Lemonade vs Indeed
Indeed brings you the people who apply, and leaves the sifting to you. Lem, the AI recruiter from Lemonade (makelemonade.io), sources, screens and introduces interested candidates for your experienced hire. Lem hunts. You interview.
By Ali Grant, founder of LemonadeUpdated Indeed details checked
Is Lemonade a good alternative to Indeed for employers?
Lemonade (makelemonade.io) is a strong alternative to Indeed for one experienced hire. Lem, its AI recruiter, sources, screens and introduces interested candidates, so the person running hiring only does the interviews. Indeed, a job site, leaves the sifting to the employer; Lem also approaches experienced people busy in other jobs and scores every candidate with the reasoning shown. First search free, then a Search Fee from £450, with no hire fee, refunded if you don't interview any of our candidates. Prices correct as of 21 October 2026. For hourly, junior or high-volume roles, Indeed, with up to three free posts a month, is usually better.
Choose Lemonade when
- The hire is one experienced person. Lem works best for people with more than five years' experience.
- Hiring runs alongside the day job, with no time to read and chase applications.
- The best candidates are busy in other jobs, not reading job ads.
- Every candidate, applicants included, should be scored against your brief, with the reasoning shown.
- The role has to stay confidential.
Choose Indeed when
- The role is hourly, entry-level, local or shift-based.
- Several people are needed, or the same job comes up often.
- The budget is close to zero.
- There is time to read and screen applications yourself.
At a glance
| Lemonade | Indeed | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI recruiter for UK roles: Lem sources, screens and introduces interested candidates | Job site: you post, people apply, you manage them in a dashboard |
| Who finds candidates | Lem, every day, from three sources: Lemonade's talent pool, people Lem sources directly and applicants to the role's job posts | Job seekers find your post and apply |
| Reaching people who are not applying | Included: Lem approaches them by email and LinkedIn | Contact them yourself, through Smart Sourcing (£325 a month, or £3,120 a year) or Premium Sponsored Jobs' matched candidates |
| Screening | Every candidate scored against your brief, with the reasoning shown | Screener questions, including must-have questions Indeed uses to deprioritise or reject applicants who miss them; you read and rank the rest |
| Cost to post | First search free, then a fixed Search Fee per role (see pricing below) | Up to 3 free jobs a calendar month, each shown for up to 30 days |
| Paid model | One Search Fee per role for 30 days; optional plans | Sponsored Jobs: pay per click or per started application; no published price list |
| Hire fee | None | No hire fee listed; sponsored jobs charge per click or per started application |
| Confidential roles | Public or confidential, your choice per role | A job posted without your organisation's name may require sponsorship |
| Best for | One experienced hire in the UK | High-volume, hourly, entry-level and local roles |
Sources: Indeed's free job post limit, pricing, how pricing works, screening tools and Smart Sourcing pages. Competitor details checked 21 October 2026. Lemonade prices correct as of 21 October 2026.
Four reasons founders choose Lemonade over Indeed
Lem reaches experienced people who are not reading job ads
Strong experienced candidates are often busy in another job. On Indeed, reaching them means a Smart Sourcing subscription (100 contacts a month) or the matched candidates that come with Premium Sponsored Jobs, and you contact people yourself (Smart Sourcing offers AI-drafted and bulk messages to help). With Lemonade it is part of every search. Lem hunts day and night for the best candidates from three sources: Lemonade's talent pool, people Lem sources directly and applicants to the role's job posts. It approaches people by email and LinkedIn, and never about a role at a company they have worked for.
Lem does the sifting, and shows its reasoning
On Indeed, applications come to you. Must-have screener questions let Indeed deprioritise or reject applicants who miss them; reading and chasing the rest is your job. With Lemonade, every applicant to the role's job posts, including adverts you run yourself on Indeed or LinkedIn, is screened against your brief, as is everyone Lem sources. Each is scored, and we show our reasoning, requirement by requirement. Lem's matching is built on more than a million job matches and user feedback, and gets sharper as feedback comes in. Nobody Lem finds is turned down by software; an applicant screened out automatically is told which check said no and can ask a person at Lemonade to look again. See How Lem stays fair.
Introductions to people who want to meet you
Candidates confirm their interest on a short page, and that confirmation is their application. Add a video task and they record short video answers to questions you set, which a person reviews before anyone reaches you. Only people who have confirmed their interest reach your shortlist. Request an intro and we can connect you in minutes, and Lem can schedule the interviews too.
Keeping a role confidential
Sometimes you cannot name the company yet. Indeed says a job posted without your organisation's name may require sponsorship. On Lemonade, public or confidential is your choice per role. A confidential role never names your company, and candidates learn who you are when you request an intro.
When Indeed is the better choice
Indeed is built for reach among people who are actively looking. For retail, hospitality, care, warehouse, admin or shift work, or several people for the same job, an Indeed post will usually bring applications for less than Lemonade costs. Up to three posts a month are free, and new UK accounts get £100 of credit to sponsor their first job. Sponsoring costs a daily budget you set (how pricing works), above a minimum Indeed shows, with no long-term contract (pricing). On pay per started application, you pay only when someone starts applying.
And it is the better fit for junior roles. Lem works best for people with more than five years' experience, because there is more career history to match on.
For another job board rather than a search, see Lemonade vs posting on job boards (Reed, Totaljobs, CV-Library) and Lemonade vs LinkedIn.
Using both
Lemonade is not exclusive (terms), so a free Indeed post can keep running while Lem works the hard role. Lemonade does not handle offers, so once candidates move to in-person interviews, we recommend moving them into your ATS. More in how Lemonade works with your ATS.
What it costs for one role
Prices correct as of 21 October 2026. Full pricing.
- First search free: the full 30 days, at any salary, with no card needed.
- Pay as you go: a Search Fee per role for 30 days of searching, set by the top of the advertised salary: £450 (up to £50k), £650 (£50k to £100k), £1,200 (above £100k). Another 30 days costs £250 if you need it.
- No hire fee, on any plan, and no introduction window.
- Refund: the Search Fee is refunded if you don't interview any of our candidates (roles paid for one at a time; claim within 14 days of the search ending). An approved claim is refunded to your original card within five working days.
- Plans: Team £990 a month (24 roles a year), Growth £1,800 a month (48 roles a year), on a 3-month minimum, or £825 and £1,500 a month on an annual plan.
- Optional: LinkedIn promotion, charged at cost plus 5%; unspent budget is refunded, the 5% handling fee is not (plans: at cost, no 5% fee).
After the free first search, a £45,000 role costs £450 and a £75,000 role costs £650, with the sourcing, screening and approaches included. On Indeed, a free post costs £0 and a sponsored post costs the budget you set, above a minimum Indeed shows. With no published price list, there is no like-for-like sponsored figure.
Start your free search
The first search is free: 30 days, any salary, no card needed. Brief Lem on your experienced hire today.
Questions founders ask
What is the main difference between Lemonade and Indeed?
Indeed brings you the people who apply, and you sift them. Lem sources, screens and introduces interested candidates from Lemonade's talent pool, people it sources directly and applicants to your job posts, scoring each one against your brief with the reasoning shown.
Is it free to post a job on Indeed in the UK?
Yes, up to a point: up to three free jobs per calendar month, each shown for up to 30 days in search results. Jobs over the limit, jobs requiring relocation and jobs posted without the organisation's name may need sponsoring.
How much does a sponsored job on Indeed cost?
As of October 2026, Indeed publishes no fixed price list for sponsored jobs in the UK. It recommends a budget for each job, with a minimum shown when you sponsor. Employers pay per click or per started application, with no long-term contract.
Is Indeed good for hiring senior or specialist roles?
It can be, if the right person is actively looking, because a post reaches people who search and apply. If they are busy in another job, you need Smart Sourcing or Premium Sponsored Jobs, and you contact them yourself. That is the gap Lemonade is built for.
Can I keep a role confidential?
On Lemonade, yes: make the role confidential and your company is never named until you request an intro. On Indeed, a job posted without your organisation's name may require sponsorship.
Is the Search Fee refundable?
We will refund your Search Fee if you don't interview any of our candidates. This applies to roles paid for one at a time; claim it from your portal within 14 days of the search ending.
Who should use Indeed instead?
Anyone hiring for hourly, entry-level, local or high-volume roles, or the same job often, and anyone with almost no budget. Lem is a weaker fit for junior roles.
Sources and notes
- Indeed, “Free job post limit”: https://uk.indeed.com/help/employers/articles/free-job-post-limit, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed, “Pricing” (plans, recommended budgets, minimum shown on the sponsorship page, no long-term contracts, what the free tier includes, Premium Sponsored Jobs' matched candidates, employer contacts matched candidates): https://uk.indeed.com/hire/pricing, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed, “Tools to help you find your best candidates” (must-have screener questions that let Indeed automatically deprioritise applicants who do not meet them, or move them to Rejected): https://uk.indeed.com/hire/resources/howtohub/tools-to-help-you-find-your-best-candidates-on-indeed, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed, “How pricing works” (daily budgets; pay per click or per started application; no hire fee listed; jobs that may require sponsorship, including confidential jobs; page last updated 30 September 2026): https://uk.indeed.com/hire/resources/howtohub/how-pricing-works-on-indeed, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed, “Free vs sponsored jobs” (£100 credit for new UK accounts; page last updated 8 April 2026): https://uk.indeed.com/hire/resources/howtohub/free-vs-sponsored-jobs-on-indeed, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed, “Pay per started application overview”: https://uk.indeed.com/help/employers/articles/pay-per-started-application-ppsa-overview, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed, “Smart Sourcing” (Professional: £325 a month, or £3,120 a year; 100 contacts a month; personalised AI-generated messages and bulk messaging): https://uk.indeed.com/employers/smart-sourcing, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed's help centre, “Global article on budgets, not UK-specific” (daily budgets are averages, not caps; a continuous plan can spend up to 7.5 times the daily budget in a week; no fixed public price list): https://www.indeed.com/help/employers/articles/360026629712, checked 21 October 2026
Lemonade prices correct as of 21 October 2026.
Lemonade, how it works and pricing
Lemonade, Employer Terms of Business (no hire fee, no introduction window, not exclusive, refund conditions)
Lemonade, How Lem stays fair
We make Lemonade. We have tried to compare like for like; if anything here is out of date, email contact@makelemonade.io.