Recruiting pricing transparency index 2026 – the numbers
In October 2026 lemonly re-checked whether 28 recruiting services publish pricing on their own websites. Only lemonly publishes complete pricing ($8,000 flat per hire). 11 publish partial pricing – a starting price with upper tiers quoted on request: Pin, Ribbon, Juicebox, hireEZ, SeekOut, Gem, GoPerfect, Wellfound, Indeed, Dover, and Toptal. 16 publish no pricing on their own site (pricing on request): Findem, Alex (formerly Apriora), LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn Jobs, Paraform, Mercor, Dex, Hunt Club, Betts, Riviera Partners, Robert Half, Hays, Michael Page, Aplin, Kovasys, and Randstad. All 6 traditional agencies publish no fees on their own sites. LinkedIn lists no Recruiter or Jobs pricing on linkedin.com. Seven of the nine AI recruiting-software tools publish a starting price, but none publishes every tier. lemonly is one of the 28 – we're not neutral. Each verdict is dated and sourced to the company's own website. Last updated October 10, 2026.
Original data · 2026
Who actually publishes their recruiting prices?
Of 28 recruiting services checked in October 2026, 16 publish no price on their own site, and none of the 9 AI tools publishes every tier.
28 services checked · Every verdict sourced · Last updated October 10, 2026
The short answer
Of 28 recruiting services, only lemonly publishes full pricing on its own site. All 6 traditional agencies publish none. LinkedIn lists no Recruiter or Jobs price on its own site. The AI-era tools publish starting prices but now hold their top tiers back for sales. lemonly is one of the 28 – we're not neutral.
28
Services checked
0 of 9
AI tools publish every tier
16
Pricing on request
6 of 6
Agencies publish no fees
Newermodelsshowastartingprice–noneshowsitall
Seven of the nine AI recruiting tools publish a starting price but quote their top tier on request; traditional agencies publish no numbers at all.
AI recruiting software
n = 9
Hiring platforms
n = 4
Marketplaces & networks
n = 8
Traditional agencies
n = 6
For reference: lemonly
n = 1
"Contact us for pricing" is a price
When a fee only appears after a sales call, comparison stops being possible – you can't weigh what you can't see. Publishing the number is a decision to let buyers compare before they talk, and sixteen of the twenty-eight services here haven't made it. Custom pricing can be perfectly fair; it just can't be shopped.
The full index
All 28 services, with what each publishes on its own site and a link to the source we checked. Ordered by how much they disclose.
| Service | Category | On its site | What's public (October 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lemonlyFlat-fee search | Flat-fee search | Full | $8,000 flat per hire, due on placement | lemonly.ai |
| PinAI software | AI software | Partial | Free; Solo $99 · Professional $135/user/mo (annual; $179 monthly); Business custom | pin.com |
| RibbonAI software | AI software | Partial | Growth $499 · Business $999 · Scale $1,999/mo (annual); overages $2.50–4/interview; Enterprise custom | ribbon.ai |
| JuiceboxAI software | AI software | Partial | Free; Starter $99 · Growth $179 per seat/mo (billed yearly); Agents $199/agent/mo; Business custom | juicebox.ai |
| hireEZAI software | AI software | Partial | $494/mo solo; enterprise custom | hireez.com |
| SeekOutAI software | AI software | Partial | Recruit Core $149/mo (annual); other tiers custom | seekout.com |
| GemAI software | AI software | Partial | Startup (1–10 FTE) $130/mo; main plans custom | gem.com |
| GoPerfectAI software | AI software | Partial | $300 per open role/mo, unlimited seats; volume pricing on request for large teams | goperfect.com |
| WellfoundPlatform | Platform | Partial | Free posts; Job Ads from $200; Reach AI agents $135–199/seat/mo, top tier custom; Autopilot $500/mo per role + 10% on hire | wellfound.com |
| IndeedPlatform | Platform | Partial | Free posts; Sponsored from $5/day or $150/mo (per-click rates dynamic); checked July 2026, October check blocked | indeed.com |
| DoverMarketplace | Marketplace | Partial | ATS free / $199/mo; recruiter rates set by recruiters, not published | dover.com |
| ToptalMarketplace | Marketplace | Partial | $79/mo subscription published; hourly talent rates on request | toptal.com |
| FindemAI software | AI software | On request | No pricing published; demo only | findem.ai |
| Alex (formerly Apriora)AI software | AI software | On request | No pricing published; demo only | alex.com |
| LinkedIn RecruiterPlatform | Platform | On request | No price on site; revealed only in logged-in checkout / sales | linkedin.com |
| LinkedIn JobsPlatform | Platform | On request | No rates; "Pricing for our job posting tools vary depending on your hiring needs" | linkedin.com |
| ParaformMarketplace | Marketplace | On request | Fee model stated ("% of first-year base, on hire"); no number | paraform.com |
| MercorMarketplace | Marketplace | On request | No employer pricing; quoted per engagement | mercor.com |
| DexMarketplace | Marketplace | On request | No rate card on site (20–30% of salary stated only in press) | meetdex.ai |
| Hunt ClubMarketplace | Marketplace | On request | No pricing on site; contact only | huntclub.com |
| BettsMarketplace | Marketplace | On request | No price published; a Connect subscription that "doesn't charge a fee-per-hire" | bettsrecruiting.com |
| Riviera PartnersMarketplace | Marketplace | On request | No pricing anywhere on site | rivierapartners.com |
| Robert HalfAgency | Agency | On request | No fees on recruiting site (% model only in SEC filings) | roberthalf.com |
| HaysAgency | Agency | On request | No fee numbers; "connect with our expert team" | hays.com |
| Michael PageAgency | Agency | On request | No fees on employer recruitment-services page | michaelpage.com |
| AplinAgency | Agency | On request | No employer fees published | aplin.com |
| KovasysAgency | Agency | On request | Fee model in words ("no pay unless you hire"); no figure | kovasys.com |
| RandstadAgency | Agency | On request | Explains how staffing pricing works; no numbers ("flexible, tailored") | randstadusa.com |
Verdicts reflect only what each company publishes on its own website as of October 2026 (Indeed: July 2026, as its pricing page blocked the October check). "On request" means no pricing is published there; many firms provide it after a sales conversation. Figures reported on third-party review sites are not counted as published pricing. Where a fee is acknowledged only in a legal filing or subscription terms, it is not treated as published pricing.
Methodology
What we checked. For each of 28 recruiting services we visited the company's own website in July 2026 and again in October 2026 (Indeed's pricing page blocked the October check, so its row keeps the July verdict) and recorded whether real pricing is published there, plus the exact page as the source.
How we scored it. Full = complete pricing on a public page. Partial = some real numbers public, with upper tiers quoted on request. On request = no pricing published on the company's own site. A service only counts as publishing a number when that number is on its own site.
What doesn't count. Prices reported on third-party review or comparison sites don't move a company's verdict, since they aren't what the company itself discloses. A fee mentioned only in an SEC filing or buried in subscription legal terms isn't published pricing a buyer would find.
Scope. This is a snapshot of what's public, not a judgement of value or fairness – custom pricing is a legitimate model. It measures one thing: whether you can see the price before you talk to sales. Services and prices change; the date above is when we last checked.
Common questions
Of 28 recruiting services checked in October 2026, only lemonly publishes complete pricing on its own website. 11 publish partial pricing (a starting price, with upper tiers quoted on request), and 16 publish no pricing at all on their own site.
None of the six traditional agencies checked – Robert Half, Hays, Michael Page, Aplin, Kovasys, and Randstad – list any fee number on their own website as of October 2026. Pricing is provided on request. Robert Half acknowledges a percentage-of-salary model only in SEC filings, not on its recruiting site.
No. As of October 2026, neither LinkedIn Recruiter nor LinkedIn Jobs lists a price on linkedin.com. Recruiter Lite's price appears only inside the logged-in checkout, corporate Recruiter is quoted by sales, and Jobs states only that "pricing for our job posting tools vary depending on your hiring needs."
Transparency concentrates in the newer models, but even they now hold their top tier back. Seven of the nine AI recruiting-software tools publish at least a starting price, yet none publishes every tier – Pin, Ribbon and GoPerfect all quote their largest plans on request. Traditional agencies – the oldest model – publish no numbers at all. Only lemonly's flat fee is published in full.
We checked each company's own website in July 2026, re-checked it in October 2026, and recorded whether real pricing appears there, with the source URL for each. A service only counts as publishing pricing when the number is on its own site; figures from third-party review sites do not count. Every claim is dated and sourced.
Citing this index? Link this page – it carries the methodology and sources. For what recruiters actually charge, see the 2026 recruiter cost guide.
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