SEEK vs Indeed vs Niche Job Boards: Which Should You Use to Hire?
The short answer: SEEK has the largest reach among active Australian jobseekers and the highest cost per ad. Indeed aggregates broadly and can deliver high applicant volume of mixed quality. Niche and regional boards have the smallest audience but the best fit per applicant and flat, predictable pricing. Most employers get the best result using one broad platform plus one targeted one.
SEEK
Best for: professional and white-collar roles where you need national reach.
SEEK is the default in Australia and where most active candidates look first. The trade-off is cost and predictability: pricing is variable, moving with role title, classification, location and market demand, so the same ad costs different amounts at different times. Published bulk ad budgets start around $3,700+GST for 8–10 ads.
Indeed
Best for: high-volume roles where you want maximum applications.
Indeed aggregates listings from across the web and offers both free and sponsored placements. Free listings work but sink quickly; sponsorship is pay-per-click, so costs scale with clicks rather than being fixed upfront. Expect more applications than SEEK and a wider quality spread — budget more screening time.
Niche and regional boards
Best for: local roles, trades, and anything where location is the deciding factor.
A Perth employer hiring a Perth-based role does not need a national audience — they need Perth candidates who can actually commute. Regional boards charge flat rates ($29 on Jobs In Perth) and the applicants are pre-filtered by geography. Smaller audience, higher relevance per application.
Side by side
| SEEK | Indeed | Niche / regional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | Highest in AU | Very high | Targeted |
| Pricing | Variable by role and demand | Free or pay-per-click | Flat rate |
| Cost predictability | Low | Medium | High |
| Applicant volume | High | Highest | Lower |
| Screening burden | Moderate | Heavy | Light |
What most employers should actually do
Treat it as a portfolio rather than a choice:
- Specialist or senior role: SEEK, plus an agency if it stays open past a month
- High-volume entry-level: Indeed, and accept the screening load
- Local trades, hospitality, retail, admin: a regional board — the applicants are already nearby
- Any role, always: your own careers page and staff referrals, which cost nothing and convert best
The thing that matters more than the platform
Across every platform, the ads that fill fastest include a salary range, a specific job title and a short application process. A well-written $29 ad routinely outperforms a vague $400 one, because candidates decide from the ad text, not the logo above it.
Check what the role should pay in our salary guides before you write it.
Pricing details are as published at the time of writing and change regularly.
Post a job on Jobs In Perth from $29.