Seven honest comparisons, one for each hire people weigh us against. Real salary data with dates, the costs around the salary, and a straight answer on when hiring is the better choice.
Every page shows the in-house cost in full, what each option covers, and when hiring is the better choice.
The generalist hire most companies start with.
In-house year one: $112,409 to $165,097. BusySeed from $47,988.Compare →A new role with little salary data and fewer proven candidates.
In-house year one: $117,215 to $165,681. BusySeed from $35,988.Compare →Strategy roles that still need a team to execute.
Full-time: $409,453+. Fractional: $36,000 to $180,000. BusySeed from $59,988.Compare →Search is four jobs now, including AI search.
In-house year one: $106,743 to $129,890. BusySeed from $35,988.Compare →Can cost more per year than the ads they manage.
In-house year one: $99,235 to $180,403, before ad spend. BusySeed from $35,988.Compare →One title, six roles. The price can be close, so compare coverage.
In-house year one: $95,117 to $149,072. BusySeed from $35,988.Compare →Cheaper, and the right pick for small one-off jobs.
One person and one skill, or a team across nine services.Compare →Government data from the BLS where an occupation exists, plus well-known salary sites, each with the date of the data.
BLS data puts benefits at 30% or more of total pay. We add 30%, the conservative end.
SHRM's 2025 benchmarks: $1,200 median cost per hire for most roles, $10,625 for executives.
Month-to-month list prices from each vendor, checked October 30, 2026.
Ad spend, your CRM and your own time, on both sides, so nothing tilts the result.
Every page ends with an honest list of when hiring in-house is the better choice.
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