USAJOBS API vs Remote OK API for AI agents
USAJOBS API is the official REST API for searching public U.S. federal government job announcements on USAJOBS. Remote OK API is a public JSON feed of the jobs posted on the Remote OK remote job board.
The short answer
- USAJOBS API: Authoritative, reusable data on U.S. federal government job openings.
- Remote OK API: The simplest no-key feed of remote tech and startup jobs for a site that links back to Remote OK.
Side by side
| USAJOBS API | Remote OK API | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | Public job announcements posted on USAJOBS (status/internal jobs need extra steps); a single employer-side source, not an aggregator. | Remote OK's own remote job board only. |
| Returns | JSON SearchResult items with PositionTitle, PositionURI, ApplyURI, OrganizationName, PositionLocation (with lat/long) and PositionRemuneration. | JSON array of jobs with id, slug, company, position, tags, location, salary_min, salary_max, url, apply_url, date, epoch, description and logo fields. |
| Before the first call | An API key requested through an application form (name, email, phone, organization, intended use); calls send Host, User-Agent (your email) and Authorization-Key headers. | Nothing: no key or sign-up. The feed at remoteok.com/api answers without one. |
| Free | Not stated on its pages | No key needed, and its pages state no price |
| Acting on a result | PositionURI/ApplyURI point to the announcement on usajobs.gov. | Both url and apply_url point to the job page on remoteok.com, not to the employer. |
| Limits on keeping or showing results | Public Data may be copied, stored, republished and used commercially; attribution to USAJOBS is encouraged, not required; don't present modified data as official. Max 10,000 rows per query, 500 per page. | Must link back (followed, not nofollow) to the Remote OK URL and name Remote OK as source, or access is suspended; don't use the Remote OK logo without written permission. |
| Coverage | United States federal government jobs (in the U.S. and abroad). | Remote jobs; location is free text (e.g. 'Remote', 'US, UK, Canada, Australia + 35 other countries'). |
| MCP server | No official server listed | No official server listed |
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 USAJOBS API and Openpath vs Remote OK API.
Questions people ask
What do I need before I can use USAJOBS API?
An API key requested through an application form (name, email, phone, organization, intended use); calls send Host, User-Agent (your email) and Authorization-Key headers.
Is USAJOBS API free?
Its pages listed no free use when we read them on October 15, 2026.
What do I need before I can use Remote OK API?
Nothing: no key or sign-up. The feed at remoteok.com/api answers without one.
Is Remote OK API free?
No key needed, and its pages state no price.
Sources
Every line about another company comes from its own pages. Prices and terms change, so check the source before you rely on one.
USAJOBS API, read on October 15, 2026:
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/authentication: “To request an API Key, please go the the API Request page and fill out an application.”
- developer.usajobs.gov/apirequest: “Only public job information is available through this site.”
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/rate-limiting: “Maximum of 10,000 rows per query”
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/terms-of-service: “Public Data may be copied, stored, reformatted, adapted, analyzed, published, redistributed, and used for lawful commercial”
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/terms-of-service: “OPM encourages users to identify USAJOBS as the source, link to the current official job announcement”
- developer.usajobs.gov/api-reference/get-api-search: “URI to apply for the job offering.”
- usajobs.gov/HiringPath/Public: “the official employment site for the federal government”
Remote OK API, read on October 15, 2026:
- remoteok.com/api: “Please link back (with follow, and without nofollow!) to the URL on Remote OK”
- remoteok.com/api: “If you do not we'll have to suspend API access.”
- remoteok.com/api: “https://remoteOK.com/remote-jobs/remote-ai-trainer-imerit-technology-1137513”