FreeATS
Modern lightweight open-source ATS with visual workflows
FreeATS is a lightweight, strictly open-source ATS that focuses on simplicity and speed, offering a cleaner interface than older legacy systems. It is designed to be "up and running" quickly with a modern, visual drag-and-drop board for moving candidates between stages.
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Features
Core Features
- ✓Kanban Pipeline - Modern, visual drag-and-drop board for moving candidates between stages
- ✓Career Site Generator - Automatically generates a public-facing page listing all active job openings
- ✓Resume Parsing - Basic parsing capabilities to reduce manual data entry
- ✓Team Collaboration - Internal commenting system on candidate profiles for team feedback
- ✓Rating System - Star-based rating for candidates to quickly identify top talent
- ✓Email Templates - Pre-saved templates for common communications (rejections, interview invites)
Target Audience
- →Startups
- →Small HR teams
- →Developers looking for a modern base to build upon
Deployment
Type: Self-Hosted
Requirements:
- • Ruby on Rails environment
- • Docker (recommended)
- • PostgreSQL or MySQL
Advantages
- +Modern user interface with visual workflows
- +MIT license allows for easy proprietary modification
- +Lightweight and fast performance
- +Docker support for easy deployment
Limitations
- −Feature set is less extensive than OpenCATS
- −Smaller community ecosystem
- −Requires Ruby on Rails knowledge for customization
- −Limited third-party integrations
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Last updated: 2026