The classic model: a recruiter finds people and takes a percentage of the first year salary when one is hired. It works. It is also the most expensive way to fill a role.
Contingency placement. The agency sources and screens, and on a successful hire invoices a percentage of first year salary, commonly in the fifteen to twenty five percent range.
You search a vetted network yourself and spend credits per profile. The fee has no relationship to what you pay the person, so hiring a stronger engineer does not cost you more to find.
Green means the row favours us, grey means it favours them or the two are level. Both appear below.
| Recruitment agencies | Talent Navigator | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee tied to salary | 15 to 25 percent of year one | No link to salary at all |
| Cost of a stronger candidate | Rises with their salary | Identical |
| See candidates before committing | CVs after a briefing call | Free open search, scores visible |
| Assessment evidence | Recruiter judgement | Proctored assessment and report |
| Time to first shortlist | Typically one to two weeks | 48 hours, or immediately if you search |
| Deep relationship in a niche market | Genuine strength | Network breadth instead |
| Headhunting a passive named target | Their core skill | Not what we do |
| Employ the hire abroad | Not offered | Our payroll, flat monthly fee |
A placement fee in the region of 13,500 to 22,500, invoiced on start date.
A subscription in the tens of dollars per month plus a credit to unlock the profile.
This is the single clearest cost gap on the site, and it is why the pricing page leads with it.
Custom candidate sourcing is included on the Enterprise plan, and you can always talk to us. It still is not billed as a percentage of salary.
Every placement carries a two week risk free trial.
Everything described about other companies comes from their own public pricing and product pages, and reflects what they published at the time of writing. Rates vary by role, seniority and region. Check their current terms before you decide, and tell us if anything here has gone out of date.
Searching is free and needs no account. Look at real scores on real engineers, then judge for yourself.