USAJOBS API vs Remotive API for AI agents
USAJOBS API is the official REST API for searching public U.S. federal government job announcements on USAJOBS. Remotive API is a public JSON endpoint listing active remote jobs on the Remotive job board, meant for sharing Remotive's jobs further.
The short answer
- USAJOBS API: Authoritative, reusable data on U.S. federal government job openings.
- Remotive API: Showing a small, curated feed of remote jobs on a site that links back to Remotive.
Side by side
| USAJOBS API | Remotive API | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | Public job announcements posted on USAJOBS (status/internal jobs need extra steps); a single employer-side source, not an aggregator. | Remotive's own remote job board only; filter by category, company_name, search and limit. |
| Returns | JSON SearchResult items with PositionTitle, PositionURI, ApplyURI, OrganizationName, PositionLocation (with lat/long) and PositionRemuneration. | JSON jobs with id, url, title, company_name, company_logo, category, tags, job_type, publication_date, candidate_required_location, salary and HTML description. |
| 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. | No key or sign-up documented for the public endpoint (GET https://remotive.com/api/remote-jobs). |
| Free | Not stated on its pages | Public endpoint with no stated price; more than 2 requests per minute are blocked and Remotive advises at most about 4 calls a day. |
| Paid | Not stated on its pages | A private, paid-for API exists; no price is published (contact Remotive). |
| Acting on a result | PositionURI/ApplyURI point to the announcement on usajobs.gov. | url points to the job page on remotive.com. |
| 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 to the Remotive URL and name Remotive as source; jobs are delayed 24 hours; don't submit Remotive jobs to third-party sites (e.g. Google Jobs, LinkedIn Jobs); don't use them to collect signups or emails. |
| Coverage | United States federal government jobs (in the U.S. and abroad). | Remote jobs (worldwide, each with a candidate_required_location). |
| 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 Remotive 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 Remotive API?
No key or sign-up documented for the public endpoint (GET https://remotive.com/api/remote-jobs).
Is Remotive API free?
Public endpoint with no stated price; more than 2 requests per minute are blocked and Remotive advises at most about 4 calls a 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.
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”
Remotive API, read on October 15, 2026:
- github.com/remotive-com/remote-jobs-api: “more than 2x per minute”
- remotive.com/remote-jobs/api: “Jobs displayed are delayed by 24 hours.”
- remotive.com/remote-jobs/api: “a private, paid-for API”
- remotive.com/api/remote-jobs: “Please do not submit Remotive jobs to third Party websites”
- remotive.com/api/remote-jobs: “API documentation and access is granted so that developers can share our jobs further.”
- remotive.com/api/remote-jobs: “https://remotive.com/remote-jobs/sales/inside-sales-contractor-2086540”