Glossary
A plain-language definition from the Curriculo hiring glossary.
Per seat pricing is a billing model where you pay a fee for each user, so the bill grows with every person you add.
Why it matters for hiring teams
Hiring involves many people who use the tool a little: hiring managers, interviewers, and founders. Under per seat pricing, each of them adds to the bill. Teams respond by sharing logins or keeping interviewers out of the system. Feedback then moves into email and chat, and the ATS stops being the record.
A worked example
These numbers are made up to show the math. An ATS charges $60 per seat per month. You have 2 recruiters, 6 hiring managers, and 8 interviewers.
- 16 users x $60 = $960 a month, or $11,520 a year.
- Add 4 interviewers next quarter: 20 users x $60 = $1,200 a month.
A flat-rate plan at the same total stays the same as the team grows. The more people who need access, the bigger the gap.
Questions to ask a vendor
- Who counts as a paid user? Does a read-only interviewer count?
- Is there a minimum number of paid users?
- What happens to the price at renewal?
- Are features like reporting or integrations locked to higher user tiers?
Common mistakes
- Comparing only the base price and ignoring how many users you'll need in a year.
- Leaving hiring managers off the tool to save money, then losing their feedback.
- Missing user minimums buried in the contract.
Flat pricing is the other option. Curriculo ATS has no per-seat fees on any plan: Starter is free forever, and Pro is $50/month.
See ATS pricing with no per-seat fees, compare vendors in the ATS pricing comparison, and read about the true cost of an ATS.