Finding a fully funded MSc, PhD or postdoctoral position can be like juggling a second full-time job.
Your computer likely has dozens of tabs open, spreadsheets that are becoming difficult to keep track of, and a lot of questions as to where to find the best positions.
If you're checking around right now, there will be two names that will likely catch your attention: ApplyKite and Academic Positions.
Both platforms are popular, but they serve very different purposes. Picking the right one depends on the type of help that you want.
In this guide, we’ll break down ApplyKite vs. Academic Positions to help you decide which tool fits your goals for 2025.
ApplyKite vs. Academic Positions: The Simple Answer
If you’re in a rush and just want the bottom line, here is the core difference:
Academic Positions is a traditional job board. It's great if you want to search a library of positions that have been posted publicly, especially if you're looking at universities in Europe. You search, click on a link, and then you take over the application yourself.
ApplyKite is an AI-powered assistant. It helps students find funded positions that may not be posted on standard job boards, such as opportunities posted on professors' social media. It also helps you to write emails, CVs and Statements of Purpose for each role.
Choose Academic Positions if: you prefer to browse a large public job database and do all the outreach and writing yourself.
Choose ApplyKite if: you want to discover hidden fully funded roles, match with professors with grant funding, and use AI to write your applications in no time.
Read more: ApplyKite vs FindAPhD
What is ApplyKite? An AI-Powered Companion for Your Application
ApplyKite is built to address the chaos of the application process. It is not just a place to read job ads; it acts more like a smart companion that walks with you through the journey.
The platform focuses heavily on finding fully funded positions. Instead of making you scroll through endless general listings, it's AI scans university websites, grant records, and even professors’ social media posts to find opportunities you might miss on a regular Google search.
ApplyKite does more than just find the openings; it helps you complete the application itself. It offers tools to help you craft personalised emails and tailor your CV to specific professors or projects. The goal is to help you achieve more with less effort, organizing your search so you don't feel stuck or frustrated.
Looking for fully funded?
Discover PhD, Master’s, and Postdoc positions tailored to your goals with ApplyKite’s smart AI tools.
What is AcademicPositions? A Global Career Network for Academics
Academic Positions is a well-established international career network that has been around since 2009. It functions primarily as a high-quality job board.
This platform allows universities and research institutes to post their vacancies, and it allows you to search through them using filters like country, field, and position type. It is particularly strong in the European market, with extensive listings from Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland) as well as Western Europe.
For students, it is a reliable resource to see what is officially open. You can view listings for PhDs, Postdocs, and even senior faculty roles.
If you are looking for a straightforward directory of what universities are publicly advertising right now, this is a solid place to look.
Read more: PhD Application Requirements
At a Glance: ApplyKite vs. Academic Positions Feature Comparison
To make your decision easier, let’s look at exactly what each platform offers side-by-side.
The Core Difference: A Job Library vs. a Personal AI Assistant
The simplest way to think of which tool you need is to consider how you want to search. One of the platforms is like a well-organised library, while the other is like a personal research assistant working for you.
Academic Positions: Your Digital Library for Public Job Advertisements
Academic Positions is a huge digital library of job ads. It is passive, meaning it waits for you to come and look through the shelves.
When you visit their site, you use keywords and filters to see what universities have officially posted. It is an excellent resource because the listings are high-quality and legitimate.
ApplyKite: Your Active AI Researcher for Funded Opportunities
ApplyKite works differently. Instead of just showing you a list, it acts as an active assistant that tries to find opportunities that fit you.
Because many fully funded PhD and Postdoc positions are not advertised on big job boards, ApplyKite’s AI goes hunting. It scans university websites, looks for professors who recently won grants, and even checks social media to find those "hidden" spots.
Once it finds a match, it doesn’t just show you the link. It stays with you to help do the work. If you need to email a professor, the system helps you write the email. If you need to track your progress, it saves it in your dashboard. It is designed to be an active partner in your search, rather than just a list of links.
Finding a Supervisor: ApplyKite or Academic Positions?
For many PhD and research-based Master’s applicants, finding a position isn't the goal; finding a supervisor is. You need a professor who shares your research interests and has the funding to take you on.
Why You Can't Just Search for Professors on Academic Positions
On traditional boards like Academic Positions, you are searching for a job title, not a person. You might find a listing for a "PhD in Chemistry," but you generally cannot search the database for "Professors who specialise in Green Energy and have active funding."
How ApplyKite's "Professor Search" Matches You with Active Supervisors
ApplyKite approaches this differently with its dedicated Supervisors service. Instead of just looking for open jobs, you can look for the right people.
The platform enables you to search for professors according to their research areas, recent publications and even active grants. The AI analyses their profiles to determine whether they are looking for candidates like you.
This is a game-changer for the research student. You get a curated list of professors that match your background, which means that you stop sending cold emails to random faculty members and start connecting with supervisors that are actually a good fit for your work.
The Application Process: Getting AI Help vs. Going It Alone
With Academic Positions, the platform puts you in touch with the job.
From there on, you're on your own when it comes to the cover letter, CV, SOP and everything else.
KiteAI, on the other hand, helps you create personalised application documents in seconds. It takes the CV data that you've uploaded and the specific information about the position or professor you're targeting and creates highly relevant materials.
Need a nice email to introduce yourself to a potential supervisor? KiteAI writes it. Need to change your CV summary to emphasise your skills for a particular project? It handles that too. It even assists in drafting your SOP so that you are able to sound professional and compelling without staring at a blank screen for hours.
Staying Organised: Is It Time to Ditch Your Excel Sheet?
If you've applied to more than one university at a time, you are familiar with the struggle of keeping track. Who did you email last week? Which deadline is coming up? Did that professor from the Netherlands ever reply?
Most students rely on a complicated Excel sheet or Google Sheet to keep track of their plans. You have columns for university names, links, email dates, and status updates. While it does work, it is manual, messy and easy to forget.
ApplyKite replaces that messy spreadsheet with its built-in Activity dashboard. This feature acts as your automatic application planner.
Whenever you find a position or professor you like, add them to your list. From there, you can track every step of your progress in one clean view. You can record when you sent an email, set reminders for when to follow up and update the status when you receive a reply.
The Verdict: Which Is Better, ApplyKite or Academic Positions?
What platform will you be booking on in 2025? The answer is entirely dependent on where you are in your career and what you are looking for.
You should use Academic Positions if you are looking for publicly listed, official vacancies, especially in Europe. It is ideal for senior researchers, lecturers, and faculty members looking for employment.
You should use ApplyKite if you are a student (MSc, PhD, or Postdoc) actively hunting for fully funded positions and supervisors. It is essential if you want AI support to write your emails, CVs, and SOPs, saving you time on every application.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which is better for finding a funded PhD: ApplyKite or Academic Positions?
Both are useful, but they work differently. The Academic Positions list official vacancies. ApplyKite specialises in finding funded positions and acts as an AI assistant throughout the application process.
Can I find funded Master's positions on ApplyKite and Academic Positions?
Yes, both platforms support Master's level searches. However, ApplyKite is particularly helpful for research-based Master's degrees because it connects you directly with potential supervisors.
Is ApplyKite free to use?
Yes, ApplyKite offers a free starter plan. It gives you access to fully funded positions published on university websites and includes a limited number of AI-personalised emails and documents to get you started. If you need unlimited access to hidden positions or unlimited AI writing tools, there are affordable Pro plans available.
What are the best ApplyKite alternatives?
If you are looking for alternatives, it depends on what feature you need. For job listings, Academic Positions, LinkedIn, and Euraxess are strong options. For finding professors, you might use Google Scholar manually. However, ApplyKite is currently unique in combining all these steps, search, professor matching, AI writing, and tracking into one single platform for students.
Does ApplyKite support all fields, like social sciences and engineering?
Yes. While some platforms focus heavily on STEM, ApplyKite covers all research-focused fields.
