Handshake vs Indeed (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Indeed grades higher than Handshake: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Indeed grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Handshake
Early-career hiring network with free job posting
Free plan · from $450/mo
Indeed
Job search site with free and sponsored job posts for employers
Free plan
Which one is for you
Pick Handshake if
- Fits if you hire interns and new graduates and post a few jobs a year
- Works for employers that want school and event connections
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to hire experienced staff, since the pool is early-career
- Tight if you message candidates, since Basic allows 10 a month
- Pricey if you want Pro, at $450 a month with no billing basis stated
- Watch out: promoted jobs are an add-on from $34 a day
- Watch out: ATS and XML integrations, school search and premium support are Enterprise only
Pick Indeed if
- Fits if you want to post a job free and see who applies
- Works for small employers hiring a few roles
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want more than free posts, as sponsored jobs cost extra with no rates shown
- Skip it if you want a full applicant tracker, as this is posting and a dashboard
- Watch out: posts are reviewed first and most go live within 24 to 48 hours
- Watch out: the page loaded was a Malaysia version, so features and costs may differ in the US
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAHandshakeFair | 2.4GPAIndeedFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPro is $450 a month, above the dearest tenth of hiring tools, and promoted jobs cost extra from $34 a day. Basic is free. | BFree job posts and free tracking tools, but sponsored jobs are billed by budget as candidates engage and no rates are shown. |
| Free plan and trial | BBasic gives unlimited job posts, 10 messages a month and a company presence, and an occasional hirer could live on it. | BA free employer account with free job posts and a free applicant dashboard. Reach is the part you pay for. |
| Features | CEarly-career talent pool, messaging, matches, promoted jobs, events and analytics. 50+ filters and ATS integration are Enterprise only. | CJob posts, a dashboard, screener questions and resume search. It is mostly posting and sorting, not a full applicant tracker. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You set up a company profile and post roles. | CNo rating on record. An employer account and job posts to write. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web service, with integrations only on the Enterprise plan. | CWeb only and no integrations listed on the page read. |
| Best for | posting jobs to early-career candidates | free job posts on the biggest job site |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Handshake and Indeed. How we grade
Where they differ
- Handshake also covers reports.
In commonFree planWebApplicant trackingJob board posting
At a glance
| Handshake | Indeed | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $450 per month | Not published |
| Free plan | Basic: free job posting, 10 candidate messages a month and a simple company presence. | Free job posts and free applicant tracking tools; registering an employer account is free. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Handshake | Indeed |
| Price read from | joinhandshake.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Handshake
- Basic allows only 10 candidate messages a month.
- Pro's page does not say whether $450 a month is billed monthly or annually.
- ATS and XML integrations, school search and premium support are Enterprise-only.
- Promoted jobs are an extra cost on Basic and Pro, starting at $34 a day.
Indeed
- Sponsored jobs are bought with a daily or monthly budget and billed when candidates engage; the page gives no rates.
- Indeed's pricing pages could not be read, so no plan prices are recorded here.
- The employer page that loaded was a Malaysia version, so features and costs may differ in the US.
- Posts are reviewed first and the page says most go live within 24 to 48 hours.
Key features
Handshake
- Early-career talent pool
- Jobs reach a network the vendor puts at 30 million job seekers, including alumni, master's and PhD students, through 1,600+ university partners.
- Candidate messaging
- Message candidates from the dashboard: 10 a month on Basic, 200 on Pro and a custom volume on Enterprise.
- Talent matches and filters
- Pro shows up to 100 matches per job and filters by school year, major, GPA, skills and location. Enterprise unlocks 50+ filters.
- Promoted jobs
- A paid boost for visibility. Basic and Pro buy it as an add-on from $34 a day, and Enterprise includes custom promotion.
- Events and school connections
- Enterprise adds custom school lists, career fair and event promotion across schools, and messaging to attendees before and after.
- Analytics
- Campaign analytics on Pro, and full-funnel dashboard reports on how the hiring team is performing on Enterprise.
Indeed
- Free job posts
- The employer page says an account is free and a free job post can be published straight away.
- Sponsored jobs
- A sponsored job stays prominent in search and job alerts, with Urgently Hiring tags and Instant Match.
- Applicant dashboard
- Applicants who meet your requirements are grouped at the top, with messages, notes and interest marking.
- Screener questions and interviews
- Screener questions filter for must-have qualifications, and Indeed Interview runs live virtual interviews.
- Resume search
- Indeed Smart Sourcing searches resumes and lets you invite matches to apply.
Plans
Handshake
Basic$0
Unlimited job posting, 10 messages a month and a simple company presence. Promoted jobs from $34 a day as an add-on.
Pro$450
per month
200 messages a month, AI applicant tools, team collaboration, automation and 3 promoted-job days a month that roll over.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited messaging, 50+ filters, ATS integration, event support and funnel analytics. Annual plan, sold through sales.
Indeed
Pricing could not be confirmed. See indeed.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Handshake or Indeed?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Handshake starts at $450 per month, and Indeed has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Handshake or Indeed?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Handshake and Indeed have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.