Cost calculator
What would you actually pay?
Traditional recruiters take a cut of your new hire's salary. lemonly charges one flat $8,000 fee, due only when you place someone. See the difference for your own hiring plan.
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How to use it
Three inputs – the comparison updates live as you adjust.
Number of roles
Salary
Traditional recruiter fee
Save$12,000
60% less than a traditional recruiter
lemonly
$8,000$8,000 flat
Traditional recruiter
$20,000$100,000 × 20%
One flat fee, whatever you're paying
$8,000 no matter the salary, paid only on successful placement. Try lemonly for yourself.
Book a demo →Why this works
- Predictable at any scale – the fee never scales with headcount plans or salary bands, so you can budget with certainty.
- Aligned incentives – a flat fee means there's no reason to push a higher offer just to earn a bigger commission.
- No contracts – stop any time, and every placement is backed by a 90-day satisfaction guarantee.
How recruiting agency fees work
Most recruiting agencies price a hire as a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary. Knowing how that percentage is charged makes the comparison above easy to read.
Contingency fee (most common)
Typically 15-25% of first-year base salary, invoiced only once the candidate accepts and starts – usually with a short rebate window if they leave early. On a $100,000 hire that comes to $15,000-25,000.
Retained search
The same kind of percentage, but paid in instalments up front regardless of outcome. Common for senior and executive roles.
Why the percentage matters
Because the fee is a share of salary, it rises with every offer – a higher salary means a bigger fee. lemonly replaces the percentage with one flat $8,000, due only when you place someone, so the cost is the same whether the role pays $80,000 or $200,000.
What you'd pay at a few common salaries
A traditional agency fee of 15-25% versus lemonly's flat $8,000, on the same hire. The flat fee doesn't move with salary, so the savings grow as the salary rises.
| Hire salary | Traditional agency (15-25%) | lemonly | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| $80,000 | $12,000 - $20,000 | $8,000 | $4,000 - $12,000 |
| $100,000 | $15,000 - $25,000 | $8,000 | $7,000 - $17,000 |
| $150,000 | $22,500 - $37,500 | $8,000 | $14,500 - $29,500 |
Agency figures use the standard 15-25% contingency range. lemonly is a flat $8,000 per hire, due only on placement.
FAQ
Recruiting cost, answered
Most recruiting agencies charge a contingency fee of 15-25% of the hire's first-year base salary, due when the candidate starts. On a $100,000 hire that is $15,000-25,000, and it scales up with every salary band. lemonly charges one flat $8,000 placement fee instead, the same on every hire.
A contingency fee is only paid if the agency places a candidate you hire, and is charged as a percentage of first-year salary. A retained search charges the same kind of percentage but is paid in instalments up front, regardless of whether a hire is made. lemonly's $8,000 fee is closer to contingency - you only pay when you place someone - but it is a flat amount, not a percentage.
With a contingency agency the fee is typically invoiced once the candidate accepts and starts, often with a short rebate window if they leave early. Retained fees are paid up front in stages. lemonly's flat $8,000 is due only when you place someone, and it is backed by a 90-day satisfaction guarantee.
Almost always, and the gap widens as salaries rise. A flat $8,000 fee does not change when the salary goes up, while a 15-25% agency fee does. On a $150,000 hire an agency's cut is $22,500-37,500 versus lemonly's flat $8,000 - roughly a third of the cost on the same hire.
One flat $8,000 placement fee per hire, due only when you place someone. There is no percentage of salary, no retainer, no contract, and every placement is backed by a 90-day satisfaction guarantee. Hiring for several roles is $8,000 each, with no volume or salary scaling.
No. lemonly is a single flat $8,000 fee per placement. It does not scale with the salary you offer or the number of candidates assessed, and there are no retainers or upfront charges to run a search.
Predictable cost. Aligned incentives.
$8,000 per hire, only when you place someone. 90-day satisfaction guarantee. Cancel any time.