ApplicantStack vs JazzHR (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ApplicantStack grades higher than JazzHR: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
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 and the free plan. JazzHR grades higher on features. They get the same grade on 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
JazzHR
Applicant tracking for small businesses at a flat yearly price
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 JazzHR if
- Fits if you hire a few times a year and nobody's a full-time recruiter
- Works for teams already on BambooHR, Gusto or Justworks
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it first, as there's no free plan or trial
- Not for you if you're an agency, franchise or firm over 250 staff, since the list prices don't apply
- Tight if Hero's job postings, starting at 3 a month, won't cover your hiring
- Pricey if you want AI matching or automation, which start on Plus at $3,480 a year
- Watch out: there's no phone app, and some add-ons and premium job listings are billed by use
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAApplicantStackFair | 2.0GPAJazzHRFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | CHero is $1,000 a year, about $83 a month, on this category's middle, and a ten-person company pays the same. It buys the tracker, email templates and job postings starting at 3 a month. AI matching and automation need Plus at $3,480 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial, and the page doesn't say a card is needed. There's no free plan. | FNo free plan and no trial on the pricing page. You pay before you've seen it. |
| 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. | BPosting to over a dozen free boards, a searchable resume database, knockout questions, interview guides and calendar sync, then AI matching, automation and offers with e-signatures on higher plans. The whole job across its plans. |
| 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, and no phone app to rate. You'll build your stages and email templates before the first hire. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it posts to Indeed, LinkedIn, Google for Jobs, ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor, and links to Criteria. | BWeb only, through a mobile-friendly site, but linked to LinkedIn, Indeed, BambooHR, Gusto, Justworks and HiBob, with a marketplace of more. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | low-cost applicant tracking for a few open jobs | small businesses hiring without a recruiter |
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 JazzHR. 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. JazzHR starts at $83.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
JazzHR scores higher, and starts $53.34 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 JazzHR 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 employee records and sMS marketing.
- JazzHR also covers workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| ApplicantStack | JazzHR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month | $1,000 per year, billed annually ($110 a month billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Swipeclock | Employ Inc. |
| Price read from | applicantstack.com | jazzhr.com |
| 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.
JazzHR
- List prices do not apply to staffing or recruiting agencies, HR service providers, franchises, multi-location businesses or firms over 250 employees.
- Hero starts at 3 job postings a month and has no AI matching or automation; Plus caps active jobs at 200.
- There is no native mobile app: JazzHR works through a mobile-friendly web interface.
- No free trial is offered on the pricing page, and some add-ons and premium job listings are billed by use.
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.
JazzHR
- Job board posting
- Posts to over a dozen free job boards in one step, with premium listings and syndication to hundreds more for a fee.
- Candidate database
- A resume parser feeds a searchable candidate database, with knockout questions, bulk actions and document storage.
- AI fit matching
- From Plus, AI compares resumes with the job description and ranks the candidates who fit best.
- Structured interviews
- Interview guides, evaluation templates, video interview links and a recruiting calendar synced with Google Calendar or Outlook.
- Automation and email
- Email templates and scheduled emails on every plan, with configurable task automation and workflow helpers from Plus.
- Offers and reporting
- Source and timing reports from Plus; offer letters with e-signatures and a custom report builder on Pro.
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.
JazzHR
Hero$1,000
per year, billed annually ($110 a month billed monthly)
Job postings starting at 3 a month, the applicant tracker, email templates, LinkedIn Recruiter link and premium job listings to buy.
Plus$3,480
per year, billed annually ($350 a month billed monthly)
Up to 200 active jobs, AI candidate matching, structured interviews and assessments, task automation and standard reports.
Pro$5,508
per year, billed annually ($549 a month billed monthly)
Adds offers and e-signatures, advanced visual reporting, a custom report builder, workflow reports and all-access support.
Ways to pay less
ApplicantStack
No public discounts listed.
JazzHR
- Annual discount
Save up to 24% by paying yearly
JazzHR's pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 24%: Plus is $3,480 a year billed annually against $350 a month billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ApplicantStack or JazzHR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ApplicantStack is cheaper to start with: $29.99 a month, against $83.33 a month when paid by the year for JazzHR. ApplicantStack starts at $29.99 per month, and JazzHR starts at $1,000 per year, billed annually ($110 a month billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ApplicantStack or JazzHR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither ApplicantStack nor JazzHR has a free plan. ApplicantStack has 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.