Is this really free for independent recruiters?

Yes. The ATS is free forever with no seat limits. You make money on placements and client fees as you always have; Engage does not take a cut.

How does Engage make money from recruiter customers?

If one of your placements becomes a contractor or an EOR-employed worker through HQ Simple, we make a flat markup on the services. The ATS-only use case is genuinely free, we'd rather you grow into EOR/contractor services than pay seat fees.

Can I use Engage as my agency's tech stack?

Yes. Many independent recruiters and boutique agencies use Engage as their full stack, ATS for sourcing, contractor management for placements, VMS for multi-client programs, HQ Simple EOR for international cases.

Can I white-label Engage for my agency?

Branded candidate experience is supported (logo, colors, landing pages). Full white-label with your own domain is on the roadmap but not shipped today.

What about fee disputes or placement tracking?

Placement records persist on the platform with dated status changes. When a candidate starts, converts, or is terminated, the timestamp is logged. Generates the audit trail most agency-client disputes need.

Does Engage replace my existing accounting software?

No. Engage handles contractor invoices and payment workflows; exports feed your accounting system. Think of Engage as the operational layer above QuickBooks or Xero, not a replacement.

Staffing & recruiting

Run placements without the enterprise ATS bill.

Independent recruiters and boutique staffing agencies get a full ATS for free, contractor management without per-seat fees, and a self-managed VMS for running multi-client programs.

Request Beta Access See the Free ATS

engageapp.ai/app

Staffing agency and independent-recruiter workflows sit at an awkward intersection, the ATS market is priced for enterprise HR departments, but the work looks nothing like enterprise HR. You place candidates across multiple clients, each with their own workflow. You run contractor engagements where the margin is thin enough that per-seat SaaS fees from the big platforms kill it. Engage is built for this shape, free ATS, per-seat-free contractor management, self-managed VMS for multi-client programs, and a flat markup when clients need EOR services through HQ Simple.

Free tier, up to 20 workers

$500

Flat monthly, 21-100 workers

Multi-client

Workspace support

~17%

HQ Simple EOR markup when needed

Free ATS with multi-client workspace

Run placements for multiple clients with separate pipelines, role templates, and approval chains per client. All at $0.

VMS for running your own programs

Become the MSP, run RFQs, submit candidates, score vendors. Self-managed VMS at no cost to the client.

Contractor placement without the SaaS tax

Place a candidate as a 1099 contractor? Engage handles classification, onboarding, time, expense, and invoicing without a per-seat fee eating your margin.

Branded candidate experience

Candidates see your agency's branding when they onboard. Engage operates in the background.

Client-level reporting

Report spend, headcount, and placement performance per client. Export to Excel for QBRs.

Path to EOR through HQ Simple

Client needs an international hire? Route through HQ Simple's EOR service. You keep the relationship; HQ Simple handles the legal employer side.

engageapp.ai/app

Multi-client pipeline management

Separate workspaces per client
Branded candidate experience
AI-assisted resume review

engageapp.ai/app

Run your own VMS programs

Post RFQs across your vendor roster
Track submissions and vendor performance
Scorecards that improve allocation over time

engageapp.ai/app

Placement spend and performance per client

Spend rollups by client or by vertical
Active engagements dashboard
Export to Excel for quarterly reviews

What staffing agencies pay without Engage

Feature	Engage	Bullhorn + Bill.com	Crelate + QuickBooks	Enterprise ATS
ATS included	yes (Free tier: 0-20 workers)	yes (~$300/seat/mo)	yes (~$100/seat/mo)	yes ($5-12K/yr)
Platform pricing	$0 / $500 / $1,500 flat tier	Per-seat	Per-seat	Per-seat
Contractor management		Bolt-on	Bolt-on	Manual
VMS for multi-client programs		Partial		Partial
Per-placement fee	$0	Varies	Varies	Varies
International EOR handoff	yes (HQ Simple)			Partial

ATS included

Engage: yes (Free tier: 0-20 workers)
Bullhorn + Bill.com: yes (~$300/seat/mo)
Crelate + QuickBooks: yes (~$100/seat/mo)
Enterprise ATS: yes ($5-12K/yr)

Platform pricing

Engage: $0 / $500 / $1,500 flat tier
Bullhorn + Bill.com: Per-seat
Crelate + QuickBooks: Per-seat
Enterprise ATS: Per-seat

Contractor management

Engage
Bullhorn + Bill.com: Bolt-on
Crelate + QuickBooks: Bolt-on
Enterprise ATS: Manual

VMS for multi-client programs

Engage
Bullhorn + Bill.com: Partial
Crelate + QuickBooks
Enterprise ATS: Partial

Per-placement fee

Engage: $0
Bullhorn + Bill.com: Varies
Crelate + QuickBooks: Varies
Enterprise ATS: Varies

International EOR handoff

Engage: yes (HQ Simple)
Bullhorn + Bill.com
Crelate + QuickBooks
Enterprise ATS: Partial

Agency use-cases Engage supports today

Independent recruiters running placements across 3-15 clients without enterprise ATS licensing
Boutique staffing agencies (10-50 internal staff) running contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire workflows
Specialty recruiters in healthcare, legal, finance, tech, using industry-specific workflow configurations
Recruiting-plus-contract-management firms who want one tool for both
Agencies managing their own VMS programs, self-managed instead of paying an MSP

What you stop paying when you move to Engage

Enterprise ATS license ($300-$1,000/user/month at Bullhorn, $5-12K/year at Greenhouse/Lever), replaced by the free ATS
Per-seat SaaS fees (at Deel, Rippling, and other per-seat platforms), replaced by flat platform tier plus flat ~17% EOR markup when HQ Simple EOR is used
Separate VMS (gated pricing, typically $20-50K/year), replaced by the self-managed VMS module
Manual spreadsheets for contractor tracking, replaced by the contractor management module

Frequently asked questions

: Yes. The ATS is free forever with no seat limits. You make money on placements and client fees as you always have; Engage does not take a cut.

Your client needs an international hire?

HQ Simple's EOR service runs through your Engage workspace. You keep the client relationship and the fee; HQ Simple handles legal employer duties. Direct in US, Canada, UK, Australia and via partner network worldwide.

Partner with HQ Simple

Related on Engage

Free ATS VMS Contractor Management International EOR on the platform Pricing

Ready to engage your workforce?

Start with the free ATS. Grow into contractor management, VMS, and International EOR without changing systems.

Request Beta