A list of four alternatives can involve fewer independent companies than it appears to. Ownership shapes how a platform earns money, and how it earns money shapes which features stay free.
Ownership at a glance
LinkedIn
Microsoft, acquired 2016
Earns from
Recruiting products, advertising, sales tools and consumer subscriptions
Consequence
Most revenue comes from employers and sellers, which is why the free member profile is generous while search and outbound messaging are constrained
Indeed and Glassdoor
Recruit Holdings
Earns from
Employers paying to post, sponsor listings and access candidates
Consequence
Free for job seekers by design, with visibility of a listing depending partly on employer spend
Xing
New Work SE, listed in Germany
Earns from
Member subscriptions and employer recruiting products in German-speaking markets
Consequence
Product decisions follow a regional market rather than a global one, which is the reason it holds ground there
Meetup
Bending Spoons, acquired 2024
Earns from
Organiser subscriptions rather than attendee fees
Consequence
The paying customer is the person running a group, so cost changes affect group availability rather than attendance directly
Wellfound
Separated from AngelList, 2022
Earns from
Employers hiring through the platform
Consequence
Free for candidates, with salary and equity disclosure used as a differentiator rather than required by the platform's economics
Publishing platforms
Independently operated
Earns from
A share of what publishers earn, rather than an upfront fee
Consequence
Interests align with the publisher succeeding, and the cost is invisible until you are earning
Why the business model predicts the product
Who pays determines what stays free. Where employers fund the platform, job seeker features remain free and employer-facing tools carry the price. Where members fund it, member features get paywalled sooner. Neither arrangement is better, and knowing which one you are inside explains most feature decisions that otherwise look arbitrary.
Common ownership narrows real choice. Two platforms under one parent may still be genuinely different products serving different needs. But if your reason for using several is to avoid dependence on a single company, it is worth knowing where the boundaries actually fall.
Ownership changes hands. Several platforms in this category have moved between owners more than once, and each change has brought pricing and product shifts. A comparison that describes ownership is describing a snapshot, which is a reason to check rather than a reason to ignore it.
Independently published. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by LinkedIn Corporation, Microsoft, Recruit Holdings, New Work SE, Bending Spoons, Adobe or any other company named on this page.
All company names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification only.
Ownership details are drawn from publicly reported information and company announcements, reviewed August 2026. Corporate structures and business models change; verify current arrangements before relying on this page. Company information is available at linkedin.com and the respective providers.
No company paid for inclusion or wording, and nothing here evaluates any company's financial position. This page is informational and is not investment, legal, career or financial advice.