The best job sites for software engineers are HighCircl Job Search, HiringCafe and Jobright. Use one site that lists only employer-direct roles, add a big aggregator for reach, then stop. We ranked seven sites on four tests: employer-direct roles, one listing per role, closed roles removed, and a tracker built in. Job Search, our product, passes all four.
Which job sites should a software engineer search first?
| Site | Tests its own pages confirm | Best for | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| HighCircl Job Search | 4 of 4 | Roles straight from employer boards | Far smaller than the big two |
| HiringCafe | 2 of 4: employer-direct, tracker | Free, filter-heavy search | No stated rule for stale or duplicate roles |
| Jobright | 1 of 4: tracker, five stages | Volume, autofill, AI resume tools | Mixes employer sites with aggregated postings |
| Levels.fyi Jobs | 0 of 4 stated | Pay ranges before you apply | Apply button can lead to LinkedIn |
| Wellfound | 0 of 4 stated | Startup roles, apply to founders | Startups only |
| Dice | 0 of 4 stated | Tech-only search by skills | Sourcing and closed roles not stated |
| LinkedIn Jobs | 0 of 4 stated | Reach and the network around a posting | No sourcing, closed-role or tracker rule |
Sites are ordered by how many of the four tests their own pages state, ties broken by what each is best for.
The best job sites for software engineers, ranked
1. HighCircl Job Search
Job Search is our product. Every role comes straight from a company's own job board, the Greenhouse, Lever or Ashby page it already runs, so nothing is reposted from Indeed or LinkedIn. A role posted in five cities shows up once, and Job Search drops a role once the company takes it down from its board. You apply on the employer's own page, and saved roles go into a board or table you can follow through Saved, Applied, Interviewing, Offer and Closed. Employers never see your search.
Pick it if you're tired of the same role showing up four times, or of clicking into postings that closed last month. The catch is size. Job Search is far smaller than HiringCafe (over 5 million jobs) and Jobright (8,000,000+).
2. HiringCafe
HiringCafe collects jobs directly from company websites and filters out outside recruiting agencies. It's a free search with over 5 million jobs and filters that let you cut hard. Pick it when you want volume without paying and would rather sort results yourself.
The catch is the loose ends. It's improving its systems for stale postings and duplicates but gives no rule. Its tracker describes only jobs found on HiringCafe. It shows ads and labeled sponsored listings, and if you join the Talent Network, employers can see your profile. Our HighCircl Job Search compared with HiringCafe piece goes deeper.
3. Jobright
Jobright is the volume pick: millions of listings, plus autofill and AI resume tools. It has a tracker with five stages, Applied, Interviewing, Offer Received, Rejected and Archived, and you can upload jobs found elsewhere. It says it removes fake listings, but how it handles closed roles isn't stated.
The catch is sourcing. It mixes the career sites of hundreds of thousands of companies with postings aggregated from major job platforms, so some of what you see isn't employer-direct. It doesn't say how it handles the same role posted twice. Read Jobright against Job Search for the head-to-head.
4. Levels.fyi Jobs
Pick Levels.fyi when pay matters before you apply. Many listings carry pay ranges, which saves you a round of recruiter screens just to learn the band.
The catch is that it doesn't say where listings come from, and the Apply button on its featured listing goes to a LinkedIn posting, so check the original posting before you apply. Treat it as the place to check pay, then find the role at the source.
5. Wellfound
Wellfound is for startup roles. It lets you apply directly to founders and hiring managers, and creating a profile and applying is free for candidates.
The catch is the narrow field. It's built around startups, so check whether your target employer is listed. It doesn't say how it treats duplicates or closed roles.
6. Dice
Dice is the tech-focused board, with skills filters and a free profile. It cites "200k+" jobs posted monthly, with "5k+" companies hiring, which makes it a reasonable second tab if you search by stack.
The catch is that those are its own figures, and it doesn't say where roles come from or how closed ones are handled. Check any role against the company's careers page before you spend an evening on a tailored application.
7. LinkedIn Jobs
LinkedIn has "millions of jobs" and the Open To Work signal that tells recruiters you're looking. Pick it for reach and for the network around a posting, such as who works there.
The catch is that its jobs page states no sourcing rule, no closed-role rule and no tracker. Use it to find people, and confirm the role on the company's own site before you apply. Our guide on how to spot a ghost job before you apply shows how.
How many sites should you search?
Three, plus a place to log what you send. One employer-direct site, one aggregator, one niche board, then stop. A fourth tab mostly shows you roles you've already seen.
Say you were laid off on a Monday. By Friday you could have Job Search for employer-direct roles, LinkedIn for reach and for finding someone at the company, and Wellfound only if startups appeal. Every application goes into one tracker, whichever site you found it on, so a role you spotted twice doesn't get applied to twice.
What to do with your search this week
Settle on your three sites today, as above, and close the rest. Then look at where each application lives. If it's three tabs and a memory, give them one home before the replies start. If the replies don't come, what to do when applications get no response covers the next step, and our tech job search guides, from layoff to offer cover the rest.
Job Search for a search that's just started
If you've just been laid off and are choosing where to look, try Job Search by HighCircl as your employer-direct pick. It's free during the open beta, and the beta is open to 300 people in the US, so run it beside the other two sites you pick.
FAQ
What are some good websites for software engineers to find jobs?
HighCircl Job Search for roles straight from employer careers pages, HiringCafe or Jobright for volume, Wellfound for startups, Levels.fyi for pay ranges, Dice for a tech-focused filter and LinkedIn for reach.
What is the best job site for startup roles?
Wellfound: it lets you apply directly to founders and hiring managers, and it's built around startups. Levels.fyi helps with pay ranges before you apply.
How do I know if a job posting on a job site is still open?
Open the company's own careers page, where the posting is either live or gone. Job Search drops a role once the company takes it down from its board.