Here's a wake-up call: Over 70% of job seekers use mobile devices during their job search, but most recruiting software is still optimized for desktop. Recruiters are reviewing candidates on their phones during commutes, hiring managers are approving candidates between meetings on mobile, and candidates are applying from phones—but the tools are stuck in 2015.

I tested eight recruiting platforms' mobile apps to figure out which ones actually let you recruit from your phone versus which ones are just responsive web views that make you want to throw your device across the room.

What I Tested

Greenhouse Mobile Lever Mobile Workable Mobile JazzHR Mobile SmartRecruiters Mobile Bullhorn (for agencies) Loxo Mobile Breezy HR Mobile

Let's separate the winners from the garbage.

The Gold Standard: Lever Mobile

Lever's mobile app is what recruiting software should feel like in 2025. Everything you need to do as a recruiter works seamlessly on mobile—and I mean actually works, not "technically functions if you're desperate."

What Works:

Full candidate review on mobile: Resume viewing is clean, notes are easy to add, feedback is readable. You can actually evaluate candidates on your phone during lunch without squinting at a desktop-formatted PDF.

Interview scheduling works: Not just viewing schedules—actually coordinating interviews, seeing availability, and booking candidates. This alone makes it better than most competitors.

Hiring manager collaboration is real: Managers can review candidates, leave feedback, and approve next steps from their phones. No more "I'll look at this when I'm back at my desk" delays.

Offline mode: Download candidate profiles before your flight and review them without wifi. Sync updates when you're back online.

Push notifications actually useful: "Candidate accepted interview" or "Hiring manager left feedback" notifications keep you in the loop without being annoying.

The Catch: Lever isn't cheap. You're paying for an enterprise ATS with best-in-class mobile capabilities. Small teams might not justify the cost just for mobile functionality.

Verdict: Best mobile recruiting experience on the market. If you're choosing an ATS and mobile recruiting is a priority, Lever should be on your shortlist.

The Agency Favorite: Bullhorn Mobile

Bullhorn dominates staffing and recruiting agencies, and their mobile app shows why. It's built for recruiters who live on their phones, juggling multiple clients, hundreds of candidates, and constant coordination.

What Works:

Lightning-fast candidate entry: Add candidates in seconds with automatic data enrichment. Snap a business card, and the app populates contact info. Forward an email resume, and it parses into the database.

Call and text integration: Tap a candidate's profile to call, text, or email. Activity logs automatically. For agency recruiters making 50+ calls daily, this is non-negotiable.

Job matching on the go: See open roles, swipe through candidates, match people to positions. It feels like a dating app but for recruiting—in a good way.

Placement tracking: Submit candidates to clients, track status, manage offer details—all from mobile. For agency recruiters, this is the money-making part of the job, and Bullhorn mobile handles it.

The Catch: Bullhorn is complex. The mobile app is powerful but has a learning curve. It's optimized for agency workflows—corporate recruiters might find it overkill.

Verdict: Unmatched for recruiting agencies and staffing firms. Corporate recruiters should look elsewhere unless they need agency-grade functionality.

The Solid Performer: Greenhouse Mobile

Greenhouse mobile is good—not great, but good. It covers the basics well without trying to do too much.

What Works:

Candidate review is smooth: Clean interface for reviewing applications, reading resumes, and leaving notes. The UX is simple and doesn't try to cram desktop features onto a small screen.

Interview scheduling works: See your schedule, view candidate details before interviews, leave feedback afterward. Basic but functional.

Approvals and workflows: Hiring managers can approve candidates to move forward without logging into desktop. Removes bottlenecks when people are traveling or out of office.

What Doesn't Work:

No offline mode: Need wifi or data to do anything. Reviewing candidates on a flight? Not happening.

Limited sourcing capabilities: This is really an app for managing existing candidates, not finding new ones. Greenhouse expects sourcing to happen on desktop.

Reporting is minimal: You can view some dashboards, but complex reporting requires desktop.

Verdict: Solid mobile app for day-to-day recruiting work. Not cutting-edge, but gets the job done. If you're already on Greenhouse, the app is worth using. Don't switch to Greenhouse specifically for mobile capabilities.

The Underdog: Loxo Mobile

Loxo built their platform mobile-first, and it shows. The mobile app isn't an afterthought—it's a core part of the product.

What Works:

Sourcing from anywhere: Loxo's Chrome extension works on mobile browsers. Find candidates on LinkedIn mobile, tap the extension, add them to your pipeline with enriched data. Competitors can't touch this.

True unified experience: The mobile app isn't a subset of features—it's the full platform optimized for mobile. Everything you can do on desktop, you can do on mobile.

Speed: The app is fast. Switching between candidates, updating pipeline stages, sending messages—everything responds instantly.

Modern UX: If you're used to consumer apps, Loxo feels natural. Swipe gestures, intuitive navigation, clean design.

What Doesn't Work:

Newer platform means fewer integrations: If you need the mobile app to sync with five other HR tools, you might hit limitations.

Some enterprise features missing: Complex approval workflows and advanced security controls are still maturing.

Verdict: Best mobile-first recruiting platform. If mobile recruiting is a strategic priority and you're willing to adopt a newer platform, Loxo delivers. Agencies and corporate teams under 500 employees should seriously consider it.

The Disappointments

Workable Mobile: Barely functional. You can view candidates and schedules, but meaningful work requires desktop. Feels like a responsive website wrapped in an app.

JazzHR Mobile: Limited to viewing applications and schedules. Can't actually do much. Skip it.

SmartRecruiters Mobile: Overly complex UI crammed onto a small screen. Trying to do too much results in doing nothing well.

Breezy HR Mobile: Basic functionality works, but the app crashes more than it should. Unreliable.

The Features That Separate Good Mobile Apps From Garbage

After testing eight platforms, here's what actually matters:

Native app vs. responsive web view: Native apps feel fast and responsive. Web views feel slow and clunky. Lever, Bullhorn, and Loxo are native. Most competitors are web views pretending to be apps.

Offline capability: You should be able to review candidates, leave notes, and prepare for interviews without connectivity. Sync when you're back online.

Full candidate profiles on mobile: If you can't see resume, work history, notes, and feedback easily on mobile, the app is useless.

Interview scheduling without email tennis: Viewing schedules isn't enough. The app needs to let you coordinate and book interviews from mobile.

Push notifications that matter: "Application received" isn't useful. "Hiring manager approved candidate" or "Interview starting in 15 minutes" is useful.

Fast search and filtering: Finding specific candidates or jobs should be instant. If search is slow or limited, you'll stop using the app.

The Real Question: Do You Actually Need Mobile Recruiting?

Before you evaluate mobile recruiting apps, ask: How much recruiting actually happens on mobile for your team?

You need mobile recruiting if:

• Your recruiters are rarely at desks (agency recruiters, RPO teams, high-volume hiring)
• Your hiring managers travel frequently and bottleneck approvals
• You recruit at events, conferences, or job fairs and need to process candidates immediately
• Your team expects to work asynchronously across time zones and locations

You probably don't need mobile recruiting if:

• Your recruiting team works primarily from offices with desktop access
• Your hiring volume is low enough that occasional mobile access is sufficient
• Your hiring managers are responsive via email and don't need mobile approval workflows

Don't buy enterprise mobile recruiting capabilities if your team never uses them. But if mobile recruiting is actually important to your workflows, don't settle for garbage apps that frustrate your team.

What You Should Actually Do

If you're an agency or RPO: Bullhorn is the industry standard for a reason. The mobile app is optimized for agency workflows, and your competitors are already using it.

If you're corporate recruiting (500+ employees) and need enterprise features: Lever's mobile app is the gold standard. Worth the premium pricing if mobile recruiting is a strategic priority.

If you're a modern recruiting team (50-500 employees) willing to adopt newer platforms: Loxo's mobile-first approach delivers the best UX at a fraction of enterprise pricing.

If you're already on Greenhouse: Their mobile app is solid for day-to-day work. Don't switch platforms just for mobile, but definitely use the app.

If you're on Workable, JazzHR, or SmartRecruiters: Honestly? Their mobile apps are weak. Either do mobile work via mobile browser (which might actually be better) or consider switching platforms if mobile recruiting is a priority.

The Bottom Line

Mobile recruiting isn't the future—it's the present. Candidates are applying from phones, hiring managers are reviewing candidates between meetings, and recruiters are sourcing talent during commutes.

The recruiting platforms that figured this out are winning. The ones treating mobile as an afterthought are losing users to competitors with better mobile experiences.

Test the mobile app before buying any recruiting platform. If the vendor says "we have a mobile app" but won't let you try it during the demo, that's a red flag. Good mobile apps are differentiators vendors want to show off. Bad mobile apps are embarrassments they hide.

Choose accordingly.