Plans & pricing
Competitive with the market. Priced for a community.
We are not doing this to make money. Invest Hamilton County is an economic development organization, not a software company. Alex exists to achieve our Vision. We price to keep universal access intact and to cover the cost of trustworthy community infrastructure. That is why the first tier is free for every audience, why the free tier runs on the exact same evidence base as the highest tier, and why Hamilton County residents, employers, and non-profits pay a fraction of market rates. Your community already invested in this. Revenue from those outside the county funds more of it.
The HCEDC Board adopted this founding rate card on August 11, 2026, with CEO delegation. Checkout is open, and founding pricing is held for early members. Any change to a rate or a floor returns to the Board.
Step 1 · Who is this for?
Schools and government price differently: Alex for Schools is arranged per district ($18,000/yr per corporation, counselor access free), and Alex for Cities & Counties membership is arranged with each community.
Step 2 · Where do you live or operate?
If you live or operate here, you see the lowest price on every line.
Residents: free forever. Employers and non-profits: free first tier, working tiers at a fraction of market rate. Your community already invested in this infrastructure. This is your return.
Outside Hamilton County
Peer communities, chambers, and organizations can license the same platform at fair rates that fund more of this work back home. Our Board approved out-of-county pricing on August 11, 2026. Each plan's rate ladder shows the out-of-county figure.
Join the out-of-county waitlist →Alex for Workforce
For me
The journey is free forever for every resident, on your own device. Alex Plus is the same price everywhere.
Every career tool, free. Nothing you need to find work is behind a paywall.
- All career tools: your current job, other jobs you could move to, and a plan for your next step
- Local pay ranges from federal wage data
- Jobs that use similar skills, with local training programs and employers to contact
- Job and pay comparison, jobs by sector, and local pay for individual skills
- Resume builder, cover letter and interview practice, including reading a resume you already have
- Printable Skill Passport and the Passport Pack: the employer-ready PDF with your evidence
Two paid extras, and everything else stays free: your work saved to your account for any device, and the Alex coach. Cancel any time and you keep the free tools.
- Alex Coach included: 200 private coached conversations a month, based on your saved work and local data, never used for training
- Your work saved to your account and available on any device
Alex for Workforce vs the market: the full comparison
What the same capability costs anywhere else. Market rates are what comparable tools and services cost elsewhere; estimated rates note vendors who do not publish pricing.
| What you get | Market rate | Hamilton County | Outside the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Alex coached journey Where you are, where you're going, your next step, your supports, your progress. Five coached stages with real wage ranges and real local moves. Career Pathways |
$100,000+ statewide contracts Career navigation platforms (FutureFit AI class) sold to government agencies (estimated) | Free
100% off
Free forever for everyone. Your community already invested in it. |
Free Free for anyone, anywhere (Board, August 11, 2026). What it shows stays scoped to about a 90-minute drive of Hamilton County: the occupations, ladders, wages, employers and programs are local by design. |
| Skill Passport A printable, employer-ready record of what your skills are worth, priced from federal wage data across 393 metro areas. Career Pathways |
$100 to $250/session Professional career coaching and resume services (estimated) | Free 100% off | Free |
| Local programs and employers, attached to every step Every recommended move comes with the training programs that teach it and the Hamilton County employers that staff this work, from their own federal filings. Presence on the list is not a live opening. Full Employment |
Free, but ad-funded Commercial job boards monetize your attention and your data | Free
No ads. No data sale. Your journey stays on your device unless you save it. |
Free |
| Alex Plus Your Alex coach, and your journey synced across devices. Everything else on the worker side is free. Career Pathways |
$39.99/mo LinkedIn Premium Career | $15/mo
62% below
Built to be canceled. Land the job and we celebrate you into free alumni mode. |
$15/mo Same price everywhere. People are people. |
Alex for Business
For my business
Founding pricing, held. Join now and your rate is locked for your first full year. See our terms for how pricing changes are handled.
A free account with the working basics.
- The three calculators: Work Opportunity Tax Credit, on-the-job training reimbursement, and which Indiana tax credits combine
- The county labor market at a glance: hiring, turnover, wages and skills in demand
- Results saved to your account
The working toolkit for one employer.
- Everything in Subscriber
- Compare your employee benefits with your industry
- See what each job requirement costs, so you can reach more qualified people
- Who you could recruit: other jobs with similar skills, sized with local employment
Member, plus a named analyst, your brand on the output, and co-built work scoped with your team.
- Everything in Member
- Your Workforce Dashboard: every role you hire for on one page, with pay ranges, hiring competition, feeder roles, who lives near your site and the programs that train them
- Your Workforce Dashboard is ready on public data within 10 days of subscribing, and complete with licensed labor-market layers within 30 days.
- Pay comparison for a job, using Indianapolis-area wage data narrowed to your industry
Your Workforce Dashboard is ready on public data within 10 days of subscribing, and complete with licensed labor-market layers within 30 days.
Choose PremiumYour whole sector, self-serve.
- Everything in Member
- Your industry: employment, wages, job postings and where workers come from, for every role in your sector
- A quarterly sector brief written by the Alex team from your Industry Dashboard's data plus a short written read, delivered within 15 business days after each quarter ends. Add a question for the next one from your dashboard.
Multi-employer workspaces for sector initiatives.
- Everything in Premium, for every coalition member
- A shared workspace: joint training programs and shared recruiting analysis
- A log of the group's decisions, and help running the meetings
Ask questions about the local labor market in plain language, on top of your dashboards.
- 300 coached conversations per month across your team seat
- Answers grounded in county data with sources; points to the dashboards for the math
- Never a legal, compliance or hiring decision; it points you to the tools for the numbers
- Requires any paid employer plan; repriced independently as model costs move
That is the published price of one labor-market data seat per year (Lightcast, Chmura), before talent analytics or benchmarking are added; see the comparison below, where estimated vendor rates are marked. Member is $1,500 a year for Hamilton County employers, because the community already paid for the infrastructure underneath it.
What lands at each level: the full entitlement matrix
Every deliverable in Alex for Business, by plan. Coalition includes everything for every member organization.
| Deliverable | Subscriber (free) | Member | Industry | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan your workforce | ||||
| Plan for your key roles | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| County labor market at a glance | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Your industry: jobs, pay and hiring | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Your quarterly sector brief | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Your Workforce Dashboard | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Find and recruit | ||||
| Grow your recruiting pool | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Hire from overlooked talent pools | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Interview commitments | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Design the role | ||||
| What Should a Role Pay? | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Compare your employee benefits | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| See what each job requirement costs | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| What a role involves and pays | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Train and offset cost | ||||
| Estimate training costs and financial support | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| On-the-job training reimbursement | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Work Opportunity Tax Credit check | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Which Indiana tax credits combine | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Employer recognition programs | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Understand skills and place | ||||
| Pay premium by skill | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| What credentials and degrees pay here | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Community need by census tract | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Resources and IHC services | ||||
| Find hiring, training and incentive programs | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Consultation with a written brief | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Staffing review for hotels and restaurants | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Help choosing a site | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| A named analyst and custom data cuts | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Reports in your brand, plus data access | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Your own workforce portal | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| What Should This Nonprofit Role Pay? | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Workplace culture check | Included | Included | Included | Included |
Alex for Business vs the market: the full comparison
The closest commercial alternative for the same job, and what it costs.
| What you get | Market rate | Hamilton County | Outside the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local labor market data The county labor market at a glance (420 occupations, hiring and turnover) and industry dashboards with job postings, wages and where workers come from. Research and Planning |
$12,000/yr Lightcast Developer tier at Hamilton County's population band (published consortium rate card) | Free at Subscriber; Industry plan $3,000/yr 75% below | Free at Subscriber; Industry $4,000/yr Out-of-county rate adopted by the Board on August 11, 2026; enrollment starts with a conversation. |
| Hiring tax credits and training reimbursement Three calculators: the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit per hire, Indiana on-the-job training reimbursement, and which Indiana credits can be claimed together for a project. Workplace Excellence |
15 to 20% of your credit Commercial WOTC processors typically take a cut of every credit they file (estimated) | Free
100% off
Keep your whole credit. That is the point. |
Free |
| See what each job requirement costs Break any job post into its skills. See which requirements add to the pay you will need to offer, which cost little, and which you could drop to reach more qualified people. Workplace Excellence |
$6,000 to $20,000/yr LinkedIn Talent Insights (buyer-reported quotes) (estimated) | Member plan, $1,500/yr for the full toolkit 75%+ below | Member $2,000/yr |
| Who you could recruit Other jobs whose workers already have most of the skills your role needs, how many people hold them locally, and the one or two skills they would need to add. Full Employment |
$10,000 to $20,000/yr Workforce analytics platforms (Chmura JobsEQ class, estimated; vendor does not publish) (estimated) | Member plan, included included | Member $2,000/yr |
| Pay comparison for a job Indianapolis-area pay ranges for your roles, plus what the set of skills you ask for is linked to in pay. Market data only, never another employer's numbers. Workplace Excellence |
$12,000 to $20,000/yr Payscale MarketPay for employers under 500 employees (buyer-reported) (estimated) | Premium plan, $4,500/yr 60%+ below | Premium $6,000/yr |
| Inclusive-hiring credential (InvestAbility) A consumer-grade learning platform plus Bronze to Platinum recognition that makes your organization a destination employer for overlooked talent. Employer-level data only. Workplace Excellence |
Six-figure engagements Recognition-program design by communications firms, with no software (estimated) | Free
100% off
Grant-funded program deliverable for Hamilton County employers. |
Peer license $8,000 to $14,000/yr Approved by the Board on August 11, 2026; join the list and we scope the conversation with you. |
| Compare your employee benefits Your benefits compared with how often employers in your industry offer each one (national figures). A fuller confidential report is free to any Hamilton County employer through the consultation program. Workplace Excellence |
$5,000 to $15,000 Compensation and benefits consulting study (estimated) | Member plan, included included | Member $2,000/yr |
| Economic and fiscal impact analysis Jobs, earnings, output, property tax, and school impact for your expansion scenario, from the county's own input-output engine. Research and Planning |
$9,975/yr IMPLAN annual license (federal procurement record, FY26) | Free with an employer consultation 100% off | $8,500 per scenario Flat-rate card adopted by the Board on August 11, 2026. |
| Sites, buildings, and commercial real estate intelligence Alex Sites, the public inventory of marketed-available parcels and broker listings, on a map anyone can share. Parcel-level market data, TIF and tax context are the county and city portals' entitlement, built from the same public records. Research and Planning |
$5,000 to $12,000/yr CoStar single-market subscription (buyer-reported) (estimated) | Free (Alex Sites) 100% off | Free (Alex Sites); parcel-level access by conversation |
| Culture and performance diagnostics Research-grounded culture diagnostic, engagement measurement, and a performance operating system for first-time managers on up. Workplace Excellence |
$15/employee + five-figure consulting Gallup Q12 per-employee survey plus engagement consulting (published per-employee rate) | Scoped engagements from $2,000 | Scoped by the project formula: $300/hr, $2,500 minimum |
| Your own bespoke workforce portal An enterprise-grade build: talent availability in your real commute shed, wages, feeder roles, ZIP targeting, and a recruiting playbook, on your own domain, refreshed on cadence. Workplace Excellence |
$60,000 to $150,000+/yr Replicating this stack piecemeal at market rates, before consulting fees (estimated) | Scoped with your team | Custom engagement Approved statewide by the Board on August 11, 2026; scoped per engagement. |
| Hospitality staffing diagnostic The 24-question staffing diagnostic, recommendation engine, and bespoke ROI report built for hotels, restaurants, and venues with our tourism partners. Workplace Excellence |
$5,000 to $15,000 Hospitality operations consulting engagements (estimated) | Diagnostic included at Member; a bespoke ROI report is priced by the project formula: $175/hr, $1,500 minimum | Diagnostic included at Member, $2,000/yr; the ROI report is scoped per engagement |
| Site selection support Curated provider shortlists, full market analysis with Quality of Life scoring, and complete relocation onboarding for businesses moving to or expanding in Hamilton County. Research and Planning |
$25,000 to $65,000 Consulting-firm site-selection and market studies | Provider Match by the project formula ($175/hr, $1,500 minimum); market package $2,500; relocation package $5,000; ongoing partnership $12,000/yr 80%+ below | Scoped by the project formula: $300/hr, $2,500 minimum |
Alex for Non-profits
For my nonprofit
Founding pricing, held. Join now and your rate is locked for your first full year. See our terms.
The community picture, free: every census tract mapped and plainly read.
- The full tract navigator with the map: every census tract in the county mapped and explorable, 172 indicators across 16 categories
- Per tract: population, income, poverty, housing, education and commuting, plus health, lending, hazard risk and home values, compared to the county median with sources and vintages on every value
- Community indicator navigator: the quick-read table view of 54 core indicators, with printable tract profiles for grant narratives
- The grant-aligned evidence section and the foundation grant-history search, free
A working data partner for one organization.
- Everything in Community
- Grant-aligned data reports for your applications (two per year)
- Targeted funding scans matched to your programs
- One working session with the Alex team per year
Deep collaboration for organizations carrying big missions.
- Everything in Mission Member
- The grant-aligned evidence section returns every matching indicator for your service area, not the first four per theme
- A needs-assessment package for your service area
- Unlimited grant-aligned data reports
- Named analyst and priority turnaround
- Board-ready impact briefings, twice a year
- Alex for Business at Member level, for your own hiring
Narrative help grounded in your community data.
- 200 coached conversations per month
- Statements of need with sources your funders can check
- Private by design; never used for training
- Requires Mission Member or Impact Partner; priced separately from your base plan
Alex for Non-profits vs the market: the full comparison
The consultant line items this replaces.
| What you get | Market rate | Hamilton County | Outside the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community data for grant narratives Every census tract in the county mapped and explorable: population, income and poverty, housing, education and commuting per tract, plus health, lending, hazard risk and home values (172 indicators, 16 categories), compared to the county median, cited and vintage-stamped so funders can check the math, with printable tract profiles. Research and Planning |
$3,000 to $10,000/yr PolicyMap and comparable data-subscription seats (estimated) | Free 100% off | Free |
| Grant opportunity scans Search every open or forecasted federal grant notice whose published eligibility includes non-profits, with deadlines, award ranges and the agency's own category, at the Member tier. Quality of Life |
$2,148 to $10,788/yr Instrumentl subscription tiers (published) | Included in Mission Member, $1,350/yr annual up to 85% below | Mission Member $1,800/yr |
| Grant-aligned data reports A cited, funder-ready data report matched to your specific application. We produce the evidence; you and your grant writer tell the story. Quality of Life |
$1,000 to $8,000/proposal Grant consultant support per proposal (published fee guides) | Two per year included in Mission Member, no cap in Impact Partner; otherwise priced by the project formula: $175/hr, $1,500 minimum 75%+ below | Two per year in Mission Member, $1,800/yr; no cap in Impact Partner, $3,600/yr |
| Community needs assessment A full needs-assessment package for your service area: 20+ indicators, benchmarks, narrative, and visuals, built on the same warehouse the county plans with. Quality of Life |
$15,000 to $50,000 Consultant-led community needs assessment (published guide ranges) | Included in Impact Partner, $2,700/yr annual; standalone from $1,500 90% below | Impact Partner $3,600/yr; standalone by the project formula, $2,500 minimum |
| Primary research surveys Designed, deployed, analyzed, and written up, folded into your needs assessment or engagement. Research and Planning |
$10,000 to $25,000 Vendor-outsourced survey research per engagement (estimated) | Bundled in engagements included | Priced by the project formula: $300/hr, $2,500 minimum |
| Hiring and retention tools Non-profits are employers too. The WOTC check, the OJT estimator and the tax-credit stacker are free for your team. Impact Partner adds Alex for Business at Member level, including the benefits comparison. Workplace Excellence |
See Alex for Business Same tools, same market comparison | Free 100% off | Free |
| Funder and foundation intelligence For grantmakers: sector health reports, community needs assessments at portfolio scale, impact measurement frameworks, and an annual sector intelligence subscription. Research and Planning |
$25,000 to $65,000/study Consulting-firm sector studies for foundations | Sector reports from $2,500; annual intelligence $7,500/yr 80%+ below | Scoped by the project formula: $300/hr, $2,500 minimum |
We are a grant opportunity directory and evidence shop, not a grant-writing service. We produce the data and match you with local grant-writing professionals when you need one.
How joining works
Three steps, no surprises
Every audience has a real free tier, not a trial. Create an account, use the tools, keep them.
The rate card is adopted and checkout is open. Early members keep the founding figures on this page for their first full year.
Alex Plus is month to month: cancel in two clicks. Organizational plans are 12-month engagements, billed monthly or annually. When a tool has done its job we celebrate you out the door.
Questions
The honest answers
Who counts as "Hamilton County"?
Anyone who lives in the county, and any employer, non-profit, school, or unit of government that operates here. If that's you, you see the lowest price on every line, and residents never pay at all. Your community already invested in this infrastructure; local pricing is the return.
Why is this so much cheaper than the market rates listed?
Because we are not a vendor. Alex is built and run by Invest Hamilton County, the county's non-profit economic development organization, on data infrastructure the community already funds. Revenue covers costs and expands the mission; it does not have to return a margin to investors. Paid tiers widen the feature surface, never the truth: every tier gets the same data integrity.
When can I actually pay for a plan?
Now. The Board adopted the rate card on August 11, 2026, and checkout is open for Hamilton County plans: create a free account, then choose a plan from its card. Early members keep the founding pricing on this page for their first full year. Out-of-county plans still start with the waitlist and a conversation.
What if I change my mind after paying?
Alex Plus cancels any time and simply stops the next charge. Organizational plans carry a 30-day guarantee: cancel within 30 days of your first payment and everything you paid comes back. The full policy, including annual prepayments and wrong-rate corrections, is in the terms.
Is the free tier actually free, or a trial?
Actually free, indefinitely. Residents get the whole career journey free forever. Employers and non-profits get a real working first tier at no cost. Free-tier users are the mission, not a sales funnel.
What happens to my data?
Your career journey computes on your own device and syncs to your account only if you opt in. Employer inputs stay yours: comparisons use aggregate market data, never another employer's numbers. Nothing is sold, no ad networks, no tracking pixels, and you can erase your data in two clicks.
I'm outside Hamilton County. Can I use this?
Yes. Our Board approved out-of-county pricing on August 11, 2026. Peer communities, chambers, and organizations license the platform at rates that fund more of this work back home. Out-of-county enrollment starts with a conversation rather than self-serve checkout, so the waitlist above is the front of that line. Larger engagements are scoped directly with our team.
About these numbers
Founding pricing. Every plan starts with the same data integrity as the free tier; paid tiers widen the feature surface and add coached conversations, never a different truth. Coach conversations are private, never used for training, and always grounded in the same public data. Market rates were researched July 2026 from published rate cards, procurement records, and buyer-reported ranges; lines marked estimated reflect vendors who do not publish pricing. Comparisons describe the closest commercial alternative for the same job, not identical products. Our Board approved out-of-county pricing on August 11, 2026.