ATS / Country recommendation
Best ATS in the US: Greenhouse or Ashby?
Compare the recommended shortlist
| Product & position | Why choose it? | What changes the choice? | Cost boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1GreenhouseOur starting point | The first demo for structured interviewing: documented interview kits, scorecards and coordinated workflows. For a US ADP Workforce Now customer there is also a specifically documented HRIS Link connector path. | Move Ashby Plus into first place if custom reporting and recruiting operations analysis are the primary buying reason. Prefer Workable for a leaner first-ATS brief after checking the correct price band. | Core/Plus/Pro quote only. HRIS Link for ADP is an add-on with an ADP Marketplace connector purchase. |
| 2AshbyCompare next | Plus is the first alternative for a recruiting-operations team that needs custom reporting alongside the ATS. Ashby explicitly limits custom reports to Plus, Enterprise and Legacy Plus. | Choose it first when ownership of reporting is clear and the team will actually use that depth. If only analytics is missing, consider its separate analytics product before replacing an incumbent ATS. | Plus is quoted for 101–1,000 employees. The displayed $400/month Foundations configuration is for up to 100 employees and is not a Plus price. |
| 3WorkableAlternative when requirements change | The alternative for a lean US team wanting a broad dedicated recruiting package without starting from a large recruiting-operations brief. | Move it first when straightforward hiring, implementation effort and total quoted cost matter more than custom analytics; check assessments, texting and video interview entitlements. | Default 1–20 employee annual configuration displays $299/month ($3,588/year). Larger company prices differ; Standard extras and Premier inclusions need matching. |
A US employer with roughly 100–1,000 employees, an in-house recruiting function and an existing payroll/HR platform. It needs repeatable interviews and hiring-manager discipline. This is an editorial scenario, not a universal US ranking.
What must work in the US?
Make the interview standard visible
Run the same role through Greenhouse and Ashby. Require an interview plan, role-specific scorecard, interviewer permissions and incomplete-feedback follow-up. Judge the work required to keep the process consistent, not the number of AI features.
Evidence: Greenhouse scalable workflows · Greenhouse current pricing tiers · Ashby pricing
Prove the actual US HR/payroll connection
For ADP Workforce Now, Greenhouse documents an HRIS Link add-on purchased with an ADP Marketplace connector, available for purchase to ADP US customers. It imports users and exports new hires; it is not a claim of unrestricted two-way payroll sync. The connector cannot be used in a sandbox. Arrange an approved test method.
Evidence: Greenhouse HRIS Link for ADP Workforce Now
Build one report your team cannot produce today
Ask Ashby to build a role/location funnel or time-based report using permitted fields and demonstrate who can see it. Custom reports require Plus or above. Do not use the Foundations headline to budget this capability.
Evidence: Ashby custom reports and plan eligibility · Ashby pricing
Configure demographic collection deliberately
Decide which voluntary collection and reporting process actually applies to the employer. Greenhouse distinguishes its demographic tools and cautions about the intended use of its EEOC-specific questions. Software configuration is not a determination of your legal obligations.
Evidence: Greenhouse equal opportunity and affirmative action overview
Who else belongs in the comparison?
These alternatives answer different requirements. They are not ordered as a second universal ranking.
Pinpoint
Consider for a US employer with several role-specific workflows and approval chains.
Bring it into the pair if process variation across departments is more important than the analytics-led Ashby use case. Verify your exact HRIS connector separately.
Quote only; scope and implementation priced to the hiring brief.
Evidence: Pinpoint recruitment workflows · Pinpoint approval workflows · Pinpoint request pricing
Teamtailor
Consider where the candidate-facing careers site and manager adoption are the main improvement sought.
Wins when employer-brand presentation matters more than bespoke reporting; price approvals and multiple brands explicitly.
Quote only; Premium requisitions/approval flows and multi-brand management.
Compare the scope behind the price
| Product | Price basis | What changes this comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse vs Ashby Plus | Get annual quotes for the same employee count, recruiter/admin access, migration, SSO, reporting, HRIS connector and support needs. | Greenhouse BI Connector sits in Plus and audit log in Pro; Ashby custom reports need Plus or above. Cheapest plan names are not comparable baskets. |
| Workable vs a bundled HRIS ATS | Compare incremental ATS module cost with a full Workable quote for your company size and assessment/texting needs. | Do not justify replacement using a 1–20 employee headline or assume every HRIS subscription includes its recruiting module. |
Where this recommendation stops
Recruitee and softgarden
Not in the first US pair because this scenario prioritises structured interviewing, custom analytics and an evidenced ADP US handoff. Their stronger differentiated case in this research is European recruiting; no claim is made that they cannot support US hiring.
Lever and enterprise suites
Not scored in this evidence set. An existing enterprise suite or a sourcing-CRM-led brief warrants a separate assessment; this shortlist is not an exhaustive comparison of the US market.
Choose your first two demos
Book the first two demos with Greenhouse and Ashby. Substitute Workable when its specific requirement matters more. Read their assessments, then ask both suppliers to demonstrate the same workflow using fictional employee or candidate records.
- Read the Greenhouse assessment — The first demo for structured interviewing: documented interview kits, scorecards and coordinated workflows. For a US ADP Workforce Now customer there is also a specifically documented HRIS Link connector path.
- Read the Ashby assessment — Plus is the first alternative for a recruiting-operations team that needs custom reporting alongside the ATS. Ashby explicitly limits custom reports to Plus, Enterprise and Legacy Plus.
- Read the Workable assessment — The alternative for a lean US team wanting a broad dedicated recruiting package without starting from a large recruiting-operations brief.
Read the full product assessment before requesting a demo. Bring the same buying brief to both suppliers.
Questions buyers ask
Can Greenhouse send hires to ADP Workforce Now?
Greenhouse documents an HRIS Link add-on and an ADP Marketplace connector, purchasable by ADP US customers. It supports user import and new-hire export, including US and international hires. Confirm required fields and testing arrangements: the connector is unavailable in a sandbox. This is not proof of a complete payroll sync.
Does Ashby cost $400 a month for a 200-person company?
No published evidence supports that conclusion. The displayed $400/month configuration is Foundations for companies up to 100 employees. Plus serves 101–1,000 employees and is quoted; custom reports require Plus, Enterprise or Legacy Plus. Price the plan that contains the reason you are buying.
Should we keep the ATS inside our HR platform?
Keep it if it can handle your real requisitions, interview permissions, feedback and reporting without material workarounds. A dedicated ATS becomes easier to justify when one of those tasks fails. Demo the same vacancy in both systems and compare the added licence, connector, migration and admin cost; do not presume another system is necessary.
Greenhouse scalable workflows · Workable pricing and module selector
Does a US ATS make EEOC reporting compliant automatically?
No. Greenhouse provides collection and reporting tools, but its guidance distinguishes the intended use of EEOC-specific questions from other demographic collection. Establish the employer’s applicable process before enabling questions. An available report is not a compliance certification.
Greenhouse equal opportunity and affirmative action overview
Sources and research scope
Primary supplier product, pricing and support documentation checked 3 November 2026. Recommendations are editorial judgements for the stated buying brief, not measured market shares, exhaustive rankings or hands-on product tests. No supplier quote or real enquiry was obtained. A documented feature does not establish implementation quality. Sponsorship does not buy editorial positions.
- Greenhouse current pricing tiersPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Greenhouse scalable workflowsPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Greenhouse HRIS Link for ADP Workforce NowPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Greenhouse equal opportunity and affirmative action overviewPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Ashby pricingPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Ashby custom reports and plan eligibilityPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Workable pricing and module selectorPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Pinpoint recruitment workflowsPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Pinpoint approval workflowsPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Pinpoint request pricingPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.
- Teamtailor pricing and feature inclusionsPrimary supplier documentation; checked 2026-11-03.