When choosing an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), there are a few options you will want to consider. While ATS add-ons to larger talent acquisition platforms may seem convenient, companies often face significant challenges and roadblocks that affect their recruitment efforts. These add-ons Applicant Tracking Systems or “ATSs as a feature”, typically lack the depth and functionality of dedicated solutions, making it difficult for recruitment teams to work efficiently.
In this article, we’ll dive into the most common challenges businesses face when using ATS add-ons and explore how stand-alone ATS solutions can better meet most organization’s needs.
Table of contents
The Challenges of an Add-On Applicant Tracking System
Long-Term Labor Costs
Add-on ATSs often market themselves as “free” or low-cost but come with two hidden expenses: labor and lost efficiency. The lack of core features in stand-alone ATSs can extend time-to-fill metrics and lower overall recruitment effectiveness. In the long run, these inefficiencies translate to higher costs, especially as companies inevitably switch to better platforms when they scale. This means you spend more in the long run on premium labor and eventually switch to a better platform as you scale.
Take a look at this comment about a popular add-on ATS tool left on a leading review site:
“We’re still in the implementation process and thus far, the customer experience has been terrible. They have been rude, inflexible and difficult to work with. In terms of the system, their ATS is quite clunky. There is also no e-signature functionality until after the employee has been hired (which they do not disclose during the sales process).”
Unclear Pricing
One of the often-overlooked challenges with ATS add-ons is deceptive pricing. Add-on ATSs may appear to be cost-effective because they’re bundled with larger platforms (like an HRIS or CRM), but hidden fees can add up quickly. Essential features such as advanced reporting, extra user seats, or integrations with other tools often come with additional charges. As your company grows, the limitations of basic add-ons may force you into upgrading or buying third-party solutions, leading to unexpected expenses. This lack of transparent pricing can lead to budgeting issues and hinder long-term scalability.
Check out the below comment about a popular add-on ATS tool left on a leading review site:
“We’re still in the implementation process and thus far, the customer experience has been terrible. They have been rude, inflexible, and difficult to work with. In terms of the system, their ATS is quite clunky. There is also no e-signature functionality until after the employee has been hired (which they do not disclose). After almost 4 years as a loyal customer, they restructured their subscription packages moving us from top tier to mid-tier and moving some of the add-on features we were paying extra for into the top tier. At that point, they told us that unless we upgraded with a 75% price increase we would no longer receive upgrades to those features. The point of subscription software is that we are paying for the continual development and upgrades. It is totally not ok to force existing customers to pay monthly for legacy software…. perhaps because we are a small business, they don’t see it worth their time to keep us as a customer….. I would warn everyone away from ********* as you can’t trust the prices they tell you you’ll pay. Unreliable, predatory, and awful way to treat loyal customers. From a company that preaches about treating people well from an HR perspective, they sure don’t understand how to treat customers during the sales process).”
Barebones Functionality
While the core features of these add-ons may handle basic tasks like tracking applications or scheduling interviews, they frequently lack advanced capabilities such as scorecards, detailed analytics, or multi-channel sourcing. You will eventually purchase and integrate multiple third-party tools to fill these gaps. Over time, this not only increases operational complexity for basic needs but also drives up costs, as each new integration often comes with additional fees for setup, maintenance, and support. What initially seems like a streamlined solution quickly becomes an expensive patchwork of tools unsuitable for growing and experienced organizations.
Take a look at this comment about a popular add-on ATS tool left on a leading review site:
“***** is not built to support large or rapidly growing companies. The ATS was okay when my team was smaller, but not manageable when it comes to handling high-volume requests/talent pools. This system can accommodate your basic needs like tracking candidate communication, creating email templates, and providing a standard career page/posting structure, but it struggles to go beyond that. We had to use a couple of systems in combination with ****** to cover all our needs. Additionally, we had a fair amount of tech issues, and support response time was not always quick. This only became an issue when we started to grow….”
Limited Customer Support
Add-on ATSs are typically just one small part of a larger platform, a cog in the larger machine Customer support is often generalized and focused on the parent system, leaving users of feature add-ons with limited assistance when it comes to issues. Easy-to-fix glitches, post-onboarding support, or answers to frequently asked questions become week-long tasks as struggle to get timely and knowledgeable help.
Take a look at this comment about a popular add-on ATS tool left on a leading review site:
“The Customer/Technical Service was fantastic until about February. Since that, it is impossible to get immediate help with anything – no Chat support, no Phone support, and if you submit a ticket, we can expect to wait days for a response. ABSOLUTELY THE WORST SUPPORT.”
Dependencies on parent platform and lack of flexibility:
When using an add-on ATS, you will quickly come to find you are constrained by the limitations of its parent system. Users often find themselves forced into pre-built workflows or processes that are not optimized for recruiting, making it difficult to customize or adapt the system to meet specific hiring needs. New updates to match industry standards, bug fixes, and feature requests are deprioritized for the needs of the parent company. Additionally, updates or changes to the parent platform can and most times will disrupt the ATS add-on.
Review this comment about a popular add-on ATS tool left on a leading review site:
“In my over 20 years working in talent acquisition, I have never used such a terrible piece of software. Basic functions such as the ability to disposition one or more candidates aren’t available. Everything that I deem basic and many other users of this platform, must go through this feature request process and when enough requests are received, it (sic) going on a planning board. Support! You can forget speaking to someone unless you’re on their highest-tiered plan. No clue what our CSM does except sending YouTube links and self-help guides. The absolute worst ATS in existence, I am in shock it’s a top 10 add-on.”
The Advantages of a Standalone Applicant Tracking System
Customizability
Standalone, purpose-built Applicant Tracking Systems offer far more customizable options than an add-on ATSs tied to a larger platform. With Spark Hire ATS’s (Comeet) stand-alone system, you can create tailored workflows, adjust hiring stages, and implement automated processes to suit your specific recruitment strategies. This flexibility gives you your hiring process your way. Manage complex or high-volume hiring campaigns as easily and simply as possible in whatever way you prefer.
Take a look at this review about Spark Hire’s ATS (Comeet):
“The feature to create a workflow has helped and reduced the involvement of other hiring managers. This helps to keep it organized and sorted for the individual departments. It’s really very user friendly and customizable.”
Usability
Stand-alone ATS platforms are designed with recruiters and hiring teams in mind. They feature user-friendly tools to allow teams to get up and running quickly without extensive training. The ease of use leads to higher adoption rates and ensures that the full range of ATS features is leveraged across the team.
Take a look at this review about Spark Hire’s ATS (Comeet):
“I like the UX/UI, visibility, the fact that every time I interact with one of my positions, everything is customizable. There was one thing my colleague said on my first ay of using Comeet: “with Comeet, everything is fixable, so don’t be scared you’ll mess things up!” and I still stand by that more than 2 years later.”
Top-Tier Integration Capabilities
Unlike add-on ATSs that depend on the parent platform, stand-alone ATS solutions are built to integrate smoothly with a wide variety of other systems, including HRIS, CRM, payroll, and other HR tech tools. This allows businesses to pick any tool they prefer for every function rather than relying on one less-than-ideal system to do it all. The ability to easily sync with external systems ensures that data flows more efficiently across departments, reducing manual input and minimizing errors.
Take a look at this review about Spark Hire’s ATS (Comeet)
“It saves a lot of time of syncing with the HR. Also, it has a few options for integrations we are using and it’s great and really easy.”
Scalability
As your business grows, so will its hiring needs. Stand-alone ATS systems like Spark Hire’s ATS (Comeet) are built to scale alongside you, offering the flexibility to handle increased candidate volumes, more complex hiring workflows, and additional job openings. We also offer advanced features like multi-location support, customizable hiring stages, and collaboration tools for large teams. In contrast, ATS add-ons can quickly become overwhelmed with increased hiring activity, leading to bottlenecks and slower processes.
Take a look at this review about Spark Hire’s ATS (Comeet):
“One sources of truth is extremely helpful, and integrate with our other systems. I enjoy the live comments section to easily overview a large amount of candidates. Moreover the flows…are quite flexible to use.”
Candidate Experience
Stand-alone ATS’s like Spark Hire ATS (Comeet) are designed with the candidate experience in mind. Features such as automated communication, personalized messaging, self-scheduling for interviews, and mobile-friendly interfaces ensure a smooth and engaging process for applicants. This improves your employer brand and reduces candidate drop-off. With ATS add-ons, the candidate experience is often a secondary focus, and these features may be underdeveloped or nonexistent.
Take a look at this review about Spark Hire’s ATS (Comeet):
“It’s very intuitive – I’ve used Comeet to hire some of my best employees!”
Choosing a stand-alone ATS like Spark Hire’s (integration with Comeet) ensures that your recruitment efforts are efficient, scalable, and well-supported, saving your company time, money, and frustration as you grow.
Looking for an Applicant Tracking System?
700+ customers love Spark Hire’s ATS for driving recruitment efficiencies, holding hiring managers accountable, and making data-driven decisions.
