Quick verdict: Bullhorn is the agency standard, and for a small desk it is often the wrong shape. Only two of its tiers carry a published price, the AI and automation that sell the platform sit on quoted plans, and the back office strength that justifies the contract is irrelevant if you never bill an hour. Every option below publishes at least one real price, and each one beats Bullhorn at something specific for a team under about fifteen recruiters.
The short list: Loxo for sourcing inside the ATS, Recruiterflow for sequences and business development, Crelate for boutique desks, PCRecruiter for a long lived database with an open API, Spott for a modern all in one, Manatal for the lowest floor.
What should a small agency compare on?
Three things decide this purchase, and features are not one of them.
The first is what the seat includes. A $149 seat that covers sourcing and contact data is cheaper than a $99 seat plus two subscriptions. The second is what is published. If a vendor quotes everything, your budget depends on a negotiation rather than a page. The third is whether you bill hours. Contract and temp work needs timesheets and invoicing, and that requirement removes most of this list.
| Platform | Published entry price | Best at | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manatal | $15 per user per month, annual | The lowest credible floor, with AI ranking included | 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates on Professional |
| Crelate | $85 per user per month, annual | Boutique desks that run on notes and hotlists | Essentials caps at 2 users and 20,000 contacts |
| PCRecruiter | Around $115 per user per month | Long running databases, open API, documented MCP | A one time setup and training fee applies |
| Spott | $139 per user per month, annual | A modern all in one with AI usage included | Enrichment credits are charged separately |
| Loxo | $149 per user per month, annual | Sourcing and contact data inside the ATS | The talent graph sits on the $199 tier |
| Recruiterflow | $149 per user per month | Multichannel sequences and sales automation | The AIRA agent plan is custom priced |
Which alternative replaces the most subscriptions?
Loxo. Its Professional plan at $199 per user per month billed annually includes Loxo Source on a graph of more than 850 million professionals, contact details attached to shortlists, the AI agent workforce and 2,500 credits per seat each month, pooled across the team. For an agency currently paying for an ATS, a contact data tool and a sequencer, that is three invoices becoming one.
Core at $149 is the same platform without the external database, which makes it a straight Bullhorn Core competitor at a lower price. Loxo also lists MCP from the entry tier, so you can connect your own AI tools to your data. It carries 4.6 on Capterra against 4.0 for Bullhorn.
Which is best for outbound and client development?
Recruiterflow, at $149 per user per month on the Platform plan. Multichannel sequences, recruitment automation, sales automation for business development, client and team access controls, bulk Chrome sourcing, reporting and API access are all in the base plan rather than on a quoted tier.
The AI layer, AIRA, is a separate custom priced plan, but the vendor commits that every current and future agent is included once you are on it rather than metered per agent. At 4.7 on Capterra it is the highest rated platform in this list.
Which suits a two person boutique?
Crelate, at $85 per user per month paid annually on Essentials. It is built around the way a small search desk works: notes on people, hotlists you keep for years and email sync that attaches every conversation to the record.
Read the limits before you celebrate the price. Essentials allows two users and 20,000 contacts, and the AI assistant, client portals, reporting and email connections start at Business, which is $119 per user per month. Automation, sequences and full API access sit on the custom priced Business Plus tier.
Which is the safest long term system of record?
PCRecruiter, at around $115 per user per month. The starting figure already includes API access, integrations, secure hosting with daily backups and standard support, and the vendor documents an MCP server, which very few agency platforms do.
It is also explicit about data ownership: each customer database is kept independent, a backup copy can be requested at any time, and the infrastructure is managed directly rather than resold. Budget for the one time setup and training fee, which is quoted per organization.
Which is the cheapest that still works?
Manatal, at $15 per user per month billed annually or $19 month to month, with a 14 day free trial and no card required. That buys AI candidate ranking, a Chrome extension and a real applicant tracking pipeline.
The constraint is jobs, not users. The Professional plan covers 15 active jobs and 10,000 candidates, Enterprise at $35 removes those limits and adds workflow automations, and Enterprise Plus at $55 adds single sign on, user groups, API access and priority support. An agency running many searches at once will move up quickly, but as a first system for a new desk it is very hard to beat.
Which is the modern all in one?
Spott, at $139 per user per month billed annually or $169 month to month, with a Pro tier at $199. AI usage for matching, note taking, outreach drafting and recommendations is included in every plan rather than metered, and only enrichment credits for contact data cost extra.
It is the newest platform here, which cuts both ways. The product moves quickly, and the track record is shorter than the alternatives with a decade of agency deployments behind them.
Quick answers
Why do agencies leave Bullhorn?
Usually cost and pace rather than capability. Only the two small agency tiers are published, the AI and automation sit behind quotes, and smaller desks find the platform heavier than their workflow needs.
Which alternative is closest to Bullhorn?
PCRecruiter for the system of record role, and Loxo for the agency workflow with modern sourcing attached. Neither replaces Bullhorn One for timesheets and invoicing.
Can any of these handle contract staffing?
Not fully. None of the six runs timesheets, invoicing and pay and bill the way Bullhorn One does. Agencies placing contractors usually pair one of these with a dedicated back office system, or stay with Bullhorn.
Which has the best free trial?
Manatal, with 14 days and no card required. Crelate and several others run trials through a sales conversation instead.
How hard is it to migrate off Bullhorn?
Plan for weeks rather than days, and get the migration scope in writing. Loxo lists free migration for teams of three or more seats, which is worth using as a negotiating point with any vendor.
Is a cheaper ATS a false economy?
It can be. The saving disappears if you then buy sourcing, contact data and sequencing separately. Compare the total of everything a recruiter needs, not the seat price.
The bottom line
For a small agency, the honest reason to leave Bullhorn is that you are paying for a staffing platform and running a search firm. Every option here publishes a price, and three of them include work that Bullhorn puts behind a quote.
Start with what your recruiters actually do all day. Sourcing heavy desks should price Loxo. Outbound and business development desks should price Recruiterflow. Relationship led boutiques should price Crelate. Then compare each against the Bullhorn tier you would genuinely need, not the one on the page.
Sources: Bullhorn pricing, Loxo pricing, Recruiterflow pricing, Crelate pricing, PCRecruiter FAQ, Manatal pricing, Spott pricing