10 Bullhorn Alternatives for US Staffing Firms: Cost, Contracts and Migration

For a small US agency leaving Bullhorn because automation is an add-on or quote-only, Recruiterflow’s Platform Plan is my first pick. It costs USD $119 per user per month in the default view, $149 with Monthly selected, and includes automation under a “No add-ons” policy. Recruiterflow also publishes its migration terms.

At the default-view rate, a team of 5 pays $119 x 5 x 12 = $7,140 a year; the cost section below sets that against Bullhorn Starter and Core.

A firm running payroll and billing through Bullhorn should compare Avionté; one whose job orders arrive through VMS feeds, JobDiva. Avionté’s pricing page shows no plan prices, and JobDiva sets pricing client by client.

My three picks by reason for leaving:

• Automation without add-ons: Recruiterflow, whose Platform Plan includes recruitment and sales automation, with a free CSV import or paid white-glove migration.
• Lowest budget: Manatal Enterprise at $35 per user per month billed annually.
• Same seat price on annual or monthly billing: Crelate Business at $119 per user per month, with a trial you start without talking to sales.

If you are not weighing a move away from Bullhorn, my full ranking of CRMs for recruiters is the better starting shortlist.

Why Do Staffing Firms Leave Bullhorn?

Bullhorn prints a price for only two plans, Starter at $99 and Core at $165 per user per month, and sells everything above them by quote. The Bullhorn pricing page does not say whether those rates are billed annually or monthly.

Pro and Max, the AI tiers for small agencies, show “Talk to us”. Front Office Growth, Front Office Enterprise, Bullhorn One and the four Recruitment Cloud editions on Salesforce show “Get a quote”.

Core is the fair benchmark for most agencies. It adds the app marketplace (300+ partners), custom fields and workflows, LinkedIn RSC and Apply Connect, and the email sidebar to Starter. A sales pipeline, AI search and match and process automation all start on quote-only Pro.

Bullhorn also sells these products separately, each behind a “Get a quote” button:

• Amplify Digital Workers
• Amplify Search & Match
• Recruitment Automation
• VMS Automation (110+ VMS integrations)
• Middle Office (timesheets, invoicing, pay and bill)
• Onboarding
• Messaging
• Analytics

That makes the real Bullhorn bill a sum of several negotiations, which is why a published price is my first ranking criterion.

What Are Some Alternatives to Bullhorn?

The main Bullhorn alternatives for agencies are Recruiterflow, Manatal, Crelate, Clockwork Recruiting, Loxo, Zoho Recruit, Top Echelon, Recruit CRM, Avionté and JobDiva, with my Recruiterflow vs Recruit CRM comparison covering two of them.

Sources: Recruiterflow pricing, Manatal pricing, Crelate pricing, Clockwork pricing, Loxo pricing, Zoho Recruit pricing, Top Echelon pricing, Recruit CRM pricing, Avionté, JobDiva, JobDiva FAQ, checked October 2026.

If you run a marketing or creative agency rather than a recruiting firm, my list of CRMs built for marketing and creative agencies fits your work better.

How I Chose and Ranked These Alternatives

Each ranked tool had to be built for agency or search-firm recruiting, with applicant tracking and client records in one product. Tools that fit only part of that job, or that rank below a listed tool on the criteria below, sit under Also Considered.

The rest was ranked by five criteria, in this order:

1. A published price for the plan a team of 5 needs
2. Billing and contract term
3. Migration terms
4. Contract and temp staffing depth (timesheets, VMS, pay and bill)
5. The plan that unlocks AI and automation

A later criterion only decides between picks that tie on every earlier one.

Sources: the vendor pages linked under the glance table, checked October 2026.

1. Recruiterflow: Best for Agencies That Want Automation Without Add-Ons

Recruiterflow answers the add-on problem head on with a plain “No add-ons” policy. Its Platform Plan bundles ATS and CRM, multichannel sequences, recruitment and sales automation, reports and API access.

Moving in has published terms: a free Excel/CSV import tool, or white-glove migration by Recruiterflow’s team, typically completed in 6–8 weeks.

The tradeoff. There is a demo but no published trial, and white-glove migration is paid, priced by data volume. Recruiterflow says a fee waiver can be discussed on multi-year contracts, so a free move likely means a longer commitment. The AIRA Plan with its AI agents is custom-priced.

Pricing:

the Platform Plan shows USD $119 per user per month in the default view and USD $149 with the Monthly toggle. At the Monthly rate, a team of 5 pays $149 x 5 x 12 = $8,940 a year.

Skip it if:

you run temp or contract desks that need timesheets or payroll; neither appears in the plan’s feature list.

2. Manatal: Best for New or Very Small Agencies on the Lowest Budget

Manatal’s $15 entry price is real, but that plan stops at 15 jobs for the whole account and 10,000 candidates. Manatal itself points accounts with more than 15 jobs to Enterprise, the realistic agency plan.

Enterprise removes both caps and adds workflow automation; Enterprise Plus adds the open API, SSO and LLM integration. The 14-day trial needs no card, and CSV and JSON import tools plus migration support ease the move.

The tradeoff. Staffing operations are where Bullhorn stays ahead: no VMS connection, timesheets or pay and bill appear on its plans.

Pricing:

Professional is $15, Enterprise $35 and Enterprise Plus $55 per user per month billed annually, or $19, $39 and $59 on monthly plans. Enterprise for a team of 5 comes to $35 x 5 x 12 = $2,100 a year, the lowest yearly figure in the cost table below.

Skip it if:

you need VMS connections, timesheets or a back-office link.

3. Crelate: Best for Small Agencies That Want a Published Price and Monthly Billing

Crelate Business costs $119 per user per month, billed annually or monthly. It is the plan for any agency of 3 or more seats, because Essentials stops at 2 users.

Business adds the AI Assistant, client and team portals, reports and analytics, and Access to Professional Services to the Essentials base.

You can open a trial yourself and load a sample of your own records.

The tradeoff. On automation, Crelate repeats Bullhorn’s problem: “Automation and sequences” and “Full API and integrations” sit in custom-priced Business Plus. The moment you want sequences, you are back in a quote.

Back-office systems such as People 2.0 connect through the Crelate Data Sync Service, which is priced on volume and frequency. Security reviewers get a SOC 2 Type II examination and ISO 27001:2022 certification.

Pricing:

Essentials is $85 per user per month paid annually and caps out at 2 users and 20k contacts, a two-person desk plan. Business for a team of 5 comes to $119 x 5 x 12 = $7,140 a year on either billing term; Recruiterflow reaches that figure only in its default view.

Skip it if:

you need automated sequences on day one at a published price; at Crelate, sequences start at Business Plus, which is custom-priced.

4. Clockwork Recruiting: Best for Executive Search Firms

Clockwork replaces Bullhorn for one kind of firm: retained executive search, where the client portal matters more than timesheets. One plan carries every feature, so there is no tier to negotiate.

Its plan includes a client portal with feedback tools and automated search reports, AI benchmark criteria and candidate scoring, and a business development CRM with forecasting.

Its integrations include Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, PeopleGPT, DeepHire, Spark Hire, Verified First, and Okta and Azure AD single sign-on.

The tradeoff. Clockwork lists no timesheets, VMS connection or pay and bill, so Bullhorn stays the stronger fit for contract staffing.

Pricing:

$1,800 per user per year, with a paying-monthly toggle. That is $1,800 x 5 = $9,000 a year for a team of 5, between Bullhorn Starter and Core for the same team.

Skip it if:

you run temp or contract desks.

5. Loxo: Best for Agencies That Want AI Search on the Base Plan

Loxo Core starts at $149 per user per month billed annually, and natural-language, relevance-ranked AI search is included on every Loxo plan, Core too. Bullhorn puts AI search and match on quote-only Pro or sells Amplify Search & Match separately.

Core plans are annual and paid up front, which turns a monthly price into one large invoice and places Loxo below the monthly-billed picks on criterion 2.

The tradeoff. The 7-day free trial is the full Professional platform, whose plan card says “Book a demo to see pricing”, so judge the trial against Core’s features too.

Migration is Loxo’s strongest switching term: free for Core teams of 3+ seats, guided self-serve below that, and fixed packages for Professional and Enterprise.

Pricing:

because Core is paid up front, a team of 5 commits $149 x 5 x 12 = $8,940 before the first placement, more than 5 seats of Bullhorn Starter.

Skip it if:

you need monthly billing or cannot pay a year up front.

6. Zoho Recruit: Best for Budget Agencies That Want Staffing Portals

On its corporate pricing page, Zoho Recruit Enterprise costs US$50 per recruiter per month billed annually, less than a third of Bullhorn Core’s seat price. It adds AI candidate matching, candidate and staffing portals, recruitment automation and SMS to Standard.

The terms are the other draw: no forced contracts, a 15-day trial with Enterprise features, and a 45-day money-back guarantee on paid editions.

The tradeoff. Every plan caps active jobs per recruiter license: 1 on Free, 10 on Standard and 20 on Enterprise. That is worse than Bullhorn for a high-volume desk where each recruiter works dozens of open orders.

Standard carries 50+ integrations.

Pricing:

on the page Zoho titles Corporate Pricing, Standard is US$25 and Enterprise is US$50 per recruiter per month, billed annually. At that rate, Enterprise for a team of 5 costs $50 x 5 x 12 = $3,000 a year. The page does not say whether an agency pays the same, so confirm the rate with Zoho before you budget.

Skip it if:

your recruiters each carry more than 20 open job orders.

7. Top Echelon: Best for Small Agencies That Want No Contract and a Test Migration

Top Echelon’s TE Recruit suits a small US agency that wants out of Bullhorn without a new contract: its pricing page says “No contracts”. Its migration team runs a test conversion you review before the live move, while recruiters keep working in the old ATS.

TE Recruit Professional adds Smart-TE AI, automations, sequences and API access, the AI and automation layer Bullhorn keeps on quote-only Pro.

The tradeoff. The TE Recruit plan cards do not say whether the price is per user or per account.

Pricing:

Standard is $79 a month billed annually or $95 billed monthly; Professional is $95 billed annually or $115 billed monthly. Even read per user, Professional billed annually costs less than Bullhorn Starter’s $99.

Skip it if:

you run temp desks that need timesheets, VMS feeds or pay and bill; neither TE Recruit plan lists them.

8. Recruit CRM: Best for Small Agencies Running Perm and Contract Desks

Timesheets and contractor billing come with all three Recruit CRM plans, the job Bullhorn quotes separately as Middle Office.

The tradeoff. Credits, not seats, meter much of the product. Timesheets use credits per active contractor each month, as do AI sourcing, workflow automation, SMS and the meeting notetaker, so the bill moves with volume.

Pro is thin for a growing firm: 1 hiring pipeline and 1 sequence. SSO, open API access and audit logs start on Business.

Moving in is a free import on all three plans; assisted migration is paid.

Pricing:

Recruit CRM’s US price was not confirmed for this article. Confirm the current US price, extra credits included, before you set it beside Bullhorn Core.

Each plan carries a monthly credit pool per user of 100 on Pro, 200 on Business and 2,000 on Enterprise. The 30-day trial lets you test the timesheet flow first.

Skip it if:

your active contractor count swings month to month and you need a fixed monthly bill.

9. Avionté: Best for Staffing Firms That Need Payroll and Billing Built In

Avionté fits the temp-heavy firm whose Bullhorn bill includes the back office. Recruiting, sales, payroll, billing and reporting run in one system, where Bullhorn sells Middle Office and Bullhorn One as separately quoted products.

Avionté also cites SOC 2 Type II certification, an in-house implementation team and 80+ solution partners.

The tradeoff. Avionté keeps the buying process many firms are leaving: no plan prices, and a “Request a Demo” button instead. You trade one quote-driven vendor for another.

Pricing:

Avionté publishes no prices. Ask for a quote that splits front-office seats from payroll and billing so you can compare it with Bullhorn plus Middle Office.

Skip it if:

you only need an ATS and CRM; paying for a payroll platform you do not run is the wrong trade.

10. JobDiva: Best for Staffing Firms Whose Job Orders Come Through VMS Feeds

JobDiva is the pick to price when the VMS connection is what keeps you on Bullhorn. Its suite lists VMS Synchronization and its own DivaVMS, beside a healthcare module, the DivaFinancials back office and a MyTime timesheet app.

Bullhorn quotes VMS Automation as a separate product. JobDiva cites 100+ built-in integrations and an open API.

The tradeoff. JobDiva’s FAQ says its pricing is “determined on a client-by-client basis”, and its site lists 866-JOB-DIVA and a Submit RFP link. Its home page and FAQ give no count of synced VMS platforms; Bullhorn’s VMS Automation claims 110+.

Pricing:

JobDiva prints no plan prices on its home page or FAQ. Ask for VMS synchronization and the back office as separate quote lines to see what each replaces.

Skip it if:

you want a published price before the first sales call.

What Does a Team of 5 Pay per Year After Switching?

A team of 5 pays $99 x 5 x 12 = $5,940 a year on Bullhorn Starter and $165 x 5 x 12 = $9,900 on Core. The priced alternatives below run from $2,100 (Manatal Enterprise) to $9,000 (Clockwork).

Sources: Bullhorn pricing and the alternatives’ pricing pages linked under the glance table, checked October 2026. Excludes migration fees, add-ons, credits and Bullhorn quotes above Core.

Against Core, Recruiterflow’s default-view rate and Crelate Business each save $165 − $119 = $46 per seat per month, or $46 x 5 x 12 = $2,760 a year for a team of 5.

Manatal Enterprise saves $165 − $35 = $130 per seat, or $130 x 5 x 12 = $7,800 a year. Those savings only count if the move itself does not eat them.

Against Starter’s $5,940, four picks cost a team of 5 more: Recruiterflow Platform and Crelate Business ($7,140 each), Clockwork ($9,000) and Loxo Core ($8,940). A Starter customer moving to any of them is buying capability, not savings.

How Hard Is It to Leave Bullhorn?

It depends on who moves the data: vendor-run migration ranges from free (Loxo, Core teams of 3+ seats) to a paid project typically finished in 6–8 weeks (Recruiterflow). Bullhorn publishes no contract term, renewal notice or data export terms beside its prices, so your signed agreement decides the exit.

What each vendor will migrate for you

Sources: Recruiterflow pricing FAQ, Loxo pricing, Zoho Recruit pricing FAQ, Top Echelon data migration and the other pages linked above, checked October 2026.

What you rebuild by hand

An import moves records, not the configuration Bullhorn sells as plan features or separate products. Map each item to the new vendor’s plan before you sign:

• Custom fields and workflows: Crelate Business allows 10 advanced custom fields, so count yours first.
• Marketplace apps from Bullhorn’s 300+ partners, each needing its own connector or a Zapier route.
• VMS connections: among the 10 picks, JobDiva lists VMS synchronization; ask the others for named VMS platforms.
• Recruitment Automation workflows, SMS messaging and analytics dashboards.
• Timesheets and pay and bill, if Middle Office or Bullhorn One runs them today.

Questions to settle before giving Bullhorn notice

Answer these in writing before you sign elsewhere (they are contract questions, not legal advice):

1. Your Bullhorn renewal date and notice period.
2. The export format for your full database and its attachments, and any export fee.
3. Which separately quoted products end with the core contract and which renew on their own date.
4. How many months you pay for both systems: two months of overlap for 5 Core seats costs $165 x 5 x 2 = $1,650.
5. The new vendor’s term (annual and paid up front at Loxo, “No contracts” at Top Echelon) and its own exit and export terms.

When Staying on Bullhorn Makes More Sense

Stay when Bullhorn’s ecosystem does work you would have to rebuild: 300+ marketplace partners, 110+ VMS integrations, Bullhorn One’s pay and bill, or Recruitment Cloud on Salesforce.

Bullhorn lists free implementation on Starter, Core and Pro, which helps a move between Bullhorn plans, not out. Recruiterflow’s white-glove migration and Recruit CRM’s assisted migration are paid, so staying wins when that fee plus your overlap months exceed what the new plan saves.

Which Bullhorn Alternative Should You Pick?

Decide by your reason for leaving, and before your Bullhorn notice window opens:

• Automation and a published migration path: Recruiterflow, if you can negotiate the migration fee on a multi-year term.
• Lowest budget: Manatal Enterprise.
• Quote fatigue on Core, 3 or more seats, monthly billing at the annual price: Crelate Business.
• Executive search: Clockwork Recruiting.
• AI search: Loxo Core, if you can pay a year up front.
• Staffing portals on a budget: Zoho Recruit Enterprise, once Zoho confirms its corporate pricing applies to your agency.
• No new contract and a test migration first: Top Echelon, once sales confirms the seat basis.
• Perm plus contract desks: Recruit CRM, once you confirm the current US price, credits included.
• Payroll and billing: Avionté, or stay on Bullhorn.
• VMS feeds: JobDiva, or stay on Bullhorn.

Also Considered

These tools fit part of the job, or rank below a listed tool on the same job, and did not make the ranked list:

• Ceipal: a staffing platform behind “Book a Demo”; its page names VMS integration.
• Thrive TRM: an executive talent platform sold through “Schedule a Demo”; Clockwork prints a price for the same job.
• Ezekia: an executive search CRM, ATS and BD platform with no price on its homepage; Clockwork prints one.
• Firefish: priced by demo, with add-on modules from £150 each, in pounds rather than US dollars.
• Greenhouse: built for an organization’s own hiring teams, with custom pricing.
• JazzHR: its pricing page says standard pricing “does not apply to staffing or recruiting agencies”.
• Recruiteze: a free online ATS centered on resume parsing and iReformat formatting.
• Booked55: a relationship CRM that hands won deals to “your operations tool” (ATS, CRM, delivery), so it sits beside an ATS rather than replacing one.
• Workable: priced by company employee count from $299 a month on Standard.

FAQ

Is there a free Bullhorn alternative?

Zoho Recruit’s Forever Free plan costs US$0 but allows 1 active job per recruiter license, enough for a solo recruiter testing the switch, not an agency desk. Every other pick here is paid. Trials run from Loxo’s 7 days to Recruit CRM’s 30 days, a better test for a team.

Can I leave Bullhorn before my contract ends?

Only if your signed agreement allows it, since Bullhorn publishes no contract term, notice period or export terms. Budget for overlap months if the new contract starts first.

Which Bullhorn alternative has month-to-month billing?

Recruiterflow shows $149 per user per month with Monthly selected, Manatal lists monthly plans from $19 per user, and Crelate Business bills monthly at the same $119.

Clockwork has a paying-monthly toggle, Zoho Recruit a monthly option with no forced contracts, and Top Echelon a billed-monthly price with “No contracts”.