Clera
AI talent agent for startups: sources candidates who want the move, gets their yes, then makes a warm intro. Free to start, 15% of first-year base only when you hire.
Quote-based pricing MCP server
Bottom line
Clera is an AI talent agent for startups that finds candidates who fit, asks them first, and introduces you only to the ones who say yes. You pay nothing until you hire, then 15% of first-year base salary, which undercuts the 20 to 30% agency rate but adds up fast on senior roles.
Stands out for: Every intro is double opt-in: candidates have already told Clera the stage, pace and dealbreakers they want, and agreed to meet you. It also ships a first-party hiring MCP server, so you can search its network, check whether an applicant is a known fake and request intros from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Grok.
Watch out for: The fee scales with salary, so a $200,000 hire costs $30,000, far more than a flat sourcing subscription if you hire often. The network leans to startup engineering, sales and ops roles in SF, NYC, London, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm and remote, and MCP access is free only during the beta.
Overview
Clera runs a two-sided network. Candidates spend about two minutes telling Clera what they want next, in its web chat or on WhatsApp, iMessage or email, and stay free for life.
Companies brief a role, and Clera sources and vets people from its network of over 250,000 candidates, then messages the ones who fit. Only candidates who say yes are introduced, with context on who they are and why they match.
Introductions go to more than 900 startups, many backed by Y Combinator, Sequoia, a16z, Index Ventures and General Catalyst, hiring in SF, NYC, London, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm or remote.
Fake candidate detection checks applicants' email, phone and LinkedIn against 10+ signals and every confirmed fake Clera has seen, and a salary benchmark shows what similar roles pay and what candidates ask.
The hiring MCP server at mcp.getclera.com exposes search, similar candidates, recommended picks, profiles, applicant checks, salary benchmarks and your pipeline; intros, passes and job edits wait for your approval. Clera also plugs into Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, Workday, Teamtailor and 50+ other ATSs.
Who it's for
Best for
- VC-backed startups hiring engineers, sales or ops
- Founders hiring without an in-house recruiter
- Teams that want to pay only on a hire
- Companies seeing fake applicants
Not ideal for
- High-volume or hourly hiring
- Teams hiring many roles a year on a tight budget
- Roles outside startup tech hubs
Key features
Warm intros only. Clera contacts candidates who fit, and introduces you only once they say yes, usually with matches inside 24 hours.
Sourcing and vetting done for you. Brief the role and Clera searches its network of over 250,000 candidates, vets them and queues picks per role.
Preference matching. Candidates tell Clera their stage, location and dealbreakers in a chat, so intros go to people who want that kind of job.
Fake candidate detection. Each applicant is checked against 10+ signals and every fake Clera has caught, with the reason shown before the first call.
Hiring MCP server. Search, shortlist, check applicants and request intros from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Grok; anything that writes asks you first.
ATS sync. Candidates land in your existing stages in Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, Workday and 50+ other systems, with two-way status sync set up by Clera's team.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Matches candidates to roles on experience plus stated preferences and dealbreakers | Success fee |
| Flags likely fake applicants from email, phone and LinkedIn signals | Success fee |
| Plain-English candidate search and intro requests from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Grok via MCP | Free in beta |
| Learns from the reason you give when passing on a candidate to improve the next picks | Success fee |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
MCP server
https://mcp.getclera.com
First-party MCP at mcp.getclera.com. https://mcp.getclera.com.
Setup steps and live status MCP Directory Check your stack in the MCP readiness checker
Pricing
Clera charges companies a success fee of 15% of the hire's first-year base salary, and nothing before that: no job post fees, no platform or seat fees, no subscription and no retainer. On a $160,000 role that is $24,000. For contract and fractional hires the fee is 15% of total pay across the first 12 months. If a candidate Clera introduces is already in your ATS or an active conversation, the fee is dropped with proof. The MCP server is free to connect for early-access companies during beta. Candidates never pay. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 8 Nov 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Clera expensive?
Clera starts at Success fee on hire. We list 179 sourcing tools in total. 42 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $99 a month.
- 54 quote-based
- 42 free tier
- 103 public price
Worked out automatically from every sourcing listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- No cost until a hire is made
- Candidates have opted in before you meet
- First-party MCP server for AI assistants
Cons
- 15% of base gets expensive on senior roles
- Candidate pool centred on startup tech hubs
- MCP pricing after beta not yet published
Integrations
Greenhouse Ashby Lever Workday Teamtailor Workable SmartRecruiters Bullhorn
What's new at Clera
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How Clera compares
See all Clera alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | – | Success fee on hire | ✓ | – | |
 Paraform Paraform also charges only on a hire, but routes your role to a marketplace of independent recruiters instead of an AI agent making intros. | – | Sales-quoted | – | – | Compare |
| | ✓ | $135/seat/mo | – | – | Compare |
| | ✓ | $99/mo | ✓ | – | Compare |
ParaformSales-quoted
Paraform also charges only on a hire, but routes your role to a marketplace of independent recruiters instead of an AI agent making intros.
$135/seat/mo Free tier
Wellfound is a startup job board and candidate search you run yourself, with a free plan and paid seats from $135 a month instead of a success fee.
$99/mo Free tier MCP
Juicebox gives you AI sourcing across the open web from $99 a month, but you do the outreach; better value if you hire often.
Your next step
Shortlisting Clera?
Still deciding? Ask an AI assistant about Clera.
ChatGPT (opens in a new tab)Claude (opens in a new tab)Grok (opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
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