A free ATS is useful only if its current plan can carry the work your agency needs it to do. Start by separating a permanent free plan from a time-limited trial. Then test one mandate, one candidate handoff and one export before entering live data.
“Free” describes access, not fit. A community-maintained product, a vendor’s free edition and a temporary trial have different operating limits. Those limits can change, so treat every plan page as the source of truth for its own product.
Free plan or free trial?
A permanent free plan may be usable beyond an evaluation, subject to the provider’s current terms. A trial temporarily opens some or all paid features; when it ends, you may need to pay, move to a lower tier or export your records. Do not compare them as if both were ongoing free software.
For example, OpenCATS describes itself as a free, community-maintained applicant tracking system that teams host themselves. Zoho Recruit’s current plan page labels a Free edition and lists one active job per recruiter license. Those statements describe the vendors’ pages checked for this review; confirm the latest wording, region and terms before choosing either option. OpenCATS · Zoho Recruit pricing.
Run the same mandate through each option
Use a fictional or redacted mandate for the first comparison. A good test checks the work an agency actually repeats, rather than awarding points for a long feature list.
- Set the brief. Record the role, level, location, genuine must-haves and preferences. Note who may change the criteria.
- Bring in a small sample. Use fictional or properly approved test records. Check whether the candidate, source, current role and mandate stay connected.
- Review the handoff. Ask another consultant to find the evidence, open questions and next action without relying on a message outside the system.
- Check the exit. Export a sample and verify which fields, notes and source details come with it. Record any migration work before choosing.
- Confirm the access terms. On the provider’s official plan page, check which edition applies in your region, who can use it, what ends at trial close and what remains available.
A practical comparison sheet
| Question | What to observe | What remains unknown |
|---|---|---|
| Can we keep mandate context with the candidate? | Whether the same record shows its source, project relationship and next step. | Any role or visibility rule the test account did not demonstrate. |
| Can a colleague continue the work? | Whether they can understand why the profile is under review and what to do next. | Whether the workflow changes on a different plan or team setup. |
| Can we leave cleanly? | Which records and fields appear in the export, and whether they can be read elsewhere. | Any migration, support or retention condition not stated in the offer. |
Mark a question as unknown when the vendor has not shown it. A polished demo is not proof that a workflow, limit or export works for your team.
Test a connected sourcing and ATS workflow
Yena Sourcer lets your team build a structured search profile, review evidence for each requirement and choose which selected candidates to move into the ATS. Use the 10-day product trial to evaluate that connected workflow against one mandate. See the current Yena plan terms.
Some of our customers
Try it with your team
Test one mandate in Yena’s 10-day trial
Build the search profile, review the evidence for each requirement and decide which selected candidate should move into the ATS.
- Separate must-haves from preferences
- Open the profile evidence and mark what remains unknown
- Review the selected candidate record before continuing
The decision is simple: keep a free option only if it carries the actual handoff your agency needs and has a workable exit. If it does not, compare the cost of the missing workflow with the operational effort of switching—not with an assumed savings figure.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free ATS the same as a free trial?
No. A free plan may remain available with limits; a trial gives temporary access to a paid product. Confirm the current terms on the provider’s official page before planning a live search around either one.
Can a recruitment agency run a mandate on a free ATS?
Possibly, if its actual workflow fits. Test one mandate from brief through candidate handoff, then check whether another consultant can see the right context and whether you can export the records.
Is Yena’s trial a free ATS plan?
No. Yena offers a separate 10-day product trial for evaluation. It is time-limited and should not be described as a permanent free plan.