# CATS Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is CATS the right Recruiting solution for you? Explore 144 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/45814/CATS/reviews --- CATS 4.2 (144) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/45814/CATS/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of CATS Ease of use 4.3 Customer Service 4.3 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews DH Dana H Founder and PrincipalNon-Profit Organization Management, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “CATS was always easy to work with.“ November 24, 2025 DH Darryl H Managinng DirectorStaffing and Recruiting, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “They stopped being able to use Chrome, and support dropped in a big way. “ September 5, 2025 JC Justine C Technical RecruiterReal Estate, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “CATS is easy-to-use and has decent reporting functionality.“ September 13, 2020 CD Cara D COOStaffing and Recruiting, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I feel the rep I worked with didn't understand or try to understand my issue which ultimately led me to go somewhere else for the email side of things.“ July 21, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 144 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Danny C. Recruitment Specialist Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Overall a great experience utilizing CATS to get work done!" December 18, 2017 4.0 Pros I love that the technical support of very responsive and open to new ideas in order to continuously improve the system. Cons The least thing I like is that it's not fully integrated on a smart phone. That makes working on a mobile impossible. Review Source Katherine S. Brand Marketing Manager Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Extraordinary support! " December 18, 2017 5.0 We recommend it to our clients often. It helps us enable them to stay compliant and organized. Pros I'm not a technician, and having the resources of the CATS team be able to talk me through solutions to some of our challenges has been a tremendous plus! Cons The analytics could be made more pliable so that you could bring more info into an excel spreadsheet. Other than that, I can't think of anything. Review Source RD Ryan D. Owner Used the software for: 2+ years ### "We've had decent experience with CATS but are currently looking at other options." January 4, 2018 2.0 Pros It is less complex than other solutions that are bloated with unnecessary features. The LinkedIn plugins and resume searching is good. Customized workflows is a good idea although they lack flexibility to get at incorporate important data in triggers (like Activity notes associated with a status change). Cons It seems like the underlying data model of CATS limits what they can do with their product. Contacts and Candidates are tedious to work with and behavior seems to change randomly (i.e. duplicate logging of emails to a single person, merged profiles overwrite information). The email integration has been unstable and recently realized that it logs emails for users that are cc'd (not the sender) on emails which throws off metrics for our staff. The Slack integration is really limited and almost pointless (i.e. all messages go to same channel, no way to send activity information like notes for a status change). There is no way to associated an active assignment with a candidate (this is all done through candidate pipeline and status changes). There is no way to log activities for multiple contacts/candidates (like a group lunch). Calendar / Event Scheduling is clunky and behavior changes constantly. We used to make events visible to all so it showed up on the Upcoming Events on the dashboard but now they are only visible to the user that created it. There are many other nuances with private vs. public events. Review Source Miguel G. Managing Director Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Good experience." December 19, 2017 4.0 Is my daily tool. Great! Pros User friendly. Very good applicant tracking. Control Panel very helpful. I can see CATS calendar integrated with microsoft outlook. Great understanding with linkedin. Cons Sometimes a little bit difficult customize some settings. I would like to inform in one shot all the applicants that are not in consideration about the end of the vacancy and it´s not possible. it would be very useful. Review Source Yelitza G. costurera Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "I like it, it is much less complex than other similar software." June 13, 2018 5.0 Pros It is very convenient to work in this application, because it is very easy, with a very good interface and a simple programming that allows me to save time when calling my clients, I recommend it for its simplicity. Cons I think it could improve the messaging part, since it only uses emails, it would be excellent to include social networks. Review Source Dario C. CEO Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Extremely expensive, complicated & not user friendly" August 7, 2019 3.0 I tried CATS while looking for a solution to our "recruit-a-friend" problem. We wanted to implement something that could help our "affiliates/referrals" and simplify the entire process, seamlessly. But CATS, compared to their competitors it's way harder to use, much less user friendly and extremely expensive. On the other hand, CATS is loaded with features such as: a career portal, a meeting schedule and the integration with your calendar, so your appointments automatically shows up without the hustle of manually taking it all the time. If money is not your problem, definitely go for it. Pros Detailed applicant tracking system with a good amount of multi-usage. Cons Extremely expensive, clearly not worth it. Alternatives considered [Zoho Recruit](https://www.capterra.com/p/125768/Zoho-Recruit/)[Tellent Recruitee](https://www.capterra.com/p/140650/Recruitee/)[Jobsoid](https://www.capterra.com/p/150764/Jobsoid/) Review Source Travis L. Information Technology and Services Used the software for: ### "Highly Customizable and Cost Effective ATS" June 17, 2014 5.0 We switched to CATS from Applicant Stack in 2012 and have not looked back. All of our data imported over to CATS. The team was very helpful the first few months as we had tons of questions as we implemented the system. The system is very user friendly and easy to use. We have been able to customize fields and create our own custom fields, which has allowed us to create an application process unique to our organizational needs. We also are able to really tailor the system to fit our various applicant process for various roles. This has resulted in increased efficiency as we have automated the majority of our applicant tracking process all the way to a final interview stage. Pros Highly dynamic system Email integration (syncs with our gmail suite) Customizable workflows, applications, and candidate fields Clean UI Responsive support team A great value Cons Lacks an onboarding function Wish it offered integration with our payroll/HRIS provider (Paylocity Webpay). Review Source ★ Debbie D. Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: ### "It's good, but could be better with more reports" May 27, 2015 4.0 There is just one report, a job order report, which can have "quick notes", job location, recruiter name, etc. added to the reports. But we need basic reports on individual recruiter productivity, and CATS doesn't offer any. Its weird because we enter the data, but there's just no quick reports to pull the information we've entered and print a simple report on a recruiter's monthly/quarterly/yearly placements, interviews, submittals, etc. Pros Easy to use, inexpensive, nice feature to post jobs to multiple sites. Cons We need basic reports on individual recruiter productivity, and CATS doesn't offer any. Its weird because we enter the data, but there's just no quick reports to pull this information we've entered and print a report on a recruiter's monthly/quarterly/yearly placements, interviews, submittals, etc. Review Source Chris N. Information Technology and Services Used the software for: ### "Strong product" May 27, 2015 4.0 Overall, I think CATS Applicant Tracking System is a strong product due to the ability to customize the product for your organizations needs. I like the recent email integration capabilities and I also think the customer service is top notch because they respond well to user feedback. Pros The pros of this product is that the product can be customized, it fits well with small recruiting teams and the customer service and development team respond quickly to needed changes. Cons I think there can be some general improvements to the internal search features of the database. Review Source Tim B. Human Resources Used the software for: ### "Strong ATS offering at good value " May 27, 2015 4.0 easy to use software with all key requirements for an ATS system at a really reasonable price Pros The ATS functionality is very good. Easy to import resume with plug in for LinkedIn and Monster. Their customer service is also very good. They also have provided updates to the system on a fairly regular basis so it is always improving. Cons The client side for prospecting I would rate as just OK but the ATS side is very strong Review Source AZ Ann Z. President Management Consulting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "EXCELLENT customer service, they answer on the first ring!!" September 1, 2016 5.0 LOVE CATS, terrific applicant tracking system and EXCELLENT client support. We have invested in systems over the years but not being especially savvy with technical issues, have always run into roadblocks by not being able to utilize all the options and with limited customer support could never figure out how to implement half of what was offered...this is happily not the case with CATS. Pros LOVE the ease of use...even for someone like me who is not naturally adept at navigating my way through different systems, we have found that CATS is extremely user friendly, and on the occasions when we do need help, calling into their live US based customer support hotline and having nice, friendly people always eager and endlessly patient to help makes using CATS a no-brainer. Cons I honestly cannot think of any negatives...we have tried out multiple ATS and CATS is at the top of the list in terms of ease of use and customer support. Review Source BF Bill F. Owner / Recruiter Medical Devices Used the software for: 2+ years ### "From a Life Science Recruiter" August 13, 2019 5.0 Pros CATs does a great job posting jobs to various job boards and makes it easy to customize forms and tracking of both candidates and clients. Cons They have issues when posting certain jobs that should only be posted on our company page and always seem to go out to all of the other job boards even when you get assistance from the CATs help desk - they need to correct this issues it has been an ongoing problem for at least a year or more. Review Source SJ Susan J. Owner Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "CATS Review" April 14, 2016 1.5 Pros The search works well and able to track all conversations that happen through email in or outside the solution Good with user defined fields. They were a really good, cheap solution 3 years ago but just didn't keep up with what was happening in industry. Cons 1) very klunky to use, last major upgrade was 2 years ago and no plans for upgrade anytime soon 2) no major upgrades or releases in ovder 2 years, no plans to come out with a new release or upgrade 3) the dashboard is weak and their reports are weak, have to use excel spreadsheet behind catsone 4) customer support is poor; it could be there is a lack of training but a call/email to custome support is just a waste of time - don't bother, 6) definitely not worth the price anymore - Cura and PCRecruiter do much more functionality for much less 7) CATSOne doesn't keep up with social media integrations Review Source TH Tom H. Research Director Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "CATS is extremely user friendly, and customization is a breeze" January 4, 2018 4.0 It is easy to use, easy to train new hires, and continually improves itself with little time-savers Pros user friendly, customization, search any field, schedule workflow triggers, constantly improving itself Cons Reporting should be more functional/customizable, and that would make the Dashboard useful - I do not use this feature now because of that. (Why can I still not run a report that shows me EVERY candidate I EVER submitted - that is crazy for an ATS!) Review Source MH Michelle H. Senior Associate Used the software for: 2+ years ### "We have been using CATS since 2011 and have noticed many great updates through the years." December 18, 2017 4.0 Pros It is user friendly and it is easy to find information. I like the boolean search features as well as being able to search by a particular field. Cons The system needs to be more customizable. There have been times when I have asked how to do something and have been told that it can't be done. For example, the reports section is unusable for my needs and I have to manually go in and create reports. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Professional Training & Coaching Used the software for: ### "Easy to Use" May 27, 2015 4.0 We use CATS applicant tracking software to manage our talent acquisition processes. When we implemented in 2009, we had a paper/spreadsheet system in place. CATS streamlined all of this for us and brought sanity to the hiring process. We love the email triggers that can be set up to automatically be sent when certain actions are recorded in the system. This has saved many hours for us. Pros Easy to use software; fast technical support; comprehensive support website. When we had questions about functionality we were able to schedule a phone call with a technical support rep who walked us through the product, almost as a mini-custom user training session. Cons The location of some of the features is not intuitive (you have to hunt around for it). Review Source KW Katie W. Lead Recruiter Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Product" August 8, 2019 5.0 Pros Boolean Search in the system. This is so helpful when you want to find candidates that you have already sourced. Cons Sometimes the reporting is difficult to find, especially the AAP one. Review Source PS Phoebe S. Deployment Officer Used the software for: ### "CATS has been a fantastic resource for our organization!" May 29, 2012 4.0 Overall, I would recommend this product to organizations looking to automate tasks and improve efficiency, but it works best as a compliment to other systems. Pros CATS has enabled our organization to streamline many of our processes and thus run more efficiently. Automating many of the tasks that we used to do repetitively has allowed for quicker response times. As well, the "add calendar entry" feature is fantastic and helps us to stay on top of all upcoming tasks. Cons The fact that each candidate can only have one profile makes it difficult for us when we engage the same candidate multiple times. It would be really useful to have multiple pages within the single candidate profile. The lack of this feature makes it difficult for us to keep track of all of our placements, which means that we have to use a different system to maintain our historical knowledge. Ideally, we would have one system that could do all of these functions. As well, the fact that is a web-based program is both a pro and a con - the con being that there is always the possibility that the internet will go down and we will lose access to our files. Having a complementary software program for our computers would be incredibly useful. Review Source BA Barb A. VP, Partner Recruitment Construction Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great system for posting jobs, sourcing candidates & improved candidate experience" August 8, 2019 5.0 I've used CATS in a couple of companies I've been in. I've also used other ATS/Candidate Management Systems. CATS is great for our businesses because we have multiple locations that each manage their own hiring. Many have on-going hiring needs for 4-5 different key positions. Pros Easy to set up and use. Very user friendly and not over-architected. Cons I wish things like submitting candidates to a hiring manager could be done in a bulk way vs. one at a time. Reason for choosing CATS Yes. CATS was the selected over others Review Source dV danielle V. HR MANAGER Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "CATS APPLICANT TRACKING" August 8, 2019 4.0 Pros I like the features that help me keep track of candidates that have applied before. Some have applied years ago , before I was with the company so it helps alot. Cons I don't like the newest changes that we had no choice about. I prefer the previous version. Review Source ER Eliana R. IT Recruiter Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A problem with the new inteface " August 14, 2019 4.0 Ingeneral is good , about functionality . The new interface is not user experience Pros De ease use, Cats has a lot of functionalities is good for recruitment Cons The system creates two or three times a profile Review Source SR Sharon R. Senior Technical Sourcer Human Resources Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Daily User of CATS System" August 14, 2019 5.0 I love using the system and think it's the best I've used yet. I am able to easily add candidates, view the status for each of the candidates, and LOVE the short cut keyboard function. Pros How user-friendly it is and how I visually data is presented to me Cons Still trying to get around duplicate profiles Review Source DM Denise M. Vice President Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "CATS" June 21, 2018 4.0 Very affordable, especially for smaller companies. Pros It is easy to learn. It is easy to use. It easy to post jobs. It has nice functionality. It is customizable. It is affordable. Cons Not much help during the transition of data. You have to figure everything out on your own. Support doesn't really help you figure stuff out. Support points you to where you can go to read the answer as if you hadn't already tried that. Review Source WK Whitney K. Deputy PM Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I love using CATS! It does have some querks, but overall a great system. Customer support rocks!" January 2, 2018 4.0 Easy storage and tracking of candidates. Pros The resume upload feature to auto-populate. The time/date stamps in the notes are fantastic. I love the ability to track all updates painlessly. Cons The email sync does not always work. I've gone back to candidate profiles and many times have to manually copy and paste emails into the the notes section. Review Source Kristen H. Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: ### "Great way to manage your pipeline" May 27, 2015 4.0 CATS allows you to easily track your candidates as they apply to jobs and then manage them through the process. CATS allows you to post to many different job boards with the click of a button. Customer service is amazing and fast. Pros Applicant tracking Email integration Cons Not very customizable for individual users. 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