Quick answer: Indeed has the widest UK reach, LinkedIn the best passive-candidate pool, Reed the strongest mid-market employer trust, Totaljobs the highest SME volume, and GeraJobs the lowest-cost posting plus built-in AI matching. Pick by objective and budget — stacking two is normal.

The five at a glance

Board	Founded	UK monthly visitors*	Free listing?
Indeed	2004	~90M+ (global top-ranked)	Yes (organic)
LinkedIn Jobs	2003 (jobs 2005)	~50M UK members	Limited (1 free job)
Reed	1995	~10M UK	No (from £125)
Totaljobs	1999	~7M UK	No (from £149)
GeraJobs	2026	Launching — UK-first	Yes (first listing free)

*Visitor figures: SimilarWeb and company annual reports, Q1 2026. Approximate.

Indeed — widest reach, lowest applicant bar

Indeed is the default aggregator. Organic listings are free; “sponsored” listings are pay-per-click from around £0.20–£1.50 per click in the UK. Indeed delivers volume — but roughly 40–60% of applications are off-target because the apply flow is one click. Great for high-volume hospitality, retail, and warehouse roles; poor for senior technical roles where you want fewer, better applicants.

LinkedIn — passive candidates, premium price

LinkedIn's advantage is the passive pool — people not actively searching but open. Recruiter licences cost £7,000–£10,000/year per seat. Sponsored Job slots start around £150/month per role. Best for senior IC, manager, and niche technical roles. Weaker for hourly and trades roles.

Reed — mid-market UK trust

Reed is the oldest UK-owned board. Strong employer brand among mid-market UK companies (100–1,000 staff). Pricing is per-listing (~£125 single, with volume discounts). Applicant quality is mid-to-high for administrative, finance, and professional roles.

Totaljobs — SME volume

Totaljobs (part of Stepstone Group) skews toward SMEs and regional UK employers. Pricing around £149 per listing, with bundles. Strong for roles outside London and Manchester where Indeed's volume is noisy.

GeraJobs — free first listing, AI match

GeraJobs is the newest on this list. Positioning: UK-first, free first listing for small employers, AI match, and zero applicant-data resale. Built by Gera Services (a portfolio of 31 products). Candidates can use a single Gera account across GeraHome, GeraClinic, and GeraJobs.

Which should an employer choose?

Volume roles (retail, hospitality, warehouse): Indeed + regional Totaljobs.
Professional mid-market (finance, admin, ops): Reed + LinkedIn.
Senior IC / management (tech, product): LinkedIn + Otta + GeraJobs.
First-time poster / tight budget: GeraJobs (first listing free), then Indeed organic.
UK startup hiring: Otta + GeraJobs + LinkedIn — Reed/Totaljobs less useful.

Which should a candidate use?

Stack two: (1) Indeed or Reed for volume of listings, and (2) LinkedIn for networking. GeraJobs is worth adding as a third because listings are surfaced to AI assistants — some candidates get approached by employers via ChatGPT/Claude search results.

GeraJobs vs Indeed vs LinkedIn vs Reed vs Totaljobs (2026)