Compare/Head to head

Paraform vs Via

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

Paraform

Sales-quoted

Recruiter marketplace with AI agents. You pay on hire. Vendor materials put the fee at about 25% of first-year salary.

Where Paraform fits

  • Startups filling engineering, GTM, or legal roles
  • Teams that will only pay on a closed hire
  • Companies that want many recruiters on one req
  • Hiring managers who want a dedicated talent strategist

Via

Quote-based

Via is a London hiring service founded in 2025 that promises 5 pre-vetted, interview-ready candidates within 24 hours of a role going live. It charges a flat monthly fee per job slot on a 12-month term, with no placement fee and a free first role. It fits employers filling finance, sales, HR, operations and admin roles.

Where Via fits

  • Companies hiring finance, sales and operations staff
  • Employers replacing agency fees with a flat subscription
  • Teams that want a short vetted list instead of an applicant pile

At a glance

DetailParaformVia
Starting priceSales-quotedQuote-based
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underSourcingAI screening, Sourcing, AI sourcing

Where they pull apart

Paraform

Stands out: Expert recruiters plus custom AI agents, with $0 due until someone accepts an offer.

Watch out: There is no self-serve rate card. The fee is a contingency cut, not a SaaS seat.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that need a cheap monthly sourcing seat
  • Employers who will not pay agency-like percentages

Via

Stands out: The subscription is built on swappable job slots, so one slot can cover a sales hire one month and a finance hire the next. Scoring uses fixed, shareable weights with a senior recruiter approving every shortlist, which Via documents against UK GDPR Article 22 and the EU AI Act. Via says it has 100k candidates on the platform.

Watch out: Published prices are in pounds sterling, and most customer quotes on the site come from London, so US buyers need a quote. Plans lock in for 12 months and auto-renew. Coverage is limited to business support functions, so skilled trades, healthcare and frontline roles are outside its scope.

Not the right fit for

  • Frontline, healthcare or trades hiring
  • Buyers who want month-to-month terms
  • Teams that want a self-serve ATS

Pros and cons

Paraform

  • Pay nothing until a hire accepts
  • Recruiters plus custom AI agents
  • One intake unlocks a large recruiter pool
  • Fee is about 25% of first-year pay
  • No self-serve monthly SaaS plan
  • Buying still starts with a demo

Via

  • Shortlist of 5 candidates within 24 hours
  • No placement fee on any plan
  • Documented scoring rules and human review
  • No US dollar pricing published
  • 12-month auto-renewing term
  • Limited to business support roles

What each one costs

Paraform

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted contingency. Vendor comparison materials put the fee at about 25% of first-year salary, due only when a candidate accepts. No public SaaS rate card. /pricing was not a live price table. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Via

Quote-based

Via does not publish US dollar pricing. Plans are sold per live job slot on a 12-month term invoiced monthly: Growth covers one slot, Scale covers three, and Enterprise is priced on hiring volume with a named account manager. A slot can be swapped to a new role as often as needed, and no placement fee is charged on any plan. The first role is free with no card required, covering permanent and fixed-term hiring. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 28 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Paraform or Via for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Paraform alternatives All Via alternatives Every Sourcing tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?