AIApply alternatives (2026): pricing, modes, free options

AIApply is one of the best-known AI job search tools, and its Auto Apply feature is what most people come for. Before you choose it or an alternative, it helps to know exactly what it does, what it costs and how its refunds work. We make one of the alternatives, Shortlist, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about AIApply below comes from its own website, help centre and terms, which we checked on 4 November 2026; prices and plans were checked again on 6 November 2026. Sources are listed under How we compared. Prices change, so check aiapply.co before you buy.

What AIApply is

AIApply is a web platform from AIApply Limited, a UK company. It has four parts:

• A resume builder and a cover-letter generator.
• Mock interviews, and Interview Answer Buddy, which suggests answers during live or practice interview sessions.
• Auto Apply, which finds matching jobs, tailors your resume and cover letter for each, and submits the application.

It works in the browser and has an iPhone app. We found no Chrome extension from AIApply; a Chrome Web Store listing called "AI-Apply" belongs to an unrelated developer.

How AIApply's Auto Apply works

According to AIApply's help centre, Auto Apply has three modes:

• Auto Mode applies to all matching jobs automatically, with no input from you.
• Hybrid Mode submits jobs it scores 75 or higher on its own and queues the rest for your approval.
• Review Mode asks for your approval on every job.

You choose how many applications it sends a day (AIApply's help pages give different maximums, 70 and 100). Even in Review Mode, what you approve is the job: AIApply's answers page says there is no step to approve the tailored resume before it is sent, so you see it only afterwards. AIApply says it may create accounts on employer websites for you, keeping the login details in your dashboard, and it gives you an AutoApply mailbox that receives one-time codes and verification emails. Its help centre says it applies on "major job boards" and works worldwide; it does not list the sites.

AIApply pricing

Auto Apply is a separate subscription from the toolkit. One credit is one submitted application, and failed or unsupported applications do not use a credit. The help centre says unused credits roll over while your subscription is active and are lost when a cancelled subscription ends; the Auto Apply page says credits never expire, so check before you rely on either.

Is AIApply free? Not really. AIApply says it does not offer a free trial. A free account includes up to two mock interviews, the job board and saved jobs, with limited cover letters; the resume builder and Auto Apply are paid.

Refunds. AIApply's terms say fees are non-refundable except for a verified technical issue or an accidental purchase reported within 30 minutes without meaningful use, and that Auto Apply is non-refundable once applications have been submitted.

Why people look for an alternative

• They want to approve each application, or not have accounts created and codes received in their name. Review Mode exists, but the volume Auto Apply is priced for assumes you use it less.
• The cost adds up. The toolkit and Auto Apply are separate subscriptions, and tailoring is an add-on.
• They want a browser extension that works on the job page in front of them.
• They want to know whether a job fits before applying, not after. Our guide on whether auto-apply bots work explains why fit, not volume, decides most outcomes.

The alternatives

If you want a tool to apply for you

• FastApply is a Chrome extension with an Auto-pilot mode that submits on its own and a Co-pilot mode that fills each step and stops for you to review. Paid plans add a server-side "Apply for Me". It names Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, LinkedIn Easy Apply, Indeed and others, and has a free plan of 5 jobs a day for 7 days. Paid plans start at $14 a month. See our FastApply alternatives page.
• ApplyBoost (applyboost.ai) is a web service that says it is free for job seekers and submits applications to company career pages for you, without approving each one. See is ApplyBoost really free?.
• LazyApply applies for you on sites such as Greenhouse, Dice, Indeed and ZipRecruiter through its agent and Chrome extension. Its plans are yearly: from $99 a year for 15 applications a day, up to $999 for 1,500. It lists a 30-day refund policy and needs a Gmail address. Its site does not say whether you can review an application before it is sent.
• LoopCV runs on its own servers: it scans more than 30 job boards every day and submits applications in your name. It has a free plan with no time limit and a capped number of applications; paid plans start at €9.99 a month.

If you want to choose the jobs and have the form filled

• Simplify is a browser extension whose free Copilot fills application forms on the career sites you open and leaves submitting to you. Its Autopilot, part of the paid Simplify+ ($39.99 a month or $19.99 a week), submits supported applications with no review step, up to 20 a week.
• Shortlist scores each job against your profile before you apply, requirement by requirement, then writes a tailored one-page resume only from facts in your profile and fills the application form. It stops at Submit; its optional browser agent (Pro) submits only in a task where you explicitly allow it. It does not search for jobs itself: it works on the job pages and LinkedIn lists you open.

If you want writing help and tracking, without automation

• ApplyArc (applyarc.com) is a job tracker with AI writing tools for cover letters, resume tailoring and interview prep. It does not submit applications. See ApplyArc alternatives.

Side by side

Prices as listed on each product's own site on 6 November 2026, in the currency each one shows ($ is the site's dollar price). Shortlist's 30-day passes and ApplyArc's 7-day pass do not renew; check each site for how the others bill.

How to choose

1. Decide whether anything should be sent without you seeing it. If not, rule out fully automatic modes, whichever tool offers them.
2. Count the real cost, including add-ons, for the number of applications you actually plan to send.
3. Try the free option on five real jobs you would apply to anyway, and read what each tool wrote in your name.

How we compared

We did not buy or test the other products. Each fact about them comes from the company's own pages, checked on 4 November 2026, with prices and plans checked again on 6 November 2026:

• AIApply: how Auto Apply works, pricing, help centre and terms
• FastApply: pricing, help pages, terms, privacy policy and Chrome Web Store listing
• Simplify: Simplify+ features and pricing and Autopilot
• LazyApply: pricing
• LoopCV: pricing
• ApplyBoost: home page and FAQ, terms and privacy policy
• ApplyArc: pricing and consumer-rights page

Where a site does not say something, we say so rather than guess. Shortlist's details come from our own product and pricing page. Prices and features in this market change within weeks; if something here is out of date, tell us through the contact page and we will correct it.

FAQ

Is AIApply free?

No. AIApply says it has no free trial. A free account includes up to two mock interviews, the job board and saved jobs; the resume builder and Auto Apply need a paid plan.

Does AIApply apply to jobs automatically?

Yes, with Auto Apply, a separate subscription. In Auto Mode it applies to every matching job without asking you; Hybrid Mode submits strong matches on its own; Review Mode asks for your approval on each job.

Is AIApply legit?

AIApply is a registered UK company with published terms, a privacy policy and a help centre, and on 4 November 2026 its Trustpilot profile showed a TrustScore of 4.3 from 2,152 reviews. Whether it suits you depends on whether you want applications sent in your name automatically.

What is the best alternative to AIApply?

It depends on what you want from it. For automatic applying, compare FastApply, LazyApply, LoopCV and ApplyBoost. To choose jobs yourself and have the form filled, compare Simplify's Copilot and Shortlist. For a tracker with writing tools, look at ApplyArc.