Blue Octopus

Recruitment Software (Applicant Tracking System)blueoctopus.co.uk

Blue Octopus is a UK-based recruitment technology vendor founded in 2010, providing its cloud-based Octo Applicant Tracking System and recruitment services to employers. Now a subsidiary of IRIS Software Group following a 2024 acquisition, it serves UK businesses across various sizes with subscription-based ATS licensing and bundled recruitment support.

Company typePrivate
Founded2010
HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingSoftware

What Blue Octopus does

Blue Octopus is a UK-based recruitment technology vendor founded in 2010, providing cloud-based Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software branded as "Octo" alongside recruitment services. The Octo platform enables employers to manage the full candidate lifecycle, from job posting and application submission through to candidate tracking and hiring workflow automation, supported by dedicated client and candidate portals. The company serves a horizontal customer base of UK employers and businesses across various sizes, with job seekers as a secondary user persona accessing the platform for vacancy browsing and applications. Revenue is generated through annual subscription licenses (Standard and Platinum tiers, the latter formerly branded "FirstClass") combined with recruitment services offered as standalone or bundled engagements.

Blue Octopus operates a sales-led go-to-market with demo booking capabilities and self-service portal components, and has accumulated nine Onrec Awards over its operating history, including the Technical Innovation Award in 2023. In 2024, the company was acquired by IRIS Software Group, a UK provider of accountancy, HR, payroll, and education software, and its offerings are being combined with IRIS's existing IRIS Recruitment solution to form an integrated recruitment technology and services proposition within IRIS's broader Human Capital Management portfolio. Co-founders Chris Coleman and Liam Coleman continue as Joint Managing Directors following the acquisition. The company's disclosed AI/ML capability is limited to process automation features such as automated candidate scoring and rejection notifications based on application form responses.

Blue Octopus firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Blue Octopus
Legal name: Blue Octopus Recruitment Limited
Website: https://blueoctopus.co.uk
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2010
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Blue Octopus is a UK-based recruitment technology vendor founded in 2010, providing its cloud-based Octo Applicant Tracking System and recruitment services to employers. Now a subsidiary of IRIS Software Group following a 2024 acquisition, it serves UK businesses across various sizes with subscription-based ATS licensing and bundled recruitment support.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Blue Octopus industry classification

Industry

Product category: Recruitment Software (Applicant Tracking System)
NAICS: Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
SIC: Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
akta.pro primary industry: Sales Force Automation (SFA) CRM (HDAEAFAA)

Keywords

Applicant tracking system
Recruitment software
Talent acquisition
Hiring technology
Recruitment services

Where Blue Octopus is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Leeds
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Blue Octopus business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Software
Cost components: Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

Recruitment Software (ATS): Software-as-a-service ATS platform offered under Standard and Platinum license tiers, providing recurring subscription revenue from recruitment software access and features
Recruitment Services: Provider of recruitment services combined with their ATS solutions, offering bundled or standalone recruitment support

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Standard License
Subscription	Annual	Platinum License (formerly FirstClass)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Blue Octopus product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Blue Octopus provides cloud-based Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software under its proprietary 'Octo' platform for employers to manage the full candidate lifecycle—from job posting and application through to hiring and onboarding. The company also delivers recruitment services bundled with or alongside its ATS, supporting businesses in sourcing, screening, and hiring candidates. Since 2024, Blue Octopus has operated as part of IRIS Software Group, with its offerings integrated into IRIS's broader HCM portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Octo ATS Platform Cloud-based Applicant Tracking System (ATS) branded as 'Octo' that enables organizations to manage the full candidate lifecycle, including job posting, application management, candidate tracking, workflow automation, automated scoring based on application responses, and recruitment process workflows. Available under Standard and Platinum license tiers.
Blue Octopus Recruitment Services Recruitment support services provided alongside or bundled with the Octo ATS, offering candidate sourcing, screening, and assessment support for businesses seeking to streamline hiring.

Quantifiable outcome

9 Onrec Awards won including Technical Innovation Award 2023

Companies that use Blue Octopus

Customer profile

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Blue Octopus technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Blue Octopus partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

IRIS Software GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Octopus was acquired by IRIS Software Group to expand their HCM (Human Capital Management) solutions portfolio. The acquisition combines Blue Octopus's ATS offerings with IRIS's existing recruitment solutions, providing clients with comprehensive recruitment technology and services.
IRIS RecruitmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationFollowing acquisition, Blue Octopus offerings are being combined with IRIS's existing recruitment solutions, creating an integrated recruitment technology ecosystem within the IRIS portfolio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Blue Octopus competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Personio: European HCM platform with embedded recruitment/ATS capabilities. Comparable UK/European SMB-mid-market positioning with broader suite offering.
Sage HR: UK-headquartered HR suite (formerly Sage People / Sage HR) with recruitment functionality. Comparable UK SMB/mid-market HCM positioning with overlap on recruitment workflows.
Workday Recruiting: Native ATS module within the Workday HCM suite. Overlaps on recruitment functionality with Blue Octopus and increasingly competes after the IRIS HCM acquisition.

Direct peers

Greenhouse Software: Leading cloud-based ATS serving employers for candidate tracking and recruitment workflow automation. Comparable SaaS ATS model, broader mid-market and enterprise footprint.
SmartRecruiters: Enterprise recruitment platform combining ATS with CRM-style candidate relationship features. Comparable feature scope and ATS-first GTM motion.
Workable: SMB-focused cloud ATS with job board distribution and recruitment workflow automation. Comparable ATS-first SaaS model for employer customers.
Lever: Cloud ATS and talent sourcing platform for employers. Similar ATS-as-SaaS delivery model and focus on integrated recruiting workflows.
IRIS Recruitment: IRIS Software Group's own ATS/recruitment offering that has been combined with Blue Octopus post-acquisition. Directly comparable product (recruitment ATS) and overlapping UK customer base; the integration is now formal.

Emerging players

Occupop: UK-focused recruitment software for SMBs. Geographic and SMB-segment overlap with Blue Octopus in the UK recruitment-tech market.
Recruiterflow: Recruitment CRM + ATS for staffing and recruiting agencies. Comparable ATS-with-services model, especially around agency-side recruitment workflows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Blue Octopus financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Blue Octopus leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Blue Octopus funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Blue Octopus M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blue Octopus

What does Blue Octopus do?

Is Blue Octopus a public or private company?

Blue Octopus is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Blue Octopus founded?

Blue Octopus was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Blue Octopus based?

Blue Octopus is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does Blue Octopus make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Recruitment Software (ATS) is the primary driver. The others are recruitment Services.

Who are Blue Octopus's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Personio, Sage HR and Workday Recruiting. Direct peers are Greenhouse Software, SmartRecruiters, Workable, Lever and IRIS Recruitment. Emerging players are Occupop and Recruiterflow.

Does Blue Octopus have an API?

No public API is recorded for Blue Octopus.

What industry is Blue Octopus in?

Blue Octopus's product category is Recruitment Software (Applicant Tracking System). Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAFAA, Sales Force Automation (SFA) CRM. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.