MyClawn Screen › Alternatives
Applicant tracking system or a screening service? An honest comparison
There is no single best way to cut 150 applications down to 10. This is a plain comparison of the real options for a small employer, including when not to choose us.
The five options
| Option | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Read them yourself | Under about 20 resumes, or you want to see everything | Time, and tiredness by resume 60 |
| Screening software (monthly or per-resume) | You hire often and want to work inside a tool | Setup, learning the tool, credits or seats |
| Applicant tracking system | You want postings, pipeline and screening in one place | Cost and complexity for occasional hiring |
| Freelance virtual assistant or recruiter | You want a person's judgement and calls to candidates | Cost, turnaround, and consistency between people |
| MyClawn Screen | A burst of resumes by email for one role; you want a file back | No tool to log into, but also no pipeline, no posting, no reference checks |
Screening software: what it costs
Several tools sell resume screening to small employers. From their own pages and articles we checked: Truffle lists $49 a month for 200 credits (one per scored resume) and $99 a month billed annually for 600 credits, with a 7-day trial of 30 credits. Other vendors' prices appear in comparison articles but those are written by vendors, so check the pricing page before relying on them. What you get from software is a dashboard you can use every week. What you give is some setup and the habit of using it.
The difference with a done-for-you service is the work shape: you do not create jobs or configure criteria in a product. You hand over files and get a file. If you screen weekly, a tool is probably better value. If you screen a few times a year, the tool's learning curve can cost more than the subscription.
Drop the job description and resumes here. Starter $49/mo · Pro $149/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Upload your filesApplicant tracking systems
An ATS covers job postings, a candidate pipeline, messaging and reports, and some include AI screening. Prices vary widely by seats and volume, and enterprise systems usually quote privately, so we do not give a figure. If you already have one with screening included, use it. A screening service is for people who do not.
Hiring a freelancer
A freelancer or virtual assistant can sort resumes and also phone candidates. We did not verify a freelancer rate for this task, so we give none; ask for a fixed price per job. Recruiting agencies typically charge a share of the placed person's pay, which is a different service from sorting what you already received. A person can pick up things software cannot, such as tone on a phone call. Consistency is the usual trade-off: two people rank the same pile differently, and the criteria are often in their head.
What makes this one different
- Evidence for every requirement: a short quote from the resume, so you can check it in seconds.
- Fairness by design: protected traits are ignored and removed from quotes; gaps are questions, not penalties.
- Nobody is auto-rejected: every applicant stays in the Excel with a reason.
- Flat monthly price: $49 for 4 screenings of up to 60 resumes, $149 for 20 of up to 200.
What it is not: an ATS, a sourcing tool, a background check, or a decision-maker. See pricing and how it works, or try one screening.
A quick way to choose
- Fewer than about 20 resumes: read them yourself.
- Hiring every week and wanting a dashboard: a screening tool or an ATS.
- Need someone to also call candidates: a freelancer or agency.
- A few roles a year, resumes arriving by email, want a checkable shortlist: a screening service.
None of these removes your own judgement. The test of any option is whether you can see why a candidate ranked where they did. Ask any provider to show the evidence behind a score before you rely on it. In ours, it is a quote from the resume next to each requirement.
ATS prices small employers see
Roundups of small-business applicant tracking systems, mostly written by the vendors themselves, report a wide spread: some products have free plans for one or a few jobs, entry plans in roughly the $15 to $100 per user or per month range, and mid-tier plans in the low hundreds a month (for example, reports of about $75 for JazzHR and about $199 for Recruitee, and $250 for BambooHR's tier for 25 or fewer employees). Enterprise systems quote privately. Prices change and these are second-hand, so check the vendor's page before deciding. What matters for this decision: an ATS is a system you run your hiring in. It posts jobs, collects applicants, keeps a pipeline and sends messages. If you hire often, it earns its price.
A screening service is a different, smaller thing: it only sorts what you already have. Many employers do both: collect applications in a free or cheap ATS or an inbox, and send the batch for a shortlist.
Which problem do you have?
| Your problem | What fits |
|---|---|
| Applications are scattered across email, Indeed and a careers page | An ATS or one shared inbox |
| You have 80 resumes for one role and no time to read them | A screening: upload them, get a ranking |
| You need to schedule interviews and send offer letters | An ATS |
| You want to know why someone ranked high | Evidence quotes per requirement, in either a tool or our output |
Questions
Is software or a service better for a small business?
If you screen often, software can be better value. If you screen a few times a year, a service avoids setup.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many people run a pile through a service for a first pass and still review the top candidates themselves.
Drop the job description and resumes here. Starter $49/mo · Pro $149/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Upload your filesMore about Screen
Sources (checked 2026-11-09): peoplemanagingpeople.com/tools/best-applicant-tracking-system-for-smal · www.hiretruffle.com/blog/cheapest-way-to-screen-job-applicants · www.pin.com/blog/ai-resume-screening-tools/ · www.sparkhire.com/guides/the-best-applicant-tracking-system-for-small- · www.uschamber.com/co/run/human-resources/best-small-business-applicant