Fractional Recruiting vs In-House Recruiter: Cost and Decision Guide
Fully loaded TA salary math versus Kas GTM retainers. When each model wins for Seed through Series B sales hiring.
TL;DR
An in-house recruiter is a full-time employee on payroll. Fractional recruiting is an embedded external TA partner on a month-to-month retainer. For Seed through Series B GTM hiring, Kas fractional (Kas Seat) is $5,000 to $8,000 a month, up to $10,000 for senior AE and above, with zero success fees. A solid in-house TA seat often runs $100k to $160k+ fully loaded once you add salary, benefits, LinkedIn Recruiter, and tools. Fractional wins when hiring is bursty and sales-specialist quality matters. In-house wins when you need sustained, cross-function volume (roughly 10+ hires per quarter) and full internal ownership.
List prices: fractional sales recruiting cost. Product: fractional sales.
Headcount vs retainer (one table)
| Dimension | Fractional recruiting | In-house TA recruiter |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship | External partner, embedded bandwidth | Full-time employee |
| How you pay | Monthly retainer | Salary + benefits + tools |
| Flex | Turn on/off month to month | Headcount (harder to pause) |
| Typical depth | Specialist (Kas: sales/GTM) | Generalist unless you hire two |
| Best fit | Bursty Seed to Series B GTM hiring | Sustained, multi-function volume |
This page owns the head-to-head. Agency fee math: vs contingency. What fractional is: guide.
Fully loaded in-house TA cost
Use ranges, not a single myth number. A credible first recruiter package for a startup often lands here:
| Cost line | Low | Mid | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $85,000 | $110,000 | $130,000 |
| Benefits / taxes / payroll load (~25 to 35%) | $21,000 | $33,000 | $45,000 |
| LinkedIn Recruiter + job boards | $8,000 | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| ATS / scheduling / misc tools | $2,000 | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| Fully loaded annual | ~$116,000 | ~$159,000 | ~$196,000 |
| Approx. monthly | ~$9,700 | ~$13,250 | ~$16,300 |
So a mid-range in-house seat is about $100k to $160k fully loaded for many Seed to Series B teams. Add 60 to 90 days of ramp before the seat is fully productive on your motion.
Kas fractional retainers (quick reference)
| Program | Monthly fee | Capacity | Success fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kas Seat | $5,000 to $8,000 a month, up to $10,000 for senior AE and above | The sales roles you have open, month to month | Zero |
Kas Milestone Search (example fees): SDR $5,000 / AE $7,500 / Senior AE / Sales Manager $10,000. Director / VP / CRO: quote only. Full list: cost.
Side-by-side annual math
Scenario A: 6 months of GTM hiring, then a pause
| Path | Math | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| In-house (mid fully loaded) | $13,250 x 12 (you still carry the seat after the pause) | ~$159,000 / year |
| Kas Seat at $5,000/mo x 6 months | $5,000 x 6 | $30,000 |
| Kas Seat at $8,000/mo x 6 months | $8,000 x 6 | $48,000 |
Fractional is built for the pause. In-house keeps burning after the pod is full.
Scenario B: Steady GTM hiring for 12 months (2 to 5 seats in flight)
| Path | Math | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| In-house (mid) | Fully loaded year | ~$159,000 |
| Kas Seat at $5,000/mo x 12 | $5,000 x 12 | $60,000 |
| Kas Seat at $8,000/mo x 12 | $8,000 x 12 | $96,000 |
Even at full-year Kas Seat at $8,000/mo, Kas fractional is usually well below a mid fully loaded in-house seat. The tradeoff is ownership and cross-function coverage, not just cash.
Scenario C: High volume across functions
If you need 10+ hires per quarter across eng, GTM, and ops, one fractional GTM retainer will not replace a full TA function. That is when in-house (or in-house plus specialist) wins.
When fractional wins
- You are Seed, Series A, or early Series B and hiring is real but not a permanent department yet
- Hiring is bursty (raise, then fill a pod, then pause)
- You need a sales-specialist bar (quota history, ACV, cycle length, outbound vs inbound)
- You want predictable monthly spend you can turn off
- Cash matters and you refuse carrying a $100k to $160k seat through a quiet quarter
On Kas AE / SDR / Sales Manager searches under fractional: free market scan in 48 to 72 hours and a search target of 3+ qualified candidates in 3 weeks (or we keep hunting). Those speed claims apply to AE/SDR/SM under fractional, not to Director/VP/CRO leadership searches.
When hiring an in-house recruiter wins
- You have sustained high volume across functions, not just GTM sprints
- You are consistently at roughly 10+ hires per quarter
- You need full internal ownership of ATS, employer brand, recruiting ops, and cross-team coordination
- Recruiting is a permanent department with a clear manager and roadmap
- Under-utilization risk is low because the req list never really empties
An in-house generalist is rarely the best solo answer for elite AE or VP Sales calibration. Many teams that hire internal TA still keep a GTM specialist for the seats that move ARR.
Hybrid path: fractional now, in-house later
You do not have to pick forever on day one.
- Now (Seed-A / early B): Run fractional sales recruiting to fill AE/SDR/SM seats with specialist bandwidth.
- Later (sustained volume): Hire your first in-house recruiter when cross-function volume justifies a full seat.
- Keep the specialist: Leave hard GTM seats with a partner who already knows your ICP, pitch, and bar.
Fractional covers the learning curve. In-house takes over always-on ops. Specialist search stays where a wrong hire is a six-figure mistake.
Decision checklist
| Question | If yes, lean |
|---|---|
| Are we Seed through early Series B with 1 to 5 GTM seats ahead? | Fractional |
| Is hiring bursty (sprint, then quiet)? | Fractional |
| Do we need a sales-specialist bar more than a generalist TA? | Fractional |
| Can we pause spend when the pod is full? | Fractional |
| Are we at ~10+ hires/quarter across multiple functions? | In-house |
| Do we need full internal ATS / brand / ops ownership? | In-house |
| Is recruiting a permanent department, not a sprint? | In-house |
| Do we want both volume coverage and elite GTM depth? | Hybrid (in-house + specialist) |
Quick rule: If recruiting is still a sprint, buy fractional. If recruiting is a department, hire in-house. If GTM quality still matters after you hire internal TA, keep the specialist.
FAQ: fractional recruiting vs in-house recruiter
Is fractional recruiting cheaper than hiring an in-house recruiter?
Usually yes for Seed to Series B GTM sprints. Kas Seat is $5,000 to $8,000 a month, up to $10,000 for senior AE and above, with zero success fees. A mid fully loaded in-house seat often lands around $100k to $160k per year (~$8k to $13k+/mo). Fractional also pauses. Payroll does not.
What is the fully loaded cost of an in-house recruiter?
Salary plus benefits load plus LinkedIn Recruiter plus ATS/tools. Many first-recruiter seats land near $100k to $160k fully loaded annually.
When should a startup hire its first in-house recruiter?
When you have sustained, multi-function volume (roughly 10+ hires per quarter) and need permanent internal ownership. For a GTM hiring wave only, fractional is usually cleaner.
Can I use fractional now and hire in-house later?
Yes. That is the hybrid path. Fractional for the current GTM sprint. In-house when volume becomes permanent. Keep a GTM specialist for AE/SM/leadership seats.
Does Kas fractional include success fees?
No. Kas Seat ($5,000 to $8,000 a month, up to $10,000 for senior AE and above) has zero success fees. Milestone Search example fees (SDR $5k, AE $7.5k, Sr AE/SM $10k) are a separate per-hire option. Director/VP/CRO is quote only.
How fast does Kas fractional move on AE and SDR seats?
For AE / SDR / Sales Manager under fractional: free market scan in 48 to 72 hours, and a target of 3+ qualified candidates in 3 weeks. Leadership (Director/VP/CRO) is quoted separately.
Related guides
Ready to pick fractional, in-house, or hybrid?
Email [email protected] with stage, open GTM roles, and target packages. You get a clear recommend: Kas Seat ($5,000 to $8,000 a month, up to $10,000 for senior AE and above), Milestone Search example fee, or wait-and-hire-in-house.
About The Kas Group
The Kas Group (TKS) is an elite B2B SaaS sales recruiting firm founded in 2014. We place sales talent from SDR through VP Sales and CRO for high-growth technology companies.
- Website: https://www.thekasgroup.com
- Email: [email protected]
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