Pricing
Pay on placement. Well below classical agencies.
Three engagement models for different hiring patterns — plus flexible options for pipelines and pilots. 90-day replacement guarantee on every placement.
How much does Recruo cost?
Recruo's Standard plan is a success fee of 10–20% of first-year salary — typically 15%, confirmed before the search starts — paid only on placement, with no upfront fees and no retainer. For a £70,000 engineer at the typical rate that is £10,500, versus £15,400 with a UK contingency agency charging 22%. Hybrid trades a small upfront engagement fee — credited in full — for a reduced success fee; Fixed-Fee is a flat per-placement price quoted per region; Pay-Per-Candidate prices individual screened candidates at $300–800 (qualified) or $1,000–2,500 (interview-ready); Retained is a custom-quoted dedicated search billed in thirds. Every full-search placement — Standard, Hybrid, Fixed-Fee and Retained — carries a 90-day replacement guarantee.
| Model | Fee | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 10–20% of first-year salary — typically 15% | On placement only; no upfront fee |
| Hybrid | Upfront engagement fee credited in full against a reduced success fee | Part upfront, balance on placement |
| Fixed-Fee | Flat fee per placement, quoted per region | On placement |
| Pay-Per-Candidate | $300–800 qualified · $1,000–2,500 interview-ready | Per delivered candidate |
| Retained | Custom quote for dedicated executive search | 1/3 upfront · 1/3 at shortlist · 1/3 on placement |
| Pipeline-as-a-Service | Monthly retainer sized to role count and scope | Monthly |
Engagement models
Standard
Scale-ups hiring 3–10 engineers/year, mixed seniority.
10–20%
of first-year salary — typically 15%, paid only on placement
- Full 6-step flow
- Shortlist of 3–5 candidates per role
- AI CV screening + technical interview
- Human soft-skills interview
- 90-day replacement guarantee
- Run multiple roles in parallel
- AI Skills Validation (optional add-on)
Hybrid
Your first engagement with Recruo — we share the risk before you commit to a full mandate.
Upfront + fee
a small upfront engagement fee, credited 100% against a reduced success fee
- Same full 6-step flow as Standard
- Shortlist of 3–5 candidates per role
- Upfront credited in full on placement
- Reduced success fee vs Standard
- 90-day replacement guarantee
Retained
Urgent VP/Head/C-level roles where you need dedicated sourcing and the deepest possible validation.
Custom
1/3 up front, 1/3 at shortlist, 1/3 on placement
- Dedicated recruiter assigned
- Exclusive search + passive headhunting
- AI Skills Validation included
- Recruo Secure Browser included
- Weekly progress calls
- Executive reference checks
More ways to work with us
Fixed-Fee — a flat fee per placement, quoted for your region. Best for junior/mid roles or procurement-led buying.
Learn more →Pipeline-as-a-Service — a monthly retainer for teams running 3+ concurrent roles.
Learn more →Performance pilot — pay per delivered, screened candidate. Zero commitment.
Learn more →Fee & ROI estimator
≈15%
estimated success fee — about $10,500 on this role
Estimate — your exact rate is confirmed before the search starts. Never above 20%.
A classical agency at 22% would charge $15,400 — you save $4,900 (32%).
Every $1 in fees returns ~$2.4 in value on this role.
What the old way actually costs
Modelled on our realistic-scenario assumptions, in USD figures shown in your currency for illustration. Illustrative, not a quote.
Pilot-friendly: start with a single role
Most clients start with one open role to validate the flow before signing a multi-role mandate. No retainer, no upfront fees on Standard — you pay on placement, same 5-day shortlist, same guarantee.
90-day replacement guarantee
If your hire leaves or is let go in the first 90 days, we re-run the search at no cost. Included on Standard, Hybrid, Retained, and Fixed-Fee.
Cost of NOT hiring well
Now weigh the fee against a bad hire.
Most scale-ups find the bad-hire bill is 1.5–2× the engineer's annual salary — before any agency fee enters the math. Plug in your scenario.
Bad hire cost calculator
Edit the values below to see your number
Estimated true cost of this bad hire: £220,850, or 1.7 times the engineer's annual salary.
True cost of this bad hire
£220,850
That's 1.7× the engineer's annual salary — not 30% like the old SHRM rule.
Avoiding this is also cheaper on your time: hiring through Recruo takes 2–3 hours of your team's time per role, vs 15–25 hours screening agency CVs.
Not ready to talk? Get a real (redacted) shortlist PDF instead.
FAQ
Pricing questions, answered.
How does the success fee work?
You pay 10–20% of the first-year salary — typically 15% — only on placement; no upfront fees, no retainer on Standard. The exact rate reflects seniority, scarcity and region, and is confirmed before the search starts. Example: for a £70,000 engineer at our typical 15% rate, the fee is £10,500, versus £15,400 with a UK contingency agency charging 22%.
What does the Hybrid plan cover?
A small upfront engagement fee that is credited in full against a reduced success fee when you hire. You get the same full 6-step flow as Standard — AI CV screening, AI technical interview, and a human soft-skills interview — plus the 90-day replacement guarantee. Designed for first engagements.
When does the Retained plan make sense?
For urgent VP, Head, or C-level roles that need a dedicated recruiter, exclusive search with passive headhunting, and the deepest validation — AI Skills Validation, Recruo Secure Browser, executive reference checks, and weekly progress calls. Pricing is custom: 1/3 up front, 1/3 at shortlist, 1/3 on placement.
How does the 90-day replacement guarantee work?
If your hire leaves or is let go within the first 90 days, we re-run the search at no cost. The guarantee is included on every full-search model — Standard, Hybrid, Fixed-Fee and Retained; Standard also carries no upfront fees. Pay-Per-Candidate, as a screening-only tier, is not covered.
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Pay on placement
No upfront fee on the Standard plan
90-day guarantee
Free re-search if hire leaves
EU AI Act aligned
Aligned by design