Refline
Refline AG is a Swiss software company, founded in 2002, that develops a proprietary Applicant Tracking System used by SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs, and public-sector organizations primarily in Switzerland, with multilingual support across German, English, French, and Italian.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersBaar, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Refline does
Refline AG is a privately held Swiss software company founded in 2002 that develops and operates a proprietary Applicant Tracking System (ATS) sold under the Refline brand. The platform is built entirely in Switzerland, hosted in a Swiss cloud, and positions compliance with the EU GDPR and the Swiss DSG (DSGVO) as a core commercial differentiator, alongside 100% Swiss-based staff and development. The product is a modular ATS covering job advertisement creation with templates optimized for mobile devices and Google for Jobs, multiposting to more than 200 job boards and social channels, customizable GDPR-compliant online application forms, collaborative recruiting with role-based access, automated assignment of applications to positions, and an integrated data protection-compliant talent pool with automatic candidate-to-vacancy matching. A mobile application extends the platform beyond the desktop workflow.
The company monetizes through a flexible monthly subscription licensing model with modular configuration, supplemented by a self-serve 30-day free trial (no credit card required) and sales-assisted enterprise motion through Calendly-based live presentations and direct phone support. The customer base spans SMEs, large enterprises, public sector organizations, NGOs, and startups, primarily in Switzerland, with multilingual product support in German, English, French, and Italian. Named reference customers include CALIDA, TRISA, and Confiserie Sprüngli. Refline claims 30,000+ users and more than 4 million successful application processes annually, alongside 20+ years of operating history. The organization is small, listed at 1–10 employees, with Vanessa Hunkeler as Chief Executive Officer, and operates from Hünenberg and Zürich, Switzerland, with no disclosed external funding or M&A activity.
Refline firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Refline
- Legal name
- Refline AG
- Website
- https://refline.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Refline AG is a Swiss software company, founded in 2002, that develops a proprietary Applicant Tracking System used by SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs, and public-sector organizations primarily in Switzerland, with multilingual support across German, English, French, and Italian.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Refline industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Applicant Tracking System
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD)
Keywords
Where Refline is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Baar
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Refline business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription-based ATS licensing: Flexible subscription model for applicant tracking software with modular configuration options. Pricing based on company size and feature requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Flexible subscription tiers for SMEs to large enterprises |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Refline product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Refline develops and licenses a proprietary Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that streamlines the recruiting workflow from job advertisement to hiring. The cloud-hosted software enables job ad creation, multiposting to over 200 job boards, online application management, collaborative recruiting with role-based access, and an integrated talent pool with automatic matching, sold primarily on a flexible monthly subscription basis to SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs, and public sector organizations.
Product overview
Refline offers a single, unified Applicant Tracking System (ATS) platform developed entirely in Switzerland. The modular architecture combines core components for application management, job advertisement creation, multiposting across 200+ job boards, online application processing, and collaborative recruiting. All modules are integrated into one cohesive system that emphasizes user-friendly operation, GDPR compliance, and Swiss cloud hosting. The platform targets organizations of all sizes from SMEs to large enterprises and public sector entities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Refline Applicant Tracking System (ATS) A proprietary, cloud-hosted Applicant Tracking System developed in Switzerland that manages the full recruiting workflow including job ad creation, multiposting to 200+ job boards, online application forms, collaborative evaluation, and an integrated data-protection-compliant talent pool. Sold on a flexible monthly subscription to SMEs, large companies, NGOs, and public sector organizations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 70% reduction in administrative work in recruiting
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Refline
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Refline technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Refline partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Refline competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Greenhouse Software: Greenhouse is a leading ATS platform focused on structured hiring and collaborative recruiting. It is directly comparable to Refline as both target the same applicant tracking and hiring workflow use cases for SMEs through enterprises, though Greenhouse operates globally and is venture-backed.
- Breezy HR: Breezy HR is a modern ATS for SMBs featuring multiposting, collaborative hiring, and pipeline management. It is comparable to Refline on product scope, ease-of-use positioning, and SMB/horizontal customer segmentation.
- SmartRecruiters: SmartRecruiters is a global hiring platform combining ATS, CRM, and multiposting to job boards. It is directly comparable to Refline across the same recruiting workflow, serving both SMEs and large enterprises.
- Lever: Lever provides a combined ATS + CRM platform for talent acquisition, with collaborative hiring and talent pooling features. It competes head-to-head with Refline on applicant tracking, candidate relationship management, and multiposting-style distribution.
- Recruitee: Recruitee is a collaborative ATS platform aimed at SMEs and mid-market companies with multiposting, branded careers pages, and team-based hiring workflows. It is directly comparable to Refline on product scope and target customer profile.
- Workable: Workable offers an ATS with sourcing, multiposting to job boards, and AI-assisted candidate matching, targeting SMBs through mid-market globally. It overlaps directly with Refline on applicant tracking, multiposting, and ease-of-use positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Workday Recruiting: Workday Recruiting is part of Workday's enterprise HCM suite, providing ATS functionality tightly integrated with HR, payroll, and talent management. It is comparable to Refline on recruiting workflows but addresses a much larger enterprise segment with broader platform functionality.
- SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting: SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting is an enterprise talent acquisition module within the SuccessFactors HCM suite. It competes with Refline for large enterprise recruiting deals, particularly among multinationals already standardized on SAP for HR.
Regional players
- Personio: Personio is a leading European HCM/HR-tech platform with strong DACH roots that includes ATS functionality alongside core HR, payroll, and people management. It is comparable to Refline as a DACH HR-tech competitor that bundles recruiting into a broader suite, though it targets European SMB/mid-market broadly rather than Switzerland specifically.
- Onlyfy (by Xing / New Work SE): Onlyfy is the recruiting/ATS suite from Xing/New Work, with deep penetration in DACH-speaking markets including Switzerland. It is comparable to Refline as a regional ATS competitor with strong job board distribution in the same Swiss/DACH customer base.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Refline social profiles
Digital presenceRefline compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Refline financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Refline leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Refline funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Refline M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Refline
What does Refline do?
Refline develops and licenses a proprietary Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that streamlines the recruiting workflow from job advertisement to hiring. The cloud-hosted software enables job ad creation, multiposting to over 200 job boards, online application management, collaborative recruiting with role-based access, and an integrated talent pool with automatic matching, sold primarily on a flexible monthly subscription basis to SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs, and public sector organizations.
Is Refline a public or private company?
Refline is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Refline founded?
Refline was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Refline based?
Refline is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Refline make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription-based ATS licensing.
Who are Refline's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Greenhouse Software, Breezy HR, SmartRecruiters, Lever, Recruitee and Workable. Broad incumbents are Workday Recruiting and SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting. Regional players are Personio and Onlyfy (by Xing / New Work SE).
Does Refline have an API?
No public API is recorded for Refline.
What industry is Refline in?
Refline's product category is Applicant Tracking System. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAPAD, Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7372.