NTRVSTA wrote this page. We make a competing product, so we stick to Dover's own published pricing and say where it isn't published.
Dover pricing has two halves that are easy to mix up. One is software: Dover's applicant tracking system, which is free or $199 a month. The other is people: a marketplace of fractional startup recruiters, each with their own rates. Your total Dover cost depends mostly on the second half. We read dover.com/pricing on November 1, 2026 for everything below.
The short answer
Dover's Free ATS costs $0 with unlimited users, jobs and candidates. Premium ATS costs $199 a month and adds AI applicant scoring, an AI notetaker and automations. Marketplace recruiters set their own rates (hourly, retainer or pay-per-hire), and Dover's page shows an average cost per hire of $4.8K across 1,442 listed hires.
What you get on each Dover pricing plan
Dover says intro calls with marketplace recruiters are free, with no long-term contract and a refundable deposit. Its FAQ says Dover earns a platform fee when companies work with marketplace recruiters; the fee isn't published.
What drives the price
- Recruiter rate and hours. Dover's own cost-per-hire math is hours times hourly rate, so a hard senior search costs more than a quick one.
- Engagement model. Hourly, retainer and pay-per-hire each spread risk differently.
- Platform fee. Mentioned in Dover's FAQ, amount not published.
- ATS tier. Free vs Premium is a flat $199 a month difference, not per seat.
Generally, when you buy fractional recruiting (not specific to Dover), the cost also moves with role difficulty, location, how fast you give feedback, and how many interviews your team can run each week. Slow feedback means more paid hours.
Dover publishes each marketplace hire's cost, which most recruiting services don't. Before you engage, look at hires for roles like yours on its pricing page rather than relying on the $4.8K average alone.
Questions to ask Dover before you buy
- What is Dover's platform fee on our engagement, and is it a percentage or a flat amount?
- How big is the refundable deposit, and when is it returned?
- For an hourly recruiter, can we set a cap on hours per hire?
- If a pay-per-hire candidate leaves in the first months, is there a replacement or refund?
- Can we export all candidates and notes if we move off the Free ATS later?
- Which AI features in Premium change hiring decisions, and how do we review them?
Cheaper or simpler options than Dover
Dover's software is already free, so the comparison that matters is how you pay for recruiting help.
- Paraform. A recruiter marketplace on a success-based model: a flat percentage of first-year base salary only on hire (percentage not published), with a free replacement search within 90 days. See Dover vs Paraform.
- Weekday. Contingency at 15% of annual salary, free if no hire, with a 60-day replacement, per Weekday. Focused on tech hiring in India.
- Jack & Jill. A free plan with 20 intro requests a month, then $199 per active role a month, for double-opt-in candidate introductions.
- HiringAgents.ai. Free inbound screening tools, then $149 to $199 per ready-to-interview candidate on its credit plans.
- NTRVSTA (us). Honestly a weak fit here: we aren't an ATS and we don't supply human recruiters. If you already have an ATS and want an AI agent to source, screen and schedule, our $0 Starter covers one open role; plans are on our pricing section.
For more, read Dover vs NTRVSTA, Dover alternatives, and AI recruiting tools for startups. Want to see an AI agent run a first-round interview? Book a 20-minute walkthrough.
Questions
Is Dover free?
Dover's ATS has a free plan with unlimited users, jobs and candidates, and Dover says no credit card is required. Premium ATS costs $199 a month, and marketplace recruiters are paid separately at rates they set.
How much does a Dover recruiter cost?
Marketplace recruiters set their own rates, hourly, on retainer or per hire. Dover's pricing page shows an average cost per hire of $4.8K, calculated as hours times the recruiter's hourly rate, across the 1,442 marketplace hires it lists.
What does Dover Premium ATS add?
Per Dover, Premium adds AI resume review (applicant scoring), a fully customizable careers page, unlimited MCP usage, an AI notetaker, bulk actions and automations, knockout questions, offers with e-sign, API access, data export and premium support.
Does Dover take a fee on marketplace hires?
Dover's FAQ says it earns a platform fee when companies work with marketplace recruiters. The fee amount isn't published on its pricing page, so ask for it before you engage a recruiter.
We checked Dover's pricing and every other price here on November 1, 2026. Confirm with each vendor before you commit.
