How to create a job board on WordPress: a plugin or a hosted subdomain

How to create a job board on WordPress: the two routes

To create a job board on WordPress, install the WP Job Manager plugin on your site, or run hosted software on a subdomain and link to it from WordPress. The plugin's core is free, but paid listings need WooCommerce and a paid add-on, and hosting is extra. Hosted software such as Job Boardly starts at $60 a month billed monthly on its Standard plan, as read on October 31, 2026.

Route 1: install WP Job Manager and set up its pages

WordPress.org lists WordPress 6.4 or higher and PHP 7.4 or higher as the requirements.

1. Install and activate WP Job Manager from the WordPress plugin directory.
2. Run the optional Setup Wizard that appears after activation; it creates the default pages the plugin needs.
3. Or make the pages by hand: a page called "jobs" holding the [jobs] shortcode, a page called "submit job" holding [submit_job_form] for front-end submissions by employers, and a page called "job dashboard" holding [job_dashboard] so logged-in users can manage their listings.
4. If you made the pages by hand, assign them under Job Listings, Settings, on the Pages tab.

The core plugin includes front-end forms for employers and job listings that Google and others can read for job searches. It hides expired listings from the public board by default, which fits Google's rule against expired job postings.

Charging employers on WordPress: WooCommerce and WC Paid Listings

Paid listings need WooCommerce plus the WC Paid Listings add-on: $49 a year for a Personal license (one site) or $109 a year for a Developer license (unlimited sites). First set up products in WooCommerce that job submitters can buy. The product type is Job Package, which lets a user post a set number of jobs before expiring, each with a listing duration in days. WooCommerce checkout forces registration, so guest purchases are not allowed.

Email job alerts are a paid extension; the core has RSS links. The Job Manager Pro Bundle, with WC Paid Listings, Job Alerts, Applications and more, is $159 a year for Personal or $329 for Developer, with support and updates for a year from purchase. Add-ons carry a 14-day refund, and after 14 days there are no refunds. Subscription packages need a further extension, WooCommerce Subscriptions. Hosting and payment fees sit outside these prices.

Route 2: a hosted board on a subdomain

Job Boardly runs on a subdomain such as jobs.yoursite.com beside a WordPress site, on every plan, with HTTPS included. For a board inside WordPress instead, the best WordPress job board plugin page compares the options. Niceboard suggests the same subdomain pattern, linked back from the main site.

1. Add your domain in Job Boardly.
2. At your DNS provider, create a CNAME record for the subdomain pointing to in.saascustomdomains.com. For a subdomain use only the CNAME, with no A records. On Cloudflare, switch proxying off for those records.
3. Wait for the change to spread: it can take 24 to 48 hours. Job Boardly manages the SSL certificate.
4. Link to the subdomain from your WordPress menu.

The subdomain route can be built during the 14-day free trial that starts every plan, though DNS changes alone can take a day or two. A card is needed to start.

Which route fits your WordPress site

Choose WP Job Manager when you already host and maintain WordPress and want the board inside the site: you pay for add-ons and hosting, and you keep the board's pages and shortcodes yourself.

Choose a hosted board when you want backfilled listings and Stripe Checkout without installing a plugin stack; Job Boardly says it handles hosting, maintenance and integrations. Job Boardly vs WP Job Manager sets the two side by side, and how to start a job board website covers the launch steps after either route.