Join is an applicant tracking system for small and mid-sized businesses. Publish a job ad, collect every application in one pipeline, screen against the job requirements, schedule interviews, record feedback, and send the offer. Start with a 14-day Advanced trial. Standard costs €20 per active job each month after the trial.
Start with the full workflow. Keep the cost tied to active hiring.
14 days
Advanced trial with no credit card
Up to 5
active jobs during the trial
10+
organic boards in the distribution network
€20
per active job each month on Standard
HOW TO CHOOSE AN ATS
Check the work behind the feature list.
A useful comparison follows one application from its source to the final decision. It also shows who can access the record and what the advertised price excludes.
Question to ask
What to verify
How Join handles it
Application intake
Where do applications arrive?
One current record rather than copied entries
The application enters the pipeline for its job
Is the source retained?
The original board or careers page stays identifiable
The source is attached to the application
Can we publish from the same tool?
Job distribution is connected to candidate tracking
Organic distribution uses the compatible boards available from a 10+ network; paid boards are optional
Selection and control
How are candidates compared?
The same requirements and evidence for each person
Screening questions and shared scorecards
Where does communication live?
Messages remain connected to the candidate
Templates, sends, and history on the candidate profile
Who can see the record?
Access follows each person's hiring role
Job-level roles and permissions
How is candidate data handled?
Export, retention, and deletion can be carried out
Consent status, export, redaction, and erasure tools
01 · COLLECT
The job ad and its applications stay connected.
Create the job ad in Join and publish it once. Join distributes it to the compatible organic boards available for the job from a network of more than 10. You can add paid regional or specialist reach separately. Every incoming application is assigned to the job pipeline with its source, CV, and activity on the same record.
One job record for publication status and applications
A structured candidate profile built from the CV
The acquisition source attached to each application
CSV import for candidates already in an active process
02 · DECIDE
Define the evidence before the interview.
Use screening questions for requirements that genuinely decide whether someone can do the job. Prepare a scorecard before interviews begin, ask the same core questions, and keep each review on the candidate profile. The team can see where assessments agree and where another conversation is needed.
Screening questions tied to the job requirements
Shared scorecards using the same criteria and scale
Interview scheduling connected to the candidate record
03 · FOLLOW THROUGH
Keep the decision and the conversation together.
Candidate messages, internal notes, interview details, and the offer remain on the same profile. Automations can send selected updates, add tags, or move an application after a defined trigger. The hiring team still owns the assessment and final decision.
A shared communication history for authorised reviewers
Automations limited to the administrative steps you define
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that keeps applications, candidate records, hiring stages, messages, interviews, evaluations, and offers together. It gives authorised reviewers one current record for each candidate and job instead of splitting the process across job boards, email, calendars, and spreadsheets.
What is the difference between an ATS and an HRIS?
An ATS manages the work before a person is hired: advertising the job, receiving applications, assessing candidates, arranging interviews, and recording the offer. A human resources information system (HRIS) primarily manages employee data and post-hire processes such as payroll, absence, time, and performance. Some suites combine both. Join concentrates on recruitment and can sit alongside an existing HRIS.
When does a small business need an ATS?
An ATS becomes useful when applications arrive from several sources, another person joins the decision, follow-ups depend on memory, or candidate information is copied between email and a spreadsheet. A business making one occasional hire with a single reviewer may not need a large system. Start with the smallest workflow that gives the team one reliable record.
Is Join designed for small and mid-sized businesses?
Yes. Join combines job advertising and candidate tracking, charges per active job rather than per user, and supports unlimited users and candidates. That model suits an in-house team whose hiring volume changes during the year. More than 20,000 teams use Join.
Does Join offer a free applicant tracking system?
Join does not offer a permanently free ATS plan. The Advanced trial lasts 14 days, includes up to five active jobs, requires no credit card, and ends automatically. You pay only if you choose a paid plan after the trial.
How much does Join's ATS cost?
Standard starts at €20 per active job each month after the trial. Users and candidates are unlimited. Organic distribution is included; optional paid job-board placements cost extra. See the pricing page for the current plan comparison.
Can I advertise jobs and track candidates in the same system?
Yes. Join connects its job advertising software with the ATS. A published job, its board status, application sources, and candidate pipeline remain linked. Organic distribution uses the compatible boards available for the job from a network of more than 10; more than 250 paid boards are available separately.
Can an ATS make recruitment GDPR compliant?
No system makes an employer compliant on its own. The organisation remains responsible for its lawful basis, notices, access policy, retention schedule, and candidate requests. The UK Information Commissioner's Office explains that recruitment data protection runs from advertising through deletion in its recruitment and selection guidance. Join provides permissions, consent status, export, redaction, and erasure tools. Its ISO 27001:2022 certification and subprocessors are published at trust.join.com.
Can I move existing candidates into Join?
Yes. CSV import is built in. Clean duplicates and obsolete records first, then import the candidates still needed for active hiring. The spreadsheet migration guide covers stages, permissions, and a one-job test before a wider move.
Start today
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