OpenCATS
OpenCATS: A capable free ATS for small teams that can manage their own hosting. Ranked #212 of 231 in Applicant Tracking Systems by our editors (3.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for small teams wanting a free self-hosted ATS.
At a glance
- Editor score3.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forSmall teams wanting a free self-hosted ATS
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Career siteYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free and open source with control over application and recruiting data
- Combines candidate records, pipelines, portals, calendars, and reports
- Supports SMTP, email templates, CSV export, and XML job-board feeds
Where it doesn't
- Built-in resume parsing and resume search functionality was lost
- Self-hosting requires an organization-managed server or hosting environment
- Integrations are centered on mail services and XML job-board feeds
Our verdict on OpenCATS
OpenCATS is a free, open-source, web-based applicant tracking system and recruiting CRM for staffing agencies, recruiters, and internal hiring teams. It brings candidate records, resumes, notes, status history, recruiting activity, job orders, pipelines, companies, contacts, submissions, and hiring workflows into one system. A career portal supports public job postings, candidate applications, and questionnaires, while calendars, reports, email notifications, templates, and SMTP delivery cover common recruiting operations. It suits small teams that want to control their application and recruiting data through self-hosting.
Its feature set is broad for a free ATS. Candidate and job-order management sit alongside recruiting CRM functions, scheduled events, placement reports, configurable custom fields, user access levels, CSV list export, and backup and restore. Public applications can include candidate questionnaires, and XML job-board feeds support distribution beyond the application itself. Email can be handled through SMTP, Sendmail, PHP mail, or PHPMailer. The published plans show an open-source model rather than paid tiers, so the main trade-off is operational ownership: the organization manages the hosting environment and application administration.
Resume handling is the clearest limitation for teams that depend on search-driven screening. OpenCATS documentation states that built-in resume parsing and resume search functionality was lost, although optional external utilities can provide resume text extraction and indexing. The official website identifies v0.11.1 as the latest release, while some documentation headings show older release labels. Choose OpenCATS when free self-hosting, core recruiting records, career-site publishing, and workflow coverage matter more than automated resume processing. Teams seeking built-in resume parsing or a wider integration ecosystem should consider another ATS.
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OpenCATS pricing
OpenCATS fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Career site | Yes |
| Resume parsing | No |
| Interview scheduling | Yes |
| Workflow automation | Yes |
| Job board distribution | Yes |
| Active jobs | Not verified |
| Users included | Not verified |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | opencats.org |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to OpenCATS
- LeverA broad ATS and recruiting CRM for teams that want one hiring platform.9.3
- WorkableA broad ATS with AI, 200+ job boards and extensive hiring workflows.9.2
- Zoho RecruitA broad ATS with a free tier, mobile apps, API access, and scalable paid plans.9.1
See all OpenCATS alternatives →
Also Ranked In
OpenCATS is ranked in 5 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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