Traditional recruiters charge 20% of annual salary — $14,000–$20,000 per SDR hire. Here's a complete breakdown of every alternative: what it costs, how fast it is, and who it's actually right for.
Try the best recruiter alternative free →| Option | Cost per hire | Time to candidates | Screening included? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shortlist (AI) | Free pilot / from $49/mo | 48 hours | ✅ Yes — AI-scored | Startups hiring 1–10 SDRs |
| SDR Staffing Agencies | $12K–$25K/hire | 3–6 weeks | Partial (variable) | Enterprise with large budgets |
| LinkedIn Recruiter | $10,800–$16K/yr seat | 1–3 weeks (you source) | ❌ No — manual | Teams with dedicated recruiters |
| Indeed / ZipRecruiter | $200–$500/mo | 1–2 weeks | ❌ No — high volume, low signal | High-volume hiring with screening bandwidth |
| Manual SDR Sourcing (DIY) | $0 direct + 20–40 hrs | 2–4 weeks | ❌ No | Founders willing to own sourcing |
| Employee Referrals | $0–$2K bonus | 1–3 weeks | Partial (vouched) | Teams with existing SDR bench |
Shortlist is purpose-built for SDR hiring. The AI sources candidates from outbound-specific talent pools, scores each one on 5 dimensions (outbound experience, domain fit, coachability, communication, career trajectory), and delivers a ranked shortlist of 5 candidates within 48 hours.
You're hiring 1–5 SDRs. You don't have a dedicated recruiter. You need candidates quickly (within a week). You can't justify $15K in placement fees. This describes 90% of startups.
Traditional staffing agencies charge a placement fee of 15–25% of the SDR's first-year salary. For an SDR with a $70K base, that's $10,500–$17,500 per hire. You typically don't pay until the hire is made and stays for 30–90 days.
When agencies make sense: You're hiring 20+ SDRs/year and need a dedicated recruiting firm with deep SDR relationships. For most startups, this threshold is rarely reached.
LinkedIn Recruiter costs $10,800–$16,000 per year per seat. It gives you access to LinkedIn's full network with advanced search filters, InMail credits (100–150/month), and basic applicant tracking.
The problem: LinkedIn Recruiter is a sourcing tool, not a screening tool. You still have to write Boolean searches, send InMails (5–15% response rate), evaluate profiles manually, and run your own screening process. It's powerful — but only if you have a full-time recruiter to use it.
When LinkedIn Recruiter makes sense: You have a dedicated recruiter or TA team, you're hiring across multiple roles, and you need the full LinkedIn database. Not a fit for founders or small teams.
Job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter give you inbound volume — typically 50–200 applications per SDR posting. The cost is low ($150–$500/month for sponsored posts), but the screening burden is high.
For SDR roles, job board quality varies significantly. Entry-level SDRs with no outbound experience apply at high rates. If you post a JD and wait, you'll get volume — but signal is low. You need 2–4 hours of screening per job board pipeline.
When job boards make sense: You have recruiting bandwidth to screen 100+ applicants, you're hiring entry-level SDRs, or you're in a market where inbound applications are high-quality (some geographies).
You can source SDRs manually by searching LinkedIn (free), posting in SDR-specific communities (SDR Nation, Revenue Collective, Bravado), and reaching out to candidates directly. Total direct cost: near zero. Total time cost: significant.
Expect 20–40 hours to build a pipeline of 5–10 screened candidates. For a founder, this is 1–2 full work weeks taken away from the business. The opportunity cost usually exceeds a Shortlist subscription.
When DIY sourcing makes sense: You have no budget, you have time, and you're comfortable doing outreach. Also effective as a complement to AI sourcing — not a replacement.
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