Søknadsbasen vs Indeed
Indeed is the world's largest job site, with free basic ads and paid PPC promotion, as well as a searchable CV database. The reach is enormous, but the cost can be unpredictable.
We compare honestly: Indeed's global PPC model against Søknadsbasen's predictable Norwegian unit price and privacy.
What is what
Indeed lets employers post free ads (limited visibility) or sponsor them as pay-per-click, and search CVs via Smart Sourcing (separate cost). Global, owned by Recruit Holdings (Japan).
Søknadsbasen is Norwegian, EU-hosted, with a fixed unit price per job and an anonymous candidate base.
Side by side
| Feature | Søknadsbasen | Indeed |
|---|---|---|
| Price / modelSponsored from ~$5/day, CPC auction; the CV database is a separate cost | Per job, NOK 990-2,990 (14-90 days), volume discount | Free basic + PPC |
| Job posting | highlighted in the job seeker feed, exclusively | free post + paid |
| Searchable candidate base (active sourcing) | anonymous candidate base, unlocks NOK 49-99 each | Smart Sourcing / CV database, separate cost |
| Application handling (ATS / pipeline)A candidate dashboard, not a full ATS | pipeline with ATS score + AI summary | Partly |
| AI (ad + screening) | AI ad + AI screening | matching + Job Description Generator |
| No lock-in / annual contract | no lock-in, pay per job | start/stop, PPC |
| Free to get started | free account, pay only on publishing/contact | free account + free post |
| Norwegian + EU/GDPR storageGlobal, owned by Recruit Holdings (Japan) | Norwegian, EU/GDPR, never sells data | No |
| Company profile / employer brandingCompany Page | public company profile + brand upgrade | Partly |
| Target group | Founders/SMBs to HR/agencies | All, high volume / broad |
What Indeed does well
- Enormous global reach, the world's largest job site.
- Free to get started, with an option for a PPC boost.
- A searchable CV database (Smart Sourcing).
Where Indeed falls short
- A PPC auction gives unpredictable cost; the CV database costs separately.
- Global and Japanese-owned, no Norwegian localisation or EU privacy by default.
- Not a full ATS, only a candidate dashboard.
What Søknadsbasen offers beyond that
- A fixed, predictable unit price in NOK, not a CPC auction.
- Norwegian and EU-hosted, with privacy built in.
- An anonymous candidate base + a pipeline with an ATS score in one, not separate purchases.
Choose Indeed
Choose Indeed if you want to test free advertising with an option for a PPC boost, or need global/broad reach outside Norway.
Choose Søknadsbasen
Choose Søknadsbasen for a predictable Norwegian price, EU privacy, and a candidate base + pipeline together, especially for the Norwegian market.
Common questions
- Is Indeed free?
- You can post a free ad with limited visibility, but real visibility requires sponsoring (pay-per-click), and the CV database costs separately. Søknadsbasen has a fixed unit price from NOK 990 per job, including access to the candidate base.
- Where is the data stored?
- Indeed is global and owned by the Japanese Recruit Holdings, with no Norwegian localisation. Søknadsbasen has the database and files on its own server in Helsinki, Finland (EU) and never sells candidate data.
Ready to hire, calmly?
Free to set up. You only pay when you publish a job or contact a candidate.