# SmartSearch Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is SmartSearch the right Applicant Tracking solution for you? Explore 53 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/78549/SmartSearch/reviews --- SmartSearch 4.5 (53) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/78549/SmartSearch/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 SmartSearch Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.6 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews AC Amy C Recruiting Operations ManagerDefense & Space, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I love many features in SmartSearch but my number one favorite function is the ability to search across multiple job boards from one screen-which not only saves our recruiters time, it greatly reduces duplicate downloads.“ April 9, 2024 PR Parissa R RecruiterCivil Engineering, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It is not simple to use as it's slightly confusing, the job requisition entries could be easier navigated and overall needs improvement on the TA functions.“ January 12, 2024 PR Parissa R RecruiterCivil Engineering, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “SmartSearch does a good job for housing of resumes, searching candidates and inputting requisitions and managing them.“ January 12, 2024 DH David H Director, Talent AcquisitionStaffing and Recruiting, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Overall, our experience with SmartSearch has been excellent. As listed above the sales approach, the implementation approach, the ongoing support after implementation makes the SmartSearch solution critical to our business.“ April 9, 2024 DH David H Director, Talent AcquisitionStaffing and Recruiting, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “We are grateful to the SmartSearch team for such a flexible product and a product that is constantly being updated to satisfy current market needs.“ April 9, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 53 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Dan F. Vice President, Sales Used the software for: ### "I recommend SmartSearch to anyone involved in the recruiting process." September 16, 2008 5.0 I recommend SmartSearch to anyone involved in the recruiting process. The product supports client, contact, and candidate tracking. It also features an easy to implement job board that integrates with your web site. The licensing is very flexible and cost effective and minimal training is required. Data conversion is straightforward when handled by the SmartSearch support team. Pros SmartSearch is the easiest to use, full featured, and cost effective candidate and client contact tracking system that I have ever used. Cons The product is very good. Review Source GK Garrett K. CEO Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "10+ years I have used SmartSearch" July 12, 2017 5.0 If you need a great applicant tracking system that was built for applicant tracking and candidate rating/search, plus some limited accounting capabilities and online timecards that upload to accounting software, this is a great system. If you need a full GL accounting system and not so much an applicant tracking system, this isn't for you. Pros Highly customize-able, versatile, EEOC compliance built in, job portal, some limited accounting capabilities too. Personable staff, most with long-tenure. Responsive to needs and even suggestions to incorporate into their core product at no cost. One of the largest 2 staffing firms in the world wanted to buy them multiple times. You can easily set up automated tasks at any step of the hiring process, which is awesome to help control how your staff uses the system and to ensure that they don't forget important things for their customers. I've used their system for over 10 years and I've never even thought of leaving due to need for something they don't have. And I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Cons Some reporting needs are difficult to achieve on your own with their built in reports. It's almost like both too many options and some important options aren't there. But they are generally willing to help pull the information for you from the back-end. Review Source PR Parissa R. Recruiter Civil Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "SmartSearch is Not Smart" January 12, 2024 3.0 Pros SmartSearch does a good job for housing of resumes, searching candidates and inputting requisitions and managing them. Cons It is not simple to use as it's slightly confusing, the job requisition entries could be easier navigated and overall needs improvement on the TA functions. Review Source RW Renee W. Talent Acquisition Manager Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent ATS/CRM and service provided!" October 21, 2020 5.0 Rail Personnel has been using Smartsearch since 2006 and we have always been happy with the system and service provided. Pros Smartsearch as an ATS/CRM has always been a powerful and fast system for conducting candidate searches, managing our recruitment activities and allowing candidates to update their own information via the Candidate Career Centre. The Smartsearch Support Team make every endeavor to assist their customers by responding promptly to any emails sent to support@aps2k.com to confirm receipt of the request, ask any follow up questions and ultimately resolve the issues. Also, for urgent requests, they make every effort to assist after hours and have been available to conduct Skype Calls and Goto Meetings to resolve any issues. Cons We have been using Smartsearch for 10+ years and we cannot list any cons at this time. Review Source KK Kristi K. Office Administrator Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "20 Years With SmartSearch" October 22, 2020 5.0 We have been SmartSearch customers for 20 years. We have built our business around this software and we use it to manage almost everything. Approximately a year ago, we decided to leave and try another ATS. We were back with SmartSearch in less than a month! This product does everything you need to manage candidates, clients, job orders, and marketing. We highly recommend it! Pros It is very user friendly. It does everything we need it to do and then some. The SmartSearch support team is fantastic! They have met almost every need we have ever had. Cons I don't have complaints about the software. It is capable of doing so much, that the only downside is I don't know how to fully use everything it offers. Review Source Response from SmartSearch October 26, 2020 Thank you, Kristi. We appreciate the review! ZK Zack K. Recruitment Advisor Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "SS Review 2024" April 10, 2024 3.0 Pros It is a good way to keep track of candidates and job statuses. The way it organizes things by client, manager, job, and contractor. Cons It is not very user-friendly. If you are not an expert user at it, you will only use surface level tasks. Review Source Response from SmartSearch April 19, 2024 Hi Zack, Thank you so much for leaving a review of SmartSearch. We'd be happy to set up a time to explore additional functionality within SmartSearch to give your team the knowledge and experience to maximize your value of SmartSearch. Please reach out to our support team at support@smartsearchinc.com, and one of our technicians can set up an in-depth conversation. Alternatively, we have many supplemental training resources to tap into. For example, our LMS, SmartSearch University, is a fantastic tool to gain valuable knowledge about different capabilities. Again thank you for your continued support of SmartSearch! TK Thomas K. EVP Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Daily User" January 7, 2020 4.0 Applicant tracking, job order entry and tracking, client management, CRM functionality, database management of the business. Pros SmartSearch enables us to track all applicants and clients for daily use. We use the fax and document signing functions as well. Has CRM functionality and VMS/RPO functionality as well. Cons User interface is old and when presenting on a screen the user interface is so small it is difficult to see without navigating to a particular place in the user interface and manually enlarge the screen. Reason for choosing SmartSearch Better value for the investment at that time. Review Source Response from SmartSearch February 12, 2020 Thanks for the review Tom! We upgraded the UI in August of 2020 to make the system faster and easier to use than ever. DS DAVID S. Vice President Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Solid ATS Package" December 4, 2018 5.0 We have used SmartSearch since 1996, and have used some form of the product ever since. Technical support has always been outstanding. Training has been great. We really could not have asked for a better business partner. We have been approached by numerous vendors for years with different ATS packages and none made us consider moving away from SmartSearch. Pros Solid reliable product. Company is always working to add features and update the product to keep up with the changing requirements of the staffing world. Like the overall interface. The dashboard is customizable and really let's you look at the key indicators you want to see. The search capabilities are second to none. The basic system is fairly intuitive so bringing on new recruiters and getting them up to speed is not a big issue. Cons Some of the features and reporting are not what we need and the report designer is not user friendly. Review Source KE Katie E. Director of Client Services Human Resources Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great overall applicant tracking system" October 20, 2020 4.0 Overall it has been a pleasure working with this product and the team behind it. Pros Easy to customize and use with tons of options. Really love the drag and drop features in the main tool. The onboarding and hire tracks help drive consistency and quality without our teams, and make it easy to never miss a step. Plus the customer support team is always willing to help! Cons Creating reports from scratch - would love easier functionality like drag and drop. Review Source Response from SmartSearch October 22, 2020 Thank you, Katie. We appreciate the review! JS Jack S. Owner and Managing Director Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Owner ITech Recruiting LLC" July 13, 2017 5.0 I've used several other talent/recruiting systems, both vendor supplied and custom built and this is the best one I've seen. Pros Very easy to learn; functions are intuitive; excellent support; easy to get tech support people on the phone, including the CTO; very responsive to suggestions for enhancements and tweaks; good problem tracking capability; always enhancing and improving. Cons Could do a better job of communicating functional changes. Also, I use a very small percentage of the functionality so a mini version with less on the screens would probably work for me. And since it has a lot of formatting and customizing features, perhaps that is even currently possible but I haven't brought up the issue, but now that I thought of it i will do so. Review Source OA Osondu A. Solicitor Legal Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Brilliant Product " November 16, 2023 5.0 Overall a great experience. We are happy that we found a product that saves us time and gets the job done Pros Your AML procedure is conducted efficiently and satisfactorily. You also get a dedicated account manager so you can never be stock with anything. Cons There are none that I can think of, it is just a shame that it too time before we found out about the product Review Source Response from SmartSearch April 18, 2024 Thank you for your positive feedback! We're delighted to hear that SmartSearch has streamlined your processes effectively. We're committed to continuing to support you and provide excellent service and support! AH Anne H. Recruiter Medical Practice Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very good ATS for our company." July 3, 2017 5.0 Pros Excellent customer service and very comprehensive tools to assist with recruiting and employee management. Cons I don't have many complaints but I did find it more complicated to learn than other ATS's I have used. That is because it has more customizable features than they did. Review Source RRR Ron Richard R. Recruitment Manager Management Consulting Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Highly Flexible for Your Needs" June 30, 2017 5.0 Pros If you are looking for a software that you can customize to fit your needs, SmartSearch is an affordable solution. It's also perfect for those who haven't used an applicant tracking system before since they offer generic templates. Cons Interface is not based in next generation design. Function wise this is great, needs more improvement in the interface - look and feel should be smoother. Review Source AE Alan E. Executive Recruiter Construction Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best ATS I've ever used" December 29, 2018 5.0 My go to whenever I need an ATS at a company I'm working with. Pros User friendly, has options for every function which can be configured to the meet user demands Cons Has many functions that require fore thought. Review Source MF Michael F. VP, Sales Support Operations Used the software for: ### "We recently successfully completed the conversion and upgrade to the current Web Enabled version." September 16, 2008 5.0 We recently successfully completed the conversion and upgrade to the current Web Enabled version. We are extremely pleased with this version of SmartSearch and very impressed APS team efforts prior to, during and after the conversion: The Training Team provides a level of training and orientation that allows our users to be functional on the test database after only 2 3 hours of training. The Technical Team did a super job of converting our production data and creating a test database to allow us to learn the system functionalities and validate the integrity of our production data. We sent a snapshot of our latest production database on a Friday evening and the new production database was ready for our IT team and users to validate on Saturday afternoon. Our production data was intact and a majority of the over 300 queries and reports executed successfully and very a few required limited modification. Pros \- Data Conversion - Training - Customer Support - System Functionality Cons \- We haven't found anything worth mentioning. Review Source PW Paul W. President Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Maybe too customizable" June 6, 2018 4.0 Pros The software can do most anything a recruiter might want to do. There is so much that much of the functionality will never be used. Cons Because it is so flexible and does so much, there is a big learning curve so it could hinder a recruiter getting it up and running in a timely manner. Review Source LM Linda M. VP, Operations Used the software for: ### "Good product with more potential than we have even been able to use as yet." September 20, 2008 4.0 Good product with more potential than we have even been able to use as yet. Pros Constantly improving! Integration w/Monster and CareerBuilder Cons Duplication of candidates when pulling in from Monster and/or CareerBuilder. Extra step of having to combine and delete one record. Merging to most recent info is still not smooth. Review Source RB Robin B. EVP Used the software for: ### "Good software, great team from Sales, to Training, to Tech Support, to Development for new features" November 16, 2008 5.0 Good software, great team from Sales, to Training, to Tech Support, to Development for new features Pros Easy to use and they are regularly adding nice new features Cons Still waiting for a good interface between SS and Quickbooks Review Source NM Nicole M. Executive Director Human Resources Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Software but Customer Service Improvements needed" March 14, 2025 3.0 Solid tool, they need more staff to be more prompt on responses and currently have a lack of delivery development options that impact our clients. Pros SmartSearch software streamlines the hiring process- It offers seamless job posting, candidate tracking, and resume screening, saving recruiters time and effort. The integration with major job boards and HR tools enhances efficiency, while customizable workflows make it adaptable to different hiring needs. Cons Customer Service, as a long time customer of over 13 years this use to be my favorite part of the company but in the recent year with executive and management changes this has drastically become worse. Switched from [Bullhorn ATS & CRM](https://www.capterra.com/p/140531/Bullhorn-Recruiting-Software/) Customer service response times were greatly lacking. Review Source AC Amy C. Recruiting Operations Manager Defense & Space Used the software for: 2+ years ### "SmartSearch is a Fantastic ATS" April 9, 2024 5.0 I've used SmartSearch for over 10 years. For the last 6 years, I've been involved in annual tools review which includes a review of at least 3 potential replacements. (company always looking to improve) No other ATS has the ability to seamlessly search across multiple boards from one screen and none come anywhere close to hitting the pricing model or level of training and support that Smart Search offers. Pros Price and functionality. I love many features in SmartSearch but my number one favorite function is the ability to search across multiple job boards from one screen-which not only saves our recruiters time, it greatly reduces duplicate downloads. Also like the ability to schedule and post onto linked in from the job screen, and ability to search for linked in profiles from the candidate screen. Support is excellent. Pricing is VERY reasonable and is based on number of users. Cons It used to be a little 'clunky' and had issues with editing posts, but the latest upgrade removed those complaints. Reason for choosing SmartSearch Functionality and pricing. A big plus was the ability to customize and purchase only pieces we needed Switched from [iCIMS Hire](https://www.capterra.com/p/93248/iCIMS-Recruit/) ICIMS raised their pricing before our annual renewal. Review Source Response from SmartSearch April 18, 2024 Thank you for your review! We're thrilled to hear that SmartSearch's functionality has been such a valuable asset for your recruiting process. We're constantly working to improve our platform, and we're delighted that our recent upgrades have addressed any previous issues. Your loyalty over the past 10 years means a lot to us! DH David H. Director, Talent Acquisition Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Ongoing Experience with SmartSearch" April 9, 2024 5.0 Overall, our experience with SmartSearch has been excellent. As listed above the sales approach, the implementation approach, the ongoing support after implementation makes the SmartSearch solution critical to our business. We are grateful to the SmartSearch team for such a flexible product and a product that is constantly being updated to satisfy current market needs. Pros We love the ease of use, ease of training and the ability to customize the application to our needs. We love the team that supports us. When we have a customer opportunity or a customer need, when we go to SmartSearch to discuss, they most often have a solution ready for us! We love the technical support we receive (althought we don't need it much) - they solve the problem or the glitch rapidly and always keep us informed. Cons We honestly cannot come up with a good answer to this question. There is nothing we do not like about SmartSearch. Reason for choosing SmartSearch Past experience and implementation. Great team! Very responsive tech support. Close communication with SmartSearch sales and implementation teams builds confidence. Switched from [Bullhorn ATS & CRM](https://www.capterra.com/p/140531/Bullhorn-Recruiting-Software/) Bullhorn was minimally functional, expensive and poor tech support. Review Source Response from SmartSearch April 18, 2024 Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with SmartSearch! We're thrilled to hear that SmartSearch has exceeded your expectations. We're committed to continually enhancing our product to meet your needs, and we're grateful for your partnership. AW Amanda W. Program Manager Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great ATS!" April 8, 2024 5.0 SmartSearch has been my go-to tool for seven years, and it's unmatched in simplicity and effectiveness. Its resume database and customizable filters make candidate identification a breeze. The platform's communication features are efficient, allowing me to reach out to multiple candidates seamlessly. Overall, SmartSearch is an excellent ATS that has significantly improved my recruitment process. Highly recommended for recruiters seeking efficiency and effectiveness. Pros Easy to use, quickly identify candidates using filters in the resume database. Great options to customize and great options to contact multiple candidates or hires at one time. Cons I can not think of anything at this time. Review Source Response from SmartSearch April 18, 2024 We're grateful to have worked with you for past 7 years, and are delighted to be a part of streamlining your recruitment process. We're dedicated to nurturing our partnership further by continuously improving SmartSearch to meet your evolving needs. Thank you for your continued trust and support! SK Scott K. CEO Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Customer Since 1986" November 12, 2020 5.0 SmartSearch is a good tool that has become a critical element of our operation. They have been responsive to our requests for improvements and additional features. The software is good in managing many of our most significant business functions. Over the years we've been doing business, I've found the people at SmartSearch to be good people who genuinely want to help their customers thrive. This customer focus shows up in their software. Pros This software is the backbone of our customer fulfillment and customer management efforts. As a key tool in our daily work, SmartSearch is invaluable in the work we do. SmartSearch is flexible in its configuration. There are many qualities, many features that make SmartSearch a valuable tool for us. At the macro level, I believe what SmartSearch brings to our operation is efficiency. Cons No product exists that cannot be improved. So this is about improving on the foundation of an excellent tool. This is true with SmartSearch. I believe the CRM function could be improved. Additional integration with sourcing tools, and better integration with VMS tools/platforms. Alternatives considered [Bullhorn ATS & CRM](https://www.capterra.com/p/140531/Bullhorn-Recruiting-Software/)[Avionté](https://www.capterra.com/p/76635/Avionte-for-Staffing-Firms/) Reason for choosing SmartSearch Features, price, and support. They have excellent support. Review Source Response from SmartSearch November 17, 2020 Thank you, Scott! As a long-standing client, your opinion of SmartSearch is very important to us. JL Justin L. Sr Recruiter Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Not the most impressive recruiting software out there" April 8, 2024 3.0 It excluded candidates from boolean searches and involves way too much clicking to navigate to jobs when you are actively recruiting. All box fields are so small. Pros Searching by note subject for candidate referencing, and tracking. Cons The boxes for all data entry points are TINY. Review Source NG Norman G. CEO Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The fact that i need to come up with 40 characters to complete this field. CEO" April 8, 2024 5.0 The fact that i need to come up with 40 characters to complete this field. 20+ years as user speaks for itself Pros The fact that i need to come up with 40 characters to complete this field. Ease of use and configuration Cons The fact that i need to come up with 40 characters to complete this field. Nothing Reason for choosing SmartSearch The fact that i need to come up with 40 characters to complete this field. Review Source Response from SmartSearch April 18, 2024 Thank you for your feedback! We're pleased to hear that SmartSearch's ease of use and configuration options have been valuable to you. We're committed to maintaining this standard of excellence and look forward to continuing our partnership with you. 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