Ashby is the ATS for people who think other ATS reporting features are embarrassingly basic. It's built by former engineers who wanted recruiting analytics that don't suck. The result is a platform with genuinely impressive data capabilities—but it's definitely not for everyone.

Let me break down whether this is the tool you've been waiting for, or just overhyped nerd software.

What Makes Ashby Different

Most ATS platforms bolt on reporting as an afterthought. Ashby built the entire platform around data from day one. Their analytics dashboard lets you build custom reports, track funnel conversion rates, analyze interviewer performance, identify bottlenecks, and measure basically anything you want to measure.

You can answer questions like:

• Which recruiting sources produce the best candidates, not just the most candidates?
• Which interview stages show the biggest drop-off rates?
• How do candidate quality and speed-to-hire vary by recruiter?
• What's our offer acceptance rate by comp level, role type, and candidate source?

Most ATS platforms can't answer these questions without exporting to Excel and doing manual analysis. Ashby answers them with a few clicks.

Where Ashby Wins

Analytics are legitimately impressive. The reporting capabilities are 5-10 years ahead of most ATS platforms. If you're a data-driven recruiting team that makes decisions based on metrics rather than gut feel, Ashby gives you the insights you actually need.

Chrome extension for sourcing. One-click candidate capture from LinkedIn, GitHub, and other platforms. It's smooth and well-designed. You can build talent pipelines without endless copy-pasting.

Scheduling automation that works. The interview scheduling features are genuinely good. Candidates pick times, it syncs with everyone's calendars, sends reminders, and handles rescheduling. This alone saves hours per week.

API-first architecture. If you need custom integrations or want to build on top of the platform, Ashby's API is well-documented and powerful. For companies with engineering resources, this is a huge advantage.

Built for fast-growing tech companies. Ashby understands how startups and tech companies hire—heavy focus on engineering recruiting, technical assessments, and rapid scaling. If that's your world, the platform speaks your language.

Regular updates and improvements. Ashby ships new features constantly. The platform is actively getting better, not sitting stagnant like some legacy ATS providers.

Where It Falls Short

Let's talk about the limitations:

It's expensive. Pricing isn't public (always a red flag), but expect $12K-20K+ annually. For startups or small companies, that's a significant investment.

Overkill for non-technical recruiting. If you're hiring retail, healthcare, or other non-tech roles, most of Ashby's strengths don't matter. The analytics are powerful, but you don't need that level of sophistication for straightforward hiring.

Learning curve is real. To get value from Ashby's analytics, you need someone who understands data and knows which metrics matter. If your team isn't data-literate, you're paying for capabilities you won't use.

Limited templates and ease-of-use focus. Ashby is powerful but not always intuitive. Platforms like Workable or Greenhouse hold your hand more. Ashby expects you to figure things out.

Smaller customer base means fewer integrations. Ashby integrates with major tools, but not the long tail of niche HR software. If you need something obscure, it might not work.

Not ideal for non-tech companies. Everything about Ashby screams "built for tech companies by tech people." If you're in manufacturing, education, or hospitality, this probably isn't the right fit culturally or functionally.

Who Should Actually Use Ashby

Use Ashby if you:

• Are a fast-growing tech company (or tech-adjacent) hiring significant volume
• Have someone on your team who understands recruiting analytics and will use them
• Make data-driven decisions and want sophisticated reporting
• Have budget for premium tools ($12K-20K+/year)
• Value continuous product improvement and modern technology
• Do heavy engineering recruiting with technical assessments

Don't use Ashby if you:

• Are hiring under 30 people per year
• Don't have data-literate recruiting ops people
• Work in non-tech industries with straightforward hiring needs
• Want something super simple that anyone can figure out
• Have a tight budget where $12-20K is a major expense
• Need extensive support and hand-holding from your ATS vendor

What Users Actually Say

G2 reviews are generally positive but with patterns:

Positive feedback:

• "Finally an ATS with analytics that don't suck"
• "Chrome extension makes sourcing so much faster"
• "Built for how modern companies actually hire"
• "Support team is responsive and helpful"

Common complaints:

• "Steep learning curve for non-technical users"
• "Expensive for what you get if you don't use analytics heavily"
• "Some features feel incomplete compared to mature ATS platforms"
• "Better for tech recruiting than other types"

The Honest Comparison

vs. Greenhouse: Greenhouse is more mature, has more integrations, and better supports non-technical recruiting. Ashby has better analytics and is more modern. If you're a data-driven tech company, Ashby. If you're a larger enterprise with diverse hiring needs, Greenhouse.

vs. Lever: Lever has stronger CRM/sourcing features for proactive recruiting. Ashby has better analytics. If pipeline-building is critical, Lever. If measuring recruiting efficiency matters more, Ashby.

vs. Workable: Workable is way easier to use and cheaper. Ashby is way more powerful analytically. Workable is better for small-to-mid size non-tech companies. Ashby is better for fast-growing tech companies with data sophistication.

Is It Worth It?

Here's the deciding question: Will you actually use the analytics, or will they sit unused while you pay premium prices?

If you have someone who will build dashboards, track metrics, and make data-driven improvements to your recruiting process, Ashby is worth every penny. The insights you'll gain will improve your hiring efficiency enough to justify the cost.

But if you're just going to use it like a basic ATS and ignore the advanced analytics, you're wasting money. Get something cheaper and simpler that matches how you actually work.

The Bottom Line

Ashby is a great ATS for a specific type of company: fast-growing, tech-focused, data-driven recruiting teams that will actually leverage sophisticated analytics. For that audience, it's one of the best options available.

For everyone else—small companies, non-tech industries, teams without data focus—there are better options that cost less and fit your needs better.

Don't buy Ashby because it's popular with tech startups. Buy it because you'll actually use the analytics to make better recruiting decisions. The best tool is the one that matches how you work, not the one with the most impressive feature list.

And if you're still using spreadsheets for recruiting? Pretty much any ATS—including Ashby—will be a massive upgrade. But start with your actual needs and work backward to which tool fits, rather than starting with the shiniest toy and trying to justify the purchase.