Ten agencies, six facts each, no ranking. Only three publish their fees: Hays (20–28% by band, in filed terms), Robert Walters (25–35% by band, in its UK terms) and ON3 Works (7% or 20%, on its site). On a £65,000 developer that is £16,250, £22,750 and £4,550 or £13,000. Two say candidates are technically tested before you see them. The rest of the facts are in the tables; the choice depends on your stack, your volume and whether you want the fee known before the first call.
Ten UK IT recruitment agencies on the same six facts
Every row below was built the same way, from the agency's own website, Companies House and, where the site publishes none, its filed terms of business or a directory that reproduces its copy. Where a fact is not published, the cell says so. ON3 Works is on the list because we are a UK IT recruitment agency; we are held to the same columns and the same sources as everyone else. The list is not a ranking: the large multi-office firms come first, then the specialists, with ON3 last.
| Agency | Specialism (their words) | UK coverage | Founded / owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hays Technology | CTOs and tech directors, cyber, cloud, CRM, data, ERP, automation, infrastructure, software developers, IT PMs and BAs | Nationwide; offices page lists 32 UK towns and cities | 1968, London; Hays plc (LSE-listed) |
| Robert Walters (Technology) | Information security, architecture, infrastructure, software engineering, DevOps and cloud, product, IT support | London, Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes | 1985, London; Robert Walters plc |
| Michael Page Technology | Business transformation, cloud, infrastructure and IT services, cyber, data and analytics, software engineering, testing | London, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Reading and other UK offices | 1976, London; PageGroup (LSE-listed) |
| Harvey Nash | AI and ML, cloud, cyber, data and analytics, DevOps, software engineering; from engineers to CIOs and CDOs | London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle | 1988; Nash Squared |
| Computer Futures | Niche IT markets and technologies: software developers, engineers and other IT professionals (company copy as quoted by Built In) | London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester (Built In profile) | Part of SThree plc, founded 1986 (LSE: STEM) |
| La Fosse | Tech, digital and change; data and AI; public sector; leadership | London and Birmingham (plus Amsterdam and Dubai) | 2007, founder Simon La Fosse; employee-owned since 2023 |
| Understanding Recruitment | Java, JavaScript, Python, Rust, Go, Elixir, .NET, DevOps, ML and AI, product (as listed on its Reed profile) | St Albans HQ; roles in London and Hertfordshire; US arm Acceler8 Talent | 2007 (Companies House no. 06364614); independent |
| Client Server | Software development (Java, C#, C++, front end, mobile), data, DevOps, security, UX, testing, infrastructure; start-ups to hedge funds and banks (company copy as quoted by WomenInTech) | London; roles across the UK and Australia | 1999 (Companies House no. 03858648); independent |
| Nigel Frank (Tenth Revolution Group) | Microsoft stack only: pre-sales and support through to consultants, project managers and developers | UK offices not listed on its site; registered in Newcastle upon Tyne | 2006; Tenth Revolution Group, backed by TPG Growth |
| ON3 Works | Software, data, DevOps and cloud, AI and ML, security, product and engineering leadership | London and remote across the UK; Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia for hiring in Spain | 2022, Spain and UK; independent |
Facts checked 4 November 2026. Computer Futures, Understanding Recruitment and Client Server could not be fetched directly; their rows use Companies House and directories quoting their own copy, and say so.
| Agency | Models offered | Fees published? | Fee on £65,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hays Technology | Permanent, contract and temp, executive search, RPO, MSP, project services | Yes, in its standard terms filed on the UK Government G-Cloud 15 marketplace (Dec 2025): 20% up to £49,999, 25% from £50,000, 28% from £70,000; minimum £6,000 (£8,000 London); retained 30–33% | £16,250 |
| Robert Walters (Technology) | Permanent, temp and contract, interim, executive search, RPO, MSP | Yes, in its UK terms of business (Feb 2026): 25% up to £39,999, 30% from £40,000, 35% from £65,000, of the salary package; retained paid in three instalments | £22,750 |
| Michael Page Technology | Permanent, fixed-term, interim and temp; executive search via Page Executive; outsourcing via Page Outsourcing | Not published on the UK site | — |
| Harvey Nash | Permanent, interim and contract; executive search; statement of work; MSP and RPO via sister brand Flexhuis | Not published | — |
| Computer Futures | Not verified on its own site | Not published | — |
| La Fosse | Permanent, contract, interim, executive search, retained and contingent hiring, MSP, statement of work; junior talent via La Fosse Academy | Not published | — |
| Understanding Recruitment | Not verified on its own site | Not published | — |
| Client Server | Permanent and contract; executive search per directory listing only | Not published | — |
| Nigel Frank (Tenth Revolution Group) | Permanent, contract, global relocation; executive search and RPO not mentioned | Not published | — |
| ON3 Works | Permanent, success fee only; two tiers (AI-led Agentic, engineer-vetted Atelier); no retained, RPO or temp | Yes, on the pricing page: 7% (Agentic) or 20% (Atelier) of first-year base, no deposit, free replacement within 60 or 90 days | £4,550 or £13,000 |
Fee on £65,000 is arithmetic on the published rate for that salary band, before VAT. A dash means the agency does not publish a rate, not that it has none: the UK norm is 15–25% of first-year base.
What each agency says about how it finds and assesses candidates
The fee is the easy column. The one that decides whether you get engineers or CVs is who evaluates, and most agencies say little about it. These are the process claims each one makes on its own site, paraphrased; the source for each is in the list at the end of the page.
| Agency | What it says about its process | Verified from |
|---|---|---|
| Hays Technology | Technical assessments for candidates through a partnership with ShowX | own site + public filing |
| Robert Walters (Technology) | Anonymises CVs to reduce bias in shortlisting | own site |
| Michael Page Technology | Reaches candidates who are not actively applying; blends market data with technology | own site |
| Harvey Nash | Publishes the annual Digital Leadership Report, a long-running survey of technology leaders | own site |
| Computer Futures | No process-specific claim verified | directories + Companies House |
| La Fosse | Tailors each engagement; builds teams rather than filling single roles | own site |
| Understanding Recruitment | No process-specific claim verified; APSCo Recruitment Company of the Year 2016 (under £5M) | directories + Companies House |
| Client Server | Says every candidate is interviewed and technically tested by its consultants | directories + Companies House |
| Nigel Frank (Tenth Revolution Group) | Largest database of Microsoft professionals; CVs within 48 hours of agreeing terms | own site |
| ON3 Works | AI search over 1.7M+ profiles; on Atelier every finalist is interviewed by a senior engineer in the same stack | own site |
Two of the ten say candidates are technically tested or interviewed before you see them: Client Server (by its consultants) and ON3 Works (by a senior engineer, on Atelier). Hays offers technical assessments through a partner.
Three publish a price; the rest quote per client
Hays' rates are in the terms it filed on the UK Government's G-Cloud 15 marketplace: 20% up to £49,999, 25% from £50,000 and 28% from £70,000, with a minimum fee of £6,000 (£8,000 in London). Robert Walters' UK terms of business, issued February 2026, set 25% up to £39,999, 30% from £40,000 and 35% from £65,000, on the salary package rather than base. Both say the fee can be agreed otherwise; the schedule is the default. ON3 Works publishes 7% and 20% on base salary and does not negotiate them. Hays G-Cloud 15 terms (Dec 2025); Robert Walters UK T&Cs (Feb 2026); ON3 Works pricing
For the seven that publish nothing, the UK market rate is the guide: 15–25% contingency, 18–22% typical for tech, 25–33% retained. How those are calculated, what is negotiable and what the headline percentage leaves out is in recruitment agency fees UK, with a calculator by role and level.
How to pick from this list
- ·One stack, one agency. A Dynamics or Azure programme is Nigel Frank's whole business; a .NET or Java team in London is Client Server's or Understanding Recruitment's.
- ·Volume or many sites: Hays, Michael Page, Robert Walters and Harvey Nash have the offices and the RPO or MSP arms. Expect the fee schedule above unless you bring volume.
- ·Leadership and confidential search: Michael Page (through Page Executive), Hays, Harvey Nash and La Fosse all list executive search. Retained search normally means part of the fee is paid upfront.
- ·Price known before the first call, engineer-vetted shortlist: ON3 Works, 7% or 20%, first shortlist in 24–48 hours, no deposit, no exclusivity.
- ·Whichever you call, ask the six questions in the FAQ below and get the answers in writing. The agencies that answer them quickly are the ones worth briefing.
Hiring in London specifically, with salary bands by role: tech recruitment agency in London. The UK market and how ON3 hires across it: IT recruitment agency UK.
Choosing an IT recruitment agency in the UK
Which is the best IT recruitment agency in the UK?
How much do IT recruitment agencies charge in the UK?
Why don't most agencies publish their fees?
What is the biggest IT recruitment agency in the UK?
Should I use more than one IT recruitment agency?
What should I ask an IT recruitment agency before signing?
Can a UK employer hire engineers in Spain through one of these agencies?
Want the engineer-vetted shortlist at a published price?
Brief us on the role, level and location in 15 minutes. First shortlist in 24–48 hours; 7% or 20% of base, only if you hire.
Request candidates →Sources (all fetched 4 November 2026)
Hays. hays.co.uk/technology; hays.co.uk/offices; Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd terms and conditions, G-Cloud 15 (assets.applytosupply.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk, document 92279, version HSRTOB 12/25); haysplc.com press release, 50th anniversary (2018).
Robert Walters. robertwalters.co.uk/expertise/technology.html; Robert Walters Operations Ltd, UK Terms and Conditions of Business for Perm and FTC, February 2026 (PDF on robertwalters.co.uk).
Michael Page. michaelpage.co.uk/our-expertise/technology; michaelpage.co.uk/about-us; investors.michaelpage.com/about-us/our-history.
Harvey Nash. harveynash.co.uk/contact-us; harveynash.co.uk/talent-solutions; harveynash.co.uk/about-harvey-nash; harveynash.com/our-company/overview; Wikipedia, Nash Squared (ownership).
Computer Futures. builtinlondon.uk/company/computer-futures (company copy); Wikipedia, SThree (founding, listing). Official site not fetched.
La Fosse. lafosse.com/about-us; lafosse.com/services.
Understanding Recruitment. Companies House, Understanding Recruitment Ltd, no. 06364614 (incorporated 7 September 2007); reed.co.uk company profile (stack list); uk.indeed.com company profile (awards); recruiter.co.uk, September 2021 (Acceler8 Talent). Official site not fetched.
Client Server. Companies House, Client Server Ltd, no. 03858648 (incorporated 13 October 1999); womenintech.co.uk/client-server and escapethecity.org (company copy); herohunt.ai directory (executive search). Official site not fetched.
Nigel Frank / Tenth Revolution Group. nigelfrank.com/employers; nigelfrank.com/contact; tenthrevolution.com/culture/our-story; Companies House, Nigel Frank International Ltd, no. 05985779.
ON3 Works. on3works.com/pricing; on3works.com/about. Market fee ranges (15–25% contingency, 25–33% retained) from the ON3 Works UK fees guide.