By Bestwin Recruiting
If you hire a handful of people a year, the way you pay for recruiting matters as much as who does the recruiting. Traditional agencies charge a percentage of each hire’s salary. A fractional or embedded recruiter works for a monthly rate. This guide compares the two with real numbers, so you can see which model costs less for your hiring plan.
The short answer
Agencies commonly charge 15–25% of a new hire’s first-year salary, paid per placement. A fractional recruiter is paid for time, not placements. At Bestwin, a Fractional Recruiter costs $1,800 per month (20–25 hours a week) and an Embedded Recruiter costs $3,000 per month (40–50 hours a week). There is no percentage-based placement fee.
For a company making several hires a year, the monthly model is usually cheaper and easier to predict. For a single, urgent, senior hire, an agency can still make sense.
How agency fees work
Most agencies work on contingency: you pay only if you hire the candidate they present, and the fee is a percentage of the salary. That means the cost rises with the salary, and every hire is a separate invoice.
On a $90,000 role, a 20% fee is $18,000. On a $120,000 role, the same 20% is $24,000. Hire five people at $90,000 and the total is $90,000, before any replacement searches.
How fractional and embedded recruiting work
A fractional recruiter joins your team part-time and works on your priority roles week after week. An embedded recruiter works full-time inside your hiring process and owns the pipeline from intake to offer. Both work in your ATS and communication channels, and both are billed monthly.
Fractional Recruiter | Embedded Recruiter | |
|---|---|---|
Monthly rate | $1,800 | $3,000 |
Time | 20–25 hours a week | 40–50 hours a week |
Best for | A focused number of open roles | Steady hiring owned end to end |
Placement fee | None | None |
Larger or multi-team hiring plans are quoted individually as an Embedded Recruiting Team.
A worked example
Say you plan to hire five people over a year at an average salary of $90,000.
Model | How it is priced | Approximate 12-month cost |
|---|---|---|
Agency (20% fee) | $18,000 per hire × 5 | $90,000 |
Fractional Recruiter | $1,800 × 12 months | $21,600 |
Embedded Recruiter | $3,000 × 12 months | $36,000 |
This is an illustration, not a guarantee. A monthly rate buys recruiting capacity rather than a fixed number of hires, so how many roles get filled depends on the roles, the market and how quickly your team gives feedback. The point is that the cost stays flat while the agency model scales with every hire and every salary.
When an agency is still the better choice
A monthly model is not always the right answer. An agency may fit better if:
You have one urgent, senior or confidential search and no ongoing hiring.
You want to pay nothing unless a hire is made.
You need a placement guarantee written into the contract.
If instead your hiring is steady, uneven or spread across several roles, paying for capacity is usually the better value.
When a fractional or embedded recruiter makes sense
Your hiring is uneven. You can scale capacity up for a hiring push and down when it ends.
Your HR team is stretched. Sourcing, screening and scheduling move to a dedicated recruiter.
You need specialist sourcing in areas such as technical, healthcare, infrastructure or executive roles.
Agency fees are adding up. A predictable monthly rate is easier to budget.
You are entering a new market and want local talent without building a recruiting team first.
What clients have said
One client reported hiring 19 cleaners across five cities in three months with two Fractional Recruiters. Another said seven positions were filled within a month. These are individual client experiences, and results depend on the role and market.
How to choose
Start with how many roles you expect to fill and how steady the demand is. If you have a few open roles and want help on the priority ones, a Fractional Recruiter is the natural starting point. If recruiting is a constant workload, an Embedded Recruiter owns it end to end. If you are hiring across several teams or countries, ask for a team quote.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fractional recruiter cost?
At Bestwin, a Fractional Recruiter is $1,800 per month for 20–25 hours a week. Other providers price by the hour or on larger retainers, so compare the hours and scope included, not just the headline number.
Is a fractional recruiter cheaper than a recruiting agency?
For steady or multi-role hiring, usually yes, because you pay a flat monthly rate instead of a percentage of each salary. For a single urgent search, the comparison can go the other way.
What is the difference between a fractional and an embedded recruiter?
A fractional recruiter works part-time on your priority roles. An embedded recruiter works full-time inside your team and carries the whole recruiting workload.
Do you charge a placement fee?
No. Fractional and Embedded engagements run month to month with no percentage-based placement fee.
Can I scale the engagement up or down?
Yes. Engagements are month to month, so you can increase, reduce or change capacity as your hiring plan changes.
Get a plan for your hiring
Tell us what you are hiring, where, and how many roles. We will recommend the model that fits and quote a team engagement if you need one. See pricing or explore on-demand recruiters.
