Uplink costs up to 75% less
than traditional staffing agencies.
Our project-based pricing saves clients up to 75% compared to staffing agencies that charge placement fees for each hire. See for yourself.
Staffing agencies RPO's Retained search
Placement fee no yes varies yes
Cost per hire 9% 25-40% 17-25% 40-50%
Long-term contract? no no yes varies
Retainer requirement never varies varies yes
Avg. days to fill jobs* 27 days 38 days 41 days 57 days
Placement guarantee** yes no no no
A better way to hire, built for startups
For years, your choices were limited: hire a full-time recruiter, bring on a contractor, use a staffing agency, or outsource to an RPO. Since 2016, Uplink has provided high-growth teams with a fifth option: on-demand, embedded recruiting that delivers speed in hiring, quality candidates, and cost control without lengthy commitments. Here's why teams switch to Uplink:
Faster time-to-fill
Uplink averages ~27 days to fill software and related roles. That's substantially faster than RPOs (~35 days), retained search (~41 days), and many traditional agencies (~57 days).
Lower cost per hire
Uplink’s modeled cost per hire of ~9% undercuts RPOs (25–40%), contingency (17–25%), and retained search (40–50%). For many teams, that’s about half the cost of agencies.
Flexible capacity, real outcomes
Make unlimited hires during an engagement, as opposed to the “one hire per search” constraints common to retained and contingency models.
No retainers, no long-term lock-ins
Uplink requires no lengthy contracts and offers a placement guarantee for active searches. Pause when you need to. Scale up when hiring surges.
Passive talent, powered by our stack
We do more than “post and pray.” Your engagement includes our recruiting tech stack and targeted outreach to passive candidates who rarely apply.
How does it fit your team?
Uplink embeds directly with your leaders and hiring managers, runs structured sourcing and screening, and keeps your pipeline moving. Utilize us to accelerate hiring in the short term or as a longer-term stabilizer for Talent Acquisition during periods of growth.
The takeaway
If you want to make faster hires at a lower cost, without the risk and friction of long contracts or placement fees, Uplink is the modern alternative to agencies, RPOs, and retained search firms. Fill roles in about a month and cut your cost per hire dramatically, while keeping complete control of your process.
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*Based on Software & Aerospace Engineering, Product, & Sales positions. Sources: Workable.com, Uplink analytics, data collected from Boston and San Francisco Bay area staffing agencies, hiring managers, and recruiting managers who used agencies from 2014 to June 2025. ** Uplink guarantees a client's position will be filled unless the client cancels the search.
Houston
3333 Lake St. #16B
Houston, TX 77098
713-447-1314
San Francisco (coming soon)
15 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
