← Staffing & Recruiting Software ranking

Startup & small team · Prompt 4 of 8 · September 2026

A real buyer question from the September 2026 snapshot, asked 3× to each of the three models. 9 answers recorded.

“Which recruiting software is best for a boutique search firm on a budget?”

ChatGPT answered 3× this snapshot

For a boutique search firm on a budget, the best recruiting software usually comes down to this short list: Best overall: Loxo Good balance of ATS + CRM + sourcing Built with search firms and agencies in mind Strong automation and pipeline management Usually a better fit than big enterprise tools for smaller firms Best budget pick: Manatal Lower-cost than many competitors Easy to use Includes ATS/CRM features, AI…

Named across its answers: 1. Loxo2. Manatal3. Recruit CRM4. Clockwork Recruiting5. Zoho Recruit

Verbatim excerpt from one collected ChatGPT answer; formatting flattened, words untouched.

Loxo dominates with perfect recall across all 9 answers and leads on first-mention frequency, making it the clear winner for this buyer intent signal. Manatal is a solid runner-up, but its average position of 2.9 and single first-mention show it trails meaningfully despite near-universal coverage.

AI-generated read of the September 2026 measurements.

Who wins this question

Contested Consensus

All three models name Loxo, Manatal and Zoho Recruit on this question.

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini mentioned · first · avg. pos

Loxo 111312333 9/9 · 4× first · #2

Manatal 22275212 8/9 · 1× first · #2.9

Zoho Recruit 4565444 7/9 · never first · #4.6

Recruit CRM 334121 6/9 · 2× first · #2.3

Bullhorn 121 3/9 · 2× first · #1.3

Clockwork Recruiting 453 3/9 · never first · #4

Crelate 554 3/9 · never first · #4.7

Recruiterflow 23 2/9 · never first · #2.5

JobAdder 43 2/9 · never first · #3.5

Recruitee 4 1/9 · never first · #4

HubSpot 6 1/9 · never first · #6

Notion 6 1/9 · never first · #6

Each square is one collected answer; the number is the brand's position in that answer. Lime = the very first recommendation. Unlinked brands were named by the models here but sit outside this category's published top 15 overall. Showing the top 12 of 14 brands named at least once. Never mentioned here: Vincere, JobDiva, Avionté, Greenhouse, Lever, CEIPAL, Indeed, Avionte.