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Jumpstart your hiring with a £100 credit to sponsor your first job.*

Sponsored Jobs deliver 85% more applicants on average than non-sponsored jobs.**
  • Attract the talent you’re looking for
  • Get more visibility in search results
  • Appear to more candidates longer

Free vs Sponsored Jobs on Indeed

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When posting a job on Indeed, you’ll have the option to post for free* or sponsor (pay to post) your job to get better visibility, attract more of the right candidates and unlock other useful hiring tools.

But which one is right for your company and the roles you’re hiring for? This post breaks down the differences between free job postings vs Sponsored Jobs on Indeed to help you decide.

*Terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits apply

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Quick intro: Free vs Sponsored Jobs

There are two types of job postings on Indeed: free and paid job postings (also known as Sponsored Jobs).

Both of these job listings appear on Indeed in relevant job seeker search results and candidates can apply on nearly any device. With both free and Sponsored Jobs, you’ll also get access to your Employer Dashboard, where you can easily manage jobs and candidates all in one place.

So what’s the difference between free job posts vs Sponsored Jobs on Indeed? Free job postings fall back in job seeker search results as new jobs are posted. Since 15 jobs are added per second on Indeed, free job postings can lose visibility quickly. Free job posts on Indeed are also automatically paused after 30 days, versus a paid post that stays live until you choose to pause it.

Sponsored postings, on the other hand, appear more often and for longer in search results than non-sponsored jobs and don’t need to be reposted. This makes it more likely that your jobs will be seen by the candidates you’re looking for. In fact, Sponsored Jobs have 3.1x as many impressions per day than non-sponsored jobs.[1] Sponsored Jobs also come with other exclusive hiring tools and benefits that can help you attract the right candidates faster.

What is a free job posting?

Most jobs can be posted for free on Indeed. When you post a free job, it will appear in relevant search results but will lose visibility over time. A free job posting can be a great option to start out with since it comes with hiring tools like:

How to post a job for free on Indeed

To post a job for free on Indeed, sign up for an Indeed employer account and click the “Post a Job” button, or ​​click here. Add important information to your job posting, like job title, location and a detailed job description. If you need help writing a great job description check out our job description guide.

When you’re done creating your job posting, click “Confirm” and your free job will be posted. Afterward, you’ll have the option to sponsor your job, which you can skip.

Check out How to Post a Job on Indeed: Employer Guide for more details.

What is a Sponsored Job?

A Sponsored Job is a paid job posting at Indeed. Employers have two different opportunities to optimize and maximize job posting performance on Indeed by Sponsoring their job. 

  • Standard Sponsored Jobs get more visibility compared to non-sponsored jobs, so your job appears more often in job seeker search results and job alerts. More eyes mean more applies and with Standard Sponsored Jobs you can also opt in to send automated messages to engage top candidates at key moments of the hiring process.
  • Premium Sponsored Jobs combine the visibility of Standard Sponsored Jobs with key targeting technology to maximize your results, helping you hire more efficiently and cut down on mismatched hires.

Sponsored Jobs include everything a job posted for free comes with, plus other advanced hiring tools and benefits that can help you compete for great talent. We’ve outlined the benefits for each below:

Standard Sponsored Jobs

  • Better job post visibility: Sponsored Jobs have more staying power in search results than non-sponsored jobs so they’re seen by active job seekers. That means you’re more likely to reach the applicants you’re looking for. Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed with a Standard plan at the recommended budget have 6.5X more applications than non-sponsored jobs. 
  • Reach more candidates: Indeed will include your job in email notifications sent to relevant job seekers in our database actively placing your job in front of the right talent for your role.    
  • Create a positive candidate experience: Indeed can send automated messages to engage top candidates on your behalf at key moments of the hiring process, like when they apply to your job, are added to your shortlist, or you reject an application from the employer dashboard.
  • Pay for performance: You’ll receive applications at the right pace for your hiring needs, using market insights to set a competitive budget and you can start and stop sponsoring your job posts at any time.

Premium Sponsored Jobs

  • Advanced targeting: Indeed will show your job post to active  job seekers in search results, who meet your criteria like skills, certifications, licenses, degrees and location. You can also amplify the reach of your Sponsored Job from Indeed  to existing audiences on specialized industry sites to reach skilled candidates. In fact, employers who use Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed with a Premium plan move forward with 3.2X more applicants compared to non-sponsored jobs. 
  • Proactive matching: Immediately view candidates whose resumes on Indeed fit your job description and invite them to apply. Your messages will also get delivered by text to candidates who have SMS messaging turned on, increasing your chances of connecting with the right candidate faster.
  • Quick, efficient, memorable connections: With Premium Sponsored jobs your role is prioritized over similar job posts and you have the option to add attention-grabbing visuals, like company logos and images, and the Urgently Hiring label to help your job stand out. Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed with Urgently Hiring make a hire 5 days faster than non-sponsored jobs.[3] We’ll also show you candidate highlights to shorten your review time and provide you with auto-generated messages to contact applicants.

Check out our Sponsored Jobs FAQs for more details.

How to post a Sponsored Job on Indeed

To sponsor your job, post a job directly on Indeed or from your career site or ATS. After adding your job description and other job details, we’ll show you the cost for your specific job title and location. We’ll help you decide which jobs to promote and how to budget. Post your job to get started.

You can also upgrade any of your free job posts to a Sponsored Job at any time from your Employer Dashboard. Just click “Sponsor Job” on the right-hand side of the job you want to sponsor. Just go to the Jobs section in your Indeed account and click on the three-dot icon to expand menu options, then select “Sponsor your job”.

Should you post for free or sponsor your job?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to sponsor a job:

  • How quickly do you need to hire? If you need someone fast, you may need the optimal visibility a Standard or Premium Sponsored Job provides. You can also use the Urgently Hiring label with Premium Sponsored Jobs to show job seekers you’re actively recruiting. This label will only appear on your job card when you sponsor.
  • How many people do you want to hire for the job opening? The more openings you have, the more applications you’ll likely need.
  • Is it a hard-to-fill position? Roles that require specialized skills (e.g., nurses, software engineers, managers) can benefit from the added visibility from candidates that meet one or more of the occupational criteria for the role with a Premium Sponsored Job.
  • Are you hiring in a competitive market? If you live in an area with a smaller pool of candidates or if there are a large number of companies in your area vying for that talent, Standard Sponsored Jobs can increase the number of applications you receive through added visibility.
  • Do you already have a good job description and job title? If your free job posting isn’t bringing in the right candidates, try optimizing your job description. Find out exactly what job seekers are looking for in a job description or check out this article to improve your job descriptions. If you’re still not receiving the right applications, try sponsoring your job to get it in front of your ideal candidates.

Free vs Sponsored Jobs FAQs

How much does it cost to sponsor a job on Indeed?

The cost to sponsor a job depends on your specific hiring needs. We take into account the local market conditions in your area, as well as the job title and location for your job post to determine pricing.You’ll always see the price upfront before sponsoring and can easily adjust the timeframe by setting a daily or monthly budget to meet your needs.

Check out our article Indeed Pricing: Job Posting Costs for more information.

Can sponsoring a job improve time-to-hire?

Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed with Urgently Hiring make a hire 5 days faster than non-sponsored jobs.[4]

How many jobs can you post for free on Indeed?

There is no exact limit to the number of free jobs you’re allowed to post on Indeed unless it’s determined that you’re using your account incorrectly.

What jobs can you not post for free?

Indeed may require certain jobs to be sponsored in order to verify the legitimacy of the job and/or the employer, to prevent abuse of the free to post system, to improve our services or for any other reason in Indeed’s sole discretion.

For example, sponsorship may be required for the following types of jobs: identical jobs posted in multiple locations, jobs posted with a confidential or generic company name, jobs that are commission-only, hard-to-fill jobs, or jobs posted by a staffing agency, recruitment process outsourcer, or other recruitment-based company.

See Indeed’s terms and conditions for more information.


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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.