There are plenty of free platforms for recruiters out there.

Or so it seems.. Some “free” tools hide paywalls behind critical features. Others are limited trials that don’t scale.

Here's a clear map of which free recruiting tools are truly useful and how to use them.

Free sourcing tools

LinkedIn (free features)

What it is:
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. Even without paid subscriptions, it offers valuable tools for recruiters.

Features:

• Post jobs to your network for free
• Search for candidates within your first‑degree connections
• Send unlimited messages to your network
• Manually manage pipeline and communication

Details of the free plan:
LinkedIn’s free version doesn’t require payment. You can share job posts, browse and message candidates who are already in your network, and manage the process manually. You won’t have access to advanced filters or InMail quotas that come with paid tiers, but for occasional hiring, these basic tools suffice.

Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)

What it is:
Wellfound is a job board dedicated to startups and tech. Recruiters can post jobs and attract candidates from a startup-focused pool.

Features:

• Unlimited free job postings
• Branded company profiles
• Built‑in applicant tracking system (ATS)
• Access to a community of startup-ready talent

Details of the free plan:
With the free tier, you can post unlimited jobs, set up your company brand, and review applications via the built-in ATS—no payment needed. This is ideal if you're hiring for roles in the tech or startup space. ‍

Hunter.io

What it is:
Hunter is an email-finding and verification service. Useful for sourcing contact details for outreach.

Features:

• Lookup emails by domain or person’s name
• Verify email delivery quality
• Send cold email campaigns
• Connect your inbox and track emails

Details of the free plan:
The Hunter Free plan includes 50 credits per month that can be used for finding or verifying emails. You can connect one email account, send campaigns to up to 500 recipients, use Hunter’s CSV exports (limited), and access the API, Chrome extension, and CRM features with unlimited team members. ‍

Recruitem (no-code sourcing)

What it is:
Boolean and X-ray search techniques let you find candidates using search engines like Google, without needing a paid tool.

Features:

• Target candidates based on precise job titles, skills, or sites
• Use advanced operators (AND, OR, site:linkedin.com, filetype:pdf)
• Customize per location, experience, or role

Details of the free approach:
You don’t need to pay for sourcing tools. Many recruiters use Boolean builders or advanced Google queries to find candidate profiles on platforms like LinkedIn or GitHub. This technique is powerful, flexible, and completely free—no tool needed.

hireEZ Boolean Builder

What it is:
A free tool to create Boolean strings quickly, ideal for recruiters who write search queries.

Features:

• Drag-and-drop Boolean query builder
• No login required
• Unlimited string generation

Details of the free plan:
The Boolean Builder is entirely free, no account or setup needed. Recruiters can build complex source queries in seconds—great for finding niche talent across web platforms.

Free Screening Tools

Zoho Recruit

What it is: An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and recruitment platform combining candidate management, CRM, job posting, and basic automation.

Features:

• Candidate tracking pipeline
• Email management and templates
• Interview scheduling
• Resume parsing and search
• Career site and job board integration
• Custom workflows and tagging
• API access and Zapier integration

Details of the free plan:
The Forever Free plan supports one active job at a time, making it ideal for solo recruiters or very small teams. You get core functionalities: candidate and contact management, email templates (five by default), interview scheduling, and resume parsing. You can post to free job boards and customize your career site to collect applications. Storage starts at 256 MB per organization, with up to 1,000 records per module and 500 API calls per day. After a 15‑day free trial of Enterprise features, your account switches to this level without losing data. ‍

Breezy HR (Bootstrap)

What it is: A visual, pipeline-based ATS tool made for small teams to manage hiring simply.

Features:

• Drag-and-drop hiring pipelines
• Basic candidate tracking
• Limited access to hiring team members
• Candidate cards and notes
• Integrations with job boards (some may be limited in free)

Details of the free plan:
The Bootstrap plan is free and provides basic candidate management capabilities with some access to recent applicants. It’s designed for very small teams or solo users who want a lightweight hiring tool without cost. ‍

OpenCATS

What it is: An open-source ATS that you can install and run on your own servers.

Features:

• Full ATS workflows: from job posting to hiring
• Candidate and resume management
• Interview scheduling
• Reporting and data export
• High customization via open code

Details of the free plan:
OpenCATS is completely free as it's self-hosted. You have full access to all features—not limited by plan tiers—but you must manage installation, maintenance, and hosting yourself. This offers full control without recurring fees, ideal for technically-minded recruiters or small agencies.

Free Interviewing Tools

Noota

What it is:
Noota is an AI-powered meeting assistant that records, transcribes, summarizes, and analyzes meetings. It integrates with major platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and supports mobile & VoIP calls too.

Features:

• Automated transcription and powerful AI summaries for meetings.
• Real-time note-taking and searchable transcripts.
• Chrome Recorder, iOS & Android apps, and call recorder (VoIP).
• Workspace collaboration and multi-platform support. ‍

Details of the free plan:

• Price: €0 per user per month.
• Meeting allowance: Unlimited meetings.
• Transcription: 300 minutes per month.
• AI Reports: 50+ automatic summaries.
• Workspaces: Up to 3 seats/workspaces.
• Channels: Chrome extension, iOS & Android apps, VoIP call recorder.

Zoom (Basic)

What it is:
A widely used video conferencing platform suitable for live interviews.

Features:

• HD video and audio calls.
• Screen sharing and recording.
• Waiting rooms, breakout rooms, chat.
• Host controls (mute, record, manage participants).

Details of the free plan:

• Limit: Up to 100 participants per meeting.
• Duration: 40-minute cap on group meetings (1:1 meetings are limited by platform updates but usually longer).
• No cost for basic use. ‍

Google Meet (Free tier)

What it is:
Google’s video conferencing tool available with free Gmail accounts.

Features:

• HD video and audio.
• Screen sharing, captions, chat.
• Quick scheduling via Google Calendar.

Details of the free plan:

• Supports up to 100 participants.
• Time limit: around 60 minutes for group calls.
• Fully free for basic features. ‍

Jitsi Meet

What it is:
An open-source, self-hosted video conferencing tool—no account needed.

Features:

• Instant video call room creation.
• Unlimited participants.
• Screen sharing, recording, chat, livestreaming.
• Encryption by default (optional self-hosting).

Details of the free plan:
Entirely free and open-source. Perfect for ad-hoc interviews or sensitive environments needing privacy without cost.

ScreeningHive

What it is:
An asynchronous video interviewing platform—candidates record answers to your questions on their time.

Features:

• One-way video questions.
• Candidate practice sessions, retakes allowed.
• Share video responses with team for review.

Details of the free plan:
You can sign up and test the platform at no cost. It offers a free subscription to “complete the testing of our application in your look and feel,” allowing real candidate recordings—no payment required. ‍

Hireflix

What it is:
Another one-way video interviewing platform focused on simplicity and user experience.

Features:

• Create set interview prompts.
• Candidates record responses at their convenience.
• Share submissions with your hiring team.
• ATS integrations support workflow.

Details of the free plan:
Offers a free 1-month trial—no credit card required. You can explore full features and test without commitment. After trial, upgrade is required.

Free Assessment Tools

Below is a detailed overview of top free assessment tools you can use for recruiting, structured as:

• What it is
• Features
• Details of the free plan

First up: Noota, which goes beyond assessment and supports interview analysis.

Noota

What it is:
An AI-powered meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes interviews, helping you evaluate candidates with accuracy and speed.

Features:

• Automatic transcription and structured AI reports
• Searchable meeting history
• Integration through Chrome, iOS/Android, and VoIP
• Workspace collaboration for teams

Details of the free plan:

• Unlimited meetings
• 300 transcription minutes per month
• 50+ AI reports
• Up to 3 workspaces/seats
• Access via web, mobile, or VoIP channels
  Includes full record and recall — great for understanding candidate responses without manual note-taking.‍

Exercism

What it is:
An open-source platform offering hands-on coding practice and mentorship across dozens of programming languages.

Features:

• Web editor or local CLI submission
• 77+ languages supported
• Community-based mentorship and feedback
• Gamified learning with structure

Details of the free plan:

• Fully free and open-source
• Unlimited practice submissions and feedback
• Built-in mentor support for guidance
  Ideal to assess coding habits, improvement over time, and candidate motivation.
  

HackerRank (Free for Coders)

What it is:
A competitive platform for coding exercises, contests, and technical challenges.

Features:

• Algorithmic challenges across languages
• Automated evaluation and global ranking
• Practice environments categorized by difficulty

Details of the free version:

• Coding resources and contests are free for individual users
• Great for testing algorithmic skills and logical thinking
  You can assign challenge links and review candidate solutions manually.‍

LeetCode (Free Tier)

What it is:
A major coding interview platform offering programming challenges across domains.

Features:

• Thousands of algorithmic problems sorted by difficulty
• Runtime and memory benchmarks
• Mock interviews and daily challenges
• Interactive community forums

Details of the free plan:

• Access to a large library of coding problems for free
• Performance metrics during practice ensures fair evaluation
• Useful for timed coding tests or homework-style assessments