Job adverts
How much does it cost to advertise a job in the UK?
A multi-board flat-fee package runs from £99 to £599 per vacancy on published prices, and that is the only part of this market where prices are actually published. We checked Reed, CV-Library, Indeed and Totaljobs in a browser on 6 September 2026 and none of the four published a rate we could read — two returned a 404 at their own pricing URL, one refuses automated requests, and Indeed prices sponsored posts by auction. If you go direct to a board you will be quoted, not shown a price.
The prices that are actually published
| Provider | Published price |
|---|---|
| Hiring People — Starter | £99 |
| AWD online | £224 +VAT or less |
| Flat Fee Recruiter — Express | From £350 |
| TalentFinder | £399 / £499 / £599 +VAT |
| Hiring People — Premium to Targeted | £999 – £1,749 |
We sell one of these, so read our recommendation accordingly. The cheapest published price here is not ours — if price alone decides it, those are the numbers to beat.
Why the big boards will not quote you
We checked each one's own pricing URL in a real browser on 6 September 2026:
| Board | Result |
|---|---|
| Reed | HTTP 404 at their pricing URL |
| CV-Library | Refuses automated requests |
| Indeed | 404, and sponsored posts are priced by auction |
| Totaljobs | HTTP 404 at their pricing URL |
Zero out of four. Board pricing genuinely varies by volume and contract, so they would rather have the conversation. It does mean that anyone quoting you "Reed costs £X" has either negotiated that themselves or is repeating a guess.
Free options, and what they are good for
Indeed has a free tier, though free posts rank below sponsored ones and usually fade within days. Your own careers page, the government's Find a Job service and one LinkedIn post are also free.
Free works where there is a deep pool of active candidates. It rarely works for anything specialist, because the people you want are not looking.
The number that decides it
Whatever you pay, an advert produces applications and somebody works them. Across 46 filled roles that was a median of 26 candidates per hire. The advert price is the small number.
Sources
Want the fixed price for your role?
Advertise it yourself from £399 +VAT, or hand the whole search to a dedicated recruiter — a flat fee by salary band with a 100% refund if the role is not filled.
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