How to Hire
How to Stop Losing Job Applicants in Your Email Inbox
Quick answer: The fix is a single pipeline every application lands in, which is what an applicant tracking system does — Breezy HR's free plan covers one active position at no cost, and AvaHR at $99/mo handles several. If you are not ready to buy anything, a dedicated hiring inbox with filters and a shared spreadsheet solves most of it for free.
The pattern is always the same. You post a job to two or three places. Applications arrive by email from each, plus a few direct. Some you reply to, some you mean to reply to, and a fortnight later you cannot remember which. Meanwhile the good candidate you meant to call has taken another job.
This is not a discipline problem. An inbox is built for conversations, not for tracking twenty people through four stages.
The free fix, if you are not ready to buy
This genuinely works at low volume:
- Make one dedicated address — jobs@yourcompany.com — and use it on every posting. Never your personal address.
- Filter on arrival so everything from that address, and from Indeed and ZipRecruiter, gets a label and skips the main inbox.
- Keep one spreadsheet: name, role, source, date applied, stage, next action, date of last contact. The last two columns are the ones that matter.
- Reply to everyone within 48 hours, even to decline. Write two templates once.
- Review the sheet on a fixed day each week. Anything with no contact in seven days is at risk.
This breaks down at about two concurrent roles, or the moment a second person needs to see it.
What it costs, side by side
| Platform | Typical monthly cost | Billed as |
|---|---|---|
| Breezy HR | $0–$439/mo | Flat per plan |
| JuggleHire | $79–$149/mo | Flat per team |
| AvaHR | $99–$457/mo | Flat per plan |
| Zoho Recruit | €0–€50/recruiter/mo | Per recruiter seat |
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.
The real fix
An applicant tracking system exists for exactly this. Every applicant from every source lands in one pipeline with a visible stage, nothing depends on someone remembering, and a second person can look without you forwarding anything.
Breezy HR Bootstrap is free — one active position, unlimited users, 50+ job boards. If you hire one role at a time, this solves the problem at zero cost, and there is little reason not to try it today.
AvaHR at $99/mo handles 3 live jobs on Lite and 50 on Plus at $165/mo, reaching 100+ boards with unlimited candidates. The right step once one role at a time is not enough.
JuggleHire at $79/mo is the cheapest paid option with 5 users. Zoho Recruit from €25/recruiter/mo if you already use Zoho.
What changes immediately
- Nothing arrives by email any more. Applications land in a pipeline, and Indeed applicants come through the same door as everyone else.
- Stage is visible without anyone remembering.
- Templated replies mean nobody goes unanswered.
- Rejected candidates stay searchable, so the person who was second choice in March is findable in July.
The habit that matters most
Whatever you use, reply within 48 hours. Most small businesses lose candidates to silence, not to competitors' pay. Software makes that easy but does not do it for you.
Pricing
| Platform | Plans | What that actually gets you |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| JuggleHire | Light $79 · Pro $149 | Per month, flat for the whole team rather than per recruiter — Light includes 5 team members and Pro is unlimited. Light caps the database at 5,000 candidates; Pro is unlimited. Aimed at placement agencies more than direct employers. 14-day trial, card required. |
| Zoho Recruit | Free €0 · Standard €25 · Enterprise €50 | Per recruiter per month, billed annually (EUR pricing shown; check your region). Active jobs are capped per licence: 1 on Free, 10 on Standard, 20 on Enterprise. 15-day trial and a 45-day money-back guarantee. |
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.