PRICE ALERT: There are better options

LinkedIn Recruiter Alternatives That Won't Bankrupt You

LinkedIn Recruiter costs $9,000+/year. That's more than a used car. Here are the alternatives that recruiters actually use in 2026.

7 alternatives reviewed $0 to $99/mo range Updated January 2026
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate
$10,800 /year
12-month contract required
BETTER OPTION
Superstar Sourcing
$10 /search
No contract. Pay when you need it.
Typical annual savings
$9,000+

The Alternatives, Ranked

We ranked these by value. Not by who has the biggest marketing budget. (Yes, we're biased toward #1. We made it.)

BEST VALUE
1

Superstar Sourcing

The pay-per-search model that makes subscriptions look silly

Per Search
$10
Contact Reveal
$1
Annual Contract
$0

The math is simple: LinkedIn Recruiter costs $10,800/year. Superstar costs $10 per search. Unless you're running 1,080 searches a year (spoiler: you're not), you're overpaying for LinkedIn.

Describe your ideal candidate in plain English. No Boolean gymnastics. Get ~300 matched candidates with AI explanations for why each one fits. Preview free before paying.

Why it's great

  • Pay-per-search = no wasted budget
  • Free preview before you pay
  • Natural language search (no Boolean)
  • AI explains why each candidate matches
  • Direct phone/email for $1 per contact

The fine print

  • Launched 2025 (newer than competitors)
  • No built-in email sequences yet
  • Best for US-based searches currently
Try Free Preview No credit card required

Yes, we made this tool. Yes, we're recommending it. The math still works out in your favor.

2

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

The Workaround
Price: ~$99/month Database: Same as Recruiter Savings vs Recruiter: ~$800/year

The industry's worst-kept secret. Sales Navigator uses the same LinkedIn database as Recruiter but costs $70/month less. LinkedIn markets it to sales teams, but recruiters have been using it for years.

The catch: Fewer InMails (50/month vs Recruiter's higher limits), no project folders. Many recruiters pair it with data scraping tools to export profiles and email candidates directly.

Good for: LinkedIn power users who want to save $800/year
3

Apollo.io

Contact Finder
Price: Free - $99/mo Database: 275M+ contacts Best for: Direct email outreach

Apollo is technically a sales tool, but recruiters love it for one reason: it finds email addresses. Instead of waiting for InMail responses that never come, just email candidates directly.

The free tier is genuinely useful. Paid tiers add more credits and features. Data accuracy varies (some emails bounce), but it's a solid addition to your toolkit.

Good for: Recruiters who've given up on InMail response rates
4

SeekOut

Enterprise DEI
Price: Custom (annual) Database: 800M+ profiles G2 Rating: 4.5/5

The DEI powerhouse. If you have diversity hiring goals and budget to match, SeekOut's filters are genuinely best-in-class. Also excellent for technical recruiting (GitHub, patents, publications).

Used by Uber, Cisco, Atlassian. Two products: SeekOut Recruit (annual license, 3-seat minimum) and SeekOut Spot (pay per candidate slate, no annual commitment).

Good for: Enterprise teams with DEI mandates and budget
5

hireEZ

AI Automation
Price: Per-seat annual Database: 800M+ profiles G2 Sourcing: 9.4/10

Formerly Hiretual. Their "EZ Agent" AI automatically ranks candidates by fit—useful when you're drowning in profiles. Claims 75% faster hiring. Interface can feel cluttered.

Used by Zoom, Lyft, Okta. Good for high-volume hiring teams who can justify the annual commitment. Per-seat pricing adds up fast for larger teams.

Good for: Teams hiring 20+ people/month with automation needs
6

Wellfound

Startup Talent
Price: Free basic Formerly: AngelList Talent Best for: Startup recruiting

If you're hiring for a startup, use Wellfound. The candidates there want to work at startups. Response rates are dramatically higher than LinkedIn because there's no ambiguity about intent.

Free for basic job posting. Paid tiers for additional features. Not useful for enterprise recruiting, but unbeatable for early-stage companies.

Good for: Startups tired of competing with FAANG for LinkedIn attention
7

Google X-Ray Search

Free (With Effort)
Price: Free Effort: High Skill required: Boolean strings

The formula: site:linkedin.com/in/ "job title" "location" "keyword"

Google indexes public LinkedIn profiles. You can search them directly and bypass LinkedIn's "you've viewed too many profiles" wall. It works. It's tedious. You'll feel like a hacker from a 2005 movie.

Good for: Bootstrapped founders with more time than money

The Numbers, Side by Side

Because math doesn't care about marketing budgets

Tool Annual Cost Cost/Search* Best For
Superstar Sourcing ~$500 (50 searches) $10 Pay-per-use, no commitment
Sales Navigator $1,188 $24 LinkedIn on a budget
Apollo.io $0-$1,188 Varies Finding email addresses
SeekOut Custom ($$$) High Enterprise DEI hiring
hireEZ Custom ($$$) High High-volume automation
Wellfound Free+ Low Startup recruiting
Google X-Ray Free Your time Zero budget, high patience
LinkedIn Recruiter $10,800+ $216 When procurement won't question it

*Cost per search assumes 50 searches/year. Your usage may vary.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn Recruiter made sense when it was the only option. It's 2026 now. AI sourcing tools exist. Contact data is aggregated from dozens of sources. The moat is gone; only the pricing remains.

If you're a startup or small team: Use Superstar Sourcing ($10/search) or Wellfound (free). Don't commit to annual contracts for tools you'll use twice a month.

If you're enterprise with budget: SeekOut for DEI, hireEZ for automation, Gem if you want all-in-one. But honestly? You could still use Superstar for the actual sourcing and save $9,000+.

One good hire pays for 500 Superstar searches. One LinkedIn Recruiter renewal pays for LinkedIn's holiday party.

This guide is based on public information and user reviews. We obviously think Superstar Sourcing is best—we built it.

Stop overpaying. Start sourcing.

Preview candidates free. Pay $10 when you find matches worth pursuing. No annual contracts. No sales calls. No enterprise pricing theater.

Try Your First Search Free

No credit card required to preview candidates

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