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Simplify vs auto apply: autofill or a tool that submits

22 October 2026 · Plumly team

Simplify's free Copilot fills in a job application, and you review it and press submit yourself. An auto-apply tool finds the job, fills the form and submits it for you. Autofill saves typing but still needs you on every form. Auto-apply saves the whole visit, but you give up some control. Many people do well with both.

What Simplify does

Simplify is a Chrome extension and website for job seekers. Its homepage says Copilot "autofills job applications on 100,000+ company career sites in one click." The Chrome Web Store listing calls autofill "free forever" on ATS platforms like Workday, Lever and Greenhouse.

The flow is simple. You open an application page and press Autofill This Page. Then you review the form, make edits and submit it yourself. Simplify's help centre describes these steps. After you submit, Copilot can add the job to your tracker with the details filled in.

Simplify also does three other things well:

  • A job tracker. One dashboard for every application, interview and offer.
  • Curated lists. Hand-picked new-grad roles, internships and startup openings. Its Summer 2027 internships list on GitHub has about 48,000 stars. It is updated daily by Simplify and Pitt CSC.
  • Scale and trust. The Chrome Web Store shows 600,000 users and a 4.8 rating from 3,800 ratings.

For a student hunting internships, this is hard to beat. The lists find the roles, and the extension fills the forms for free.

Simplify+ and Autopilot

Simplify also has a paid tier. Simplify+ costs $19.99 a week, $39.99 a month or $89.99 for three months, and it renews automatically. It adds resume tailoring, cover letters, networking help and job analytics.

Simplify+ also includes Autopilot, which "completes and submits the application for you." It comes with 20 auto-applies a week. A credit is used only when an application goes through. Autopilot has no review step; if you want to check each field, Simplify points you back to Copilot. When Autopilot is not confident an answer is correct, it fails the application rather than guess. So Simplify itself now offers both models.

What auto-apply tools do

An auto-apply tool works through the whole application without you on the page. It finds jobs, fills each form from your profile and submits it. Tools differ a lot in where they apply and how careful they are.

Some, such as LazyApply, name LinkedIn and Indeed among the places they apply. LinkedIn's help page says it does not permit browser extensions or bots that "automate activity on LinkedIn's website." Members who use them "risk having their accounts restricted or shut down."

Others apply on employers' own career sites. JobCopilot, for example, says it "exclusively applies to verified jobs on official company career pages." That avoids your LinkedIn account entirely.

The other risk is quality. A tool that guesses at a salary or a visa question can send a wrong answer under your name. Look for one that asks you when it is unsure and shows you what it sent.

Simplify vs auto apply: the trade-offs

Simplify Copilot (autofill) Auto-apply tool
Time per application You open each page, check the fill, answer gaps and submit Little or none once set up; you answer the questions it cannot
Control Full: you see every field before it is sent Depends on the tool; some let you approve each job, some send on their own
Coverage Any supported career site you visit Only the systems the tool can submit on; others need you
Finding jobs You find them, or use Simplify's lists The tool finds and filters jobs for you
Cost Copilot is free; Simplify+ from $19.99 a week Usually paid, often by plan or per application
Risk Low: nothing is sent without you Wrong answers if the tool guesses; account risk if it automates LinkedIn
Best for Students, new grads, careful applicants, low budgets People applying widely, short on time, with a clear target

Neither column is better for everyone. The right choice depends on how many jobs you apply to and how much of your week they take.

Where the jobs are

Both approaches work best on employer systems, because that is where most roles are. Of the 357,810 open roles in Plumly's job index posted in the last 30 days, 51.7% sit on Workday. Greenhouse has 12.7%, SmartRecruiters 8.2%, Workable 5.7% and Ashby 5.6%. Another 9.4% are on companies' own sites.

Workday forms are long, and many ask you to create an account per employer. That is where autofill saves a lot of typing. It is also where an auto-apply tool saves the most of your time, if it supports Workday.

Who should use which

Use Simplify if:

  • You are a student or new graduate. The internship and new-grad lists alone are worth it.
  • You apply to a handful of roles a week and want to read each form.
  • You want to spend nothing. Copilot autofill and the tracker cost you no money.

Use an auto-apply tool if:

  • You apply widely and the forms take hours each week.
  • You have a clear target role, level and place, so matching can be trusted.
  • You want the tool to find new roles, not just fill forms you have found.

Use both if:

  • You want an auto-apply tool for the bulk of matched roles, and Simplify for the dream jobs you apply to by hand.
  • You apply on systems your auto-apply tool does not support. Simplify can fill those.

Using both is fine. They do different jobs. Just keep one tracker of record so you do not apply twice to the same role.

How Plumly fits

Plumly is an auto-apply tool that applies on the employer's own form. It finds new roles on company job boards and career sites. It ranks them against your resume, level and preferred places. It applies on Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, Workable, Teamtailor, Rippling, BreezyHR, Workday, Personio and Homerun. For other systems, it links you to the employer's page. It does not automate LinkedIn Easy Apply or any LinkedIn account.

Nothing is sent until you choose. "Hands off" applies to strong matches up to a daily limit you set, 10 by default and 25 at most. "In control" lets you review each job and press Apply.

Plumly never invents facts about you. Work authorization and sponsorship questions are answered from the countries where you said you can work. When it is not sure, it asks you. It keeps every answer and a picture of each submitted form. On Workday, it can create the job-site account with your own email.

Some employer systems are not supported yet, and some questions will need you. Plus costs $19 a month for 1,000 applications. You pay only for applications that are submitted.

Your first 25 applications are free, with no credit card required.

Try Plumly free

Prices and features checked on 18 October 2026.

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