Subscription
$6,400 to $9,600All-in per engineer per month, under one B2B contract
Shortlist in 47 hours after you confirm the role
- No placement fee
- 1-week trial
- Lifetime replacement
- 160 hours a month minimum
- Payroll
- Contracts
- Compliance
- PTO
Pricing: Two ways to hire developers
Hire engineers on a monthly subscription, or as permanent employees through Direct Hire. The calculator below shows what your team would cost each way, next to a recruitment agency's fees.
No cost until you hire
Direct Hire
From 12%Of the engineer's annual salary, a one-time fee paid on start date
First vetted candidates in 5 workdays
- $2,000 minimum fee
- Free replacement within 60 days
- No exclusivity
- Your own interview process
- Your payroll
- Your contract
Team cost calculator: What would your team cost in the first year?
Choose how many engineers you need in each role and what a full-time hire would earn in your market. The table compares a recruitment agency, Direct Hire and a subscription for the same team, with the employer costs that come with a full-time hire.
Your team: 2 engineers (1 Backend, 1 Frontend). First year with all five typical employer costs: recruitment agency $397.4k - 407.8k, Direct Hire $380,880, subscription $180,480 all-in. Compared with an agency, you save $217k - 227.3k on subscription and $16.6k - 26.9k with Direct Hire.
| Cost and terms | Recruitment agency | Wild.Codes Direct Hire | Wild.Codes Subscription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiring fee for this team | $41.4k - 51.8k20-25% of annual salary per hire | $24,84012% of annual salary, $2,000 minimum per hire, paid on start date | $0No placement fee |
| First-year cost for this team | $397.4k - 407.8kSalaries, employer costs and the agency fee | $380,880Salaries, employer costs and the Direct Hire fee | $180,480Typical monthly rates for 12 months, all-in |
| You save in the first year | The baseline: savings are counted against an agency hire | $16.6k - 26.9kA lower one-time hiring fee than an agency | $217k - 227.3k$18.1k - 18.9k a month, compared with an agency |
| Payroll, contracts and compliance | You run them | You run them: your payroll, your contract | Wild.Codes runs them, PTO included |
| Replacement guarantee | Usually 60 days | One free replacement within 60 days from the start date | Lifetime replacement |
| Trial | No trial. First candidates usually within 2 weeks | Optional: 90 days on a Wild.Codes contract, then the standard 12% when you convert | 1-week trial |
| What you see before your own interview | CVs | Recorded technical interviews on the shortlist | Recorded technical interviews, and a monthly rate on each match |
| First candidates | Varies | First vetted candidates within 5 workdays | Shortlist within 47 hours after you confirm the role |
| Upfront payment and exclusivity | Usually yes | No upfront payment and no exclusivity | Nothing to pay before the engineer starts |
Agency and Direct Hire figures are salaries, the employer costs ticked above and the hiring fee. The subscription figure is all-in: payroll, contracts, compliance and PTO are included, with no bonus, equity or benefits on top.
Default salaries assume a full-time engineer earns about 15% more in a year than the role's typical subscription rate, so change them to match your market. The agency fee is the common 20-25% of annual salary.
See your matches 
See engineers who are free today, with a monthly rate on each
Questions about pricing
How does billing work?
Subscription is billed monthly per engineer. The rate is $6,400 to $9,600 a month, with a 160-hour monthly minimum, under one B2B contract with Wild.Codes. Direct Hire is a one-time fee from 12% of the engineer's annual salary, with a $2,000 minimum, and the engineer joins your own payroll.
What does all-in mean on subscription?
The monthly rate is the whole cost of the engineer to you. Wild.Codes handles payroll, contracts, compliance and PTO under one B2B contract, and nothing is added on top. The rate appears on the match card before you decide.
How much do recruitment agencies charge?
Recruitment agencies commonly charge 20-25% of the engineer's annual salary for each hire, and often ask for an upfront payment or exclusivity. Direct Hire is from 12% of annual salary, with a $2,000 minimum, no retainer and no exclusivity. Subscription has no placement fee.
What is a placement fee, and do you charge one?
A placement fee is a one-time charge for an engineer you hire. Subscription has none: you pay the monthly rate and nothing else. Direct Hire has a one-time fee from 12% of the engineer's annual salary, with a $2,000 minimum, paid on the engineer's start date. There is no fee for a candidate already in your own pipeline.
When is the Direct Hire fee paid?
On the engineer's start date, not when the offer is accepted. The fee is from 12% of annual salary, with a $2,000 minimum per hire. There is no upfront payment and no exclusivity.
What if an engineer does not work out?
On subscription, the first week is a trial, and lifetime replacement covers an engineer who does not work out. With Direct Hire, you get one free replacement within 60 days from the start date.
Can I try an engineer before hiring them permanently?
Yes. Subscription starts with a 1-week trial. Direct Hire has an optional contract-to-hire route: the engineer works for 90 days on a Wild.Codes contract, and the standard 12% fee applies when you convert them to your payroll.
What does the first-year cost include?
For a recruitment agency and Direct Hire, the calculator adds up the salaries you enter, the employer costs you leave ticked (bonus, equity, benefits, paid time off and payroll taxes) and the one-time hiring fee. For subscription, it counts twelve months of the typical monthly rate for each role, all-in, because payroll, contracts, compliance and PTO are included.
Are there hidden costs?
Seeing matches, confirming the role, the full search and the interviews cost nothing. You pay only when you hire, which means when the engineer starts. On subscription, the monthly rate already covers payroll, contracts, compliance and PTO. With Direct Hire the engineer is your employee, so the salary and your usual employer costs are yours, as with any hire.
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