The Jobs API vs Lightcast
How The Jobs API and Lightcast differ: where the jobs come from, Canadian coverage, change feeds and price. With when each one is the better choice.
Updated
The short answer
Lightcast is labour market analytics built on deduplicated, coded job postings. The Jobs API is a job postings API for Canada and the US that collects only from employer career sites and hiring systems. It is built for labour market analysis and research. We are built for apps and job boards that need live job records.
Side by side
Facts about Lightcast come from its public pages, checked October 20, 2026. Prices and features change, so check its site before you decide.
| The Jobs API | Lightcast | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A job postings API for Canada and the United States | Labour market analytics built on deduplicated, coded job postings |
| Where jobs come from | Employer career sites and their hiring systems (ATS) only | More than 220,000 sites: career sites, job boards and aggregators |
| LinkedIn or Indeed data | No. We do not collect LinkedIn, Indeed or other job boards | Includes job boards and aggregators |
| Canada and French | A core focus: every province and territory, English and French posts | Has a dedicated Canada job postings product |
| How you get the data | REST API, change feeds, MCP server, Apify | API, skills taxonomy, data shares, AWS Marketplace |
| Change feeds | Ordered changes on every plan; expired-ID feed from 20k, modified feed from 50k | Analytics refreshes |
| Starting price | $50 a month for 20,000 jobs, or $0.50 per 1,000 jobs on Apify | Not published; enterprise contracts |
| Free trial | 7 days, 500 jobs, 50 requests, no card | Not published |
When Lightcast is the better choice
- You need skills and occupation taxonomies and labour market statistics.
- You need policy-grade methods and long history.
When The Jobs API is the better choice
- You need live job records for an app or job board, not statistics.
- You want self-serve access at a small-team price.
Questions people ask
Does The Jobs API use Lightcast data?
No. We collect every job ourselves from employer career sites and hiring systems.
Do you scrape LinkedIn or Indeed?
No. Many jobs that appear on those sites are first posted on the employer’s own career site, and that is where we collect them.
Can I try The Jobs API for free?
The free trial lasts 7 days and includes 500 jobs and 50 API requests. You do not need a card.