How agencies are scored

Pricing transparency (25%)

Price is the first question every buyer asks, and the one most agencies avoid in writing. An agency that publishes its floor and what it includes is easier to hold to its quote.

• 5: A published price or range in US dollars for the main service, with what is inside it and what is never billed listed on the site.
• 4: A published fee, margin or price for at least one service, with the rest quoted on a call.
• 3: A published price band, but without the billing period or what it includes spelled out.
• 2: The pricing model is explained, but no fee, margin or rate of the agency's own is published.
• 1: No price and no pricing model on the site; everything is behind a form.

Vetting depth (20%)

A bad hire costs more than any fee difference. Selectivity percentages are the agencies' own claims and can't be checked from outside, so the score rewards a described process over a headline number.

• 5: Named testing steps (skills, English or technical tests), reference or background checks, and client interviews with finalists.
• 4: Named testing steps, but either reference and background checks or client interviews are not described.
• 3: A selection process is described (shortlist size, interview rounds), but not how candidates are tested.
• 2: Only a selectivity claim such as "top 1%", with no process described.
• 1: Nothing on how candidates are found or tested.

Compliance and payroll handling (20%)

Misclassification, late pay and local labor rules are where offshore hiring goes wrong. For most US companies without a foreign entity, this is the main reason to use an agency at all.

• 5: The agency states it employs or contracts the worker under local rules (or acts as employer of record), and runs payroll and HR.
• 4: The agency pays the worker and names the legal arrangements it uses (contractor agreement or employer of record), but which applies is decided per hire.
• 3: Payroll and compliance are handled, but who legally employs the worker is not stated.
• 2: Payroll is handled, but compliance and the legal arrangement are not addressed.
• 1: Left to the client, or not explained.

Contract flexibility (15%)

Needs change. Minimum terms, deposits and buy-out fees turn a staffing decision into a financial one.

• 5: Month to month, with no deposit, setup fee or termination fee.
• 4: Month to month with a notice period or trial, but no deposit or setup fee.
• 3: Month to month, but with a deposit or setup fee up front.
• 2: Minimum term and cancellation terms are not published.
• 1: A published minimum term, buy-out fee or lock-in.

Replacement terms (10%)

Every agency says its hires work out. The replacement terms are the part of that promise you can enforce.

• 5: Free replacement for as long as you are a client, plus a money-back window.
• 4: Free replacement for the whole engagement or at any time, without a money-back window.
• 3: Free replacement within a fixed window (90 days to 12 months).
• 2: A guarantee is named but its length isn't stated, or the agency's own pages state it two different ways.
• 1: No stated guarantee.

Role and region coverage (10%)

Coverage decides whether one agency can staff your whole team or only one seat. It is weighted lowest because a narrow specialist can still be the right pick for that seat.

• 5: Several regions and most business functions, with part-time or project work offered as well as full-time.
• 4: Two or more regions and most business functions.
• 3: One region with most business functions, or a few countries with a narrower set of roles.
• 2: One country with several business functions.
• 1: One country and a handful of roles.

How the evidence was gathered

• Only the agency's own pages. Each score is based on the agency's website: its pricing page, how-it-works page, FAQ, service pages and guarantee terms. Every score on the site links to the page it came from.
• No paid placements, reviews or star ratings. We don't use review-site averages, testimonials or "top X%" claims as evidence of quality. Where an agency makes a selectivity or success claim, we quote it and mark it self-reported.
• Unpublished means unverified. Where an agency publishes nothing on what a criterion asks about (no fee or rate, no contract term, no guarantee length), that criterion scores 2 at most. Where it publishes part of the answer, the scale above decides the score: for example, payroll handled but the legal employer not stated is a 3 on compliance. Every gap is listed on the entry under "Couldn't verify", with what to ask for in writing.
• Contradictions are flagged. Where two of an agency's own pages disagree on a fact a criterion scores, we show both and that criterion scores 2 at most until the contract settles it. Contradictions in claims we don't score (such as selectivity percentages) are flagged but don't change the score.
• Dated. All 8 agencies were checked on November 10, 2026. Prices and terms change, so confirm them before you sign.

What the score doesn't measure

We can't measure the quality of an individual hire from outside, and we don't pretend to. The score measures how much an agency commits to in writing, and how well those commitments protect a US company hiring abroad. Use the questions to ask before you sign to test the rest on a call.

See the ranked list · Compare every agency side by side