8 Best LinkedIn Alternatives for Jobs and Networking

Wellfound, formerly AngelList Talent, is the hiring marketplace for startups. More than 27,000 startups hire on the platform, and job seekers can apply for free and talk directly to founders and hiring managers rather than going through layers of recruiters. Profiles go beyond a resume, showing projects and what a candidate would actually contribute.

Wellfound is free for job seekers and free for startups to post jobs, with paid options for promotion and AI sourcing. If you want to work at a startup, this is the first alternative to try.

Indeed is the largest general job board, and its strength is breadth. You can search millions of listings by title, company, and location, set alerts for new matches, and apply directly. Employers can post jobs, with paid promotion for extra visibility.

Indeed does not offer LinkedIn-style networking, but for pure job hunting volume it is unmatched. Pair it with a networking community if you also want professional connections.

Glassdoor combines job listings with company reviews, ratings, and salary data, which helps you judge an employer before you apply. Its recruiter tool matches you to roles based on your experience and preferences, with a match score explaining each suggestion, and it is free for job seekers.

Glassdoor's job listings are powered in part by Indeed, so expect overlap between the two. Use Glassdoor for research and Indeed for breadth, or use Glassdoor alone if employer insight matters most to you.

Meetup replaces the networking side of LinkedIn rather than the job board side. You join local groups around industries, skills, and interests, then attend events where you meet people face to face. For many professionals, a conversation at an event beats a cold connection request.

Meetup is free to join, though group organizers pay. If your goal is meeting people in your field, especially locally, Meetup is the most direct LinkedIn alternative for networking.

Contra is a professional network for independent creatives, built around portfolios rather than resumes. Designers, developers, writers, and video creators show standout projects, and clients can post jobs for free while creatives apply directly. Verified studios add trust for larger projects.

Contra suits freelancers who win work on the strength of past projects. Corporate job seekers will find broader boards more useful, but for creative freelancing, Contra is a strong LinkedIn alternative.

Jobcase is a job platform built for millions of workers, with a focus on hourly and frontline roles such as retail, warehouse, driving, and customer service. Job seekers can sign up and start applying in minutes, and the platform highlights popular searches and top employers in these fields.

Jobcase is less useful for senior professional roles, but for hourly and frontline workers it is one of the most welcoming alternatives to LinkedIn, with a community built around getting ahead at work.

The Dots is a professional networking platform for the creative world, covering design, advertising, tech, fashion, and related fields. Members build profiles, find jobs and clients, attend virtual events, get advice, and collaborate with other members. Thousands of companies use it to hire and discover talent.

The Dots has been called a modern alternative to LinkedIn for creatives, and that fits: it is smaller and more focused, but its community is built for the way creative work actually happens.

ZipRecruiter is a major US job site with millions of listings. Its matching technology pairs job seekers with roles, and its Be Seen First feature lets candidates add a short note to their application and jump to the top of the candidate list for participating jobs.

ZipRecruiter is free for job seekers and suits anyone who wants a fast, broad job search in the US. Like Indeed, it is a job board rather than a networking site, so pair it with Meetup, Contra, or The Dots for connections.