Best recruitment software for UK agencies

I started Recruitly in Manchester

We built Recruitly for UK recruitment agencies. I started the company in Manchester and grew it through the UK market. Our first hundred customers were all British agencies. I've sat in their offices, watched how they work, and heard every complaint they have about their previous software. So I know what UK agencies need and what most platforms get wrong.

The UK recruitment market is mature and demanding. These agencies have seen every CRM on the market. They've been burned by expensive platforms that promised everything and delivered half of it. They want something that works, handles their specific requirements, and doesn't cost a fortune.

GDPR enforcement is real here

The UK has stricter GDPR enforcement than most countries. The ICO actively investigates complaints and issues fines. Recruitment agencies process large volumes of personal data, which puts them on the radar. Your CRM needs proper GDPR compliance built in: consent tracking, retention policies, right-to-erasure workflows, and audit logs.

Data hosting location matters too. Many UK agencies want to know where their data physically sits. Some clients, especially in financial services and public sector, require UK or EU data residency in their supplier contracts. Ask your CRM provider where your data is hosted. If they can't give you a straight answer, that's a problem.

UK job board integrations

The UK has its own job board ecosystem. Indeed is global, but Reed, Totaljobs, and CV-Library are UK-specific and heavily used. Your CRM needs proper integrations with these boards. Post jobs from the CRM, receive applications back into the CRM, and track which board generates the best candidates.

Recruitly integrates with all major UK job boards through our marketplace. You post once and it goes to multiple boards. Applications come back as candidate records with CVs parsed automatically. No manual re-entry.

IR35 and contractor management

If you place contractors, IR35 is a fact of life. Since the off-payroll reforms, agencies need to track IR35 status determinations, store Status Determination Statements, and manage the chain of compliance. Your CRM should have fields and workflows that support this. If you're using a CRM built for the US market, IR35 won't even be a concept in their system.

Temp and contract agencies also need AWR (Agency Workers Regulations) compliance tracking. After 12 weeks, agency workers get equal treatment rights. Your system needs to track assignment start dates and flag when workers hit the 12-week threshold. This is basic UK compliance that many non-UK platforms simply don't handle.

Multi-currency and international recruiting

Many UK agencies recruit internationally. You might place candidates in the UK, Ireland, Middle East, or Asia. That means dealing with salaries in GBP, EUR, AED, and USD. Your CRM needs proper multi-currency support for fees, salaries, and invoicing. Not just a text field where you type the currency symbol.

And the pricing of the software itself should be in Sterling. UK agencies don't want to deal with fluctuating USD charges on their credit card statement. Recruitly is priced from $25/user/month with a free plan available, and we support multi-currency throughout the platform.

UK payroll integration

If you run a temp desk, payroll integration is essential. UK payroll providers like Sage, Xero, and specialist recruitment payroll systems need to connect to your CRM. Timesheets, holiday pay calculations, pension auto-enrolment data, and HMRC reporting all flow better when the CRM and payroll system are connected.

Recruitly connects to major UK accounting and payroll tools through the marketplace. Timesheet data, invoice generation, and payment tracking all sync without double-entry.

What I'd look for if I were buying

Having built software for the UK market and spoken to hundreds of UK agencies, here's my shortlist of requirements. GDPR compliance with ICO-ready audit trails. UK job board integrations that actually work. IR35 and AWR tracking for contract desks. Multi-currency support. Sterling pricing. UK or EU data hosting. AI sourcing that works for the UK candidate market. And a provider who understands the UK recruitment industry, not just the US one.

If you're currently using a platform that doesn't tick these boxes, or if you're looking at alternatives to Bullhorn or other legacy systems, take a look at Recruitly. We also have a guide on how to choose a recruitment CRM that covers the general evaluation process.