LinkedIn Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
LinkedIn alternatives: Indeed, Glassdoor, Handshake, Wellfound and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 22, 2026.
•3 min read•Sales Prospecting & Outreach
Verdict:LinkedIn mixes three jobs: a professional network, job search and B2B sales data. The right replacement depends on which one you are leaving. Indeed is free for job seekers who want listings and resume search, with no network graph. Glassdoor is free for job matching, company reviews and salary data, which answers questions a LinkedIn profile does not. Handshake is a free platform for students and alumni, useful early in a career and limited for experienced hires. Wellfound is a startup job board with unlimited job posts and applicants on the employer side, so it suits early-stage hiring rather than general networking. For outbound sales, Apollo.io has a free plan for light use, with sending limited to Gmail accounts, and it gives prospect lists rather than a profile feed. The trade-off is the relationship layer. Many people keep their contacts and reputation on LinkedIn, and none of these replacements carries that history with it. Before you leave, export the contacts you need and decide which single job you are replacing.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indeed | Free (Free for job seekers to search jobs, post resumes and research companies (per Indeed's own career-advice article); employers can post many jobs free, with paid sponsored options) | Web browser | Job seekers who mainly want listings | Docs only |
| Glassdoor | Free (Free job matching, company reviews, salary data and community; some content requires contributing a review or salary first (Give-to-Get)) | Web browser | Researching employers before applying or negotiating | Docs only |
| Handshake | Free (Free account for students and alumni; some features depend on school policy; employers can post a first job free) | Web browser | Students and recent graduates recruiting on campus | Docs only |
| Wellfound | Free (Employer side: unlimited job posts, unlimited applicants and a built-in ATS for $0; paid Reach and Autopilot products have no listed price) | Web browser | Startup job seekers and early-stage hiring teams | Docs only |
| Apollo.io | Free (Free plan for light use; Gmail accounts only for sending) | Web browser | Sales teams building prospect lists | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You are searching for a job and want listings (Indeed is the pick)
- You want employer reviews and salary data before applying (Glassdoor is the pick)
- You are a student looking for campus roles (Handshake is the pick)
- You are a sales rep who needs outbound contact lists (Apollo.io is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on LinkedIn features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
LinkedIn today: Free (Free membership; Premium Career, Business, All-in-One and Company Page plans are paid, with a free trial for eligible members) (LinkedIn pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for LinkedIn alternatives
LinkedIn keeps several job-search and outreach tools behind Premium. Its Premium page names who has viewed your profile, company and applicant insights, InMail message credits and a resume-writing assistant as paid features. Premium is sold as four separate plans: Career, Business, All-in-One and Company Page. Prices appear only after sign-in. Free trials go only to eligible members, and one used in the last 12 months blocks another.
Indeed
Compared with LinkedIn: Indeed is free for job seekers to search jobs, post resumes and research companies. LinkedIn combines networking with job search, while Indeed is a job board with no professional network, so you apply to listings rather than build contacts.
Price: Free (Free for job seekers to search jobs, post resumes and research companies (per Indeed's own career-advice article); employers can post many jobs free, with paid sponsored options) (Indeed pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Job seekers who mainly want listings.
Worth knowing: The job-seeker free claim comes from a search excerpt of Indeed's own article.
Glassdoor
Compared with LinkedIn: Glassdoor is free for job matching, company reviews and salary data. LinkedIn shows you who you know at a company; Glassdoor gives pay and culture reviews instead, with no network for messaging people.
Price: Free (Free job matching, company reviews, salary data and community; some content requires contributing a review or salary first (Give-to-Get)) (Glassdoor pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Researching employers before applying or negotiating.
Worth knowing: Owned by Indeed; one login works on both sites per the search excerpt.
Handshake
Compared with LinkedIn: Handshake's free account is for students and alumni, with some features depending on school programs. Against LinkedIn's all-career network it covers campus recruiting and entry-level roles, so experienced professionals get little from it.
Price: Free (Free account for students and alumni; some features depend on school policy; employers can post a first job free) (Handshake pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Students and recent graduates recruiting on campus.
Worth knowing: Aimed at students, recent graduates and early-career roles.
Wellfound
Compared with LinkedIn: Wellfound is a startup-focused job board, and employers get unlimited job posts and applicants on the free plan. LinkedIn is a general professional network; Wellfound filters to startup hiring, so you give up broad contacts and profile-based networking.
Price: Free (Employer side: unlimited job posts, unlimited applicants and a built-in ATS for $0; paid Reach and Autopilot products have no listed price) (Wellfound pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Startup job seekers and early-stage hiring teams.
Apollo.io
Compared with LinkedIn: Apollo.io has a free plan for light use, with sending limited to Gmail accounts. Compared with LinkedIn it is a B2B contact database for outbound sales rather than a profile network, so you gain prospect lists and lose the social feed.
Price: Free (Free plan for light use; Gmail accounts only for sending) (Apollo.io pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Sales teams building prospect lists.
Which one to pick
- You are searching for a job and want listings: Indeed
- You want employer reviews and salary data before applying: Glassdoor
- You are a student looking for campus roles: Handshake
- You are a sales rep who needs outbound contact lists: Apollo.io
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Indeed, Glassdoor, Handshake, Wellfound, Apollo.io: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from LinkedIn. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked 2026-10-22: LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, Handshake, Wellfound, Apollo.io. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.