The sites, side by side
| Site | Cost to post (2026, as published or estimated) | Who it reaches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEEK | Paid only; priced per ad by role and location, commonly a few hundred dollars (SEEK’s price tool gives the exact figure) | The largest Australian pool across every sector | Deepest candidate reach; strongest for skilled and professional roles |
| Indeed | Free organic listing; sponsored visibility charged per click or per application with a budget you set | High traffic, broad audience | Organic listings fade fast; budget control is the strength |
| One free post at a time; promoted posts paid per day or per click | Professionals, managers, IT, finance | Weak for trades and hospitality | |
| Jora | Free employer posting within a monthly cap; paid upgrades | Volume and casual roles | Owned by SEEK; aggregates widely |
| Workforce Australia | Free | Job seekers in the government employment-services system; regional and entry-level | Free candidate search and provider support; wage subsidies for eligible hires |
| CareerOne | Free to post (21 days); credits to unlock applicants and resumes | Metropolitan white-collar and trades | Resume database with paid access |
| Adzuna | About A$199 plus GST per post (as published) | Aggregator audience | A cheap paid bridge before SEEK |
| Scout | About A$149 plus GST per post (as published) | Hospitality and tourism | Industry-specific |
| EthicalJobs | Paid, member rates | Not-for-profit and community sector | Industry-specific |
| Industry boards (HealthTimes, The Staff Canteen, Jobs in Mining, ALIA, academic boards) | Paid, typically A$150 to A$500 per post | One profession each | Worth it where the profession reads one board |
| SponsorTalent | Free listing and free candidate search; A$30 per contact unlocked; A$149 featured listing with five unlocks | Candidates who need sponsorship; students, graduates and Working Holiday makers already onshore; approved sponsors as employers | The pool other boards do not carry; visa status visible before you make contact |
Prices on third-party sites change without notice and SEEK does not publish a list price; treat the figures as a guide and check the site before budgeting.
How to pick two or three for a role
- Professional and office roles: SEEK plus LinkedIn, with Indeed as the budget channel.
- Trades and transport: SEEK plus Indeed or Jora; add Workforce Australia for regional reach and, where no local tradesperson applies, SponsorTalent for assessed overseas and onshore tradespeople.
- Hospitality: Scout or Indeed plus SEEK for senior kitchen roles; SponsorTalent for chefs and cooks who need sponsorship, which is where much of the supply now sits.
- Health and aged care: SEEK, an industry board, and SponsorTalent for nurses and carers (aged care has its own labour agreement route).
- Entry-level and casual: Workforce Australia, Jora, Gumtree; free end to end.
Cost per hire, not cost per ad, is the number to watch: a free board that produces no suitable applicant in four weeks has cost you a month.
When nobody suitable applies
Two ads of 28 days or more with no suitable Australian applicant is both a hiring problem and, if you move to sponsorship, the labour market testing evidence the Department asks for. The options from there, in order of speed: visa holders already in Australia with work rights (who can work for you now), training or an apprenticeship, and employer sponsorship, which takes three to eight months depending on where the candidate is (the timeline, the cost-benefit). Keep the dated screenshots of the ads either way.
The free-only list
If the budget is zero, the free boards and their catches are set out on post a job for free in Australia, and the ad itself on job ad template.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a SEEK job ad cost in 2026? SEEK prices each ad by role, location and candidate demand rather than publishing a list price; third-party estimates put most ads at a few hundred dollars, and the exact figure appears in SEEK’s price tool after you open a free employer account. There is no free tier.
Which job posting site is best for small business in Australia? Start free: Workforce Australia, Jora and Indeed’s organic listing. Move to a paid SEEK or Indeed-sponsored ad when the role proves hard to fill. For roles that need an overseas or visa-holding candidate, SponsorTalent lists and searches free and charges A$30 per contact.
Is Indeed free for employers in Australia? Posting an organic listing is free; visibility beyond the first days is sold per click or per application with a budget you set, and Indeed applies quality rules to free listings.
What is the cheapest paid job board in Australia? Among the general paid boards, Adzuna (about A$199 plus GST) and Scout (about A$149 plus GST, hospitality) are the published low end; SponsorTalent’s featured listing is A$149 and includes five candidate unlocks.
Where do candidates who need visa sponsorship look for jobs? They search the mass boards with "sponsorship" in the query, which is unreliable, and they register on SponsorTalent, where every candidate states their visa position. Employers search that pool free and unlock contacts at A$30.
List free, search free, pay only to make contact
Your roles reach candidates who need sponsorship and visa holders already in Australia. A$30 per contact unlocked.
Want the paperwork done? WIDEN (Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536) lodges sponsorship, nomination and visa applications on fixed fees; start with a 30-minute consultation, $330 inc. GST, credited if you engage.
Candidates: looking for a job yourself? Browse the jobs board.
General information only, not migration advice. SponsorTalent is a marketplace; migration advice is provided by WIDEN (Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536) under a service agreement. Occupation list status is read from the Department of Home Affairs lists as published; lists, caveats and labour-agreement terms change, and the Department's current page is the only authority. Figures: Department of Home Affairs price list and salary page, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027; processing times published 29 September 2026. No outcome can be guaranteed.