The free ATS for startups
A free applicant tracking system with AI built in. Unlimited jobs, candidates and seats, no credit card.
Works withClaude,ChatGPTand more
Trusted by 600+ startups
What you get with the free ATS
A free applicant tracking system should run your whole hiring workflow, not just store CVs. Binary is a free ATS for startups, and all of this is on the free-forever plan.
- Unlimited jobs
- Unlimited candidates
- Unlimited team members
- AI agent
- Slack agent
- MCP server
- Video questions
- Careers page
- Resume autofill
- Interview scheduling
- Assignments
- Chrome extension
- Roles and permissions
- Candidate messaging
- Keyboard review mode
Need more? Paid plans start at $49/mo, flat, with no per-seat fees. See all plans and features
Everything you need to run your hiring
Create hiring forms
Not the boring ones. Add video questions, widgets and more.
Attract candidates
Push to job boards, create a careers page or source via Chrome extension.
Screen candidates faster
Let AI read each profile and find the ones that you need.
Schedule interviews
See calendars of all interviewers, send booking links and easily collect interview feedback.
and a lot more
Analytics, referrals, collaboration tools and all the essentials your team needs.
One AI agent, wherever you work
It screens candidates, searches your database, builds reports, creates jobs and schedules interviews. Use it in Binary, in Slack or from your own AI assistant, all on the free plan. What makes an AI ATS different
In Binary
Ask about your pipeline, screen and shortlist candidates, draft jobs and forms, build reports and schedule interviews.
In Slack
The same agent in your team’s channels. Get the top candidates, a funnel update or book an interview without opening Binary.
In Claude and ChatGPT
Connect over MCP and use the same actions from the assistant you already work in.
How MCP works
Free ATS vs paid ATS: how Binary compares
Most paid ATS tools charge per seat or per job and sell AI as an add-on. Pick one to see how Binary’s free plan compares.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free? How?
Yes. Our free plan supports unlimited jobs, hiring forms and candidates. No catch. Because a lot of customers love our product, we thought the best way to market it is just have a generous free plan. We don't have any sales team and that helps us keep our costs low too.
How is it different from other ATS?
When we started Binary, we wanted to build a very different kind of ATS. One that is lightweight, fast and well-designed. One that is built for the AI era. One that is so simple that it doesn't need a tutorial. One that you can start using immediately without speaking to sales. We can go on and on but you get the idea.
What if I already have an ATS?
If you are stuck with an ATS you don't love, we know how that feels. Pick any annual plan and the months left on your current subscription are free on Binary, and we help you migrate all your existing data within 48 hours. Reach out at support@binary.so.
Can I add team members?
Yes. Binary lets you create workspaces, add users and decide their roles and permissions. All our plans support unlimited team members.
Can I migrate existing data?
Absolutely. There is an import feature as soon as you sign-up or you can also ask AI to connect to our MCP and do this.
What are the limitations of the free plan?
Jobs, candidates and team members are unlimited. The limits are on usage: $1 of AI credits a month (shared across AI review and candidate messaging), 3 interview schedules a month, 100 assignments a month and 30 GB of storage. Basic analytics, duplicate detection and admin settings start on the Starter plan at $49 a month; LinkedIn job posts, interview feedback and unlimited scheduling are on Business at $149. Everything else, including the AI agent, Slack agent, MCP server, careers page and Chrome extension, is free.
Is there a free ATS with AI?
Yes. Binary's free plan includes an AI agent that screens candidates against your criteria with a reasoning per criterion, AI Skills for saved prompts, a Slack AI agent and $1 of AI credits a month. Most other free ATS plans either have no AI or keep it for a paid tier.
Can I use the free ATS with ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes. Binary has an MCP server on every plan, including Free, so Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Grok or Cursor can read your hiring data and take actions: screen candidates in batches, import a Google Sheet of applicants, create a job, or check interviewer slots and schedule interviews. There is no cap on MCP requests on the free plan.
Does the free ATS include interview scheduling?
Yes. On the free plan you can schedule 3 interviews a month on Google Calendar. You see every interviewer’s open slots, book the interview or send the candidate a booking link, and reschedule or cancel later. You can also ask the AI agent, the Slack agent or Claude and ChatGPT to find a slot and book it for you. Starter raises the limit to 10 a month, and Business makes scheduling unlimited and adds structured interview feedback.
Do I need a credit card to start?
No. You can sign up and start hiring on the free plan without a credit card. You only add payment details if you later choose to upgrade to a paid plan.
What is the best free ATS for startups?
It depends on how many roles you hire for and whether you need AI. We keep a ranked roundup of the best free ATS tools, with each one’s real free-plan limits, pros and cons, including open-source options. Binary ranks first there because it is the only free plan with unlimited jobs, candidates and seats plus an AI agent and MCP, but the list is written to help you choose, not just to sell Binary.
Have a different question? Ask our AI: binary.so/ai