for 1 active job, under 60% of the cheaper quarter of hiring tools ($60). Unlimited jobs start at Recruit, $109.99, a little over the middle ($83). | CCore is €109 a month paid annually (€139 monthly), in euros, for 3 job slots, and a ten-person team pays that. It buys branded posts, tracking, scheduling and the HR side. That's between this category's middle and its dearer quarter, on a 12-month contract. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial, and the page doesn't say a card is needed. There's no free plan. | CNo free plan, but a 15-day trial with almost all of the hiring and HR features and no card. |
| Features | CJob posting, candidate scoring, interviews, texting and onboarding on the top bundle. But Starter and Growth limit active jobs to 1 and 3, and texting costs extra. | BBranded job posts and a careers page sent to LinkedIn, Indeed and Google for Jobs, a shared pipeline, scheduling and structured hiring, plus an HR side with time off, sick leave, records and documents. The whole job for a small team. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You set up jobs, scoring and your job-board links before it's useful. | CNo App Store rating on record. The posts and careers page are meant to tell your team's story, and writing that takes time. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it posts to Indeed, LinkedIn, Google for Jobs, ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor, and links to Criteria. | BWeb only, with LinkedIn, Indeed, Google for Jobs, Google and Outlook calendars, Meet, Teams and Nmbrs linked. No phone or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | low-cost applicant tracking for a few open jobs | small European teams hiring a few roles |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ApplicantStack and Homerun. How we grade
Price against what you get
ApplicantStack starts at $29.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Homerun starts at about $121.77 a month and scores 2.7.
Homerun scores higher, and starts $91.78 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other hiring and applicant tracking tools on the chart, 2 score higher than ApplicantStack for less, and none scores higher than Homerun for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- ApplicantStack also covers sMS marketing.
- Homerun also covers reports and time off.
At a glance
| ApplicantStack | Homerun | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month | €109 per month for 3 job slots, paid annually (€139 paid monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 15-day free trial with almost all ATS and HR features, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Swipeclock | Homerun |
| Price read from | applicantstack.com | homerun.co |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ApplicantStack
- Starter and Growth cap you at 1 and 3 active jobs; Recruit is the first with unlimited jobs.
- Candidate texting, including premium texting, costs extra.
- Every plan includes 1 admin seat and 5 hiring manager seats; extra seats are only on Recruit and Bundle.
- The page does not say whether prices are billed monthly or yearly.
Homerun
- Prices are in euros, or pounds for UK buyers (Core is £99 a month paid annually); no US dollar price is shown.
- Both plans need a 12-month contract, paid monthly or annually, which renews unless cancelled at least 30 days before.
- A job slot holds one live job post at a time, so Core caps you at 3 open roles.
- The page's comparison table lists other plans (Light, Basic, Plus) at other prices than its plan cards; this listing uses the cards.
Key features
ApplicantStack
- Job posting
- Posts to the major job boards and social media, with a branded careers page.
- Candidate scoring
- Questionnaires, prescreen and knock-out questions, and candidate stages and process tracking.
- Interviews and feedback
- Schedule interviews and hire as a team with standardized feedback.
- Texting
- Candidate texting is offered for an additional fee, with a premium option.
- Onboarding
- On the Bundle: new-hire checklists, W-4 and I-9 forms, e-signatures and payroll records.
Homerun
- Job posts and career page
- Job posts and a career page that tell the team's story, published to LinkedIn, Indeed and Google for Jobs.
- Hiring pipeline
- Candidates, team feedback and progress on one board, with email templates and interview scheduling linked to Google or Outlook calendars.
- Structured hiring
- A structured process that judges candidates on skills and potential rather than first impressions, to reduce bias.
- Time off and absence
- An absence calendar with self-service requests for holidays, sick leave and remote work.
- Employee records and documents
- Private employee profiles, a who's-who view of the team and document storage with reminders before files expire.
- HR reports
- Reports on headcount, employment status, holidays, absence and sick leave costs, plus hiring insights.
Plans
ApplicantStack
Starter$29.99
per month
1 active job at a time, 1 admin seat and 5 hiring manager seats.
Growth$49.99
per month
Up to 3 active jobs, with the same 1 admin and 5 hiring manager seats.
Recruit$109.99
per month
Unlimited active jobs; extra admin and hiring manager seats can be added.
Bundle$159.99
per month
Recruit plus onboarding: HR checklists, new hire forms, e-signatures and a new hire portal.
Homerun
Core€109
per month for 3 job slots, paid annually (€139 paid monthly)
For small teams: 3 job slots, each holding one live job post with branding, tracking, scheduling and structured hiring. 12-month contract.
Plus€195
per month for 5 job slots, paid annually (€215 paid monthly)
Starts at 5 job slots; each 5 more cost €105 a month paid annually (€125 paid monthly), and 50 slots is quoted. 12-month contract.
Ways to pay less
ApplicantStack
No public discounts listed.
Homerun
- Annual discount
Save 20% or more by paying annually
Homerun's pricing page says paying annually saves 20% or more: Core is €109 a month paid annually against €139 paid monthly.
- Nonprofit
20% discount for nonprofits
Homerun's pricing page offers non-profit organizations a 20% discount.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ApplicantStack or Homerun?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ApplicantStack is cheaper to start with: $29.99 a month, against about $121.77 a month for Homerun. ApplicantStack starts at $29.99 per month, and Homerun starts at €109 per month for 3 job slots, paid annually (€139 paid monthly).
Which has a free plan, ApplicantStack or Homerun?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither ApplicantStack nor Homerun has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.