ApplicantStack vs Workable (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ApplicantStack grades higher than Workable: 2.4 against 2.2 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. Workable 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
Workable
Applicant tracking and HR software priced by company size
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 Workable if
- Fits if you want one job post sent to 200+ boards at once
- Works for US employers that need EEO and OFCCP reporting
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a small team, as Standard is $299 a month even at ten people
- Tight if you want video interviews or tests on Standard, at $109 and $59 a month extra, plus $89 for texting
- Skip it if you want HR thrown in, as Workable HR is $99 a month on its own
- Watch out: Workable Agent runs on AI credits, 3,000 free and then $600 for 5,000, and the trial leaves it out
- Watch out: Premier and Enterprise are billed annually only, and prices rise with headcount
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAApplicantStackFair | 2.2GPAWorkableFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | DStandard is $299 a month on yearly billing for up to 20 employees, so that's what a ten-person company pays. It buys unlimited jobs, sourcing, a careers page and the API. That's the top of this category, and texting, video interviews and assessments still cost extra. |
| 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 Standard's features and no card. Workable Agent, the AI add-on, is left out of the trial. |
| 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 200+ boards, a search of 400M+ profiles, interview kits and scorecards, self-scheduled interviews, calendar sync and EEO reporting. The whole hiring job, with an HR product for records and time off if you want it. |
| 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. There's a lot here, from sourcing to pipelines and permissions, so expect some setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it posts to Indeed, LinkedIn, Google for Jobs, ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor, and links to Criteria. | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, with LinkedIn, Indeed, Gmail, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Teams and Meet, and the API from Standard up. No desktop app. |
| Best for | low-cost applicant tracking for a few open jobs | posting jobs everywhere and sourcing more |
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 Workable. 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. Workable starts at $299 a month and scores 2.7.
Workable scores higher, and starts $269.01 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 1 scores higher than Workable 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.
- Workable also covers AI agents, skills tests and time off.
At a glance
| ApplicantStack | Workable | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month | $299 per month for up to 20 employees, billed annually ($360 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 15-day free trial with the Standard plan's features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Swipeclock | Workable Technology Limited |
| Price read from | applicantstack.com | workable.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.
Workable
- Texting ($89), video interviews ($109) and assessments ($59 a month, billed annually, up to 20 employees) are add-ons on Standard; Premier includes them.
- Premier and Enterprise are billed annually only, and companies with more than 1,000 employees get a quote.
- Workable HR costs extra: $99 a month on its own, or $359 bundled with Standard recruiting, for up to 20 employees billed annually.
- Workable Agent uses AI credits: 1 per screen, 2 per sourced candidate, 10 per chat. 3,000 are free, then 5,000 cost $600; the trial excludes it.
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.
Workable
- Job distribution and careers page
- Posts to 200+ job boards, builds a careers page and jobs widget, and links Indeed Easy Apply and Apply with LinkedIn.
- Candidate sourcing
- Searches 400M+ candidate profiles, resurfaces past applicants and adds LinkedIn profiles through a Chrome extension.
- Interviews and evaluation
- Interview kits and scorecards, self-scheduled and multi-part interviews, two-way Gmail and Microsoft 365 calendar sync, and Zoom, Teams and Meet links.
- Workable Agent
- An AI add-on that screens applicants against an ideal candidate profile, finds passive candidates and chats with them, charged in AI credits.
- Compliance tools
- GDPR automation, candidate data retention rules and EEO, OFCCP and CCPA reporting on every plan.
- Workable HR
- An optional HR product with employee records, onboarding, e-signatures, time off, time tracking and payroll reports.
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.
Workable
Standard$299
per month for up to 20 employees, billed annually ($360 monthly)
Sourcing suite, ATS with unlimited active jobs, careers page, reports and API. Price rises with company size: $669 a month at 51 to 100 employees.
Premier$599
per month for up to 20 employees, billed annually only
Adds texting, video interviews, assessments, referrals, a hiring plan, 9 languages, SSO and priority support. $1,229 a month at 51 to 100 employees.
Enterprise$719
per month for up to 20 employees, billed annually only
Adds the custom report builder and extra permission sets to Premier. $1,469 a month at 51 to 100 employees; over 1,000 employees is quoted.
Ways to pay less
ApplicantStack
No public discounts listed.
Workable
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Workable's pricing page says annual billing saves 20%: Standard recruiting for up to 20 employees is $299 a month billed annually against $360 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ApplicantStack or Workable?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ApplicantStack is cheaper to start with: $29.99 a month, against $299 a month for Workable. ApplicantStack starts at $29.99 per month, and Workable starts at $299 per month for up to 20 employees, billed annually ($360 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ApplicantStack or Workable?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither ApplicantStack nor Workable has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do ApplicantStack and Workable run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Workable lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.