Dover is a popular starting point for startup hiring. It combines an applicant tracking system with access to on-demand recruiters, which suits founders who want to run hiring themselves with some extra hands.
It isn't the right fit for every team. Some founders want one dedicated recruiter who owns the search end to end. Others want a predictable fee they can budget for after a funding round. Some only need the ATS.
Here are the main alternatives, grouped by how they work.
Best for: funded startups making 2 to 8 hires who want one dedicated recruiter per search and a fee agreed upfront.
Funded.club agrees a low fixed fee upfront, averaging 6 to 9% of salary, from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire. A dedicated recruiter runs each search end to end: sourcing, headhunting, screening and support through offer. First screened candidates arrive within 7 days.
We've helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D across North America, Europe and APAC. For a head-to-head comparison, see Funded.club vs Dover.
Best for: teams that want many independent recruiters working a role at once.
Marketplaces let you post a role to a network of recruiters, who are usually paid a percentage when they make a placement. You get breadth, but you manage more people and pay a percentage-based fee.
Best for: single hard-to-fill technical roles where you're happy to pay a percentage.
Contingency firms typically charge 20 to 25% of first-year salary on placement. For a $120,000 engineer that's $24,000 to $30,000.
Best for: leadership roles where warm referrals matter most.
Best for: founders with time to screen inbound applicants themselves.
Best for: teams that liked Dover mainly for the tracking software and already have an in-house recruiter.
If you want the software and plan to do the hiring yourself, an ATS is enough. If you want someone else to own the search and you care about a predictable cost, a fixed-fee recruiting partner is the closest fit. If you're hiring one niche specialist and budget isn't tight, a contingency or retained firm can work.
Worth a brief chat about your next hire? Book a free call.