This is every agency on Best Recruitment Agencies in one ranked list, across offshore, domestic, tech and executive hiring. Each is scored on the same six criteria, and each score links to the page where the agency states it, so you can check it yourself.
A high score means the agency publishes what you need to judge it before you sign: price, vetting, speed, replacement, compliance and contract terms. It does not mean every agency suits every hire. Read who each one suits, then use the ranking by hiring need below the list.
Overall ranking
Agency
Best for
Fee transparency
Vetting depth
Speed
Replacement terms
Compliance support
Contract flexibility
Score
Cost (public)
Hire Overseas
Offshore
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12/12
From $2,000/month all in; most roles $2,000–$4,000/month. $0 to recruit.
Somewhere
Offshore
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9/12
Direct Hire: one-time % of first-year salary (rate not published). Talent On-Demand: custom monthly fee.
Wing Assistant
Offshore
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9/12
Flat monthly fee by hours and specialization (not published). $35/month card fee, waived for ACH.
Toptal
Tech, Offshore
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8/12
$79/month subscription once matching starts; hourly talent rates not published.
Athyna
Offshore, Tech
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6/12
Not published. Its site states no upfront fees and no retainers; ask for a quote.
Insight Global
Domestic
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6/12
Not published. Ask for the markup on contract staff and the fee on direct hire.
Adecco
Domestic
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5/12
Not published. Ask for the bill rate and markup on temps.
Robert Half
Domestic
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3/12
Not published. Ask for the contract markup and the full-time placement fee.
Randstad
Domestic
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2/12
Not published. Ask for the bill rate, markup and conversion fee.
Russell Reynolds Associates
Executive
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2/12
Not published. Retained search is usually billed in stages; ask for the fee basis and the stage dates.
Kforce
Tech
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1/12
Not published. Ask for the markup and the conversion fee.
Korn Ferry
Executive
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1/12
Not published. Ask for the fee basis, stages and what happens if the search fails.
Spencer Stuart
Executive
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1/12
Not published. Ask for the fee basis and the stage dates.
Heidrick & Struggles
Executive
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0/12
Not published. Ask for the retainer, the stages and the exit terms.
Egon Zehnder
Executive
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0/12
Not published. Ask for the fee basis and the stage dates.
● Stated publicly (2) · ◐ Partly public (1) · ○ Not published (0)
Offshore headhunter and managed HR for US companies
12/12
Verdict: The first call for a US company hiring full-time overseas: the price is public and everything after the hire is included.
Suits
US companies hiring full-time overseas contractors (admin, marketing, engineering and data, director level) who want one monthly rate that covers pay, payroll, contracts, HR and replacement.
Not for
Roles that must be on-site in the US, need US work authorization or must be W-2 employees: use a domestic recruiter for those.
Published price: from $2,000 a month all in, most roles $2,000 to $4,000
No recruiting fee, no setup fee, month to month, cancel anytime
Contracts, local-currency payroll, HR check-ins and replacement included
14-day money-back guarantee and a replacement policy with no end date
Limits
Recruits mostly in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa: plan for time-zone overlap
The final rate is quoted on a call once tools and hours are known
A one-time Direct Hire option exists; its fee is not published
When a domestic recruiter is the better choice: the role is on-site in the US, needs a US work permit or security clearance, or has to be a W-2 employee on your own payroll.
How it scored on each criterion
●Fee transparency: Starts at $2,000/month all in, with what the rate covers listed line by line. hireoverseas.com/pricing
●Vetting depth: Discovery call, headhunt, shortlist, then you interview. Says it hires under 1% of applicants (its own figure). hireoverseas.com/pricing
○Vetting depth: Assessment process not described on the search page.
○Speed: No timeline published.
○Replacement terms: No guarantee published.
○Compliance support: Placement only; employment is yours.
○Contract flexibility: No terms published.
Best for offshore and global hiring
12/12
Hire OverseasThe first call for a US company hiring full-time overseas: the price is public and everything after the hire is included.
9/12
SomewhereA solid choice if you want the option of a one-time fee; ask for the percentage before paying the deposit.
9/12
Wing AssistantGood for a fast virtual assistant; not built for hiring specialists or a full offshore team.
8/12
ToptalThe fastest route to a vetted senior freelancer; ask for the hourly rate in writing before the trial.
6/12
AthynaWorth a call for Latin American time zones; get the replacement terms in writing first.
Best for domestic and temporary staffing
6/12
Insight GlobalThe strongest published terms among large US staffing firms; still ask for the markup in writing.
5/12
AdeccoA dependable option for temporary and volume hiring; compare its markup against two others.
3/12
Robert HalfA broad, well-known option for US professional roles; you will need to ask for every term.
2/12
RandstadFits large or volume programs; a small team will get clearer terms elsewhere.
Best for tech and specialist roles
8/12
ToptalThe fastest route to a vetted senior freelancer; ask for the hourly rate in writing before the trial.
6/12
AthynaWorth a call for Latin American time zones; get the replacement terms in writing first.
1/12
KforceA specialist option for US tech and finance roles; every term has to be asked for.
Best for executive search
2/12
Russell Reynolds AssociatesThe retained firm that tells you most about its timeline; ask for everything else in the engagement letter.
1/12
Korn FerryStrong when you want assessment behind a senior hire; terms are all negotiated.
1/12
Spencer StuartA natural shortlist name for CEO and board-level searches; compare its engagement terms with one other firm.
0/12
Heidrick & StrugglesFine if you want one firm on the search; agree exit terms before you sign an exclusive.
0/12
Egon ZehnderWorth a conversation for senior searches paired with advisory; nothing here can be checked before you engage.
The six criteria every agency is scored on
Each criterion scores 2 when the agency states it publicly, 1 when it is partly public and 0 when it is not published: 12 is the most an agency can score. Every score links to the page it comes from.
Fee transparency
Is the price, or at least how it is worked out, published before you talk to sales?
Vetting depth
Does the agency say how it screens candidates, step by step?
Speed
Does the agency state how long a shortlist or a hire takes?
Replacement terms
If the hire leaves or doesn't work out, what happens and for how long?
Compliance support
Does the agency handle contracts, payroll and local law, or is that on you?
Contract flexibility
Can you start, scale or stop without a long commitment or an exit fee?