Published costs, timelines, and guarantees
Every figure below comes from the provider’s own website on October 26, 2026. Where a provider’s pages disagree with each other, both figures are shown. Terms change, so confirm them in writing before you sign.
| Provider | Model | What you pay | Time to candidates | Replacement terms | Talent regions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talented | Direct hire. You pay the buyer directly | One-time placement fee, paid when you hire. No monthly markup. Example hire: $2K/mo | 14-day shortlist. Example: 19 days from launch to a buyer in place | 90-day replacement at no cost | Philippines, South Africa, Latin America |
| Haven | Direct hire | $1,500 refundable deposit plus $5,000 placement fee due at offer. Sample buyer pay $3K–$5K/mo | 3+ candidates within 2 weeks. Placed in 14–30 days | 90-day replacement | Eastern Europe |
| Remote Talent LATAM | Direct hire | Flat $3,300 placement fee, nothing due until the hire starts. PPC pay $28K–$36K/yr | First candidates in about 10 business days. 3–5 weeks to day one | Homepage says 90 days. PPC page says 4 months | Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica |
| StepUp Talent | Direct hire | Non-refundable search fee from $2,000, plus 15% of annual salary at hire | 3–5 candidates in 1–3 weeks | One replacement within 60 days | Latin America (Spanish-speaking) |
| Bold Assistants | Monthly fee for a dedicated buyer | From $1,800/mo. No placement fee. Cancel anytime | Hire in 5 days. Most placements in 2–14 days | 12-month replacement | Philippines, Latin America, South Africa |
| GrowthPair | Managed monthly service | About $4,000/mo all-inclusive. Buyout to hire directly: 50% of the annualized rate | About 3 weeks | Replacement for as long as you are a client | Philippines, Latin America |
| Interfell | Monthly staffing or direct-hire recruiting | Staffing: the buyer’s pay plus 25%, about $2,063–$5,625/mo by seniority. Recruiting fee not published | Shortlist in 72 hours | Staffing: unlimited replacements. Recruiting: 60 days | Latin America |
| Team Virtual | Monthly staffing | £12–£16 per hour by seniority. No placement fee | 1–2 weeks | Replacement support. Terms not published | Not published (London-based company) |
| Wow Remote Teams | Staffing, staff-to-hire, or direct hire | No media-buyer rate listed. Social media specialist (Meta Ads) $2,000/mo. No deposits or placement fees | Shortlist in 3–5 business days. Most roles filled within 15 days | Refund in the first 2 weeks. Replacement anytime during the contract | Latin America |
| OnlineJobs.ph (do it yourself) | Job board. You recruit and screen | $69/mo (PRO) or $99/mo (Premium). No salary markup | Depends on your own screening time | None | Philippines |
How each provider tests media buyers
The fee matters less than whether the buyer can run your clients’ accounts without you. Most providers publish general vetting steps. Few describe a Meta-specific test.
| Provider | Published assessment | Minimum experience |
|---|---|---|
| Talented | Paid, role-specific assessment built from a real account audit, reviewed before the candidate reaches your calendar | Set per role from the account load and spend |
| Haven | Recruiter screen, then a technical interview with their head of paid media | 5+ years |
| Remote Talent LATAM | English, written and skills assessments, references; asks for Meta Business Manager results and offers clients a paid real-world assessment | 2–3 years on similar campaigns |
| StepUp Talent | Not described. Requires experience on your ad platforms and the ability to explain past campaign decisions | Not published |
| Bold Assistants | Vets live Meta, Google, TikTok, or YouTube account experience. No specific test described | 3+ years, $10K–$100K+/mo in spend |
| GrowthPair | Proctored role-specific skills assessment, live interview, creative-strategy evaluation for paid social | 3 years in the role |
| Interfell | English, technical depth, video and assessments. Suggests you run your own ad-account audit test | Not published |
| Team Virtual | Technical interviews and technical assessments | 1+ years (junior) to 5+ years (senior) |
| Wow Remote Teams | Six screening criteria plus optional skills or technical tests | Not published |
Direct hire or monthly staffing?
Direct hire means a one-time fee and the buyer on your own team and payroll. Monthly staffing means the provider stays the employer or payroll layer and you pay their margin every month you keep the buyer.
Over 12 months the gap is large. StepUp’s own example of a $2,500/mo hire comes to $6,500 in fees. Remote Talent LATAM charges a flat $3,300. Haven charges $5,000 plus a refundable deposit. Monthly models run about $21,600 a year at Bold Assistants’ starting price, about $35,000–$53,000 a year for a semi-senior buyer through Interfell staffing, and about $48,000 a year at GrowthPair’s average rate.
Monthly staffing makes sense when you are not sure the seat will last, need someone within days, or do not want to handle payroll and contractor paperwork. Direct hire makes sense when the seat is permanent, which it usually is once an agency has more client spend than the owner can watch.
What we have seen in Talented’s media-buyer searches
The agencies that got a strong buyer fastest hired for one clear job: a full-time Meta buyer for lead-gen or coaching and webinar clients who owns account decisions and creative-testing direction (angles, briefs, kill and scale calls). That buyer does not produce creative, build funnels, run Google, or take client calls.
Simple execution specs filled fastest. One agency had a buyer in place 19 days after launch at about $2K/mo, and hired a second the same way. Searches slowed when the spec required exact-niche experience, very high minimum daily spend, or a senior strategist at a mid-level salary.
The strongest fit was an agency replacing a buyer who left or adding a seat next to an existing lead buyer. Owners handing off ads they still ran themselves, or asking one person to cover Meta, Google, funnels, and creative, were a poor fit for a single hire.
Where Talented fits, and where it does not
- Good fit: an agency spending $10K+/mo on Meta across lead-gen or coaching and webinar clients that needs a full-time buyer it hires and manages directly.
- Not a fit: Google Ads or multi-channel buyers, ecommerce brands hiring for their own store, part-time roles, or one person expected to buy media, produce creative, and build funnels.
- If you want month-to-month with no hiring commitment, Bold Assistants or a staffing model is the better route. If you want a senior European buyer with 5+ years, look at Haven. If full US time-zone overlap matters most, the Latin America providers above are built for it.
- Talented has made 75+ client placements from 32,000+ applications. You hire and pay the buyer directly, pay the placement fee when you hire, and get a 90-day replacement if the buyer is not the right fit. That is a replacement guarantee, not a guarantee of ROAS or cost per lead.
Questions to ask any provider
- What is the total cost for 12 months, fees plus the buyer’s pay?
- Does the buyer work for me or for you? Can I hire them directly later, and what does that cost?
- How do you test Meta skills specifically, and can I see a finalist’s test before I interview them?
- Have you placed buyers with agencies running lead-gen or coaching offers?
- What exactly triggers a replacement, and how fast does the new search start?
- Who handles creative-testing decisions, tracking checks, and reporting in the first 30 days?
FAQ
How much does a full-time overseas Meta media buyer cost?
Published pay ranges run from about $1,650/mo for a junior buyer to about $4,500–$5,000/mo for a senior buyer, depending on region. On top of pay, expect a one-time placement fee of roughly $3,300–$6,500 for direct hire, or a monthly margin with staffing models.
How fast can I hire one?
Monthly staffing providers advertise shortlists in 72 hours to three weeks. Direct-hire recruiters typically present candidates in one to three weeks and have the buyer started within three to five weeks.
Is a placement fee or a monthly fee better for an agency?
If the seat is permanent, a one-time placement fee usually costs less within the first year. A monthly fee is better when you need flexibility to cancel or do not want to handle payroll.
What does a replacement guarantee cover?
A new search if the buyer leaves or is not a fit within the stated window, which ranges from 60 days to 12 months or the full length of the contract. None of the providers above guarantee ad results such as ROAS or cost per lead.