CATS vs JazzHR (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CATS grades higher than JazzHR: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CATS grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CATS
Applicant tracking and recruiting CRM with a single per-user plan
JazzHR
Applicant tracking for small businesses at a flat yearly price
Which one is for you
Pick CATS if
- Fits if you are a small recruiting agency that wants candidates and clients in one tool
- Works for recruiters who source from LinkedIn with a browser extension
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have several recruiters, at $89 per user a month with the billing basis not shown
- Watch out: moving data from an old system costs $500 on an annual plan or $1,000 on a monthly one
- Watch out: SMS texting is listed for the US and Canada only
- Skip it if you want a free plan; after the 30-day trial it is paid only
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
| 2.4GPACATSFair | 2.0GPAJazzHRFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$89 per user a month against a $95 middle price for hiring tools, inside the middle of the range. The page does not say which billing period it assumes. | 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 free 30-day trial and no free plan. The page we read does not say whether a card is needed. | FNo free plan and no trial on the pricing page. You pay before you've seen it. |
| Features | BCustom workflows, candidate and client CRM, a sourcing extension, careers pages, scheduling, texting and reporting. No gap in the core job shows on the listing. | 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 store rating on record. Workflows, careers pages and posting integrations need building before use. | 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 and a browser extension, with LinkedIn, Monster, CareerBuilder and WordPress. No phone or desktop app. | 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 | an ATS for small recruiting agencies | 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: CATS and JazzHR. How we grade
Price against what you get
CATS starts at $89 a month for each person and scores 2.7 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.
They score the same, and JazzHR starts $5.67 a month lower. Of the other hiring and applicant tracking tools on the chart, none scores higher than CATS 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
- CATS also covers sales pipeline.
At a glance
| CATS | JazzHR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $89 per user / month (billing period not stated) | $1,000 per year, billed annually ($110 a month billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 30-day trial | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Top Echelon Software, LLC | Employ Inc. |
| Price read from | catsone.com | jazzhr.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CATS
- The pricing page shows one per-user price and does not say whether it assumes monthly or annual billing.
- Data migration from an old system is a separate charge: $500 on an annual plan or $1,000 on a monthly one, per the migration page.
- SMS texting is listed for the US and Canada only.
- The terms of service name Top Echelon Software, LLC as the provider.
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
CATS
- Custom workflows
- Build the hiring pipeline stages your team uses, with multiple workflows for different teams or job types and automation triggered by status changes.
- Candidate and client CRM
- Keeps contacts, clients and candidates in one database with mass edit, a duplicate checker and custom fields.
- Sourcing extension
- Chrome and Firefox extensions parse candidate data from sites such as LinkedIn, Monster and CareerBuilder into the database.
- Careers pages and posting
- A customizable careers page or an embeddable jobs widget, multiple career portals and auto-publishing of jobs.
- Scheduling and texting
- A meeting scheduler for candidates and clients, 2-way calendar and email sync, and SMS texting in the US and Canada.
- Screening and reporting
- Knockout questions, scorecards, dashboards and reports, plus an API and webhooks for connecting other tools.
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
CATS
Pro$89
per user / month (billing basis not shown)
Careers page or jobs widget, workflow, meeting scheduler, SMS texting, calendar and email sync. Shown beside a crossed-out $110.
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
CATS
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, CATS or JazzHR?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CATS starts at $89 per user / month (billing period not stated), and JazzHR starts at $1,000 per year, billed annually ($110 a month billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, CATS or JazzHR?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither CATS nor JazzHR has a free plan. CATS has a free trial.
Which platforms do CATS and JazzHR run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CATS lists 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.