To be honest, we’ve tested over a dozen ATS tools at UPFLINX, and we were never fully satisfied. Some systems were overly complex for small teams, others were too rigid when we needed flexibility. That’s part of the reason we started developing our own platform, the UPFLINX Buddy, because we felt many tools either overshoot with features that nobody needs or miss the practical aspects that small teams actually rely on.
For example:
- Candidate communication is often a mess. Most tools send out those cold, generic rejections. We’re working on a smarter way to generate meaningful, fast responses based on actual feedback.
- Data exports are another area to watch. If you’re switching from one tool to another, what format is the export in? With a few candidates, it’s fine. With hundreds or thousands, it’s a nightmare unless the system handles it properly.
- Customization also matters. We tried a few promising ATS systems including one from Australia that looked sleek at first, but ended up being too restrictive. We couldn’t tweak it to fit our needs, and that was a dealbreaker.
If you're choosing a system, my tip is: don’t rush into it. Most vendors won’t let you try it freely, you’ll likely need to book a 30–60 min demo. That’s your moment to ask direct questions:
- Can I customize workflows?
- How do you handle GDPR deletion timelines?
- What does the export/import process look like?
You want something that works well out of the box but can evolve with you. For us, that’s the future of software-as-a-service: useful from day one, adaptable over time.
