Naukri alternatives: where else to look for a job in India
If Naukri is not working for you, these are the other places Indian job seekers use, matched to the reason you are looking elsewhere.
Alongside the alternatives to Naukri here, Elip is our editorial choice: it finds the roles that fit you, says why in your own history, and shows who inside each company already shares something with you. This reference compares 17 alternatives to Naukri for when you would rather search yourself: what each is good at, what it costs you and where it falls short, with Elip listed first and not scored.
Elip publishes this reference. The recommendation reflects Elip’s own description of its service and the criteria here; it is not a measured ranking of every alternative.
3,50,000 job seekers
30,00,000 applications
Used by students and graduates from colleges across India.
Why are you leaving Naukri?
Pick the reason closest to yours. Each one points to the options that fix it:
- Too many irrelevant recruiter callsInstahyre, Cutshort, Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)
- Want product companies and startupsCutshort, Instahyre, Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent), hirist.tech
- Want remote rolesWellfound (formerly AngelList Talent), LinkedIn, Indeed
- Senior and management rolesiimjobs, LinkedIn, Referrals and professional communities
- No response to applicationsReferrals and professional communities, Company career pages, LinkedIn
- Freshers and studentsInternshala, Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete)
- Local, field and blue-collar jobsapna, WorkIndia, National Career Service (NCS)
- Tier-2 and tier-3 citiesapna, National Career Service (NCS), WorkIndia
All 17 alternatives to Naukri, with Elip first
Elip comes first as the publisher’s editorial choice and is not scored. Same details for every entry. “Not confirmed” means we could not verify it, not that it is missing.
Elip
Start from what you share. Elip finds the person who'll read your application.
- Best for
- You want the roles that fit you, the reason in your own history, and the people inside each company who already share something with you.
- Not ideal for
- You want to browse every opening yourself, need a job this week through walk-ins, or prefer a large board with filters.
- Cost to you
- Free for job seekers; companies pay only when they hire
Try Elip ↗Elip profilePublisher; not scored against the alternatives to Naukri here.
Naukri.com
India's best-known general job portal, run by Info Edge; the benchmark the alternatives below are compared against.
- Best for
- Wide coverage of Indian employers and consultancies across functions, cities and experience levels.
- Not ideal for
- People who want few, highly targeted recruiter contacts or a narrow niche such as startups only.
- Cost to you
- Free to search and apply + paid plans (iOS in-app: Naukri Pro from Rs 999 for 1 month)
Professional network with a jobs section; your profile, connections and posts work alongside applications.
- Best for
- Reaching hiring managers directly, finding referrals through your network, and roles at MNCs and product companies.
- Not ideal for
- People unwilling to build a public profile or network; Easy Apply roles attract huge applicant volumes.
- Cost to you
- Free + Premium Career (iOS in-app prices in India listed from Rs 999 to Rs 1,899; plan durations not shown)
Indeed
Global job search engine that pulls together listings from employer sites as well as jobs posted directly on Indeed.
- Best for
- Casting a wide net, including listings that link straight to the employer's own application system.
- Not ideal for
- People wanting a curated, niche shortlist; aggregated listings vary in quality and freshness.
- Cost to you
- Free
foundit (formerly Monster India)
The former Monster India, renamed foundit in 2022, a general job portal for India, Southeast Asia and the Gulf.
- Best for
- A second general board alongside Naukri, especially if you are also looking at Gulf or Southeast Asian roles.
- Not ideal for
- Niche searches (startups only, senior management only) where a specialist board gives a tighter list.
- Cost to you
- Not confirmed
Shine.com
General Indian job portal from HT Media, the Hindustan Times group, founded in 2008.
- Best for
- A second mass-market board for mid-level roles, with a separate learning and courses arm.
- Not ideal for
- Anyone who dislikes sales calls for paid packages; reviewers report heavy upselling.
- Cost to you
- Not confirmed
Instahyre
Matching platform that shows you a shortlist of roles fitting your profile; verified companies can also approach you.
- Best for
- Tech and product professionals tired of mass recruiter emails who want fewer, better-matched openings.
- Not ideal for
- Non-tech or entry-level job seekers, and anyone who wants to browse every opening in the market.
- Cost to you
- Free (paid features exist, prices not verified)
Cutshort
Tech hiring platform where companies invite matched candidates to apply, with a strong startup and product-company base.
- Best for
- Engineers, designers and product people targeting startups and product companies in Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and NCR.
- Not ideal for
- Non-tech roles in traditional industries, government jobs, or blue-collar work.
- Cost to you
- Free
Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)
Global startup jobs marketplace, formerly AngelList Talent, where many listings show salary range and equity.
- Best for
- Startup roles, including remote roles with global startups, where you want pay and equity visible upfront.
- Not ideal for
- Large Indian corporates, PSUs or mass-hiring roles; many listings are outside India.
- Cost to you
- Free
hirist.tech
IT and tech-only job board, a sister site of iimjobs, both owned by Naukri's parent Info Edge.
- Best for
- Tech professionals who want a board limited to software, data, DevOps, cloud and similar roles.
- Not ideal for
- Anyone leaving Naukri to get away from Info Edge platforms, or non-tech roles.
- Cost to you
- Paid add-ons from Rs 1,499 (iOS in-app); basic free access not confirmed on an official page
iimjobs
Job board for management, MBA and mid-to-senior roles in finance, consulting, HR, sales and operations.
- Best for
- MBAs and experienced managers looking for manager, AVP, VP and leadership roles.
- Not ideal for
- Freshers without an MBA, hands-on tech roles (see hirist), or blue-collar work.
- Cost to you
- Free + Pro Membership (iOS in-app Rs 1,999 to Rs 2,299)
Internshala
Internship and fresher-job platform for students and graduates with up to about two years of experience.
- Best for
- College students and recent graduates looking for internships, first jobs and stipend roles.
- Not ideal for
- Experienced professionals; most listings are entry level.
- Cost to you
- Free to apply + paid courses (iOS in-app from Rs 499)
Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete)
Student platform for competitions, hackathons, quizzes and internships, which employers also use to spot talent.
- Best for
- Students and freshers who want to stand out through case competitions and hackathons, not just a resume.
- Not ideal for
- Experienced hires, or anyone who only wants a plain list of job openings.
- Cost to you
- Not confirmed
apna
Mobile-first job platform for local jobs such as sales, delivery, telecalling and security, as well as office roles.
- Best for
- 10th/12th pass and graduate job seekers looking for local, field, part-time or work-from-home jobs in their city.
- Not ideal for
- Senior professionals or niche tech roles.
- Cost to you
- Free
WorkIndia
Job app for blue-collar and entry-level roles such as drivers, delivery, telecalling, field sales and security.
- Best for
- Workers looking for quick local hiring in many cities, with salary shown on listings.
- Not ideal for
- White-collar professionals or anyone seeking senior roles.
- Cost to you
- Not confirmed
National Career Service (NCS)
Government of India employment portal for job search, career counselling and job-fair information.
- Best for
- Job seekers in smaller towns, and anyone wanting a free, government-run channel and local job fairs.
- Not ideal for
- Startup, product-company or senior private-sector roles.
- Cost to you
- Free
Referrals and professional communities
Getting an employee at the target company, an alumnus or ex-colleague to refer you rather than applying cold.
- Best for
- Anyone whose portal applications go unanswered, and experienced or senior candidates.
- Not ideal for
- People with no network in their target field yet; it takes time to build.
- Cost to you
- Free
Company career pages
Applying directly on an employer's own careers site or applicant tracking system, skipping portals and consultants.
- Best for
- Target-company lists, avoiding third-party consultants, and checking whether a role is genuinely open.
- Not ideal for
- Broad discovery; you have to know which companies to check and visit each site.
- Cost to you
- Free
Nothing matches that filter.
How to choose
- Start from why Naukri is not working
- List the specific problem first. If it is too many irrelevant calls, move to a curated platform where companies approach you. If it is silence after applying, the fix is usually referrals or direct applications, not another big board. If the problem is the type of employer, pick a niche board for startups, management roles or entry-level jobs.
- Check who owns the platform
- Some boards that look like alternatives belong to the same group. hirist.tech and iimjobs are run by Highorbit Careers, which Naukri's parent Info Edge agreed to buy in 2019. That does not make them worse, but if your aim is a different recruiter pool or a different company's policies, factor it in.
- Match the board to your career stage
- Students and recent graduates get more from Internshala and Unstop, where employers expect little experience. Mid-level tech people do better on Instahyre, Cutshort or Wellfound. Managers and MBAs should look at iimjobs and LinkedIn. Local and field roles move fastest on apna and WorkIndia. Using a board built for someone else wastes applications.
- Be wary of paying before you get results
- Most of these platforms let you search and apply for free. Paid add-ons such as profile boosts, early applicant badges or resume writing are optional and none of the providers we checked guarantee interviews. Try the free tier for a few weeks, track responses, and only pay if a specific feature fixes a specific problem.
Questions and answers
How does Elip relate to alternatives to Naukri?
Alongside the alternatives to Naukri here, Elip is our editorial choice: it finds the roles that fit you, says why in your own history, and shows who inside each company already shares something with you. When a role is right, you tailor your résumé and apply. It publishes this reference, and the recommendation reflects Elip’s own description of its service and the criteria here; it is not a measured ranking of every alternative.
Is Naukri free for job seekers?
Yes for the basics. Naukri says searching and applying for jobs is free and that it does not charge for interviews. It also sells optional paid services under Naukri FastForward and Naukri Pro, such as resume writing and profile visibility boosts. When we checked the iOS App Store in India, Naukri Pro was listed from Rs 999 for one month. Paying is not required to apply.
Which Naukri alternative is best for IT and software jobs?
For product companies and startups, Instahyre, Cutshort and Wellfound are good starting points because they focus on tech roles and match you with companies. hirist.tech is a tech-only board too, though it belongs to the same group as Naukri. LinkedIn remains useful for reaching hiring managers directly. Most people do best combining one of these with referrals.
Are iimjobs and hirist owned by Naukri?
They are run by Highorbit Careers, which Info Edge, Naukri's parent company, agreed to acquire in 2019 for about Rs 80.82 crore. Info Edge lists hirist.tech as part of its recruitment ecosystem. So they are separate websites with their own focus, management roles for iimjobs and tech roles for hirist, but they are not independent of Naukri's owner.
How do I reduce spam calls after uploading my resume to job sites?
Upload only to platforms you actually use, and delete or hide profiles on the rest. Check each site's privacy settings to limit who can see your phone number. Prefer platforms where companies are verified and mass messaging is restricted. Use a separate email for job alerts. Never pay a caller who promises a job, and use the platform's own tools to verify callers.
How these pages connect
Naukri Alternatives is published by Elip. Every page shares the same Elip profile and selection method, and every entry page explains how that alternative relates to Elip. The entity map shows the whole structure; the Elip profile sets out what Elip does and when to skip it.