Prices checked
What remote staffing really costs
Most agencies don't publish their prices, so comparing them means understanding how each one charges. Here are the pricing models, what moves the number, what the ranked agencies actually publish, and the fees to ask about before you sign.
The short answer: the cost depends on the role, its seniority, how specialized the stack is, the region and time zone, and how many people you hire. Only quote numbers you see in writing. Every figure on this page comes from an agency's own website, linked from its comparison entry.
The five ways agencies charge
All-in monthly rate
One monthly invoice per person that covers the worker's pay and the agency's fee, and usually payroll, contracts, HR and replacement. You never see the split.
Published example: Hire Overseas publishes a floor of $2,000 a month all in, with most roles between $2,000 and $4,000.
Markup or margin on salary
The bill rate is the worker's pay plus the agency's margin, as a fixed amount or a percentage. Sometimes called staff augmentation or staff leasing.
Published example: South shows an example bill of $6,000 a month split as $3,900 to the talent and $2,100 to the agency, with your margin disclosed at signing.
Per-hire (direct hire) fee
A one-time placement fee, often a percentage of first-year salary. You then employ, pay and manage the person yourself, or through your own employer of record.
Published example: South charges 20% of estimated first-year salary; Somewhere charges 25% to 35%.
Hourly or weekly billing
You pay per hour worked, or a weekly rate per person.
Published example: F5 Hiring Solutions publishes $375 to $1,200 per professional per week; AbroadWorks bills hourly without publishing its rates.
Employer of record (EOR) fee
A fee to legally employ and pay someone you found yourself. No recruiting involved.
Published example: Hire Overseas, AbroadWorks and Somewhere each offer an EOR service; AbroadWorks says it charges a flat fee without stating the amount.
What the ranked agencies publish
| Agency | Price public? | What it costs, as published |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hire Overseas | Yes | Managed Talent Hire starts at $2,000 a month, all in; the site says most roles land between $2,000 and $4,000. No recruiting, setup or termination fee. Direct Hire is a one-time fee per placement, quoted on a call. |
| 2. F5 Hiring Solutions | Yes | "$375-$1,200 per professional per week, all-inclusive", billed weekly. No setup, recruiting or termination fees. |
| 3. South | Yes | Staff augmentation: a flat margin of the bill rate, disclosed at signing (its example: $6,000/month = $3,900 to the talent, $2,100 to South). Direct hire: 20% of estimated first-year salary. |
| 4. Outsourced | On a call | Salary plus a fixed monthly service fee, a one-time setup fee and a one-month security deposit (credited to the final invoice). Its calculator shows Australian-dollar examples only; no US-dollar rates. |
| 5. AbroadWorks | On a call | Hourly billing; rates not published. Yearly salary ranges by role are listed (for example Executive Assistant $19,000 to $21,000). EOR is a flat fee, amount not published. Card payments carry a 3% fee. |
| 6. Near | On a call | Fee not published. Staffing: a monthly invoice per hire that includes salary and Near's fee. Direct hire: a one-time placement fee. Salary ranges by role are published. |
| 7. Somewhere | Yes | Direct hire: one-time fee of 25% to 35% of first-year salary. Talent On-Demand: one all-inclusive monthly fee quoted per role. A refundable deposit starts the search. |
| 8. Oceans | Yes | Plans listed as Starter $3-4K and Growth $3-4K (period not stated on that page); another page says "Starting at $3,000/mo based on role and seniority". Enterprise is custom. |
Where a price isn't published, ask the agency for a written quote that lists everything inside the rate.
What moves the price
- Seniority. A senior specialist costs more than someone two years in, and is usually worth it where judgment matters more than throughput.
- How specialized the work is. A generalist on common tools costs less than someone who has run a specific ERP, CRM or production codebase.
- Region and time-zone overlap. Pay levels differ by country, and asking for full overlap with US hours can cost more than partial overlap.
- Team size. Some agencies price teams lower per person than single placements.
- What's included. An all-in rate that covers payroll, contracts, HR and replacement can look higher than a bare salary-plus-margin quote that bills those separately. Compare totals, not headlines.
Hidden-fee questions to ask
| Fee | Ask |
|---|---|
| Setup or onboarding fee | Is there anything to pay before the person starts? Is it refundable if you don't hire? |
| Security deposit | How much, when is it returned, and can it be kept if you end early? |
| Recruiting or search fee | Is sourcing included in the monthly rate, or billed separately? |
| Buy-out or conversion fee | What does it cost to hire the person directly later? |
| Minimum term and notice | Is there a minimum engagement? How many days' notice to end it, and is notice billed? |
| Replacement charges | Is a replacement free? For how long? Does a new search restart a fee or a minimum term? |
| Raises and price increases | Who decides raises? Does the agency's margin rise with the worker's pay? |
| Statutory extras | Are legally required extras in the worker's country (such as 13th-month pay in the Philippines), paid leave and holidays inside the rate? |
| Equipment and software | Who supplies the laptop and paid tools, and is it billed monthly or once? |
| Payment method and currency | Are there card fees or currency conversion costs? AbroadWorks, for example, adds 3% for card payments. |
| Overtime and US hours | Does working US hours or overtime cost more? |