Small Business RecruitingHuman Resources

Category Compare: Recruiting vs. HR Software

Ashish Upadhyay profile picture
By Ashish Upadhyay

Published
3 min read
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In this report, we define and compare recruiting software and HR software so you can decide which tool suits your business requirements.

While recruiting software and HR software are two closely related categories, they have distinct functions. Recruiting software specifically helps with onboarding candidates while HR software goes well beyond hiring and onboarding phases and also helps with keeping track of employee information, payroll, and administration. This report will identify the similarities and differences between the two categories to help you understand which one is better suited for your requirements.

What is recruiting software?

Recruiting software helps recruiting, staffing, and hiring agencies manage their operations by maintaining a database of applicant and job information. These solutions are used by organizations to collect applicant information and then filter, grade, and match candidates' skills against job requirements.

What is HR software?

Human resources (HR) software acts as a system of employee data records. It helps HR leaders and personnel with the attraction, recruitment, management, engagement, and development of their employees.

What do they have in common?

Both recruiting and HR software have overlapping functionalities since both tools help with candidate management and tracking applicants. Recruitment software helps track and direct applicants, CVs, and compliance documents during the hiring process. HR software helps store and organize employee information and manage payroll.

Recruiting software features

HR software features

Which tool is right for you?

If recruiting and selection are your only concerns, then going for recruiting software makes sense, as it is specifically designed to handle these aspects for your business. However, if your needs go beyond recruitment and you want a solution that offers other services such as employee management and administration, then go for HR software.

The question now is: Which specific tool is right for your business? To start your search, head over to our recruiting software or HR software category pages. There you’ll find a sortable list of products, software reviews from verified users, and comprehensive buyers guides.

With so many software options to choose from, it might be helpful to narrow your search to only the most popular and highest-rated solutions. In that case, check out our Capterra Shortlist reports for the top recruiting software and HR software, based on an analysis of thousands of user reviews.

6 top-rated recruiting and HR software

These 6 products, listed in alphabetical order, are among the top-rated ones in both software categories.

Trial/Free Version

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Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Note: Reviews and ratings data in the product cards is as of March 1, 2022. New reviews may have been added since the publication of this article, so the reviews data in this piece may not reflect current conditions.

The products in the category comparison images are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations by Capterra. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.



Methodology

To be included in the list, the products must:

  1. Be listed under Capterra’s 2022 Shortlist report for recruiting and HR software. Learn more about the Capterra Shortlist methodology here.

  2. Meet our software market definition for recruiting and HR software:

  • Recruiting: “Recruiting software helps recruiting, staffing, and hiring agencies manage their operations by maintaining a database of applicant and job information. These solutions are used by organizations to collect applicant information and then filter, grade, and match candidates skills against job requirements.”

  • HR: “Human resources (HR) software acts as the system of record for employee data. It helps HR leaders and personnel with the attraction, recruitment, management, engagement, and development of their employees.”


Looking for Talent Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Talent Management software solutions.

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About the Author

Ashish Upadhyay profile picture

Ashish Upadhyay is a content writer at Capterra, helping small businesses identify the right software for their business needs by analyzing user reviews data for the highest rated products in relevant software categories. Prior to joining Capterra, he worked in insurtech, fintech, and real estate. Specializing in marketing, project, and IT management, Ashish’s works have been featured in MAST magazine and Medium. In his free time, he enjoys working out and playing video games.

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