It depends on what you need first. To file for unemployment, start with the state where you worked: that costs nothing and needs no app. To handle the money, the paperwork, and the search together, Offboard is built for that, and you can start free.
Here are the six options people weigh most. Prices as of October 2026.
We read every price and feature below on each company's own page that day. Prices change, so check the product's page before you pay.
Free public tools and a spreadsheet
Best when you want to file a claim and keep a simple list. USA.gov says: "In most cases, you should file for unemployment in the state where you worked instead of in the state where you live." CareerOneStop, sponsored by the US Department of Labor, finds your state's office.
Less good when the deadlines stack up. Benefits, health coverage, and a severance signing date each run on their own clock, and a list kept by hand only helps when you check it.
Cost: $0.
A job board's paid tier
Best when most of your search happens on one job board and you want more of its features.
Less good when you need help with benefits, coverage, or your money. Read what the tier includes before you pay.
Cost: varies by board and account. Check the board's own pricing page.
A general AI assistant
Best when you want a fast writing partner for one task: a cover letter draft, a reply to a recruiter, practice questions. ChatGPT and Claude both have free plans, and both can remember context across your chats.
Less good when you need state benefit rules you can rely on. Check those answers against your state's agency, which decides every claim.
Cost: free plans on both. ChatGPT Go is $8 a month; Claude Pro is $20 a month billed monthly.
A program your former employer pays for
Best when your severance package includes one. Ask HR before you pay for anything yourself. Your former employer, school, or workforce organization may also cover 90 days of Offboard Pro.
Less good when it is not offered, or it ends before your search does.
Cost: paid by the employer, when offered.
Offboard Free
Offboard is the modern unemployment office: one calm place to claim what you're owed, make your money last, and land what's next.
Best when you want to start in one place. Free includes one complete Application Packet with every step free, the company and fit reads on every packet after that, three basic ghost checks a month, and Ask Lumo ten messages a day. In beta, ChatGPT or Claude can connect and update your tracker.
Less good when you apply to many roles a week and want tailored materials for each.
Cost: $0, forever.
Offboard Pro
Best when your search is active and you want the repeated application work done for you: a tailored resume, cover letter, interview brief, and a path to a person on every packet, for about 30 full packets a month.
Less good when you only need one packet, or only need to file a claim. Free covers both.
Cost: $20 a month, or $45 every 3 months ($15 a month).
You do not have to pick one
Public tools, a free AI assistant, and Offboard Free together cost $0. For the first week, read Layoff & Benefits. To compare trackers, read our tracker guide.
Offboard is independent, not a government agency, and claiming your benefits is always free. We never promise funding. We show you the exact path to find out.
Build your first Application PacketSources
- ChatGPT plans and prices: chatgpt.com/pricing, read October 20, 2026.
- ChatGPT memory: Memory in ChatGPT, read October 20, 2026. It says: "When Memory is enabled, ChatGPT can remember relevant preferences and details from your chats."
- Claude plans and prices: claude.com/pricing, read October 20, 2026. Prices exclude tax and are "subject to change".
- Claude memory: Use Claude's chat search and memory, read October 20, 2026. It says: "Memory is on by default for Free, Pro, and Max plans."
- Where to file: USA.gov, Unemployment benefits.
- Your state's office: CareerOneStop Unemployment Benefits Finder, sponsored by the US Department of Labor.