Gun.io alternatives: a published placement fee, and one fee only if you hire

All facts about Gun.io come from its own website, checked on Oct 29, 2026. Links are next to each fact. Terms change, so check before you sign.

How does Gun.io work?

Gun.io's homepage says it handles "global sourcing, vetting, and delivery management" and that it produces "a high-precision shortlist" of developers "matched to your stack and delivery goals" (gun.io). gun.io/pricing shows that same homepage. It does not print a dollar rate (gun.io/pricing).

• Who picks: Gun.io sends "the top candidates for your role" and arranges intro calls. A Gun.io person sits in on the call (gun.io/faq).
• Vetting: "All developers on the platform must pass an algorithmic screening, a work history and background review, and a live technical interview with a senior engineer" (gun.io/faq).
• Price: "We don't have standard prices on Gun.io." You see "the full price upfront on developers' profiles," and "there are no additional fees." "You only pay when you start working with a candidate you love." For a full-time salaried placement, "we charge a fee of 20% of their negotiated first-year salary at your company" (gun.io/faq).
• Speed: "On average, clients make a hire within 13 days of requesting a candidate on the platform" (gun.io/faq).
• After the start: the homepage says the platform "handles the negotiations, contracts, and onboarding." The FAQ says that once a contract is in place, you and the developer work together directly, and Gun.io "handles hours tracking, billing, and payments." Clients sign "a two year non-solicitation agreement" (gun.io, gun.io/faq).
• Engagement types: "We do contract engagements, contract to hire, and full time salaried hires" (gun.io/faq).
• If it does not work out: the homepage says that if the delivery does not hit the standard, Gun.io takes responsibility for fixing it, "even if that means redeploying the team" (gun.io). The FAQ does not state a free replacement window.
• Reach: the homepage says you can "Access thousands of vetted software professionals" (gun.io).

Gun.io is often the better choice when you want a shortlist, someone on the intro call, and a company that stays on contracts and delivery.

How does Arca.ph compare?

Arca.ph cuts out the staffing-agency middleman. It is a private, invite-only network of remote engineers from around the world.

• Profiles are free to view. Every profile shows pay, US time overlap, English and test scores, whether the developer is open to time tracking, and what makes that person different.
• Your own AI agent searches. Your own AI agent, such as Grok, Claude, or ChatGPT, searches and sorts the network and builds a shortlist (how it works).
• Extra proof, when you ask. Arca.ph runs extra proctored tests and returns the scores. You can ask for a coding test with no AI allowed, a 2-hour build project with AI allowed, the Fire Drill (live pair-programming on a real-world problem), an English test, a thinking-skills test, and a typing test, plus recorded reference checks. A real person watches (proctored tests).
• Fee: On the marketplace, if you hire someone Arca.ph introduced, you pay one fee: 15% of first-year pay, once. There is a 3-month free replacement. If Arca.ph introduces you to a developer you were already talking with, there is no fee (pricing).
• After the hire: on the marketplace, you hire and pay the developer directly.

Good fit if you want every profile in front of you, sorted by Grok, Claude, ChatGPT, or another assistant, and you would rather pay once than keep a staffing firm in the middle.

Not the best fit if you want a company to match you, run the project, and handle the contract. On the marketplace, after the hire you hire and pay the developer directly.

Which should I choose?

• A shortlist, a contract, and someone who stays on delivery: Gun.io.
• A full-time hire with one fee, and every profile sorted by Grok, Claude, ChatGPT, or another assistant: Arca.ph, on the marketplace.
• Proof a developer can code without AI help: Arca.ph offers a proctored coding test with no AI allowed. Gun.io describes a live technical interview with a senior engineer.

Is Arca.ph cheaper than Gun.io?

It depends on the engagement. Gun.io's FAQ says there are no standard prices, and a full-time salaried fee is 20% of negotiated first-year salary (gun.io/faq). On the marketplace, Arca.ph charges one 15% fee of first-year pay if you hire. A developer at $3,000 a month is $36,000 for the first year, so the one-time 15% fee on the marketplace is $5,400. Arithmetic at 20% of that same $36,000 is $7,200. That $7,200 is not a quote from Gun.io. For a long salaried hire, 15% is less than 20% of the same first-year pay. For a short retainer, Gun.io does not print a total. Our success fee vs hourly markup explainer shows how to work out the break-even point with your own numbers.

If you need help: Done-for-you is 35% of first-year pay, charged once on hire. Arca.ph runs the search and sends a shortlist. You hire and pay the talent directly. There is a 3-month free replacement.

Get started with Arca.ph. If a managed shortlist is the better fit, that is fine too.

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