The complete software stack for a growing staffing agency
Here's the exact, integrated 4-pillar stack we'd architect for a 20-person staffing agency placing light-industrial and clerical temp workers — no SaaS sprawl, no overlapping tools, every piece chosen for how well it fits your size and how cleanly it plugs into the rest.
The example below is for a 20-person staffing agency placing light-industrial and clerical temp workers. Your blueprint will be tailored to your actual size and spend.
Save $60,852/yr
Your 4-pillar stack blueprint
This software stack is designed for a 20-person staffing agency to streamline operations from candidate acquisition to payment. Bullhorn and LinkedIn Recruiter will be your primary tools for sourcing candidates, while Indeed Sponsored Jobs ensures visibility for your openings. TempWorks and QuickBooks Time handle the back-office functions of paying your placed talent and tracking their hours, with QuickBooks Online and Gusto managing your core accounting and HR. For compliance and efficiency, WorkBright handles remote onboarding, Checkr manages background checks, and DocuSign streamlines document approvals. Finally, Ramp and Bill.com simplify your financial management, Google Workspace provides essential communication and collaboration, and 1Password and Huntress secure your digital environment.
Recommendations are ranked purely on fit for your business — our engine never sees which vendors pay us. When you adopt a tool through StackMatch, the vendor pays us a fee and we credit part of it back to you as an implementation bonus. Read our methodology.
Sales & Marketing
Staffing ATS & Client/Candidate CRM
Consolidates: spreadsheet-based candidate tracking, email-only job order management, manual client submission tracking
$120 implementation credit when you adopt
$1,200/moAdoptJob Board Sourcing & Sponsored Postings
Consolidates: print/newspaper help-wanted ads, unpaid/organic-only job postings
$60 implementation credit when you adopt
$600/moAdoptPassive Candidate Sourcing
Consolidates: manual LinkedIn outreach, cold-calling-only sourcing
$70 implementation credit when you adopt
$340/moAdopt
Core Operations
Staffing Back-Office: Payroll, Billing & Invoicing for Placed Talent
Consolidates: manual timesheet-to-payroll reconciliation, spreadsheet client invoicing for placed workers
$50 implementation credit when you adopt
$500/moAdoptBackground Checks & Screening
Consolidates: manual background check ordering, paper-based screening files
$35 implementation credit when you adopt
$350/moAdoptTime & Attendance for Placed/Temp Employees
Consolidates: paper timesheets, client-signed timesheet faxing/emailing
$20 implementation credit when you adopt
$170/moAdoptRemote Onboarding & I-9/Compliance Documentation
Consolidates: in-person paperwork onboarding, paper I-9 filing
$15 implementation credit when you adopt
$150/moAdopt
Finance
Core accounting & bookkeeping
Consolidates: manual/spreadsheet bookkeeping, standalone invoicing tools
$40 implementation credit when you adopt
$90/moAdoptPayroll & HR
Consolidates: manual internal payroll processing, legacy payroll provider contracts
$50 implementation credit when you adopt
$200/moAdoptCorporate cards & expense management
Consolidates: personal reimbursement/manual expense reports, shared company cards
$100 implementation credit when you adopt
$0/moAdoptAccounts payable & bill pay automation
Consolidates: manual check writing, spreadsheet AP aging
$40 implementation credit when you adopt
$99/moAdopt
Administration & Security
Google Workspace (Business Standard)
Business email hosting & productivity suite
Consolidates: personal email accounts for business use, local-only file storage
$15 implementation credit when you adopt
$170/moAdoptPassword manager
Consolidates: passwords in a shared spreadsheet, browser-saved/reused passwords
$20 implementation credit when you adopt
$95/moAdoptEndpoint detection & response / managed security
Consolidates: free/consumer antivirus, unmanaged, unmonitored endpoints
$40 implementation credit when you adopt
$85/moAdoptE-signature & document workflow
Consolidates: printing and scanning paper contracts, emailing PDFs back and forth for signature
$25 implementation credit when you adopt
$80/moAdopt
Our picks, and why
Bullhorn
Fits teams of 5-150 employees, consolidates spreadsheet-based candidate tracking, email-only job order management, manual client submission tracking — chosen over 2 other staffing ats & client/candidate crm options in our catalog.
Runner-ups: JobDiva, Crelate
Indeed (Sponsored Jobs)
Fits teams of 2-200 employees, consolidates print/newspaper help-wanted ads, unpaid/organic-only job postings.
LinkedIn Recruiter
Fits teams of 3-150 employees, consolidates manual LinkedIn outreach, cold-calling-only sourcing.
TempWorks
Fits teams of 5-150 employees, consolidates manual timesheet-to-payroll reconciliation, spreadsheet client invoicing for placed workers.
Checkr
Fits teams of 2-300 employees, consolidates manual background check ordering, paper-based screening files.
QuickBooks Time
Fits teams of 5-300 employees, consolidates paper timesheets, client-signed timesheet faxing/emailing.
WorkBright
Fits teams of 5-300 employees, consolidates in-person paperwork onboarding, paper I-9 filing.
QuickBooks Online (Plus)
Fits teams of 1-50 employees, consolidates manual/spreadsheet bookkeeping, standalone invoicing tools.
Gusto (Plus)
Fits teams of 2-60 employees, consolidates manual internal payroll processing, legacy payroll provider contracts.
Ramp
Fits teams of 3-200 employees, consolidates personal reimbursement/manual expense reports, shared company cards.
Bill.com
Fits teams of 5-150 employees, consolidates manual check writing, spreadsheet AP aging.
Google Workspace (Business Standard)
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates personal email accounts for business use, local-only file storage.
1Password Business
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates passwords in a shared spreadsheet, browser-saved/reused passwords.
Huntress Managed EDR
Fits teams of 5-150 employees, consolidates free/consumer antivirus, unmanaged, unmonitored endpoints.
DocuSign
Fits teams of 2-100 employees, consolidates printing and scanning paper contracts, emailing PDFs back and forth for signature.
Every tool we evaluated for a staffing agency
Our engine picks one winner per category based on your size — here's the full shortlist it chose from, including the runners-up and who they're actually built for.
Sales & Marketing
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| BullhornOur pick for this size | Staffing ATS & Client/Candidate CRM | 5-150 employees | $1,200/mo |
| JobDiva | Staffing ATS & Client/Candidate CRM | 10-200 employees | $950/mo |
| Crelate | Staffing ATS & Client/Candidate CRM | 2-50 employees | $400/mo |
| Indeed (Sponsored Jobs)Our pick for this size | Job Board Sourcing & Sponsored Postings | 2-200 employees | $600/mo |
| LinkedIn RecruiterOur pick for this size | Passive Candidate Sourcing | 3-150 employees | $340/mo |
Core Operations
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| TempWorksOur pick for this size | Staffing Back-Office: Payroll, Billing & Invoicing for Placed Talent | 5-150 employees | $500/mo |
| CheckrOur pick for this size | Background Checks & Screening | 2-300 employees | $350/mo |
| QuickBooks TimeOur pick for this size | Time & Attendance for Placed/Temp Employees | 5-300 employees | $170/mo |
| WorkBrightOur pick for this size | Remote Onboarding & I-9/Compliance Documentation | 5-300 employees | $150/mo |
Finance
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online (Plus)Our pick for this size | Core accounting & bookkeeping | 1-50 employees | $90/mo |
| Gusto (Plus)Our pick for this size | Payroll & HR | 2-60 employees | $200/mo |
| RampOur pick for this size | Corporate cards & expense management | 3-200 employees | $0/mo |
| Bill.comOur pick for this size | Accounts payable & bill pay automation | 5-150 employees | $99/mo |
Administration & Security
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace (Business Standard)Our pick for this size | Business email hosting & productivity suite | 3-100 employees | $170/mo |
| 1Password BusinessOur pick for this size | Password manager | 3-100 employees | $95/mo |
| Huntress Managed EDROur pick for this size | Endpoint detection & response / managed security | 5-150 employees | $85/mo |
| DocuSignOur pick for this size | E-signature & document workflow | 2-100 employees | $80/mo |
- What Should a 20-Person Staffing Agency Actually Pay for Software?
- Bullhorn vs. JobDiva: Which One Actually Fits Your Staffing Agency?
- Bullhorn vs. JobDiva: What Each One Actually Costs Once Back-Office Sync Is Counted
- Signs Your Staffing Agency Has SaaS Sprawl (And What It's Costing You)
- Software Integration Guide for Staffing Agencies
Trades and businesses that share tools with staffing agency.
Frequently asked questions
How much does software cost for a small business in this industry?
It depends on your team size, but a genuinely optimized stack for a 10-15 person business typically runs $2,000-4,000/mo across all four pillars (sales & marketing, operations, finance, admin & security). We regularly see businesses paying 50-100% more than that because of overlapping tools, enterprise-tier subscriptions sized for larger teams, or never renegotiated pricing. Run the free audit to see your exact number.
What's the biggest source of software overspend in this industry?
The most common pattern is paying for two tools that do the same job — a legacy platform and a newer one that was added during a transition but never replaced the old one. The second most common is running an enterprise-tier platform sized for a much larger operation when a lighter alternative covers 95% of the functionality at a third of the cost.
How is StackMatch's recommendation different from a 'best software' list?
Most 'best software' lists rank tools by affiliate commission, not fit. Our engine is structurally blind to who pays us — the ranking code and the commission data live in separate, non-importing parts of our codebase. The engine ranks purely on your team-size fit and integration density, not on which vendor pays the biggest bounty.
Do I have to buy through StackMatch to use the blueprint?
No. The blueprint tells you exactly which tools to run and why. Adopting through our link just attaches your account so the rebate gets credited to you instead of going unclaimed. The recommendation is the same either way.
Get your own staffing agency blueprint
Three questions, tailored to your actual size and spend — not the example above.