Best Free Job Posting Sites in 2027: What’s Really Free

“Free job posting” still exists in 2027, but it comes with more strings attached than it used to. Indeed now caps free posts and pushes most visibility toward sponsored jobs, LinkedIn allows one free job at a time, and several sites that look free are really free trials. This guide covers where US employers can still post jobs at no cost, what each “free” option actually gets you, and how to push one job to many boards at once without paying per post.

Quick answer: For most US employers, the best genuinely free options are Indeed (up to three free jobs per calendar month), LinkedIn (one free job open at a time), Google’s job search results (free via structured data on your careers page), and your state job bank (free, and fed into the National Labor Exchange). For early-career hiring use Handshake; for startups use Wellfound. If you post more than a couple of roles a month, an ATS with multiposting such as Manatal or Workable saves the most time.

Last updated November 2026. Prices checked on 5 November 2026; vendors change pricing often, so confirm before you buy.

Some links in this guide are partner links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It does not affect our rankings.

Quick comparison

We compared these options based on vendor documentation, pricing and help pages, and recent industry reporting. Rules on free posting change often, so treat the limits below as a snapshot and check them when you post.

What “free” really means in 2027

Before the list, four caveats that apply almost everywhere:

• Free usually means capped. Indeed limits free posts per month; LinkedIn limits how many you can have open at once. Go over the cap and you pay.
• Free usually means less visible. Free listings sink in search results as newer jobs appear, while sponsored jobs are shown more often and for longer. Indeed says this directly in its own employer guidance.
• Free trial is not free. ZipRecruiter and most ATS vendors offer trials that roll into paid plans. Diary the end date.
• Agencies rarely qualify. Indeed has required staffing and recruiting firms in the US to sponsor their jobs since 2019, and LinkedIn’s basic (free) listings exclude staffing agencies too. Free options in this guide are mainly for direct employers.

The best free job posting sites for US employers

1. Indeed (including Glassdoor)

Indeed is still the biggest free option for most US roles, but the free tier is now clearly defined and limited. Glassdoor is part of the same family: Recruit Holdings folded Glassdoor’s operations into Indeed in 2025 and the two companies formally merged in July 2026. Job ads on Glassdoor now run through Indeed, so jobs you post on Indeed can appear on Glassdoor too.

Best for: small and mid-sized employers hiring for hourly, frontline and general professional roles.

• Employers posting directly on Indeed can post up to three free jobs per calendar month, each live for up to 30 days (Indeed’s free vs sponsored guide, updated May 2026).
• Free jobs fall back in search results as new jobs are posted; sponsored jobs appear more often and for longer.
• Indeed may require sponsorship for some jobs regardless of your cap, including identical jobs posted in multiple locations, confidential or generic company names, commission-only roles, hard-to-fill roles and jobs from staffing agencies or RPOs.
• Since 31 March 2026, jobs sent through single-source XML feeds no longer appear for free if they could be sent through an ATS with an Indeed integration. If you use an ATS, check it is on Indeed’s integrations list.

Pricing: Free within the cap. Sponsored Jobs start at $5 per day or $150 per month according to Indeed’s pricing page, and can cost more depending on role and location.

Limitations: Three free jobs a month is tight for any business with steady hiring, and Indeed says free-post features are “subject to change at Indeed’s discretion”. Expect fewer applicants on hard-to-fill roles unless you sponsor.

Who should skip it: staffing agencies looking for free reach, and nobody else. Even if you plan to pay, start here.

2. LinkedIn

LinkedIn lets direct employers keep one free job post open at a time. Free jobs show in LinkedIn job search and to your network; promoted jobs get wider distribution plus LinkedIn’s AI-assisted screening.

Best for: experienced professional, technical and management roles where candidates are active on LinkedIn.

• One free job open at a time, per LinkedIn’s own pricing page.
• Promoted jobs run on a daily or total budget you set. LinkedIn’s example: a $10 daily budget over 30 days costs $300 or less depending on reach.
• Self-serve promoted jobs bill weekly; LinkedIn Job Slots contracts are available for higher-volume hiring.

Pricing: Free for one open job; promoted jobs are pay-per-view on a budget you control.

Limitations: The one-job limit makes LinkedIn’s free tier a supplement, not a strategy. LinkedIn may also withhold the free option for some roles or ask newer accounts to verify before posting, and staffing agencies are excluded from free basic listings.

Who should skip it: employers hiring mainly hourly or frontline staff, where Indeed, state job banks and Craigslist usually do more.

3. Google job search (via your careers page)

You can’t “post” a job to Google, but Google’s job search experience picks up jobs from pages that use JobPosting structured data. If your careers page is marked up correctly, your openings can appear in Google’s job results at no cost.

Best for: any employer with its own careers site or an ATS-hosted job board.

• Required properties include title, description, datePosted, hiringOrganization and jobLocation, with one job per page.
• Google recommends its Indexing API over sitemaps for job URLs so new and closed jobs are picked up faster.
• Expired jobs must be removed (past validThrough date, a 404/410, or removing the markup); Google warns that leaving them up can lead to a manual action.

Pricing: Free.

Limitations: It needs technical setup unless your ATS does it for you, and you have no control over ranking. Most modern ATS careers pages handle the markup automatically, which is one of the easiest arguments for using one.

Who should skip it: nobody with a careers page. If you don’t have one, see our guide to employer branding software.

4. State job banks and the National Labor Exchange

Every state runs a free job bank through its workforce agency (for example CalJOBS in California or WorkInTexas in Texas). Behind them sits the National Labor Exchange (NLx), a partnership between the National Association of State Workforce Agencies and DirectEmployers Association that collects openings from corporate career sites, state job banks and USAJOBS and shares them with state workforce sites daily.

Best for: local hourly, skilled trades, manufacturing, healthcare support and roles where you want access to American Job Centers, veterans’ programs and workforce grants.

• Free to employers; NASWA describes NLx services as offered “at no cost” to state workforce agency customers.
• Local workforce staff can often help with screening, job fairs and apprenticeship programs.
• NLx does not index third-party job boards, which keeps duplicate and expired listings down.

Pricing: Free.

Limitations: Each state’s site is different, interfaces can be dated, and applicant volume for professional roles is usually lower than on Indeed or LinkedIn.

A note on USAJOBS: USAJOBS is the federal government’s official hiring site, used by federal agencies to post openings. It is not an option for private employers, so ignore lists that tell you to post there.

5. Handshake

Handshake is the main early-career network in the US, connecting employers with students and recent graduates through university career services.

Best for: internships, co-ops, graduate schemes and entry-level roles.

• The Basic plan includes free job posting.
• Pro adds 200 outreach messages a month, AI applicant tools, multi-user collaboration and workflow automation.
• Enterprise adds event promotion, ATS/XML integrations, a full brand page and funnel analytics.

Pricing: Basic is free; Pro is $450/month or $4,500/year per Handshake’s help center; Enterprise is quote-based.

Limitations: Your reach depends on which schools you connect with, and school career offices review employer accounts and postings. Proactive outreach to students sits behind the paid tier.

Who should skip it: anyone hiring for roles that need several years of experience.

6. Wellfound

Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent) is a startup jobs marketplace where candidates browse by company, funding stage and compensation.

Best for: venture-backed startups hiring engineers, product, design and go-to-market roles.

• Free job posting, provided the listing includes a salary range.
• Free tools include a built-in applicant tracker and ATS sync with Greenhouse, Lever and Workable.
• Paid add-ons: Curated (shortlists of candidates), Recruit Pro (sourcing and outreach) and Promoted Jobs.

Pricing: Posting is free. Paid upgrades are billed monthly and auto-renew; Wellfound does not publish prices on its help page.

Limitations: The audience is startup-focused, so traditional SMBs and non-tech roles see little response.

Who should skip it: established non-tech businesses and anyone not willing to publish pay.

7. Craigslist (cheap, not free)

Craigslist regularly appears on “free job sites” lists, but job posts in the US are paid. Its official fee page lists $10 to $75 per job post depending on the area, and $3 to $10 for gig posts.

Best for: local hourly roles, trades, drivers, restaurants and short-term gigs.

Limitations: No applicant tracking, no screening, and more spam replies than mainstream boards. The flat fee is predictable, though, and for local roles it can beat pay-per-click costs elsewhere.

Who should skip it: salaried professional and remote roles.

8. ZipRecruiter (free trial, not free)

ZipRecruiter advertises a “fully loaded free trial” for new employers, but there is no ongoing free plan. After the trial you move to a monthly subscription with job slots or a pay-per-day option, and ZipRecruiter does not publish dollar prices on its posting page.

Best for: employers who want broad paid distribution and candidate matching with one bill.

Limitations: The trial length and terms are shown when you sign up rather than on public pages, so read them before entering card details and set a reminder to cancel if you don’t want a paid plan.

Who should skip it: anyone who needs a strictly $0 option.

Niche and community options worth knowing

• Idealist: volunteer opportunities and events are always free to post. Paid US listings cost $145 per job for nonprofits and government agencies and $195 per job for businesses.
• Hacker News “Who is hiring?”: a free monthly thread where companies comment with open engineering and startup roles. Good reach with developers if you write a specific, salary-transparent post.
• Local college and community career offices: many accept postings free, and Handshake covers a large share of US colleges.
• Your own channels: a well-structured careers page (which also feeds Google), your company LinkedIn Page, and an employee referral program often outperform any free board.

Posting to many boards at once with an ATS

Logging into five job sites for every opening gets old fast, and Indeed’s March 2026 feed policy now rewards employers who post through an integrated applicant tracking system. A multiposting ATS lets you write the job once, publish it to your careers page (with Google markup), push it to free boards, and collect every applicant in one pipeline. Many also offer paid boards from the same screen. Here are four options that fit small and mid-sized US teams.

Manatal: cheapest paid multiposting

Manatal is a low-cost ATS that lets you share jobs to free and premium channels, with named integrations including LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster and ZipRecruiter.

• Pricing: Professional $15/user/month billed annually ($19 monthly), up to 15 jobs; Enterprise $35/user/month annually for unlimited jobs.
• Trial: 14 days, no card.
• Caveat: job board posting isn’t available during the trial, and free board posting requires account verification that can take up to three business days after you subscribe.

Workable: widest one-click distribution

Workable includes distribution to 200+ job boards on every plan, plus AI screening, texting and video interview add-ons.

• Pricing: Standard $299/month, Premier $599/month (pricing varies by company size).
• Trial: 15 days, no credit card; Workable also runs a “post a job free for 15 days” offer that pushes one job to free sites including Google and Glassdoor.
• Caveat: it costs far more than Manatal, so it makes sense once you hire steadily and want the broader feature set.

Zoho Recruit: free plan for a careers page

Zoho Recruit has a free Corporate HR plan with one active job, candidate management, email and interview scheduling, and posting to your own careers site.

• Pricing: free plan; paid plans are priced per recruiter seat (use Zoho’s pricing calculator for your configuration).
• Caveat: job board posting (“Premium Job Boards”) starts on the paid Standard plan, so the free plan is best treated as a free careers page and tracker rather than a multiposting tool.

Teamtailor: brand-led careers site with free channels

Teamtailor combines an ATS with a polished careers site. When you publish a job, it goes automatically to the free channels you’ve enabled in its Marketplace, including LinkedIn Basic Jobs (Limited Listings) for direct employers.

• Pricing: custom; Teamtailor sends an estimate after you share company details. Plans include unlimited job postings and users.
• Caveat: no public price, and LinkedIn Basic Jobs is not available to staffing agencies.

For a full ranking, see our guides to the best applicant tracking systems, ATS options for small businesses and whether a free or paid ATS makes more sense for you.

How to choose where to post

• Match the board to the candidate. Hourly and local: Indeed, state job bank, Craigslist. Professional: LinkedIn and Indeed. Early career: Handshake. Startup and tech: Wellfound and Hacker News.
• Count your monthly volume. If you open more than three roles a month, Indeed’s free cap alone won’t cover you. Budget for sponsoring your hardest roles or for an ATS.
• Check how jobs reach Indeed. After the March 2026 feed change, jobs sent through an Indeed-integrated ATS keep the best chance of organic visibility. Ask any ATS vendor about its Indeed integration before you buy.
• Write a better ad. Free listings compete on relevance, so clear titles, pay ranges and specific requirements matter. Our guide to AI job description tools can help.
• Track source of hire. Note where each hire came from so you know which free channels earn their place and where paid spend is justified.

A short note for UK employers

In the UK, the government’s Find a job service lets you advertise vacancies for free and connects you to Jobcentre Plus support. Indeed, LinkedIn and Google job search work on similar free terms in the UK, and Indeed’s March 2026 single-source feed policy applies there too. Most of the ATS options above, including Workable, Teamtailor, Manatal and Zoho Recruit, are available to UK employers.

FAQ

Can you still post jobs on Indeed for free?

Yes. Employers posting directly on Indeed can post up to three free jobs per calendar month, each live for up to 30 days. Free jobs get less visibility than sponsored jobs, and Indeed can require sponsorship for certain jobs, including those from staffing agencies.

How many free jobs can you post on LinkedIn?

One at a time. LinkedIn allows a single free job post open at once; additional jobs need to be promoted with a daily or total budget you set.

Is ZipRecruiter free for employers?

No. ZipRecruiter offers a free trial for new employers, but continuing to post requires a paid subscription or pay-per-day plan.

How do I get my jobs on Google for free?

Publish each job on its own careers page with JobPosting structured data, or use an ATS whose careers pages include it. Google picks up eligible jobs at no cost; you can’t pay to post directly.

What is the cheapest way to post to multiple job boards at once?

Use an ATS with multiposting. Among the options we compared, Manatal is the lowest published price at $15 per user per month billed annually, while Zoho Recruit’s free plan covers a careers page but not job boards.

Can staffing agencies post jobs for free?

Rarely on the big boards. Indeed has required US staffing firms to sponsor jobs since 2019, and LinkedIn’s free basic listings exclude staffing agencies. Agencies should look at an ATS built for recruiting firms with paid distribution.