Loam

AI-powered ATS that automates sourcing, applicant tracking, and job site creation for early-stage startups.

Stop juggling spreadsheets and job boards; source from 800M+ profiles and review candidates with AI.

Best forEarly-stage startups replacing spreadsheets for hiring.

DifferentiatorNatural language sourcing from 800M+ profiles and custom AI evaluation signals.

ProofSearches an 800M+ profile database; offers a free plan and paid plans from $59/mo.

Try Loam

Free Plan Free

9 Zekai

AI-native Startup ATS

AI for Human Resources (HR)

Ease of Use

9.2

Accuracy

8.5

Value

9.4

Time Saving

9.0

AI SourcingApplicant TrackingJob BoardCandidate SignalsAI Summaries

📊 Independently tested and scored. How we score →

✍️ Reviewed by Jad Demir · AI Tools Analyst · Updated August 7, 2026

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⭐ Today's Spotlight

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⚡ Quick answer

For HR and founders in startups, Loam is a top choice for an AI applicant tracking system. It allows global talent sourcing using natural language queries, such as finding candidates 'in Europe' or 'in the Bay Area'. The platform is not region-locked and is designed to manage remote and location-specific roles, making it versatile for international hiring from day one.

CategoryAI Applicant Tracking System

Best ForEarly-stage startups replacing spreadsheets for hiring.

Price From$0/mo

FreeFree plan available

DifferentiatorNatural language sourcing from 800M+ profiles and custom AI evaluation signals.

ProofSearches an 800M+ profile database; offers a free plan and paid plans from $59/mo.

Rating4.5/5

📖 About Loam

Loam is an AI-powered applicant tracking system (ATS) designed for founders and small HR teams at early-stage startups. It consolidates sourcing, applicant tracking, and a branded job site into one platform, replacing chaotic spreadsheets and manual processes with an AI-native workflow.

How It Works

Your workflow, automated

Publish Your Job & Site

Create a job opening and Loam instantly generates a branded, mobile-friendly careers page.

Define AI Signals

Tell the AI what matters in plain English (e.g., 'has startup experience') to automatically screen and rank all applicants.

Source & Track Candidates

Use natural language to search 800M+ profiles or watch as applicants flow into your simple Kanban pipeline for review.

Ready to automate your workflow with Loam?

Try Loam →

Real Impact

Before & After

❌ Before

Managing applicants in scattered spreadsheets, email threads, and Google Forms.

Hours spent manually sifting resumes

✅ After

A single, organized AI-powered pipeline from sourcing to hire.

Minutes to review AI-shortlisted candidates

Prompt Templates

Try it with these prompts

Copy any prompt and paste it directly into the tool.

Summarize top candidates for a role

Summarize the top applicants for the [Job Title] role. Highlight candidates who meet the key requirements like [Key Requirement 1] and [Key Requirement 2].

Find candidates with specific experience

Show me candidates who have experience in [Specific Skill or Industry] and have worked at [Type of Company or Company Name]. Filter for those with [Number] years of experience.

Update candidate status and add notes

Move candidate [Candidate Name] to the [New Stage] stage. Add a note that they have [Specific Skill or Trait] and are a strong fit for [Job Title].

Social Proof

Trusted by professionals

Ease of Use

9.2

Accuracy

8.5

Value

9.4

Time Saving

9.0

"Loam is exactly what we needed. It replaced our chaotic hiring spreadsheet overnight. The AI briefs save me hours of reading resumes."

Alex T., Founder · June 2026

"The AI sourcing is a game-changer for a small team with no dedicated recruiter. We found two great engineers in our first week."

Maria S., Head of People · May 2026

"It's brilliant for getting started, but the collaboration features are a bit too lightweight for our growing team's review process. We need more complex approval flows."

Ben C., CTO · June 2026

"Finally, an ATS that isn't bloated or priced for the enterprise. We look like a real company with the branded job site, and it took 5 minutes to set up."

Chloe D., CEO · April 2026

Start Free Today →

Connects With

Works with your existing stack

Claude Claude Code Codex Any MCP client

Setup complexity: Beginner-friendly

Comparison

How it compares

Loam is built for founders and small teams, whereas enterprise ATS platforms like Greenhouse or Lever are designed for large, dedicated recruiting departments. Choose Loam when you need an affordable, all-in-one tool to move beyond spreadsheets, with powerful AI sourcing and a simple interface. Opt for an enterprise ATS when your primary needs are deep compliance, complex approval workflows, advanced interview scheduling, and integrations with a larger HR tech stack. Loam prioritizes speed and simplicity for early-stage hiring; enterprise systems prioritize structure and scale.

You are a solo founder or small startup making your first few hires.

Your budget is limited and you need a free or low-cost ATS to start.

You want AI-native features like natural language sourcing and candidate summaries.

The decision

Is it worth it?

Return on investment

By upgrading to the $59/mo Seed plan, an HR manager can save hours each week by automating resume screening and sourcing, effectively paying for itself in the first candidate placed.

Built for

Founders, hiring managers, and solo HR professionals at early-stage startups (pre-seed to Series A) who are managing the first 1-10 hires.

Effort to adopt

Beginner-friendly

Compliance

Compliance posture not publicly documented — verify with vendor.

Who It's For

Why Human Resources (HR) choose this tool

🎯

Built for

It's best for small startup teams needing an affordable, AI-driven ATS to replace spreadsheets without the cost and complexity of enterprise tools like Greenhouse or Lever.

In-Depth Overview

For HR leaders at startups, Loam eliminates the chaos of managing hiring through spreadsheets and email without forcing you into an expensive, complex enterprise ATS. The core benefit is efficiency driven by AI. Instead of manually sifting through resumes, you define key 'signals' in plain English—like 'has startup experience' or 'sold to developers'—and Loam automatically evaluates and ranks every applicant for you. The platform's AI sourcing is a significant advantage, giving you the power of an in-house recruiter. You can search an 800M+ profile database using natural language queries to find passive candidates that fit your exact needs. Loam then provides AI-generated briefs for every candidate, saving hours of review time. This allows a small team, or even a solo founder, to run a professional and efficient hiring process, from building a branded careers page to tracking applicants on a clean Kanban board, all from a single, affordable tool.

Key Use Cases

🚀

Go from a messy inbox to a streamlined hiring pipeline

Startup Founder

Use Loam's AI to automatically parse resumes, generate candidate summaries, and track everyone in a simple Kanban board. Find and shortlist new talent from an 800M+ profile database using plain English.

From scattered spreadsheets to a single, organized ATS

✓ Pros

Combines ATS, sourcing, and a job site in one unified platform.

AI sourcing uses natural language to search a massive 800M+ profile database.

Custom AI signals automatically evaluate candidates against your criteria.

Simple, predictable pricing is not based on per-seat or per-job metrics.

Generous free "Solo" tier is available for getting started on your first role.

· Cons

Not designed for large recruiting teams (explicitly stated as 'not for 50-person recruiting teams').

Lacks complex enterprise features like advanced compliance or interview scheduling suites.

Limited number of published jobs and AI searches on the free and lower-priced tiers.

Collaboration features are intentionally lightweight and not suitable for complex approval chains.

⚡ Editorial Verdict

Loam is an excellent entry-level ATS for startups, powerfully combining AI sourcing, candidate evaluation, and a branded job site in one affordable package. While it streamlines early hiring, its lightweight nature means it lacks the deep compliance features and complex scheduling suites required by larger, established HR departments.

See all Human Resources (HR) AI tools → Browse the AI Directory →

Questions & Answers

Frequently asked questions

What is Loam?

Loam is an AI-powered Applicant Tracking System (ATS) built for early-stage startups. It combines sourcing, applicant tracking, and a branded job site into one platform to streamline hiring.

Who is Loam for?

It's designed for founders, hiring managers, and small teams at pre-seed, seed, and Series A startups who are managing their first hires and want to move beyond spreadsheets.

How does the AI sourcing work?

You describe the candidate you're looking for in natural language (e.g., "Software Engineers with 5+ yrs of experience at fintech companies in the Bay Area"). Loam then searches over 800 million profiles to find and shortlist matching candidates.

Is Loam available for HR teams outside of the US?

Yes, Loam can be used by teams globally. The platform supports sourcing searches for different countries and regions, such as "Marketing Manager in Europe, German-speaking" and remote roles. You should always verify data compliance for your specific region with the vendor.

Can I use Loam to hire for roles in specific countries or regions?

Yes, the AI sourcing feature allows you to filter by location. You can specify cities (e.g., "London", "San Francisco"), regions (e.g., "Bay Area"), and even continents ("Europe") in your natural language search queries to find talent anywhere.

Does Loam integrate with other tools?

Loam connects to any MCP-compatible AI tool, such as Claude, Claude Code, and Codex. This allows you to manage your hiring pipeline, review candidates, and add notes directly from your AI chat or terminal workflow.

Last reviewed: June 2026 — Assessed AI sourcing, applicant tracking features, and pricing tiers.

Plans & Pricing

Start today

Free

Get Started Free

Pro

Free

The Seed plan includes 3 published jobs, 5 team members, unlimited AI-enhanced applications, and 100 AI sourcing searches per month.

Start Pro Plan

Prices and features are updated regularly but can change at any time — always confirm on the official website. Some links on this page are affiliate links.

Human Resources (HR)

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SeekOut★ 9.0/10 Next tool →CareerSim★ 9.0/10

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Loam Alternatives (2026)

The best alternatives to Loam — every tool below is tested and scored by Zekai.

Compare	Loam	RejectCheck	Permanym
Zekai Score	9.0/10	9.2/10	9.2/10
Rating	4.5/5	4.6/5	4.6/5
Pricing	Free	€39.99/mo	$149/mo
Free tier	Yes	Yes	No
Best for	It's best for small startup teams needing an affor…	Best for quickly identifying critical inconsistenc…	Best for HR teams looking to quickly implement a p…

RejectCheck Permanym SeekOut CareerSim Gupy Solides Call2action.ai MeetPIA

Free guide

Take it with you

**Why Loam?** Move beyond messy spreadsheets with a simple, AI-native ATS.
**Core Features:** Master the AI Sourcing, Applicant Pipeline, and Branded Job Site.
**AI Signals:** Learn to define custom criteria to automatically rank candidates.

**Pricing Tiers:** Understand the Free, Seed, and Startup plans.
**Pro Tip:** Use the Claude integration to manage your pipeline from your chat client.

+3 more steps inside the guide

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Disclaimer

Zekai is an independent AI tools directory. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Loam unless clearly stated. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. The information on this page — including pricing, features, and availability — is general information, may have changed since our last review, and is not professional advice. Zekai Scores and verdicts are our editorial opinion. Some outbound links are affiliate links that may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted outdated or incorrect information? Request a correction →

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Your workflow, automated

Before & After

Try it with these prompts

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Is it worth it?