What does a recruiting service cost, and why won't they say?
The biggest recruiting companies have a page about cost that lists no cost. Here is why, what it means for you, and the questions to ask before you spend anything.
The page about cost with no cost on it
NCSA is the largest recruiting service in the country. It has a page titled “What Does NCSA Cost”. As of this writing that page lists five membership tiers by name, compares their features in a grid, and does not show a price for any of them.
Its own FAQ asks the question directly: “Why don’t you show cost and membership pricing?” The published answer is that starting a conversation lets them “better understand your goals and expectations, allowing us to provide a more personalized experience.” Underneath it is a button to schedule a call.
This is not unique to one company. Most large recruiting services price the same way, and it is worth understanding before you pick up the phone.
What a personalized price actually means
When a price is set on a call rather than printed on a page, the number can depend on the sport, the grade, the package, whatever discount is running, and how the conversation goes. Two families can pay very different amounts for the same thing.
That is legal and common. It is also the reason you cannot compare recruiting services the way you compare anything else you buy, and why families report wildly different figures for the same company.
What you are usually buying
Strip away the packaging and the paid tiers at most services are some mix of the same things:
- ■An online profile, which the free tier usually includes too
- ■A college coach contact list or directory
- ■The ability to message coaches through their system
- ■A professionally edited highlight video, often one to five of them
- ■Time with a human recruiting coach, which is the expensive part
- ■Add-ons like test prep, camps, nutrition or mental performance coaching
Five questions before you spend anything
Whoever you talk to, at whatever company, these five get you the real picture. Ask for the answers in writing.
- ■What is the total price, including every add-on, for the whole term?
- ■Is that a one time fee, a yearly one, or a payment plan with interest?
- ■What exactly happens if I cancel, and what is refundable?
- ■Which of these features are in the free tier?
- ■Can you name a thing you do that I could not do myself with a weekend and a list of schools?
The honest case for paying
Paying is not foolish. If you genuinely have no time, if your high school has never sent anyone to college in your sport, or if you want somebody to edit film properly, a service can earn its money.
What no service can do is get your athlete an offer. Coaches decide that, off film, numbers and grades. Be careful with anyone who promises a scholarship, guarantees a number of coach views, or needs you to decide today.
What we cost
We take the opposite approach, so here it is with no call required. The page is free to build and free to keep. Pro is $7.99 a month or $59 a year. A Family plan covering three athletes is $99 a year. Coaches never pay anything.
You can also pay nothing at all and still get Pro, if a local business or booster club sponsors your team. That is a real thing on this site, not a promotion.
We do not sell recruiting coaching and we do not promise offers, because nobody honestly can. What we sell is a complete page and one link to send.