LinkedIn Jobs vs TheirStack for AI agents
LinkedIn documents no public job search API; its jobs API is for approved partners (ATS systems, job distributors) to post jobs to LinkedIn, and it is closed to new partners. TheirStack is a job postings data API (with company and technographic data) aimed at sales and market intelligence as well as job search.
The short answer
- LinkedIn Jobs: ATS vendors and job distributors that already partner with LinkedIn and need to publish jobs to it; not for finding jobs.
- TheirStack: Bulk, filterable job-posting data for market research and sales signals, with history back to 2021.
Side by side
| LinkedIn Jobs | TheirStack | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | Not a search API: it posts jobs into LinkedIn on behalf of customers. | Aggregated postings from career pages, job boards and ATS platforms across about 363k websites in 195 countries, since 2021. |
| Returns | – | JSON jobs with title, description, url, final_url, source_url, company and company_object, location fields, min/max salary (plus annual USD) and salary_string. |
| Before the first call | LinkedIn approval, a signed API agreement with data restrictions, and Talent Solutions partner status; currently not accepting new partnerships (points to Apply Connect instead). | A TheirStack account and API key (Bearer token); each search must include at least one date or company filter. |
| Free | – | 200 API credits and 50 company credits every month, free (1 credit per job returned); free tier rate limit 4/second, 10/minute, 50/hour, 400/day. |
| Paid | – | From $49 per month for 1,500 API credits (1 credit per job). |
| Acting on a result | – | url, plus final_url with the original career-page URL when available (filterable with final_url_exists). |
| Limits on keeping or showing results | LinkedIn API Terms forbid caching or storing Content except as needed to run your application, and bar content obtained by scraping or crawling outside the APIs. | Not stated on its pages |
| Coverage | – | 195 countries. |
| MCP server | – | Official TheirStack MCP server (search_jobs tool), OAuth or API key; uses the same API credits: https://theirstack.com/en/docs/mcp |
Where Openpath fits
If the agent needs a job to apply for in Austin, Texas, or a remote one, Openpath returns the listings themselves, free and with no key. See Openpath vs LinkedIn Jobs and Openpath vs TheirStack.
Questions people ask
What do I need before I can use TheirStack?
A TheirStack account and API key (Bearer token); each search must include at least one date or company filter.
Is TheirStack free?
200 API credits and 50 company credits every month, free (1 credit per job returned); free tier rate limit 4/second, 10/minute, 50/hour, 400/day.
Sources
Every line about another company comes from its own pages. Prices and terms change, so check the source before you rely on one.
LinkedIn Jobs, read on October 15, 2026:
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/talent/job-postings/api/overview: “We are currently not accepting new partnerships for LinkedIn's Job Posting API.”
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/talent/job-postings/api/overview: “enables authorized third parties such as clients, ATS systems, and job distributors to post jobs directly to LinkedIn”
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/talent/job-postings/api/overview: “The use of these APIs is restricted to those developers approved by LinkedIn.”
- linkedin.com/legal/l/api-terms-of-use: “You must not capture, copy, cache, or store any Content”
- linkedin.com/legal/l/api-terms-of-use: “scraping, crawling, spidering or using any other technology or software to access LinkedIn content outside the APIs”
TheirStack, read on October 15, 2026:
- theirstack.com/en/job-posting-api: “253M of jobs across 195 countries since 2021”
- theirstack.com/en/job-posting-api: “career pages, job boards, and ATS platforms”
- theirstack.com/en/docs/pricing/plans: “Start exploring with 50 company credits and 200 API credits every month - completely free, forever.”
- theirstack.com/en/docs/api-reference/rate-limit: “4/second, 10/minute, 50/hour, 400/day”
- theirstack.com/en/pricing: “1,500 API credits — $49 per month”
- theirstack.com/en/docs/api-reference/jobs/search_jobs_v1: “1 API credit for each job returned in the response”
- theirstack.com/en/job-posting-mcp: “Your AI assistant calls the search_jobs tool to find jobs by title, location, salary”