The best Manatal alternatives for recruitment agencies in 2026 are Giig (free plan, simple, priced in pounds), Recruit CRM (the most features), Zoho Recruit (cheap and very customisable), Recruiterflow (outbound and automation) and Vincere (temp and contract back office). Which one is right depends on why you’re leaving Manatal: price, job limits, features or support.
Manatal is a good, cheap ATS with AI recommendations on every plan. But its entry plan caps you at 15 open jobs, it sells to in-house HR teams as well as agencies, and there’s no free plan. If any of that is a problem, here are the alternatives worth a look.
Full disclosure: I build Giig, so yes, we’re on this list. I’ve tried to be fair to everyone else, and I’ve said where each one beats us.
These five are all built for recruitment agencies, not just in-house hiring.
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giig | UK agencies of 1–20 wanting simple and affordable | Yes, 1 user, unlimited data | Claude connector on Giig AI; no back office |
| Recruit CRM | Agencies wanting the biggest feature set | No, 30-day trial | Credits and add-ons, priced in dollars |
| Zoho Recruit | Agencies already on Zoho, or wanting customisation | Yes, but 1 active job | AI starts on Professional |
| Recruiterflow | Outbound-heavy agencies and exec search | No | AI plan is quote-only |
| Vincere | Temp and contract agencies needing back office | No | Setup fee; pricier for small teams |
Competitor details were checked in October 2026 and change often, so check each pricing page before you buy.
More on this: JobAdder alternatives.
Most agencies look elsewhere because of Manatal’s job limits, its in-house HR leanings, or how hard it is to customise.
If none of those bother you, Manatal is decent value. Here’s a full Manatal vs Recruit CRM vs Giig comparison if you want the detail.
A good Manatal alternative should give an agency more room to work without costing much more.
Giig is a UK recruitment CRM and ATS for independent recruiters and agencies of 1 to 20 people, with a free plan and simple monthly pricing.
Free Forever £0, Starter £14.99, Plus £45, Giig AI £59 per user per month +VAT, no contract, cancel anytime. Full details on the pricing page.
Where it’s not the best fit: Giig has fewer integrations than the big platforms, and no timesheets or invoicing. If you run a big contract desk, look at Vincere or Bullhorn.
Recruit CRM is a feature-packed ATS and CRM for agencies and exec search firms, with excellent reviews.
It has multichannel sequences, WhatsApp, an AI meeting notetaker, a hiring manager portal, Bill & Pay for contract staff, mobile apps and a read/write MCP connector on its Business plan and above. Plans are around $95, $135 and $215 per user per month on annual billing, with a 30-day free trial.
The catch: it costs several times more per seat than Manatal, many features use monthly credits, and some are paid add-ons. See Giig vs Recruit CRM.
Zoho Recruit is an affordable, very customisable ATS that suits agencies already using other Zoho apps.
The staffing agency edition costs $30, $60 or $90 per user per month on monthly billing ($25, $50 or $75 annually), with up to 100 active jobs on Standard. AI matching starts on Professional, and Zoho has launched an MCP connection for AI tools like Claude. There’s also a free plan, though it’s limited to one active job.
The catch: reviewers say it takes a while to learn, and the free plan won’t run a real desk. Here’s the full breakdown of Zoho Recruit pricing vs Giig.
Recruiterflow is a modern ATS and CRM built around outbound: sequences, 1,000+ automations and a slick Chrome extension.
Its Platform plan is $149 per user per month on monthly billing, and its AIRA AI plan is quote-only. It launched a Claude MCP connector in August 2026, which is read-only for now. Reviewers love the interface and support.
The catch: it’s one of the pricier options for a small team, and the AI plan needs a sales call. See Giig vs Recruiterflow.
Vincere is a UK-strong recruitment CRM for temp, contract, perm and exec search agencies, with a proper back office.
It includes timesheets, expenses, invoicing, candidate and client portals and idibu multi-posting. Plans start with Startup at £150 a month for one user and Core at £95 per user per month (2 to 7 users), on 30-day rolling terms, plus a one-off setup fee.
The catch: it costs more than Manatal for a small team, and the setup fee adds to the bill. See Giig vs Vincere.
In-house teams should look at ATSs built for internal hiring, like Workable, Recruitee or Ashby, rather than agency CRMs.
Those tools focus on job adverts, careers sites, hiring manager approvals and interview scheduling. They don’t do client management or business development, which agencies need. Everything on the list above is built for agencies.
Pick the alternative that fixes the reason you’re leaving Manatal.
| If you’re leaving Manatal because… | Look at first |
|---|---|
| You want a free plan or lower cost | Giig |
| You want more features and automation | Recruit CRM |
| You want lots of customisation | Zoho Recruit |
| You live in outreach sequences | Recruiterflow |
| You need timesheets and invoicing | Vincere |
| You want Claude to update your CRM | Giig AI or Recruit CRM |
For small UK agencies, Giig is the best Manatal alternative, with a free plan, no job caps and simple monthly pricing in pounds. Recruit CRM is better if you want the most features, Zoho Recruit if you want customisation, Recruiterflow for outbound-heavy teams and Vincere for temp and contract back office.
Yes. Giig has a free plan with unlimited candidates, CVs, jobs and clients for one user, plus pipelines and a careers page. Zoho Recruit also has a free plan, but it’s limited to one active job. Manatal itself has a 14-day free trial but no free plan.
Manatal costs $19, $39 or $59 per user per month on monthly billing, or $15, $35 or $55 billed annually, for its Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus plans. Professional is limited to 15 open jobs and 10,000 candidates. Prices are in US dollars and exclude VAT.
It can be. Manatal is cheap and easy to use, with AI recommendations on every plan, and plenty of agencies use it. But it also sells to in-house HR teams, its entry plan caps you at 15 open jobs, and reviewers mention limited customisation. Agencies wanting a stronger CRM side often look at alternatives.
Giig, Recruit CRM and Zoho Recruit all offer MCP connections. Giig’s read/write Claude connector is on Giig AI at £59 per user per month. Recruit CRM’s read/write connector starts on its Business plan. Zoho Recruit’s MCP can update records, but its page doesn’t say which plans include it. Recruiterflow’s is read-only.
Yes. Export your candidates, contacts, companies and jobs from Manatal as CSV files and import them into Giig for free on any paid plan. If you want your full history, Giig can restore your database from an SQL or .bak backup file as a paid service. Email support@giighire.com for a quote.
Manatal is a decent, cheap ATS, but its job caps, HR leanings and lack of a free plan push a lot of agencies to look around. The right alternative is the one that fixes your specific gripe.
If you’re a small UK agency who wants a simple CRM with no job caps and a free plan to start, give Giig a go. Start on Giig for free. No credit card, no contract.
