ZipRecruiter vs. Indeed – Side by Side Comparison

By: Alex Dabek

Last Updated: Aug 23, 2022

There is absolutely no doubt that ZipRecruiter and Indeed are two of the biggest job search platforms that the Internet has to offer these days.

Although both of these platforms serve the exact same purpose (which is to help people find a nice job), they are quite different in terms of how they go about doing this.

In this review, we compare Ziprecruiter vs. Indeed side by side. 

Who Is Better?

When it comes to ZipRecruiter vs. Indeed, Indeed is the much larger platform in terms of numbers. However, that doesn't necessarily mean Indeed is better in every single way than ZipRecruiter.

If you're a job seeker, both platforms are free to use and have millions of jobs so you can use both of them.

For employers, it depends on what exactly you're trying to accomplish. Both platforms have slightly different features and differences in pricing. Scroll down for a full chart comparing ZipRecruiter vs. Indeed. 

What Is ZipRecruiter?

ZipRecruiter was founded in 2010. It's a platform that helps businesses hire employees by posting to several different online job boards at the same time. Job seekers can also use it to find somewhere to work. There are over 9 million jobs on ZipRecruiter.

What Is Indeed?

Indeed was founded in 2005, and 250 million people visit their website every month. It is the largest job posting site that you can find these days. You can post jobs as an employer or look for jobs on Indeed as a job seeker.

ZipRecruiter vs. Indeed for Employers

ZipRecruiter for Employers

 You can post the exact same job to more than a hundred different online job boards, and one other thing that makes this platform a good option for employers is the fact that it offers a four-day free trial.

There are a few different pricing options that you can choose from, so make sure to select one that would work best for your particular company. Payments can be set up either annually or on a month-month basis, and the number of applications that you can receive is unlimited. Also, the company's dashboard allows you to sort through different resumes fairly quickly and easily.

For each job post that you want to create, you are given something that they like to call a slot. The number of slots that you get depends on the plan that you choose to go with. Essentially, the more money you are willing to pay, the more slots you get. Once you fill a job with a slot, it is possible for you to start the process all over again.

There is also this option called TrafficBoost, which is an option that allows you to send your job postings through email which supposedly gets 3x more applicants than regular job postings. And if you want, you can also use the top page placement option to place your job posting to the top of the page.

Indeed for Employers

Although Indeed is free to join, there are several different options that allow you to give your job postings a boost that makes them so much easier to find for job seekers.

These options are simply called sponsored job listings, and they charge on a pay-per-click basis, which is pretty much the same thing that Google Adwords does. Depending on what kind of job you have posted and how much you are willing to pay per click, prices can range from $0 to $5 per click. This gives you a lot of control in terms of how aggressive you wish to be with your job postings.

ZipRecruiter vs. Indeed for Job Seekers

ZipRecruiter for Job Seekers

If you are one of those people who spend as much time on their phone as they do in front of their computer screen, you should consider giving the ZipRecruiter platform a chance. Once you have created an account, you can search for jobs based on a few different things — keyword, location, or even salary.

Make sure to create a public account that can be easily seen by the employers that you wish to send your job applications to. Apart from your resume, you can fill up your ZipRecruiter profile with things like references, social handles, desired salary, and — of course — a nice profile picture. Creating an account is 100% free for job seekers.

Indeed for Job Seekers

Indeed is a fairly simple platform to use. All you need to do is create a free account and upload your resume, and if you want, you can also take some optional assessments that can further boost your chances of getting hired. Once you upload your resume, you will be able to start searching for jobs. Job applications can be sent either directly through Indeed or via the company's website.

Apart from being a great platform for job seekers, Indeed is also a good place to look for company reviews. This is especially true if you are skeptical about working for a company that you know nothing about. Company reviews allow you to see what both past and present employees had to say about being in a professional relationship with a company that you are considering sending an application to.

ZipRecruiter vs. Indeed Features

Features

Phone Support

Online Support

Resume Search

Resume Database

Free Trial

Free Plan

Budget Control

Account Management

Social Advertising

Activitiy Dashboard

Built-In Database

Database Access

Social Recruiting

Communication Management

Customizable Branding

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

NO

YES

NO

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

The Bottom Line

For employers, the main difference is cost. Be ready to pay an extra fee at ZipRecruiter if you are planning on posting a job to more than a hundred different job boards.

If you are a job seeker, you should consider giving both of these platforms a chance since they both include a wide variety of jobs that you can apply to, and they are both free to use.