Can you hire with just a spreadsheet?

Yes, while one person handles a few openings and resumes arrive through a single channel. The limit shows up when more people take part in the decision, or when candidates arrive by email, WhatsApp and referral at the same time.

What is the difference between an ATS and a candidate spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet holds whatever someone typed into it. An ATS takes the application straight from the job page, organizes each person by stage and records the hiring history with no manual copying.

What about data privacy when resumes sit in email and WhatsApp?

A resume is personal data, and Brazil's LGPD applies to it like any other: the company needs to know where the data is, who can access it and how long it will be kept. With resumes in personal inboxes and phones, those questions are hard to answer.

How much does it cost to replace the spreadsheet with an ATS?

On HireTree, the Free plan includes 1 open job at a time, with no subscription. For organizations in Brazil, Essencial costs R$95.00 per open job per month, with a minimum of 3 jobs, and locations and users are unlimited on every plan.

Can I try an ATS without dropping the spreadsheet?

Yes. Post one opening through the ATS and keep the spreadsheet for the others until you can compare both ways in practice. Once the difference is clear, move the next openings over.

Is AI screening included in every plan?

No. AI resume screening is available from the Pro plan up. The 14 days free trial unlocks the full Pro plan so you can try it.

Comparison

Spreadsheet, email and WhatsApp vs. an ATS: when to switch

Spreadsheets, email and WhatsApp work while one person handles a few openings and resumes arrive through a single channel. Switch to an ATS (applicant tracking system) when resumes get lost between channels, more than one person makes the hiring decision, or the company needs to control who can see each candidate's data and for how long it is kept.

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Side by side

What changes with each way of hiring

Eight criteria that shape a recruiter's routine, from the moment a resume arrives to the cost of the process.

What changes with each way of hiring
Criterion	Spreadsheet	Email and WhatsApp	ATS
Candidates in one place	Someone has to copy each resume into the right row.	Each candidate sits in the inbox or phone of whoever received them.	Applications come in through the job page and land in the right opening, resume attached.
Hiring history	One status column, overwritten with every change.	Scattered across conversations nobody can find anymore.	Stages, evaluations and messages are recorded on each candidate's profile.
Collaboration across locations and managers	A shared file, conflicting versions and all-or-nothing access.	Forwarded emails and chat screenshots for the manager to weigh in on.	Each person sees the locations they are responsible for, and managers evaluate in the same system.
Data privacy (LGPD) and retention	Copies of the file circulate with no record of who opened them and no deletion date.	Resumes live in personal inboxes and phones, outside the company's control.	Role-based access and, from the Essencial plan up, a talent pool with a configurable retention period.
Careers page and Google for Jobs	None: the opening has to be posted somewhere else.	The opening circulates as text or an image in group chats.	A company careers page, with openings published with the structured data Google for Jobs reads.
Screening	Reading every resume by hand.	Reading by hand, often on a phone screen.	Standard stages per opening. AI resume screening is available from the Pro plan up.
Metrics	Only the formulas someone builds and maintains.	None.	Openings, applications and stages on one dashboard, with advanced reports from the Pro plan up.
Cost	No subscription, but you pay in hours of manual work.	No subscription, but you pay in hours and in candidates left without a reply.	There is a free plan, and paid plans charge per open job, with unlimited locations and users.

Checklist

Signs you have outgrown the spreadsheet

If more than one of these describes your routine, try an ATS on one opening and compare.

A good candidate was lost because the resume stayed in someone's email or WhatsApp.
More than one person recruits, and each keeps their own spreadsheet.
Managers and locations ask for hiring updates by message.
Nobody can say how long it takes, on average, to fill an opening.
Rejected candidates never hear back.
The company does not know where the resumes of people it did not hire are stored, or for how long it will keep them.
The same opening comes up several times a year and the search starts from scratch.
Posting an opening means rewriting the ad for every group and site.

Cost

What it costs to leave the spreadsheet

HireTree charges per open job: locations and users are unlimited on every plan, Free included. The prices below are for organizations in Brazil.

Free

1 open job at a time, no subscription. Swap the spreadsheet for one opening and compare both ways.

Essencial

R$95.00 per open job per month, or R$79.00 per job per month on the annual plan, billed annually, with a minimum of 3 jobs.

Free trial

14 days of the full Pro plan, no credit card. When the trial ends, pick a paid plan or stay on Free.

Drafts do not count as open jobs, and closing an opening frees its place for another one. The subscription does not shrink on its own: a purchased job stays billed until you remove it. See all plans and the prices for your country

Go deeper into the decision

What is an ATS, and when does your company need one?What the system does, stage by stage, and how it compares to a spreadsheet in practice.Read the article How much does an ATS cost in Brazil?The pricing models on the market, with cost scenarios for companies of different sizes.Read the article

Frequently asked questions

Replace the spreadsheet for one opening and compare

Start on Free, no credit card, or see the per-open-job plans. Locations and users are unlimited on every plan.

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Spreadsheet

Email and WhatsApp

ATS

Candidates in one place

Someone has to copy each resume into the right row.

Each candidate sits in the inbox or phone of whoever received them.

Applications come in through the job page and land in the right opening, resume attached.

Hiring history

One status column, overwritten with every change.

Scattered across conversations nobody can find anymore.

Stages, evaluations and messages are recorded on each candidate's profile.

Collaboration across locations and managers

A shared file, conflicting versions and all-or-nothing access.

Forwarded emails and chat screenshots for the manager to weigh in on.

Each person sees the locations they are responsible for, and managers evaluate in the same system.

Data privacy (LGPD) and retention

Copies of the file circulate with no record of who opened them and no deletion date.

Resumes live in personal inboxes and phones, outside the company's control.

Role-based access and, from the Essencial plan up, a talent pool with a configurable retention period.

Careers page and Google for Jobs

None: the opening has to be posted somewhere else.

The opening circulates as text or an image in group chats.

A company careers page, with openings published with the structured data Google for Jobs reads.

Screening

Reading every resume by hand.

Reading by hand, often on a phone screen.

Standard stages per opening. AI resume screening is available from the Pro plan up.

Metrics

Only the formulas someone builds and maintains.

None.

Openings, applications and stages on one dashboard, with advanced reports from the Pro plan up.

Cost

No subscription, but you pay in hours of manual work.

No subscription, but you pay in hours and in candidates left without a reply.

There is a free plan, and paid plans charge per open job, with unlimited locations and users.