Braintrust
Talent marketplace with 2M+ vetted freelancers, a 15% client fee and an AI interviewer called AIR for screening.
From 15% fee
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Bottom line
Braintrust is a freelance talent marketplace plus an AI screening product. Employers pay a published 15% fee on talent payments, and talent pays nothing. It fits companies hiring contract engineers and specialists that want a transparent fee instead of a staffing agency markup.
Stands out for: Braintrust publishes its 15% client fee, which is rare among vetted talent networks. The same company sells AIR, an AI voice interviewer that runs thousands of screens a day and syncs ranked results to Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, iCIMS and SmartRecruiters.
Watch out for: The site now spans three products, including Nexus for operations automation, so the marketplace can be hard to find. The 15% fee also applies to direct hires and conversions within six months, and EOR services cost extra.
Overview
Braintrust runs a talent marketplace, the AIR AI interviewer and the Nexus automation service.
The marketplace offers staff augmentation, embedded teams and contract-to-hire, drawing on a network of 2M+ professionals.
Employers pay a 15% service fee on payments through the site; talent pays no platform fee.
AIR runs conversational voice interviews in 16+ languages, is priced by interview volume and connects to major ATS tools.
Braintrust says it is SOC 2 Type II certified and offers EOR services in 150+ countries.
Who it's for
Best for
- Companies hiring contract engineers or designers
- Teams wanting contract-to-hire flexibility
- Employers that want a published fee
- High-volume teams screening with AI voice interviews
Not ideal for
- Buyers wanting a free trial period
- Teams avoiding AI-led screening
- Local on-site hourly hiring
Key features
2M+ vetted talent network. Freelancers across engineering, AI, design, product and finance go through ID checks, AI video assessments and fraud screening.
AI candidate matching. The matching engine scans the network and returns the top candidates for a role, with first matches in under 48 hours.
AIR voice interviews. The AIR product runs conversational voice screens in 16+ languages and scores answers against a role rubric.
Contract-to-hire option. Employers can start with contractors and convert them to full-time staff, with a 15% salary fee if done within six months.
EOR in 150+ countries. Braintrust handles background checks, onboarding, worker classification and payroll for contractors and employees.
No fees for talent. Freelancers keep their full rate, which Braintrust says helps retention compared with agencies.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| AIR runs conversational voice screening interviews and scores answers against a role rubric | AIR, volume-based pricing Add-on |
| AI matching scans the talent network and ranks the top candidates for a role | Talent Marketplace |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
Pricing
On the Talent Marketplace, employers pay a 15% service fee on payments to talent, and talent pays no platform fee. Direct hires, and contractors converted to employees within six months, cost 15% of first-year base salary. AIR is priced by interview volume and quoted by sales, and EOR or W-2 payrolling costs extra. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 4 Nov 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Braintrust expensive?
Braintrust starts at 15% fee. We list 181 sourcing tools in total. 43 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $99 a month.
- 46 quote-based
- 43 free tier
- 104 public price
Worked out automatically from every sourcing listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Published 15% client fee
- No fees charged to talent
- AI screening and EOR from one vendor
Cons
- Same 15% fee applies to direct hires
- AIR pricing only by quote
- Mix of products can confuse buyers
Integrations
Greenhouse Lever Workday iCIMS SmartRecruiters
What's new at Braintrust
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How Braintrust compares
See all Braintrust alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | – | 15% fee | – | – | |
| | – | $79/mo | – | – | Compare |
| | – | Sales-quoted | – | – | Compare |
| | – | $15/hr | – | – | Compare |
$79/mo
Toptal charges a $79 monthly platform fee plus quoted talent rates instead of a published percentage fee, and adds a no-risk trial.
Sales-quoted
Andela focuses on AI-trained engineers and managed teams for enterprises, priced by quote rather than a flat 15% fee.
$15/hr
Arc.dev is a remote developer marketplace focused only on engineers, without Braintrust's AI interviewer or EOR services.
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