Clera vs a recruiting agency
Both get paid only when you hire. An agency works your role from its own network. Clera introduces people who already said they want a startup, for 15% of base.
By the Clera team · Checked Oct 15, 2026 · 9 sources
Clera vs a recruiting agency, side by side
| Clera | A recruiting agency | |
|---|---|---|
| FeeKey difference | 15% of first-year base [1] | Median 20% of salary. Big firms list 30% to 35% before you negotiate [2] |
| Cost to hire a $150k engineerKey difference | $22,500 [1] | About $30,000 at the 20% median [2] |
| Bonus counted in the fee | No, base salary only [1] | Often yes. Many contracts count bonus as salary [3] |
| When you pay | In three parts, 30, 60 and 90 days after the start date [4] | Usually all at once, due 14 to 30 days after the offer or start [5] |
| Guarantee | 90 days: a free replacement search or a pro-rated credit [6] | Often 90 days, usually a replacement rather than a refund [7] |
| Where candidates come from | People who told Clera they want a startup, and said yes to your role [1] | The agency's own network, sourced for your role [8] |
Share your first role in a few minutes. You pay 15% of first-year base, and only when you hire.
Hire with CleraWho does the work
Goal: hire a senior backend engineer at a Series A startup in New York
Clera
2of 4 steps are yours
a recruiting agency
2of 4 steps are yours
With Clera
2of 4 steps are yours
You
Tell Clera the role and what a strong hire looks like.
Clera
Matches it against the 259,427 people it has talked to.
You
Pick who you want to meet. First matches usually land within 24 hours.
Clera
Introduces you, once the candidate says yes too.
With a recruiting agency
2of 4 steps are yours
You
Sign the agency's terms and brief the recruiter.
Agency
Sources and screens candidates from its network.
You
Interview the candidates it sends.
Agency
Invoices its fee, often about 20% of salary.
Questions people ask
Contingency agencies charge a median 20% of first-year salary, per Staffing Industry Analysts' 2021 survey. Big firms list 30% to 35% before you negotiate, and many count bonuses as salary. Retained search runs about 33%, paid whether or not you hire.
The fee percentage, base salary only, a 90-day guarantee paid as a refund rather than a replacement, the fee due at the start date rather than at offer, and how long you'd owe a fee for candidates they introduced.
Clera is paid like one: 15% of first-year base, only on a hire, with a 90-day guarantee. The difference is that candidates have already talked to Clera and said yes to your role before you meet them.
First matches usually land within 24 hours of sharing the role, per Clera's FAQ.
Sources
Checked Oct 15, 2026. Pricing and features change, so open the source before you decide.
- [1]Clera FAQ: 15% of first-year base, only when you hire · getclera.com
- [2]Staffing Industry Analysts: direct-hire fees (2021 survey) · staffingindustry.com
- [3]Robert Walters New York terms of business (July 2024) · robertwalters.us
- [4]Clera terms: fee paid in three installments at 30, 60 and 90 days · getclera.com
- [5]Reed employment agency terms of business (Apr 2025) · resources.reed.com
- [6]Clera terms: 90-day guarantee period · getclera.com
- [7]Top Echelon: recruiter guarantee survey (2019) · topechelon.com
- [8]SHRM: how contingency and retained search firms work · shrm.org
- [9]Robert Half fee schedule and guarantee (Jan 2026 contract) · app2.boardontrack.com
Ready to make your next hire?
Share your first role in a few minutes. You pay 15% of first-year base, and only when you hire.