Indeed Pricing for Employers in 2026: How Billing Works
We read the fine print.
Indeed has no rate card. It prices each sponsored job in a live auction and bills for clicks or started applications. We're Hireloud, a recruitment marketing agency, and here's how that bill is built, rule by rule from Indeed's own pages.
Month-to-monthNo long-term contractsProcurement-friendly
At a glance
What Indeed charges employers for.
Indeed publishes no price per job. Its pricing pages show billing points, one subscription price and a $75 credit for new US accounts.2,3 Here's everything you can pay for, in Indeed's own terms.
Checked November 8, 2026. Indeed says free features can change at its discretion.1 Check again before you budget.
Free posts
Is posting a job on Indeed free?
Sometimes. Indeed's pricing page says: "Many jobs can be posted for free, subject to Indeed's terms, conditions, quality standards, and usage limits."1
The usage limit is in Indeed's FAQ. Employers who post directly on Indeed get up to three free jobs per calendar month, each live for up to 30 days. The rule covers the US, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. Reopening a closed job from an earlier month needs sponsorship.3
Jobs that may need sponsoring to show at all.
Indeed names three kinds.1 If your jobs reach Indeed one of these ways, plan on paying.
- Careers site
Jobs pulled from a career site or company website.
May need sponsoring - XML or API feed
Jobs published from a data feed.
May need sponsoring - Your ATS
Jobs published from an applicant tracking system.
May need sponsoring
Indeed also "reserves the right to require that a job must be sponsored for any reason."1 And some feed jobs lost free display in 2026. Since March 31, "jobs sent through single-source XML feeds will no longer appear for free" if they can be sent through an ATS instead.7 Our guide to Indeed's single-source feed policy covers the dates, including the last one on December 31.
Free reach isn't promised, either. In June 2026, an Indeed spokesperson told ERE that "organic visibility for free jobs is not guaranteed nor will it be consistent over time."8
Free is a start. It isn't a plan.
Sponsored Jobs
Pay per click vs pay per started application.
Sponsoring buys more visibility. Your invoice covers "job seeker interactions like clicks or started applications" from the last billing period.1 Which one you pay for depends on how the job is priced.
What Indeed counts as a started application.
Indeed gives four examples.5 Each one is billed under PPSA.
The job seeker
Under PPSA
Clicks an apply button, such as "Apply now" or "Apply on company site"
BilledOpens a link to start or continue an application
BilledUses a chatbot or QR code to begin applying
BilledSchedules an interview, where that step replaces the application form
BilledOpens the job to read it, then leaves
Not billed
A click that doesn't start an application isn't a started application, so PPSA doesn't bill it.
Three rules come with it.
PPSA is available for most Sponsored Jobs.
Qualifying jobs are automatically enrolled in PPSA pricing.
You cannot switch back to Pay Per Click (PPC).
Indeed Help Center, PPSA overview, read November 8, 2026.5
Watch this one
A click on "Apply on company site" counts as a started application. It's billed even if the person never finishes applying on your careers site. Indeed does the counting, so keep your own count of the people who reach your live job.
There's no way back to pay per click.
Once a qualifying job is enrolled in PPSA, you can't switch it back to pay per click.5 Don't confuse PPSA with pay per application, a different model. Indeed paused that one in April 202310 and ended it on December 18, 2023.9
The price
How much does a sponsored job cost on Indeed?
There's no price list. Indeed sets the price job by job, in four parts.
Recommended budget
"Indeed provides a recommended budget based on the criteria you provided, such as job title, location, and job description."1
Minimum price
Shown on the sponsorship page. It depends on job seekers in your market, similar jobs bidding for placement and the plan you pick.1
Your amount
You don't have to take the recommendation. Set any amount that meets the job's minimum.1
The auction
"PPSA uses a live auction model, so costs depend on candidate demand."5
Standard, Premium and Premium Plus.
Every sponsored job sits on one of three paid plans. Each step up costs more.
Standard
Indeed's recommended price
Set by Indeed's recommendation system: job competitiveness, your hiring timeline and job-seeker supply.1
Premium
Priced above Standard
Indeed says Premium jobs appear in the top three search results twice as often as Standard ones.1
Premium Plus
In beta
Adds Indeed's AI recruiting assistant, which talks with job seekers as they apply.1
About minimums
Indeed's pricing and help pages publish no fixed daily minimum (checked November 8, 2026). Use the minimum Indeed shows on the sponsorship page for that job, on that day.
Write these down every time you sponsor a job.
Prices move with the auction. A dated record lets you explain a cost to finance later.
Sponsorship record · 7 fields
Copy the checklist- Job title, location and role group
- Indeed's recommended budget
- The minimum on the sponsorship page
- Plan: Standard, Premium or Premium Plus
- Billing unit: clicks or started applications
- Budget type: continuous, set running time, custom end date or campaign
- The amount you set, and the date
Budgets and billing
Indeed budgets and billing, step by step.
You can budget one job at a time, or a group of jobs together. The two work differently.
One job: a daily average.
Indeed is plain about it: "Your daily budget is an average, not a strict cap." You can't set a monthly budget for a single job. The most it can spend depends on how long it runs.11
Set running time or custom end date
× days
The most it can spend is its daily budget times the number of days, such as 15 or 30.11
A continuous job set at $40 a day can spend up to $300 in a week (7.5 × $40), not $280.
A group of jobs: one campaign budget.
A campaign lets you "put multiple jobs into one campaign so they all share a single budget." You choose "a one-time budget with an end date or a monthly recurring budget."4 Indeed splits that budget across the campaign's active jobs each day. It says "Your campaign will never exceed the budget you set," and lets you cap what any one job can spend.12 Objective-based campaigns may show a minimum budget per job.5
When Indeed bills you.
"You'll be billed on the first day of the month or when your account spending reaches $500—whichever comes first."1 Indeed's pricing guide adds two details.2
Every month
The 1st
Billed on the first day of the month for the last period's clicks or started applications.
Credit cards only
$500
Or sooner, when your account's spending reaches $500. Whichever comes first.
First sponsored job
$25
Indeed "might also send an invoice when your account first reaches a balance of $25," to validate your payment method.
So a busy card account can get several invoices in one month. Match spend to your plan by the date it was spent, not by the invoice date.
Why costs went up
Why is Indeed so expensive now?
Three things changed: how Indeed prices, how much free reach it gives, and how much it earns for each job. Here's the timeline.
Oct 2022
Indeed plans to move US customers to pay per application.10
Apr 2023
It pauses the requirement. Employers can still choose pay per click.10
Dec 18, 2023
Pay per application ends. PPSA stays.9
Mar 31, 2026
Single-source feed jobs lose free display where an ATS could send them.7
Jun 2026
Indeed says free visibility "is not guaranteed."8
Jul 1, 2026
Glassdoor legally merges into Indeed, Inc.13
Now
Qualifying jobs are enrolled in PPSA automatically, with no switch back.5
What Indeed's parent company reports.
Recruit Holdings owns Indeed. Its fiscal year 2025 ended on March 31, 2026. Its results say Indeed's US average revenue per job (ARPJ) grew that year, and it expects ARPJ to grow again in fiscal 2026.14 On its results call, Recruit said total US job postings on Indeed fell over the same year.15
Recruit's CEO describes ARPJ like this.
"How much we charge relative to the amount of hiring activity."
Recruit Holdings CEO, defining Indeed's average revenue per job, May 15, 2026.15
Put simply, Indeed earned more for each job while US job postings fell. Its outlook also names "further growth of Premium Sponsored Jobs" in the US.14
For what each channel costs, see our recruitment advertising cost benchmarks.
Indeed sets the price.
You set the plan.
Don't hang your hiring on one auction. Hireloud runs your recruitment marketing across social, Google and job sites, keeps every budget on plan, and pauses ads when jobs close.
One auction.
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Glassdoor
Can employers still post jobs on Glassdoor?
Yes, through Indeed. Glassdoor legally merged into Indeed, Inc. on July 1, 2026, and the Glassdoor brand and product still exist.13 Indeed's own page explains how posting works now.6
You post a job on Glassdoor
Then: You're routed to Indeed to finish the posting.
You post a job on Indeed
Then: "Jobs posted on Indeed automatically appear on Glassdoor."
The Indeed job is free
Then: It's listed on Glassdoor at no cost.
You sponsor the job on Indeed
Then: It's shown on Glassdoor too.
PPSA promotes jobs "across Indeed, Glassdoor, and the Trusted Media Network."5 So budget Glassdoor inside your Indeed line, not as a separate channel.
On plan
How to keep Indeed spend on plan.
The auction sets the price. You still decide how much each role group spends, and when. Six habits do it.
Cap it
Give Indeed a cap of its own.
Set an Indeed cap inside each role group's budget, such as "Warehouse · Indeed · November." Then a busy role can't spend another group's money.
Match it
Match daily budgets to the cap.
Divide the cap by the days in the month. Keep the group's daily budgets at or under that total, with room to spare, because daily budgets are averages.
Lock it
Use a campaign for a hard total.
If a group must not go over, put its jobs in one campaign with a one-time or monthly budget.
Close it
Close jobs the day you hire.
An open sponsored job can keep spending. Close it on Indeed and in your ATS as soon as you've made the hire.
Pace it
Check pacing every week.
Plan to date is the cap × today's day ÷ the days in the period. Our free budget pacing calculator does the math and shows if the Indeed line is ahead or behind.
Compare it
Compare every channel on one unit.
Tag each Indeed link to your careers site with our UTM builder. Under PPSA, each of those clicks is billed as a started application.5 Then count visits that reach a live job, by group and month, for every channel.
Warehouse · Indeed · November
Worked example · Hypothetical
Spent by day 15
$3,450
Plan to date
$3,000
Cap for 30 days
$6,000
$450 (15%) ahead of plan
The cause: two roles were hired a week ago, but their jobs stayed sponsored. The team closes them. To land on the cap, the group can now spend $170 a day: $2,550 left ÷ 15 days.
To set caps for every role group, start from our recruitment budget template. To weigh Indeed against other channels, see Indeed alternatives for employers and ZipRecruiter vs Indeed for employers.
Rather hand it off? Our programmatic job advertising puts your jobs on the job sites that matter, keeps each budget on plan and runs ads only on open jobs.
Questions about Indeed pricing.
Anything else? A person replies within one business day.
Is posting a job on Indeed free?
Some jobs can be. In the US, employers who post directly on Indeed get up to three free jobs per calendar month, each live for up to 30 days. Jobs from feeds, career sites or an ATS may need sponsoring. Indeed says free visibility isn't guaranteed.
How much does a sponsored job cost on Indeed?
Indeed doesn't publish a fixed price. It recommends a budget for each job from its title, location and description, and shows a minimum on the sponsorship page. You can set any amount at or above that minimum. What you pay then moves with a live auction.
What is pay per started application?
It's Indeed's pricing for most Sponsored Jobs. You pay when a job seeker takes an action to begin applying, such as clicking an apply button. Clicking "Apply on company site" counts too. A click that only opens the job isn't billed.
Why is Indeed so expensive now?
Free reach shrank, most Sponsored Jobs moved to pay per started application, and Indeed earns more for each job. Its parent, Recruit Holdings, reports that US average revenue per job rose in the year to March 2026. It expects another rise.
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Sources
Last reviewed November 2026.
Indeed's pricing, FAQ and Help Center pages were read on November 8, 2026. Prices and rules change, so check them before you budget.
- 1Indeed for Employers, "Pricing" (Sponsored Job plans and pricing FAQ). Read November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 2Indeed for Employers, "Indeed Pricing: Job Posting Costs", last updated August 19, 2026. Read November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 3Indeed for Employers, "FAQ": "Can I post a job for free on Indeed?" and "What does Indeed Smart Sourcing cost?" Read November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 4Indeed Help Center, "Setting Up a Sponsored Job Campaign". Read November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 5Indeed Help Center, "Pay Per Started Application (PPSA) overview". Read November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 6Indeed for Employers, "Glassdoor and Indeed: Working Together to Help Employers Across the Hiring Journey", last updated May 7, 2026. indeed.com
- 7Indeed Help Center, "Single-Source Feed Policy (Effective March 31, 2026)". Checked November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 8ERE, David Manaster, "Indeed Is Cutting Visibility for Free Job Postings", June 9, 2026, quoting an Indeed spokesperson. ere.net
- 9SHRM, Roy Maurer, "Indeed's Pay-per-Application Pricing to End Dec. 18", December 14, 2023. shrm.org
- 10SHRM, Roy Maurer, "Indeed Pauses Required Pay-for-Results Pricing—for Now", April 28, 2023. shrm.org
- 11Indeed Help Center, "Managing Sponsored Job Budgets". Read November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 12Indeed Help Center, "How Campaign Spend is Paced on Indeed". Read November 8, 2026. indeed.com
- 13Reworked, Siobhan Fagan, "Glassdoor's Long Merger With Indeed Is Finally Done", July 24, 2026. reworked.co
- 14Recruit Holdings, "Recruit Holdings Announces Full-Year 2025" (fiscal year ended March 31, 2026), May 15, 2026. recruit-holdings.com
- 15Recruit Holdings, Q4 FY2025 earnings call transcript (English translation), May 15, 2026: US job postings and the CEO's definition of ARPJ. recruit-holdings.com