By Industry
Best ATS for HVAC Companies in 2026
Quick answer: AvaHR at $99/mo is the best ATS for most HVAC companies because flat pricing absorbs the summer and winter hiring surges that per-employee billing would make expensive. Team Engine at $500/mo is the upgrade if crew texting matters as much as hiring, and Happlicant or uRecruits are worth a demo for trades-specific screening.
HVAC has a hiring shape almost nobody else has: two peaks a year. You staff up before summer, staff up again before winter, and in between you are quiet. Any software that bills per employee on payroll charges you most in exactly the months you are carrying the most people — and keeps charging as they roll off.
Add EPA Section 608 certification, which is a legal requirement for handling refrigerants and therefore a genuine screening gate rather than a nice-to-have, and the requirements get specific fast.
What it costs, side by side
| Platform | Typical monthly cost | Billed as |
|---|---|---|
| AvaHR | $99–$457/mo | Flat per plan |
| Breezy HR | $0–$439/mo | Flat per plan |
| Team Engine | $500–$800+/mo | Flat per plan, banded by headcount |
| Workable | $299–$719/mo | Flat per plan, banded by headcount |
| CareerPlug | Not published | Flat per plan, unlimited users |
Pricing above was taken from each provider's own pricing page in August 2026. Always confirm the current numbers before buying — hiring software pricing changes often, and the three billing models in this category (flat per plan, per recruiter seat, and per employee on your payroll) make headline prices hard to compare without doing the arithmetic for your own headcount and number of open roles.
AvaHR — best for most HVAC companies
AvaHR at $99/mo. Flat pricing is the whole argument: your bill in July with thirty techs is identical to your bill in October with twelve. Custom questionnaires let you screen for EPA 608 type at the application stage, which is the difference between a phone screen that qualifies someone and one that discovers they cannot legally touch a refrigerant line. 100+ job boards included, unlimited candidates on every tier.
The limits, plainly: $99 buys one user and three live jobs. If you post install tech, service tech and maintenance separately — which most HVAC companies do — you are at the cap on day one, and Plus at $165/mo is your real starting point. Texting is Max tier only, at $457/mo.
Team Engine — the blue-collar specialist
Team Engine from $500/mo (up to 50 employees, annual billing). Two-way texting with applicants and crew, scheduled announcements, multi-language. For a company running seasonal crews who need to be told about schedule changes, that combination is genuinely useful and is not something AvaHR does at the entry tier.
Five times the price, though. Justified only if it replaces a second tool.
The trades-specific options
Happlicant and uRecruits both appear consistently in HVAC recruiting results and both target skilled trades with screening built for certifications and tool requirements. Worth a demo, neither publishes pricing.
Arcoro is the construction-workforce heavyweight, with certification tracking and compliance reporting. Right for a large mechanical contractor, overbuilt for a residential service company.
Generalists that still work here
Breezy HR: free tier with unlimited users and one live position; $157/mo Startup for unlimited positions and unlimited users. If three people at your company review applicants, this beats AvaHR Plus on cost.
Workable from $299/mo is more platform than most HVAC companies need, but bundles onboarding and HR — worth pricing if you are also trying to solve paperwork for seasonal hires.
CareerPlug has no per-user charge on any plan and sells into home services, but you have to call for a price and both billing options are 12-month commitments.
Buying checklist
- Never buy per-employee pricing. Seasonal headcount swings make it the worst model available to you. This rules out the HR suites.
- Screen for EPA 608 in the application. Whatever you buy must let you write a knockout question. Every tool above can; confirm it in the trial.
- Count simultaneous postings. Install, service and maintenance as separate roles means three-job caps bind immediately.
- Test the application on a phone. Techs apply from vans between calls. If it takes longer than two minutes, you are losing candidates you never see.
- Plan for the re-post. You will run the same postings twice a year, every year. Duplicating last season's job should take seconds.
Pricing
| Platform | Plans | What that actually gets you |
|---|---|---|
| AvaHR | Lite $99 · Plus $165 · Premium $332 · Max $457+ | Per month, billed monthly; annual billing saves up to 17%. Unlimited candidates on every plan. Lite covers 3 live jobs and 1 user; Plus 50 jobs and 5 users; Premium unlimited jobs and 25 users. 7-day free trial. |
| Breezy HR | Bootstrap $0 · Startup $157 · Growth $273 · Business $439 | Per month; annual billing includes 2 months free. Unlimited users on every plan, including the free Bootstrap tier — but Bootstrap allows only 1 active position at a time. SMS and Breezy Intelligence are paid add-ons on all tiers. 14-day trial. |
| Team Engine | From $500 · From $800 · Custom | Billed annually. The entry tier covers up to 50 employees, the second up to 250, and anything above roughly 500 is quoted. Built specifically around trades and blue-collar workforces with two-way texting to applicants and existing staff — which is why it costs several times what a general SMB ATS does. |
| Workable | Standard $299 · Premier $599 · Enterprise $719 | Per month at the 1–20 employee band, billed annually ($3,588/$7,188/$8,628 per year); the price rises with company headcount. Texting (+$89/mo), video interviews (+$109/mo) and assessments (+$59/mo) are add-ons on Standard. The AI agent runs on credits sold separately from $0.095–$0.12 each. 15-day trial. |
| CareerPlug | Limited · Hire · Grow — prices not published | CareerPlug publishes plan tiers but not prices. Notably there is no per-user charge on any plan, so you can add every hiring manager for free. Both monthly and annual billing are 12-month commitments, and monthly billing is only offered on the top Grow tier. 14-day Grow trial, once per account lifetime. |
Pricing above was taken from each provider's own pricing page in August 2026. Always confirm the current numbers before buying — hiring software pricing changes often, and the three billing models in this category (flat per plan, per recruiter seat, and per employee on your payroll) make headline prices hard to compare without doing the arithmetic for your own headcount and number of open roles.
Frequently asked questions
What is an applicant tracking system?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that collects job applications in one place, moves candidates through hiring stages, and handles the job postings, screening, and communication around that — instead of tracking applicants in an email inbox or a spreadsheet.
What is the best option for this use case?
AvaHR is our top pick for this use case, based on setup time, pricing, and how well it fits the way these teams actually hire — though the right choice depends on headcount and budget, which the sections above cover.
Do I need a paid ATS, or is a free plan enough?
A free plan or a job board alone is usually enough if you hire once or twice a year. Once you're running multiple open roles at a time, or more than one person is reviewing applicants, a paid ATS starts paying for itself in time saved.