How much does an ATS cost in the UK? Real numbers, no sales calls

TL;DR: UK ATS pricing ranges from about £50 per month for small-business tools to £5,000+ per month for enterprise suites. Most care providers end up paying £500–£2,000 per month on subscription, plus implementation costs, plus the agency fees they're still paying because the ATS doesn't actually source or screen. Outcome-based pricing — £300 per successful hire on Lily's End to End plan — often works out cheaper and far simpler.

The three pricing models

1. Per-user / per-seat subscription

Most common. £50–£300 per user per month. Cheaper per head, but costs scale with team size regardless of whether you're hiring this month.

2. Per-requisition or per-job-post

£50–£500 per active role per month. Works when hiring volume is low and predictable. Painful when you're filling 20 roles.

3. Flat monthly / annual

£500–£5,000+ per month, all-in. Enterprise-style. Stable cost, but you pay the same whether you hire 0 or 100.

4. Outcome-based (pay per hire)

£99–£300+ per successful hire. No subscription. Lily uses this model. You pay when the hire starts, not when you log in.

What you actually pay for

Sticker price isn't the full cost. Add:

• Implementation — typically £1,000–£20,000 for mid-market / enterprise products
• Integrations — often £1,000+ for each HRIS, payroll, or rota system
• Training — unavoidable for complex products
• Bolt-ons — screening, scheduling, onboarding modules often sold separately

For a typical mid-sized UK care provider, the real cost of an enterprise ATS in year one is £15k–£40k. In year two, maintenance + subscription continues at £10k–£30k.

What care providers should actually expect

A rough map of what's out there for UK care providers:

The hidden cost most ATS products don't solve

Subscription cost is the cost you see. Agency spend is the cost you don't.

Most UK care providers still pay agencies £3,750–£6,250 per placement alongside their ATS, because the ATS doesn't actually source or screen at scale. A subscription-based ATS with ongoing agency spend often costs £40k+ per year per branch.

Lily's End to End plan at £300 per successful hire replaces most of this cost by handling the sourcing-to-hire pipeline directly. Sonderwell cut per-hire cost by more than 90% compared to the agency route.

Worked example

A 5-home residential care provider hiring 15 care workers a month.

ATS + agency route (typical)

• ATS: £1,000 / month (£12k / year)
• Agency fees: 15 hires × 30% × £5k, with ~50% via agency = £90k+ / year
• Total: £100k+ / year

Lily End to End

• Hires: 15 × £300 = £4,500 / month (£54k / year)
• No ATS subscription, no agency fees

Annual saving: ~£48k, plus manager time saved.

What to watch for in pricing conversations

• Is the subscription per user, per job, or flat?
• Is implementation included or extra?
• Are screening / scheduling / compliance extras?
• Is there a minimum term?
• What happens when you scale up or down?
• Can you see real customer contracts, not just the price page?

Frequently asked questions

Why is ATS pricing so opaque?

Most vendors quote per-feature per-user-tier with sales-driven discounts. Opacity favours the vendor. Outcome-based pricing (per hire) is clearer by design.

Can I negotiate?

Usually yes. ATS vendors expect negotiation. Ask for a 2-year fixed price, free implementation, and a right to cancel.

What's the cheapest option for a small care provider?

Small-business ATS starts around £200/month. For care specifically, outcome-based pricing is often cheaper once agency fees are included.

Does Lily ever charge subscription?

The Screening plan is £99 per candidate screened; the End to End plan is £300 per successful hire. No monthly subscription on either.

Next step

See Lily pricing or book a demo.

Sources: Sonderwell 12-month case study. UK ATS vendor published pricing (2025). Skills for Care workforce data.