Tool profile
Arc: cost, fit and limits
Arc is an online hiring service for software engineers that supplies vetted freelance developers billed hourly and full-time candidates placed for a share of salary, using AI applicant screening and AI auto sourcing alongside a dedicated recruiter.
What to know first
Arc splits its offer in two. Freelance hires are billed per hour at a printed range of $15 to $110 plus, and full-time hires cost 20% of annual salary. Both include AI applicant screening and AI auto sourcing, and the homepage adds HireAI, which it says lets employers view candidates instantly. Freelance hires come with a risk-free trial of up to two weeks, while the full-time offer lists ATS integration and a worldwide pool of over 20 million candidates.
Arc at a glance
| Maker | Not stated on the vendor pages, Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | $15 - $110+ per hour for freelance hires |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Freelance Marketplaces in 2026, rank 1 of 11 |
| Website | arc.dev |
Who Arc is best for
Startups filling a contract engineering gap
The hourly range and the two-week trial let a founder test a contractor on a real ticket before committing to a longer engagement.
Companies hiring full-time engineers remotely
The 20% of annual salary fee and the listed ATS integration suit a team that already tracks candidates in an applicant tracking system.
Recruiters who want less manual screening
AI applicant screening and AI auto sourcing are named in both plans, which cuts the first sort through a long applicant list.
Arc plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance hires | $15 - $110+ per hour | AI applicant screening, AI auto sourcing, vetted talent, a dedicated recruiter and a risk-free trial of up to two weeks. |
| Full-time hires | 20% of annual salary | AI applicant screening, AI auto sourcing, a worldwide pool of over 20 million candidates, a dedicated recruiter and ATS integration. |
| Entry condition | $0 until you hire | The homepage states no cost until a hire is made, which applies before either plan above is billed. |
Checked November 2026.
What Arc does
- HireAI
- The homepage says HireAI lets employers view candidates instantly. It is the vendor's name for its AI-led matching, and the pages we read do not describe how candidates are ranked.
- AI applicant screening
- Named in both the freelance and the full-time offer, this step reduces the applicants a hiring manager reads. The page does not say which criteria the screening applies.
- AI auto sourcing
- Both plans list auto sourcing, which proposes candidates without the employer searching manually, so a buyer can receive profiles before writing a long job post.
- Vetted talent
- The pricing page says Arc's talent passed communication and technical assessments before a profile reaches a client. The assessment content and pass rate are not described, so the filter is the vendor's own claim.
- Dedicated recruiter
- Each plan lists a dedicated recruiter who handles the introduction, so the AI output is paired with a person who talks to both the employer and the candidate during the hire.
How Arc handles your data
The pricing page links a Privacy Policy and a Cookie Policy, and we did not open either, so the vendor's policy was not checked for this. The pages we read do not state whether candidate data or employer briefs train AI models, how long profiles are retained, or where data is hosted. No certification such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001 is stated on the pricing page. A buyer who plans to upload candidate résumés or a confidential role description should read the privacy policy and ask support these questions in writing.
Where Arc falls short in practice
- Trial covers freelance hires only. The two-week risk-free trial is listed for freelance hires, so a company paying 20% of salary on a full-time placement does not get the same stated safety net.
- ATS integration is full-time only. Applicant tracking integration appears only in the full-time offer, so a team running freelance hires through its own tracker may have to enter candidates by hand.
- Entity and region are not stated. The pages opened name no legal entity, headquarters country or data region, which matters for buyers that need a contracting party in a specific jurisdiction.
Works with
Alternatives to Arc
Arc: common questions
How much does Arc charge for a freelance developer?
Arc's pricing page shows freelance hires at $15 to $110 plus per hour. The range is wide because it covers different seniority and skills, so the rate you pay depends on the candidate. The homepage also says $0 until you hire. Whether Arc adds a platform fee on top of the hourly rate was not stated on the pages we read.
What does Arc cost for a full-time hire?
Arc bills full-time hires at 20% of annual salary, as stated on its pricing page. That is a one-off placement cost based on the salary of the person hired, not a monthly subscription. The listed inclusions are AI applicant screening, AI auto sourcing, a dedicated recruiter, ATS integration and access to a pool of over 20 million candidates.
Does Arc offer a trial for freelancers?
Yes for freelance hires. The pricing page lists a risk-free trial of up to two weeks, so a company can work with a developer before committing. The page lists no equivalent trial for full-time placements, so ask what protection applies if a full-time hire leaves early before you agree to the 20% fee.
What is HireAI at Arc?
HireAI is the name Arc's homepage gives to its AI-based hiring feature, which it says lets employers view candidates instantly. The pages we opened do not explain the model behind it, what data it uses or how it ranks people. Treat it as a faster shortlist and still interview the candidates it shows.
Does Arc say whether it trains AI on my job briefs?
Not on the pages we opened. Arc links a privacy policy and a cookie policy, but we did not read them, and the pricing page makes no statement on model training or retention. Read the policy before you share a confidential role description or candidate data, and request written confirmation of how AI inputs are handled.