Jobboardly markets itself as the most affordable way to launch a job board, and for good reason: at $40/month ($27/month annually) with unlimited jobs, pages, and traffic, it undercuts most competitors by a wide margin. The Pro plan runs $80/month ($53/month annually) and adds branding removal. The 7M+ job backfill library and 30-day money-back guarantee make it a low-risk starting point for first-time creators. But affordable isn't the same as cheap in the long run. Once you factor in per-credit backfilling costs ($0.009/credit, sold in 1,000-credit increments for $9) and the Pro plan needed to remove branding, the math starts to shift. Here's how to think about your options.
Jobboardly vs alternatives: quick comparison
| Platform | Starting price | Aggregation | Branding removal | Custom domain | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobboardly | $40/mo | $0.009/credit | Pro plan ($80/mo) | Included | Budget-conscious beginners |
| Cavuno | $29/mo | Included | Included | Included | Predictable costs, AI search |
| Kardow | $17/mo | 150 credits included | Included | Included | Lowest starting cost |
| JBoard | $149/mo | 800+ sources | Included | Included | Established operators |
| SmartJobBoard | ~$399/mo | XML-only | Included | Included | Enterprise features |
Bottom line: Jobboardly wins on base price, but Cavuno and Kardow often cost less once you factor in aggregation and branding removal.
How to evaluate Jobboardly alternatives
Our job board software buyer's guide covers the 9 key decisions for choosing a platform. Here's how those decisions apply when evaluating Jobboardly alternatives specifically.
Switching platforms (or choosing your first one) deserves more than a glance at the monthly price tag. When you're bootstrapping a job board, every dollar matters, but so does every hour you spend working around limitations. Here's what to focus on.
Total cost of ownership, not just sticker price
Jobboardly's $40/month ($27/month annually) headline is appealing. But the real question is what you'll pay six months in. Backfill credits at $0.009 each (sold in 1,000-credit increments for $9) sound trivial until you're pulling thousands of jobs per month to keep your board looking full. That can easily add $50-$100/month on top of your base plan. Compare that to Cavuno at $29/month with aggregation included on all plans, or Kardow at $17/month with 150 credits included (scaling to 2,000 on their Enterprise plan). The platform that looks cheapest on day one isn't always cheapest on day ninety.
