Hire Senior Software Engineers Without an Agency Fee

By Jais Augus, Head of Recruitment & Talent at Hire22.ai · Updated August 2026

Recruitment agencies typically charge 8 to 12% of a software engineer’s first-year salary, rising to 15% for specialized roles. On a senior engineer earning Rs 25 LPA, that’s Rs 2 to 3.75 lakh, payable as a single fee once the hire is made, and that fee is per hire. Hire22 replaces that percentage-of-salary model with a hiring package starting at Rs 1,999 — a flat price, valid for 3 months and covering up to 3 job postings, that unlocks full profiles for the candidates you actually want to contact.

Hunter AI, CoNCT AI, and JoinX AI source, engage, and score candidates the moment you post the role, so you get a shortlist without a percentage-based fee attached to whoever you eventually hire.

Posting a senior software engineer role on Hire22 is free, and so is browsing the JoinX-ranked shortlist, with no package required. When you’re ready to unlock full profiles and contact details, hiring packages start at Rs 1,999 — a flat price regardless of the role’s seniority or eventual salary, valid for 3 months and covering up to 3 job postings.

“An agency fee at 10% of a senior hire’s CTC is a number most founders only calculate after the invoice arrives. It’s worth comparing against a flat package price before you commit to that model — especially if you’re filling more than one role.” — Jais Augus

What an Agency Fee Actually Costs on a Senior Hire

• 8-12% of first-year salary is the typical range for general software engineering roles.
• Up to 15% for specialized roles like DevOps or AI/ML engineering.
• Scales with seniority, and charged per hire: the more senior (and higher-paid) the hire, the larger the absolute fee, and a separate fee applies to each hire — even though the agency’s actual effort doesn’t scale the same way.

How Hire22 Replaces the Agency Fee Model

CoNCT AI reaches candidates via WhatsApp, Email, and SMS without revealing your identity until they accept, while JoinX AI scores each confirmed profile on fit and joining probability before it reaches your shortlist — hiring packages are priced flat, not as a percentage of the hire’s salary, and one package covers up to 3 job postings over 3 months.

For a broader comparison against the recruitment agency model generally, see our recruitment agency alternative page. Hire22.ai also supports hiring for adjacent roles like Principal Software Engineers, Engineering Managers, and Full Stack Developers.