An ATS without an HRIS

Yes, you can buy an applicant tracking system just for hiring. Five of the seven products below are sold that way. The other two are HR platforms with hiring inside. BambooHR shows no hiring-only plan, and Rippling says its recruiting product requires its HRIS. Below are all seven in two groups, with what each one sells, what it costs, and where interview guides and scorecards start. Everything was checked on November 9, 2026. Yardstick is our product and is one of the seven.

Jump to the sevenSee the side-by-side table

How this list works.

  1. 1"Sold on its own" means the vendor's pricing page offers a hiring plan you can buy without its HR product.Where a vendor's page does not say, the entry says what the page does show instead of guessing.
  2. 2Every price and plan fact is from the vendor's own site, checked on November 9, 2026.Prices change. If a vendor's page and this page disagree, the vendor's page wins.
  3. 3The list is grouped, not ranked.HR platforms with an applicant tracking system inside come first, then products sold for hiring on their own. Alphabetical within each group.
  4. 4Yardstick is our product.It is one row, held to the same columns as the others, and it is the only row we can speak for from the inside.

The seven, in two groups

An ATS inside an HR platform

  • BambooHR — An HR platform with an applicant tracking system on every plan; the pricing page shows no hiring-only plan

    Best for: a company that wants employee records, time off, and hiring from one vendor.

    • BambooHR's pricing page lists the applicant tracking system as part of its HR plans, next to employee records and time off. It shows no plan for hiring alone.
    • At 25 employees or fewer, the plans are a flat monthly price: Core $250, Pro $425, and Elite $650. Above 25 employees, the price is per employee.
    • Core allows 5 open jobs, Pro 25, and Elite 50.
    • BambooHR's applicant tracking page lists automatic data transfer from the ATS to employee records, and collaborative candidate review that keeps feedback organized. It does not mention interview scorecards.

    Watch-out: The pricing page does not list interview guides or scorecards on any plan. BambooHR against a standalone ATS is on our BambooHR vs Greenhouse page.

  • Rippling Recruiting — An applicant tracking system that Rippling says requires its base HRIS platform; recruiting is quoted

    Best for: a company that already runs, or plans to run, payroll and HR on Rippling.

    • Rippling's own recruiting review (published January 2026) answers "Can I use Rippling Recruiting without Rippling HRIS?" with no, because Recruiting requires the base HRIS platform.
    • Rippling's pricing page lists Recruiting as one product in its HR group and says plans start at $8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee. The review says Recruiting itself is priced by quote.
    • Rippling says Recruiting is natively integrated with its HRIS, and that AI summaries of recorded interviews speed up scorecard completion.

    Watch-out: The recruiting bill sits on top of the HRIS bill, and the recruiting price comes from a quote. Rippling against a standalone ATS is on our Rippling vs Greenhouse page.

Applicant tracking systems sold for hiring on their own

  • Breezy HR — Hiring plans from $157 a month on annual billing; onboarding is a separate add-on

    Best for: a small team that wants a flat monthly price for hiring.

    • Startup is $157 a month, Growth $273, and Business $439 on annual billing, or $189, $329, and $529 billed monthly. Custom Pro is quoted.
    • Breezy's pricing page says it does not have a free plan and offers a 14-day trial of every feature with no credit card.
    • Customizable interview guides and scorecards start on Growth.
    • Breezy Onboard is an optional add-on from $49 a month that syncs with the Breezy ATS. Breezy Perform, for performance reviews, is a separate product.

    Watch-out: Interview guides and scorecards need Growth at least. Breezy's plans in more detail are on our Breezy HR pricing page.

  • Greenhouse — A standalone applicant tracking system, priced by quote, with interview kits and scorecards on every plan

    Best for: a growing company that wants a full hiring system and already has an HR system.

    • Greenhouse sells three plans, Core, Plus, and Pro, and publishes no price. Its pricing page says the cost depends on your hiring volume and organizational complexity.
    • Structured interview kits and scorecards are on Core, so they are on every plan.
    • Greenhouse's pricing page lists hiring features only. It does not mention HR records or payroll.

    Watch-out: You need a sales call to get a number. What public sources say about it is on our Greenhouse pricing page.

  • JazzHR — Hiring plans from $1,000 a year; integrates with payroll and HRIS platforms rather than including them

    Best for: a small team hiring a few roles at a time.

    • Hero is $1,000 a year, Plus $3,480 a year, and Pro $5,508 a year, billed annually. JazzHR says paying yearly saves up to 24% against monthly billing.
    • Structured interviews and assessments start on Plus.
    • JazzHR's pricing page says it integrates with payroll, background check, onboarding, and HRIS platforms. No HR or payroll features are listed on any plan.

    Watch-out: The headline figures are yearly. JazzHR offers monthly billing too, and says paying yearly saves up to 24%. More is on our JazzHR pricing page.

  • Workable — Recruiting priced by employee band from $299 a month billed annually, with HR as an optional extra you switch on

    Best for: a company that wants interview kits on the entry plan and may add HR from the same vendor later.

    • Workable's pricing page shows recruiting switched on by default and HR as a separate switch you can add, with the line "Bundle recruiting and HR to save up to 20%".
    • At 1 to 20 employees, recruiting on Standard is $299 a month, Premier $599, and Enterprise $719, billed annually. Standard is $360 billed monthly.
    • Interview kits and scorecards are listed among the features on every plan.
    • Workable's HR side lists an HR information system, onboarding, time off, payroll preparation, and payroll integrations. Workable offers a 15-day free trial with no credit card.

    Watch-out: The price moves with your employee band, so read the band you expect to be in next year. More is on our Workable pricing page.

  • Yardstick — Hiring software only, priced per open role from free, with an AI-designed interview guide for each role

    Best for: a small company that has an HR or payroll system already and wants the hiring manager to run a strong interview loop.

    • Yardstick's AI designs the interview guide and scorecard for each role, so every candidate has the same important conversation and is scored against the same written anchors. Your team edits both, and both are on every account, including free.
    • Your first 3 Jobs are free. After that, Core is $49 a month plus $29 per open role, and Scale is $149 a month plus $19 per open role. Billing is monthly, there is no annual plan, and a role you close stops billing the next month.
    • Interviewers open their interview kit and scorecard from a magic link, so there are no seats to buy for them.
    • Your AI agent (Claude Code, Codex, ChatGPT, or Claude) can pull a new hire's details from Yardstick over the MCP server or the public API when you set them up in your HR system. It asks you before it publishes a job, advances or rejects a candidate, or sends a one-off email to one.

    Watch-out: Yardstick is not an HRIS and has no built-in HRIS integration. Employee records, time off, and payroll stay in the HR system you already use.

Side by side, as published on November 9, 2026.

The table scrolls sideways on a phone.

ProductCan you buy hiring on its own?Price based onPublished priceInterview guides and scorecards from
BambooHRNo hiring-only plan on the pricing pageEmployeesCore $250/month, Pro $425/month, Elite $650/month at 25 employees or fewerNot listed on the pricing page
Rippling RecruitingNo (requires Rippling's base HRIS, per Rippling)EmployeesFrom $8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee; Recruiting quotedScorecards mentioned; plan not stated
Breezy HRYes (Onboard is an add-on)Flat price per planStartup $157/month, Growth $273/month, Business $439/month on annual billingGrowth
GreenhouseYesQuote (hiring volume and complexity)Not publishedCore (every plan)
JazzHRYes (integrates with HRIS and payroll)Flat fee by planHero $1,000/yr, Plus $3,480/yr, Pro $5,508/yr billed annually; monthly billing offeredStructured interviews: Plus
WorkableYes (HR is an optional switch)Employee bandStandard $299/month billed annually at 1 to 20 employeesStandard (every plan)
YardstickYes (hiring only, not an HRIS)Open roles; no seats for interviewersFirst 3 Jobs free; Core $49/month + $29 per open role; Scale $149/month + $19 per open roleFree (every account)

Choosing between the two groups.

Start with what you already pay for. If payroll and employee records already live in an HR system, an ATS inside a different HR platform means paying for a second set of HR features you will not use. A hiring-only product sits next to the system you have.

If you have no HR system yet and want one vendor for everything, an HR platform with hiring inside puts both under one vendor. Check its open-job limits against how many roles you run at once, and ask whether interview guides and scorecards are included, since BambooHR's pricing page does not list them and Rippling's pages do not say which plan includes scorecards.

Then look at the handoff. Once someone accepts the offer, their name, start date, and pay need to reach payroll. An HR platform does that inside one product. With a standalone ATS, it is an integration or some typing for each hire. For a company making a handful of hires a year, that handoff is small.

Last, compare what the bill is based on. BambooHR, Rippling, and Workable price by headcount, Breezy HR and JazzHR by plan, and Yardstick by open role. To see eight pricing pages side by side, read the ATS pricing comparison. If you are not sure you need an ATS yet, start with do I need an ATS.

Common questions about an ATS without an HRIS.

Can I buy an applicant tracking system without an HRIS?

Yes. Breezy HR, Greenhouse, JazzHR, Workable, and Yardstick all sell hiring without an HR product, according to their own sites on November 9, 2026. BambooHR shows no hiring-only plan on its pricing page, and Rippling says Rippling Recruiting requires its base HRIS platform.

What is the difference between an ATS and an HRIS?

An applicant tracking system runs hiring: jobs, applicants, interviews, scorecards, and the decision. An HRIS keeps records of the people you have already hired, such as employee details, time off, and often payroll and benefits. A new hire moves from the first to the second once they accept the offer.

Does BambooHR sell its applicant tracking system on its own?

BambooHR's pricing page lists the applicant tracking system as part of its HR plans, next to employee records and time off, and shows no hiring-only plan (checked November 9, 2026). At 25 employees or fewer, Core is $250 a month and allows 5 open jobs.

Can I use Rippling Recruiting without Rippling HRIS?

No, according to Rippling's own recruiting review (published January 2026, checked November 9, 2026), which says Rippling Recruiting requires the base HRIS platform. Rippling's pricing page says plans start at $8 per employee per month with a monthly base fee, and the review says Recruiting is priced by quote.

What does a standalone ATS cost for a small company?

Published prices on November 9, 2026: Breezy HR from $157 a month on annual billing, Workable from $299 a month billed annually at 1 to 20 employees, JazzHR from $1,000 a year, and Yardstick free for 3 Jobs, then $49 a month plus $29 per open role. Greenhouse quotes its price.

How do new hires get from a standalone ATS into my HR system?

Through an integration if the two products have one, or by entering the new hire's details yourself. JazzHR says on its pricing page (checked November 9, 2026) that it integrates with payroll and HRIS platforms. Yardstick is not an HRIS and has no built-in HRIS integration. Your AI agent can pull the new hire's details from Yardstick over MCP or the API when you set them up in your HR system.

How current is this page?

Every price and plan fact was read from the vendor's own site on November 9, 2026. We re-check them every quarter. If a vendor's page and this page disagree, the vendor's page wins.

Hiring software that sits next to your HR system.

Yardstick runs your hiring and leaves employee records to the system you already use. Your first three Jobs are free, each one gets an AI-designed interview guide and scorecard, and there are no seats to buy for interviewers.

Start freeSee pricing