Pay-per-hire vs. flat-fee recruiting: which costs less?
Paying only when someone's hired sounds risk-free. But for roles you fill every month, the per-hire model charges you more the better it works. Here's how pay-per-hire compares with a flat monthly fee — and the point where one beats the other.
| Pay-per-hire firm | RepFlux | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | A fee per placement (often plus a setup fee) | One flat monthly fee |
| As you hire more | Bill grows with every hire | Same fee, lower cost per hire |
| Incentive | Get placements counted | Keep your pipeline full every month |
| Show rates | Usually not their problem | Reminders, confirmations, and rebooking handled |
| Replacements | Often a guarantee window, then a new fee | No new fee — the pipeline keeps running |
| Budgeting | Varies month to month | Predictable |
When a pay-per-hire firm is the better fit
- You hire only a few people a year and want to pay nothing in slow months.
- You're testing a brand-new market and aren't sure you'll hire at all.
When RepFlux is the better fit
- You hire several reps or canvassers a month, or need to ramp up for storm or peak season.
- You want a predictable recruiting budget.
- You care about show rates and quality, not just placement counts.
Where flat-fee wins
If a per-placement firm charges around $1,500 per hire, five hires a month is $7,500 and ten is $15,000 — before any setup fees. A flat monthly fee doesn't change with volume, so once you're hiring a handful of people a month, flat-fee usually costs less per hire, and the gap widens every hire after that.
Run your own numbers in the cost-per-hire calculator →How it works
From job post to booked interview — automatically
We flood the top of your funnel
Your roles go live with conversion-tuned apply pages we run for you — built to turn job-board and ad traffic into completed applications in under two minutes.
Every applicant reviewed — AI insight, human judgment
The moment an application lands, it's reviewed and benchmarked against your role's criteria and hard requirements — and your RepFlux team applies real human judgment on top. Nothing sits unread, and nobody reaches your calendar on an algorithm's word alone.
Qualified candidates book themselves
Candidates who clear the bar pick an interview slot on the spot — straight onto your Google Calendar, solo or panel. Automated SMS and email follow-up chases anyone who stalls, and rebooks no-shows.
Questions, answered
Is pay-per-hire recruiting cheaper?+
For a few hires a year, often yes. For roles you fill every month — canvassers, setters, sales reps — a flat monthly fee usually wins, because per-hire costs grow with every hire while a flat fee stays the same.
What does a flat-fee recruiting service include?+
With RepFlux: job posting across multiple job boards, screening to your criteria, instant scheduling onto your calendar, text and email follow-up, no-show rebooking, and a live dashboard. Job-board spend is billed at cost.
What if I hire fewer people one month?+
Your fee stays the same, which is why flat-fee fits teams with steady, ongoing hiring needs. If you only hire occasionally, pay-per-hire may suit you better.
How do I compare my options?+
Try the cost-per-hire calculator to see what an agency, a pay-per-hire firm, and doing it yourself cost at your volume.
More comparisons
See how RepFlux would work for your team
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