Revenue Above Guidance
Q1 revenue of $107.5 million beat the midpoint of guidance despite a soft hiring backdrop.
Adjusted EBITDA Outperformance
Adjusted EBITDA of $9.7 million (9% margin) came in above the high end of guidance and improved from a 5% margin in Q1 2025.
Next-Generation AI Search Drives Engagement
The newly launched next-generation search and matching AI engine increased application volume by 37% for job seekers exposed to it, with full rollout expected by end of Q2.
Be Seen First Product Traction
Be Seen First adoption scaled rapidly: 12% of all applicants chose the feature in Q1; over 50% of paid employers now receive Be Seen First responses; candidates using it are nearly 2x more likely to receive a message from an employer.
Organic Search Growth in Engaged Job Seekers
Engaged job seekers (those who applied) sourced through organic search grew 26% year-over-year in Q1, indicating stronger high-intent traffic share.
Enterprise Revenue Expansion
Performance marketing / Enterprise revenue grew 5% year-over-year and now represents 24% of total revenue, up from 12% in Q1 2019.
Strong App Store Ratings and User Sentiment
ZipRecruiter holds a 4.9 app rating with over 1 million combined reviews and an increase in reviews specifically mentioning interview calls and employer engagement versus Q4.
Healthy Balance Sheet and Buybacks
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $393.5 million as of March 31; company repurchased 3.5 million shares for $9.4 million in Q1.
Improved Forward Guidance
Q2 revenue guidance midpoint of $112 million (flat year-over-year, +4% quarter-over-quarter) and adjusted EBITDA guidance midpoint of $13 million (12% margin). Company expects flat full-year 2026 revenue (a 5 percentage-point improvement vs 2025) and adjusted EBITDA margin expansion to ~14% for 2026.
New Distribution and Product Integrations
Launched ZipRecruiter app for ChatGPT and rolled out integrated branded employer pages (Breakroom), expanding distribution into generative AI platforms and multimedia employer branding capabilities.