Most ATS vendors for growing companies don't publish full pricing. Of the seven we cover, four show a price on their pricing page, mostly for their smallest customers: Workable, from $299 a month for 1 to 20 employees; Gem, for its startup program for 1 to 10 employees; Ashby, which shows $400 a month for its plan for companies up to 100 employees; and Kula, which shows $5,120 a year. Greenhouse, Lever, and Workday Recruiting quote on request, and Gem quotes above its startup program. Price is usually driven by employee count and plan, with add-ons and usage on top.
What each ATS vendor publishes
| Vendor | What's published | Priced by | Paid add-ons named publicly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse | No prices. Core, Plus, and Pro plans, each with "Get a demo." | Plan, hiring volume and organizational complexity, features needed | None priced publicly |
| Ashby | Foundations (up to 100 employees) shows $400 a month. Plus and Enterprise are quoted. | Company size, usage, and commitment | SSO ($100 a month on Foundations), AI Notetaker, Advanced Scheduling, extra texts ($90 per 1,000), extra AI credits |
| Lever | No prices. Quote on request. | Team size and hiring needs | Candidate Insights, AI Screening by VONQ, Onboarding |
| Gem | Custom pricing for its main plans. A startup program for 1 to 10 employees shows a monthly price ($270 and $130 are both displayed, unlabeled). Companies under 30 employees get Gem All-in-One free for six months, then 50% off. | Employee count, with standard and AI-powered seat types | Scheduling add-ons |
| Workday Recruiting | No prices published. | Not published | Not published |
| Workable | Standard $299, Premier $599, and Enterprise $719 a month, for 1 to 20 employees | Plan and employee-count tier, with nine tiers up to 1,000+ | On Standard: Texting+ ($89 a month), Video interviews+ ($109), Assessments+ ($59). AI credit packs from $600. |
| Kula | $5,120 a year shown, plus a custom-pricing option | Headcount. Kula says there are no add-ons or usage fees. | None, per Kula |
The four ways ATS vendors price
- By employee count. The most common model here. Workable, Kula, Gem, and Ashby's smallest plan all tie price to company headcount, so your bill can rise as the company grows, even if hiring doesn't.
- By plan tier. Greenhouse sells Core, Plus, and Pro, and Workable sells Standard, Premier, and Enterprise. Features like texting, BI connectors, or audit logs often sit in higher tiers, which can force an upgrade.
- By usage. AI credits, texting, and email lookups are increasingly metered. Ashby allots AI credits and texts per seat on its larger plans, and Workable includes 3,000 AI credits with each plan and sells more in packs.
- By add-on. Notetakers, scheduling, video interviews, assessments, onboarding, and SSO are often priced apart from the core ATS.
Costs that don't show up on the pricing page
Published prices are a starting point. Before you compare totals, ask every vendor about these:
- Implementation and onboarding. Is setup, data migration, and training included, or billed separately?
- Integrations and API access. Does any integration you need cost extra, on the ATS side or the partner's?
- Usage overages. What happens when you run out of AI credits, texts, or lookups, and what's the overage rate?
- Growth. If you're priced by headcount, what happens when you cross into the next band mid-contract?
- Renewal increases. What's the annual increase cap, and will they put it in writing before you sign year one?
How to get a real number faster
- Lead with your employee count, your hiring volume for the next 12 months, and your must-have features. Vendors that quote need all three.
- Ask for a line-item quote, not a single total, so you can compare add-ons across vendors.
- Compare three-year cost including the renewal cap, not just year one.
- Run at least two quotes at the same time. It's the simplest leverage you have.
Comparing two finalists? See Greenhouse vs Ashby, and use our renewal checklist before you sign.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ATS cost per month?
It depends on company size and plan. Among vendors that publish prices, Gem's startup program (1 to 10 employees) and Workable's Standard plan ($299 a month for 1 to 20 employees) show the lowest figures. Ashby shows $400 a month for its plan for companies up to 100 employees, without saying which size that applies to, and Kula shows $5,120 a year. Larger companies should expect custom quotes from every vendor on this list.
Is ATS pricing per user?
Mostly not. Most vendors on this list price by employee count or plan. Some meter parts of the product per seat: Ashby allots AI credits and texts per seat on its larger plans, and Gem has standard and AI-powered seat types.
Why don't Greenhouse and Lever publish prices?
Both say pricing is tailored. Greenhouse says it depends on your plan, hiring volume and organizational complexity, and features. Lever says its pricing scales with your team size and hiring needs. You'll get a number after a demo.
Which ATS on this list is cheapest?
On published prices alone, Gem's startup program for companies with 1 to 10 employees shows the lowest monthly price, followed by Workable's Standard plan at $299 a month for 1 to 20 employees. That only covers vendors that publish prices, each price applies to a different company size, and add-ons and usage can change the total.
Sources
- Greenhouse pricing, checked October 24, 2026.
- Ashby pricing, checked October 24, 2026.
- Lever pricing, checked October 24, 2026.
- Gem pricing, checked October 24, 2026.
- Workday Recruiting, checked October 24, 2026.
- Workable pricing, checked October 24, 2026.
- Kula pricing, checked October 24, 2026.
Vendors change plans and prices often. If something here is out of date, tell us at team@backchannelguides.com and we'll fix it.