How Much Does It Cost To Post Jobs on Indeed? A Comprehensive Guide

Indeed gets traffic of over 500 million every month, which makes it one of the most-visited job search websites in the world. Posting vacancies on Indeed not only brings fantastic exposure but also enables you to access hiring tools like application tracking, advanced candidate search, and pre-screening assessment.

The Indeed job posting cost starts at zero because the platform offers a free ad listing option to all employers. You can post a no-cost vacancy without any catch (no free trial or after-hire commission), but the visibility of such listings dips rather quickly. Indeed paid job posting option offers better visibility and increases your chances of finding a qualified pool of candidates.

Our guide covers the following info:

• Indeed job posting pricing
• Setting a budget for job posting on Indeed
• Cost of using hiring support features on the platform

Indeed Job Posting Cost Explained

A paid Indeed job posting is referred to as a sponsored job ad on the website. While free vacancies drastically slip down in search results within 2–3 days of posting, sponsored job ads dominate search results for as long as you choose to pay for them.

As far as billing rates are concerned, Indeed follows a per-job approach for sponsored listings. You don’t have to commit to a monthly plan or similar—as an employer, you can post any number of vacancies, and it’s 100% up to you to choose which posts to sponsor.

The core pricing mechanism of Indeed was altered recently. Before 2022, the website would charge sponsored job posts on a Cost Per Click (CPC), so your overall cost depended on the number of candidates that clicked through. You had to pay regardless of whether or not someone applied for the job.

In 2022, Indeed modified its pricing scheme for sponsored posts to benefit employers. You now have to pay on a Cost Per Application (CPA) basis, meaning you will be billed depending on the number of candidates who actually submit a resume in response to your ad. The best part is that you have 48 hours to decline unwanted applications before they’re added to your bill. Let’s explore various aspects of the plan in detail below.

How Much Does Indeed Charge for a Sponsored Job Posting?

A sponsored job post on Indeed follows Cost Per Application (CPA) pricing. You currently have to pay $15, $20, or similar rates (the rates change depending on the job title, industry condition, and geographical location) for every application you receive for a sponsored post on the platform. You can set up the amount you want to spend on a particular listing by setting a cap on the number of applicants you’re ready to pay for.

For example, your per-job cost would be $750 if you want to receive 50 applications for a post and $1,200 if you want to get 80. You can navigate to the Jobs tab on your employer dashboard to check the number of applications received and the corresponding amount charged for each post. You can also choose to turn a free listing into a paid one via your dashboard.

The CPA scheme is designed to support quality hiring. Every time you receive an application to your sponsored post, review it within 48 hours to see if the candidate is someone suitable for the role. If they’re not, reject the application, and Indeed won’t charge you for it.

If you want to change your sponsored listing into a free listing, open the job on your dashboard and click on Remove plan. You’ll stop getting charged for the applications you receive.

Can You Set Up a Job Posting Budget on Indeed?

Indeed’s old per-click pricing scheme would let employers set up a daily budget for themselves. Say the cost of one click was $0.20—you could set up a daily budget as low as $5 and get 25 clicks every day.

Indeed’s current per-application pricing mechanism for sponsored jobs doesn’t allow per-day budgeting. You can only set up the target number of applications you want to receive to control the overall amount you spend on a single sponsored post. When you exhaust your per-job budget, Indeed automatically stops sponsoring your post, which essentially means it turns into a free listing and can still be accessed by jobseekers who keep scrolling ahead.

While the per-job budgeting helps you stay in control of how much you spend on a listing, you now have to allot a larger budget for job posts than you did before because the per-application rate is much higher than the per-click rate.

What Are the Features of a Sponsored Job Ad on Indeed?

A sponsored Indeed job ad does more than improve the visibility of your post. Paid listings also offer two major benefits:

• Automatic rejection of unfit candidates—You can add Deal Breaker qualifications to a sponsored job listing, which can be anything from the minimum education level or the number of years of experience required. If an applicant doesn’t qualify, they’re automatically put under the Rejected tab so you’re never charged for it. You can still access the application if you want to consider it

• Instant candidate matching—With every sponsored listing you make, Indeed automatically creates matches of suitable candidates who you can invite for the job. You’ll only be charged if the candidate accepts your invitation and applies 

How Are Employers Billed for Sponsored Job Ads on Indeed?

You pay for sponsored job ads on a monthly basis unless you’ve already accrued $500 on your bill. For example, you have received $375 worth of applications in a month. Your card will be billed for the same on the 1st of the following month.

Every time your bill hits the $500 threshold (at any point during the month), you’ll be charged for the same within the next 48 hours. The amount you spend for the remainder of the month will be charged on the 1st of next month.

When To Close or Pause a Sponsored Job Post on Indeed?

Sponsored job ads can be paused or closed like regular listings on Indeed. When you close a paid job post, it’s removed from the dashboard. You’ll be charged the next month (as long as the amount is under $500) or within 48 hours depending on the number of applications you receive.

Pausing a job post doesn’t remove it from your dashboard but prevents it from appearing in the search results. You don’t receive any applications during the pause period, so you don’t accrue any charges either.

Can You Still Choose the Cost-Per-Click Plan on Indeed?

Indeed offers the Cost Per Click (CPC) plan under certain circumstances, but employers don’t get an option to choose it by themselves. The platform automatically applies a suitable CPC rate if it doesn’t have enough system data on an advertised role. Keep in mind that in most cases, Indeed will give you a Cost Per Application (CPA) rate aligned with your particular job post.

The current CPA plan on Indeed is quite intuitive. The site’s software predicts everything related to a role based on job-specific data collected over the years. From the per-application rate to the recommended budget, everything Indeed suggests is tailored to the role, and you simply need to choose within the parameters they recommend.

If Indeed has no data for a particular role, you’ll be directed to pay according to the CPC model. The rates will vary for different roles. You’ll be able to set a daily spending budget based on the predictions offered during the process.

Pricing for Resume Search Features on Indeed

Sponsoring a job post on Indeed doesn’t allow you to conduct a resume search or message candidates. You need to purchase a separate Resume Search plan for that. Your options are a Standard and a Professional plan. Get a summary of their individual features from the following table:

The Standard plan is usually recommended for employers who hire 1–11 employees constantly throughout the year, while the Professional plan is suitable for businesses with bigger hiring needs.

You have the option to choose a 14-day free trial for the Standard plan that offers a maximum contact limit of 20 candidates. There is no such trial available for the Professional plan.

Pricing for Hiring Support Features on Indeed

Indeed offers customized plans (called Campaigns) to sponsor multiple jobs on a single budget. You can design your own hiring campaign by:

1. Selecting jobs you want to add to the plan
2. Adding a budget
3. Setting up a posting schedule

Like sponsored listings, Indeed’s software will suggest rates based on the industry, job title, and geographical location you’re operating in.

You can add or remove jobs from the plan anytime. The Campaigns dashboard also allows you to track spending and edit your overall budget anytime.

Cost of Indeed Job Posting—FAQs

We have compiled answers to some of your common queries regarding job posting on Indeed and related pricing.

My Budget Doesn’t Match With Indeed’s Pricing Suggestions—What To Do?

Indeed’s software suggests the number of applicants you should request, which directly impacts your per-job expenditure. If you’re on a budget, you have no option but to go for a lower number of applications. 

One strategy would be to first post the job for free—you can attract a decent number of applications within 1–3 days when the job gets fairly good traffic (to increase your chances of getting noticed, we’d advise not to hide the salary details). Once the post tanks in visibility, go to your dashboard and turn the job into a sponsored listing with a suitable cap on the number of applications you’re okay to spend on.

Can I Still Get Applicants With a Free Listing on Indeed?

Indeed is a job aggregator that compiles listings from hundreds of other online job boards. A free listing on the site fades into obscurity pretty quickly. Indeed especially recommends paid listings if you:

1. Need to fill a role urgently
2. Want to attract specialized personnel (like data analysts, engineers, developers, marketers, tech professionals, etc.)
3. Are hiring for a location with a poor talent pool (since free listings mostly attract candidates within a specified geographical area)
4. Have a hard-to-fill role

According to Indeed, employers who pay for job ads are 4.5 times more likely to hire than those who use free listings.

How Do I Access the Free Job Posting Option on Indeed?

You can post a free or sponsored job by using the Post a job button on your dashboard. You get Sponsor your job or Post for free options before you submit the listing request.

Indeed may not present you with the free posting option if you’re a first-time user or your job description doesn’t meet the quality standards of the website. In that case, you can choose the sponsored listing option when you create the job, and then remove the plan by accessing the job on your dashboard right after. 

Sponsored Ads on Indeed Is Out of My Budget—What Other Options Do I Have?

Ever since Indeed moved away from the economical CPC plan, most employers have had that shock moment while posting a sponsored job on the platform. With the CPA-based pricing in place, even requesting 20 applications costs you $300–$400. You can spend the same amount on posting jobs on similar websites without worrying about the number of candidates who can apply.

We have reviewed the pricing of many other job boards—you can access them via the list below:

• Google Jobs
• LinkedIn
• Monster
• Facebook
• CareerBuilder
• Craigslist
• Dice
• ZipRecruiter
• Ladders
• Juju
• Careerjet
• Mashable
• Snagajob