The Top Echelon Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Top Echelon in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Top Echelon
The Insider’s Guide
ATS and recruiting CRM for recruiting agencies and staffing firms
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among hiring and applicant tracking tools, read from Top Echelon’s own pages.
Made by Top Echelon · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Top Echelon’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Top Echelon’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 9 of the 14 other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade
Top Echelon makes TE Recruit, formerly Big Biller, an applicant tracker and client CRM for recruiting agencies, executive search and small staffing firms rather than for a company's own hiring. It keeps candidates, client companies, job orders and placements in one system, and Top Echelon also runs TE Network, a split-placement network where member recruiters share candidates and jobs.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Top Echelon, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No App Store rating on record, and you'll set up pipelines, a careers page and job board links before it earns its keep.
- 1
Best for small recruiting agencies and solo recruiters
Top Echelon's TE Recruit is a tracker and client CRM for recruiting agencies, keeping candidates, clients, job orders and placements together.
- 2
Paid plans start at $79 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $79 per month, billed annually ($95 billed monthly).
- 3
You can try it first
30-day free trial of TE Recruit, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on Web
Web, with a browser extension too.
- 5
ATS and client CRM in one
Tracks candidates, client companies, job orders, communications and placements together, with hotlists of people, companies or jobs.
- 6
Resume parsing and search
Parses resumes and job descriptions, with full-text and advanced search on Standard and natural-language search on Professional.
- 7
One-click job posting
Posts openings to several job boards and a custom careers page at once, with boards such as Indeed, ZipRecruiter and Dice linked.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 9 of 14
That is against the other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Top Echelon you would be making jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Top Echelon at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $79 per month, billed annually ($95 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of TE Recruit, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, Browser extension
- Made by
- Top Echelon, since 1988
- Category
- Hiring & Applicant Tracking
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for small recruiting agencies and solo recruiters
Top Echelon's TE Recruit is a tracker and client CRM for recruiting agencies, keeping candidates, clients, job orders and placements together. There's a 30-day trial with no card. Just know the page never says whether its $79 a month is per recruiter or per agency.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Graded against the agency tools it's listed beside. Standard is $79 a month on yearly billing ($95 monthly), but the page doesn't say if that's per user or per agency, so a ten-person agency pays $79 or many times that. Data enrichment is $29 a month more. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan, but a 30-day trial of TE Recruit with no card needed. That's longer than most trials in this category. |
| Features | B | Candidates, client companies, job orders and placements in one system, with resume parsing, hotlists, a careers page and one-click job posting, plus sequences and automations on Professional. The whole agency job, with enrichment as a paid extra. |
| Ease of use | C | No App Store rating on record, and you'll set up pipelines, a careers page and job board links before it earns its keep. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web and a browser extension, with Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Dice, ZoomInfo, Checkr and RingCentral linked, and an API on Professional. No phone or desktop app on record. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Top Echelon is for
- Great if you're an independent recruiter placing candidates with clients
- Handy when you're moving off Big Biller, which is what this used to be called
- Good for US and Canadian recruiters who want to split placements on TE Network
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you're hiring your own staff, as it's built for agencies
- Skip it if you need the per-seat price up front, as the page doesn't say
- Pricey if you join TE Network too, at $135 a month on yearly billing on top
Good to know
Good for
- Independent recruiters and small recruiting agencies
- Executive search firms that track clients and job orders
- Agencies moving off Big Biller or another agency ATS
Worth knowing
- Built for recruiting agencies placing candidates with clients, not for a company hiring its own staff.
- The pricing page does not say whether prices are per user or per agency; contact Top Echelon to confirm the seat count.
- Data Enrichment costs $29 per agency a month for 100 credits, then $0.50 each; texting and job board posting may need extra subscriptions.
- TE Network is a separate membership: $150 per agency a month with a $350 startup fee, or $135 a month billed annually with the fee waived.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$79
A month to start
Top Echelon is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $79 per month, billed annually ($95 billed monthly).
Graded against the agency tools it's listed beside.
Standard
$79
per month, billed annually ($95 monthly); seat basis not stated
Resume and job parsing, pipelines, hotlists, a careers page, browser extension, job board links, 5,000 emails a month and 10 GB of storage.
Professional
$95
per month, billed annually ($115 monthly); seat basis not stated
Adds Smart-TE AI, automations, email sequences, inbound email sync, custom application forms and domain, API access, 10,000 emails and 100 GB.
Trying it first
30-day free trial of TE Recruit, no credit card required
Read from topechelon.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Lower price with annual billing
TE Recruit Standard is $79 a month billed annually against $95 billed monthly, and Professional $95 against $115.
Stated on topechelon.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Browser extension
ATS and recruiting CRM for recruiting agencies and staffing firms. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, workflow automation, reports, applicant tracking, job board posting.
The whole agency job, with enrichment as a paid extra.
- ATS and client CRM in one
- Tracks candidates, client companies, job orders, communications and placements together, with hotlists of people, companies or jobs.
- Resume parsing and search
- Parses resumes and job descriptions, with full-text and advanced search on Standard and natural-language search on Professional.
- One-click job posting
- Posts openings to several job boards and a custom careers page at once, with boards such as Indeed, ZipRecruiter and Dice linked.
- Sequences and automations
- Professional adds email sequences, automated workflows, inbound email sync and Smart-TE AI for repetitive recruiting steps.
- Data enrichment
- A paid add-on that adds missing emails, phone numbers and work history to records, with 100 credits a month for $29 and more at $0.50 each.
- TE Network split placements
- A separate membership for recruiters based in the US and Canada to share candidates and job orders with each other and split placements.
Where it runs
- Web
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Indeed
- ZipRecruiter
- Dice
- ZoomInfo
- Checkr
- RingCentral
- SparkHire
- SourceWhale
Top Echelon is made by Top Echelon, and has been around since 1988.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
9/14
Other hiring and applicant tracking tools it is graded above
Top Echelon's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 9 of the 14 other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on features (B, above 1 of 14) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $79 a month, against a middle price of $89.17 for the category: 3 of the 9 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Top Echelon’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 14
- CFree plan and trialAbove 6 of 14
- BFeaturesAbove 1 of 14
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 14
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 10 hiring and applicant tracking tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Top Echelon is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Top Echelon you would be making jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $948 a year.
What you could make
- Applicant tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Top Echelon’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Recruit CRM, Manatal, Zoho Recruit and JazzHR
The 4 tools Top Echelon is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Recruit CRM
Free trial · from $95/mo
ATS and client CRM for recruitment agencies, with AI agents.
- Only Recruit CRM lists iOS and Android apps.
- Top Echelon also covers reports.
- Recruit CRM also covers time tracking and AI agents.
- 2.8GPA
Manatal
Free trial · from $15/mo
Low-cost per-user ATS and recruitment CRM with AI candidate matching.
- 2.6GPA
Zoho Recruit
Free plan · from $25/mo
Per-recruiter ATS and recruitment CRM with a free one-job plan.
- Zoho Recruit has a free plan. Top Echelon does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Top Echelon lists a browser extension.
- Only Zoho Recruit lists iOS and Android apps.
- 2.0GPA
JazzHR
From $1,000/yr
Applicant tracking for small businesses at a flat yearly price.
- Only Top Echelon lists a browser extension.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Top Echelon free?
No, Top Echelon is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial of TE Recruit, no credit card required.
How much does Top Echelon cost?
Top Echelon lists 2 plans. Standard: $79 per month, billed annually ($95 monthly); seat basis not stated.
What platforms does Top Echelon work on?
Top Echelon is available on Web. It also has a browser extension.
Does Top Echelon offer any discounts?
Top Echelon publicly lists the following: Lower price with annual billing.
Does Top Echelon have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Top Echelon is listed for Web.
Does Top Echelon have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Top Echelon is listed for Web.
Is Top Echelon open source?
Top Echelon is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Top Echelon integrate with?
Top Echelon's listing names Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Dice, ZoomInfo, Checkr, RingCentral, SparkHire and SourceWhale.
Who makes Top Echelon?
Top Echelon is made by Top Echelon. It dates from 1988.
What are the alternatives to Top Echelon?
The closest alternatives to Top Echelon in our directory are Recruit CRM, Manatal, Zoho Recruit and JazzHR.
How does Top Echelon compare with other hiring and applicant tracking tools?
Top Echelon's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 9 of the 14 other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, and level with 2.
Is Top Echelon good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Top Echelon C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $79 a month, against a middle price of $89.17 for the category: 3 of the 9 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Top Echelon?
To replace Top Echelon you would be making jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Top Echelon’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Top Echelon's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Top Echelon. Prices change, so check topechelon.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Top Echelon, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/top-echelon
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Top Echelon: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/top-echelon
Know someone choosing between hiring and applicant tracking tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/top-echelon/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded hiring and applicant tracking tools after Top Echelon, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Hiring & Applicant Tracking Insider's GuideEvery one of the 15 hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, compared
- Manatal Insider's GuideLow-cost per-user ATS and recruitment CRM with AI candidate matching2.8 GPA
- Breezy HR Insider's GuideFlat-priced applicant tracking with a free one-job plan2.6 GPA
- Zoho Recruit Insider's GuidePer-recruiter ATS and recruitment CRM with a free one-job plan2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Top Echelon’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Top Echelon is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Top Echelon. Prices and plans change: check topechelon.com before you buy.