Two fundamentally different pricing models – plus the side costs nobody likes to mention.
Fee per head · or flat fee per month
Comparing "which is cheaper" misleads as long as you can't see what you're paying for.
from €5,000
per placement – payable only once a hire actually happens.
€490 / month
Introductory price, regular €690. Start from €0.
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | One active job ad, browse candidate profiles, read applications, basic messaging |
| Professional | €490 / month introductory price, regular €690 |
Unlimited job ads, full database access incl. contact details, messaging, interview scheduling, pipeline |
| Professional – additional user | +€390 / month regular €590 |
Per additional team member |
| Agency (coming soon) | €2,000 / month regular €2,800 |
Everything in Professional plus multi-client workspaces, bulk handling, priority support |
All prices exclude VAT. Billing is monthly or annual; the annual plan includes two free months. The introductory price remains in place for existing subscriptions as long as the subscription stays active – after the promotion ends, new customers pay the regular price.
As of July 2026. The authoritative source is the current price list at CandidateForce.The platform charges a flat monthly fee, the agency charges per placement. That's the whole difference – and it turns on one line item that appears on neither invoice.
The flat fee looks unbeatable – but only if you already have the labour in-house. Screening, interviews, visa applications and deadline tracking for several people realistically tie up staff time. If you have that time, the platform is clearly cheaper. If you don't, you pay for it anyway – just internally, and less predictably. That is exactly where full service pays for itself.
Whichever route you choose, some costs are billed by neither the agency nor the platform – but belong in the budget.
Fees for the visa and the residence title, depending on the procedure.
Where a recognised qualification is required, costs arise for assessment and translation of documents.
Travel, first accommodation and support with local authority appointments.
For workers over 45, the procedure prescribes a minimum salary – which shapes your staff-cost frame.
If the worker is older than 45 and you are obtaining an approval from the Federal Employment Agency for the first time, the person must receive a gross annual salary of at least 55 per cent of the annual contribution assessment ceiling in the statutory pension insurance – €55,770 in 2026. Alternatively, proof of adequate pension provision suffices. Since the ceiling is adjusted annually, this amount changes every year.
Source: Federal Employment Agency. 2026 figure, as of July 2026 – please verify before applying. Not legal advice.On the German market the success fee starts at €5,000 per placement. The exact amount depends on the profile, the conditions and the chosen presentation format, and is set out in the individual offer. Billing is success-based: as long as no placement happens, no costs arise. For other target markets we quote on request.
The Free plan costs €0 and includes one active job ad. Professional costs €490 per month as an introductory price instead of the regular €690; each additional user €390 instead of €590. The Agency plan is announced at €2,000 per month. Annual billing includes two free months. All prices exclude VAT.
With your own recruiting capacity, yes. The platform charges a flat monthly fee regardless of the number of hires – cost per head falls with every additional person. The agency charges per placement. Without your own recruiting team, however, the maths is incomplete: then you have to price in the internal workload for screening, interviews and visa applications – and at several roles that is substantial.
Depending on the case: fees for the visa and the residence title, recognition of qualifications where required, travel, and support with housing and integration. For workers over 45 a salary threshold applies on top, which shapes your staff-cost frame.
"What does it cost to hire staff from abroad?" has no single number as an answer, because two very different models coexist. Full-service placement charges success-based from €5,000 per placement: you carry no risk, but you pay per head. The recruiting platform costs a flat monthly fee and is usable from €0; you pay regardless of the number of hires – and do the work yourself.
A serious comparison therefore has to include a third item that appears on no invoice: your own staff time. Screening, interviews, visa applications and deadline tracking cost working hours whether you account for them or not. Companies with their own recruiting team have that capacity – for them the platform is clearly cheaper at multiple hires. Companies without HR capacity buy exactly that missing item with full service.
On top come the procedural costs: visa fees, recognition where needed, travel and arrival – and for workers over 45 a statutory salary threshold. The German procedure is covered on the Western Balkans Regulation page; which route is cheaper in your situation is answered by the calculator.
