# Instead

> Instead (instead.work) is a hiring tool for independent UK businesses that hires from the owner’s own network: staff, regulars, followers and past applicants. Free to post, first hire free, £39 for each hire after that, paid only when the owner marks someone hired. Every candidate hears back within 48 hours. Run by Monty Ventures Limited (Companies House 17253533), London. Launched October 2026.

Not instead.com (US tax software) and not Home Instead (home care).

## Key pages

- [Home](https://instead.work/): what Instead does in four steps, the price, the bench and the 48-hour promise, owner FAQ
- [Network-first hiring](https://instead.work/network-first-hiring): the method, defined: share the job with the people who already know the business before paying a job board
- [Hiring tools compared](https://instead.work/hiring-tools-comparison): published prices for Indeed UK, Reed, Totaljobs and Caterer.com next to Instead, each sourced and dated
- [Press and facts](https://instead.work/press): company, founder, price, candidate promise, a one-paragraph description to copy
- [Free "We're hiring" sign](https://instead.work/sign): make an A4 window sign with a QR code that takes applications; no account needed
- [Jobs near you](https://instead.work/near): every live job by London area, for candidates
- [Who's hiring in London](https://instead.work/hiring): independent London cafés, restaurants, pubs and bakeries advertising jobs on their own websites this week, and new places across the UK hiring their first team; candidates pick several and send their details once. As JSON: https://instead.work/api/hiring
- [What London hospitality jobs pay](https://instead.work/pay): the London Hospitality Pay Index, advertised hourly pay by role (median, range, number of ads), updated daily, free to reuse with credit
- [MCP server](https://instead.work/mcp): for AI assistants. Remote MCP (Streamable HTTP, no sign-in) with tools to learn how to hire, post a job free, make hiring posters, search live jobs and places hiring, and look up London hospitality pay
- [Privacy](https://instead.work/privacy) and [Terms](https://instead.work/terms)

## Facts

- Price: £0 to post, £39 per hire after the first free hire, waived if the person does not start within 30 days
- Candidate promise: a reply within 48 hours; the AI never rejects anyone, a person decides
- Market: the UK, London first, Hackney first
- Hosting: London (AWS eu-west-2, Vercel lhr1); AI models by Anthropic
- Contact: hello@instead.work