Best Recruiting Tools for Startups

Startups can't afford bad hires or expensive agencies. These tools help you hire right the first time.

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Tool Startup Pricing Best For
Shortlist Free pilot / from $49/mo Best for startups — no recruiter needed, affordable pricing, and SDR-specific AI screening
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite $140/mo More affordable than full Recruiter but still requires manual sourcing and outreach
Indeed Free + pay-per-click Low cost but high volume of unqualified applicants; time-intensive to filter
Greenhouse From $6,500/yr Robust ATS but expensive for startups and does not include sourcing capabilities
Recruiting Agency 15–25% of salary Too expensive for seed/Series A startups; typical fee is $15K-$25K per SDR hire
Our Verdict Shortlist is built for startups that need to hire SDRs quickly without a full recruiting team. Get AI-sourced, pre-screened candidates in under a week — with a free pilot to validate before committing.

See the difference yourself

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