What is Workwise?
Workwise is a German recruiting provider that combines job marketing, applicant management and success-based placement. According to the provider's website, October 2026, employers pay only on a successful hire under the placement models. The company was founded in 2015 by Martin Trenkle and Jannik Keller under the name Campusjäger, a placement platform for interns and working students, and later moved to the Workwise name. It is based in Karlsruhe. According to trade press reports, Workwise raised 12 million euros in a Series A round from LEA Partners and Armira Growth; before that, the company says it grew from its own funds.
Workwise is not a pure social recruiting agency. The offer distributes jobs across many channels, including Google ads, and links them to a candidate pool and personal advice. Anyone looking for Meta campaigns with pre-qualification will find a placement provider with a channel mix rather than a specialist social vendor.
Who is Workwise for?
The offer targets employers in Germany that want to fill individual positions and do not want to commit an ad budget up front. The success-based price lowers the risk for rare hires but becomes expensive at high salaries. For high-volume hiring with many similar hourly roles, a percentage of annual salary is usually not the cheapest solution. Working students and internships have fixed prices.
Workwise at a glance
| Attribute | Detail (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Karlsruhe |
| Founded | 2015 as Campusjäger by Martin Trenkle and Jannik Keller |
| Funding | Series A of 12 million euros from LEA Partners and Armira Growth (according to trade press); before that grown from its own funds |
| Model | Success-based placement, flat fees for internships and working students |
| Prices | 14, 18 or 22% of gross target annual salary for permanent roles |
| Rating | 4.8 out of 5 stars from 28 votes; more than 120 reviews on OMR Reviews |
| Target group | Employers in Germany with individual positions and no up-front ad budget |
The key data show: Workwise is a placement provider with a platform, not an ad budget model. The risk lies with the provider as long as nobody is hired. In return, the price depends on the salary of the filled role.
Core features
- Publication on workwise.io and, for student roles, on campusjaeger.de.
- Candidate pool: according to the pricing page, access to more than one million profiles and AI-based marketing.
- Multiposting: in the higher tiers, marketing across more than 350 selected channels, including Google Ads and individual ad optimisation.
- Active sourcing and pre-qualification: part of the Premium tier, carried out by the provider's experts.
- Applicant management and career site: according to the website, free to use.
- Personal advice: one recruiting consultant per customer, a dedicated contact in the Enterprise tier.
Pricing
According to the provider's pricing page, October 2026, these rates apply to permanent roles, based on the gross target annual salary:
| Tier | Price | Main services |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 14% | Publication on workwise.io, AI marketing in the candidate pool, personal consultant |
| Plus | 18% | adds 350+ channels, Google Ads, individual optimisation, candidate support |
| Premium | 22% plus 3,000 euros setup (6-month term) | adds active sourcing, pre-qualification, money-back guarantee |
| Enterprise | custom | tailored, dedicated contact |
According to the provider, internships cost a flat 500 euros and working students 800 euros, each including a guarantee. For permanent roles a refund applies: 100 percent if the employment ends in the first month, 66 percent in the second and 33 percent in the third. In Premium the guarantee is included; for Basic and Plus it is optional at 1,000 euros.
Worked example: for an annual salary of 50,000 euros, a hire costs 7,000 euros in Basic, 9,000 euros in Plus and 11,000 euros plus 3,000 euros setup in Premium. This is an illustration based on the published rates, not a quote.
Ratings
OMR Reviews lists more than 120 reviews of Workwise; a ratings overview cites an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars from 28 votes (as of October 2026). Reviewers praise ease of use, applicant management, multi-channel reach and the personal support of account managers. Some users criticise candidate quality, the relevance of suggestions and occasional problems connecting to other HR systems.
Ratings overview
| Source | Value | Praised | Criticised |
|---|---|---|---|
| OMR Reviews | More than 120 reviews | Ease of use, applicant management | Some voices on the relevance of suggestions |
| Ratings overview | 4.8 out of 5 stars from 28 votes | Multi-channel reach, personal support of account managers | Candidate quality, occasional problems connecting to other HR systems |
The two sources differ in sample size. The high average rests on few votes; the number of reviews on OMR Reviews is larger. Read the critical individual reviews as well.
Strengths
- Success-based payment: no placement fee if nobody is hired.
- Transparent price tiers with published percentages and a refund rule.
- Personal support from consultants.
- Applicant management and career site at no extra cost.
Limits
- A percentage fee gets expensive at higher salaries.
- No social recruiting campaign with a pre-qualification chat at the core of the offer.
- A permanent talent pool of your own builds up only to a limited degree, since applicants mostly come through the provider's platform.
- Some users report uneven candidate quality.
What a hire costs: worked examples
The published rates allow you to derive the costs for different salaries and tiers. The values are a calculation based on the pricing page, not a quote; Premium comes plus 3,000 euros setup in each case.
| Gross target annual salary | Basic (14%) | Plus (18%) | Premium (22%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35,000 euros | 4,900 euros | 6,300 euros | 7,700 euros plus 3,000 euros |
| 50,000 euros | 7,000 euros | 9,000 euros | 11,000 euros plus 3,000 euros |
| 70,000 euros | 9,800 euros | 12,600 euros | 15,400 euros plus 3,000 euros |
The table makes the effect of the percentage model visible: the higher the salary, the higher the placement cost, even if the provider's effort does not rise to the same degree.
Which tier should you look at?
| Situation | Obvious tier | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| A single specialist role, you want to choose yourself | Basic | Publication and pool, personal consultant, lowest percentage |
| More reach via Google and multiposting wanted | Plus | 350+ channels, Google Ads, individual optimisation |
| Hard-to-fill role, little time in the team | Premium | Active sourcing, pre-qualification and guarantee included |
| Several locations, ongoing demand | Enterprise | Custom quote, dedicated contact |
| Internship or working student | Flat fee | 500 euros or 800 euros including guarantee |
This is an orientation based on the service description, not a recommendation for a specific case. What counts is how hard the role is to fill in the market.
How Workwise compares with an ad budget
The core of the decision is a comparison of two cost logics. In the success-based model you pay only when someone is hired, but the price is tied to the salary. In a model with a fixed ad budget you pay regardless of the result, and the cost per hire depends on the hit rate. The overview below sets the two logics side by side:
| Criterion | Success-based (Workwise) | Fixed ad budget |
|---|---|---|
| When do costs arise? | According to the provider on a successful hire; Premium adds 3,000 euros setup | As soon as the campaign runs, regardless of the result |
| Level of costs | Percentage of gross target annual salary (14, 18 or 22%) | Chosen budget, independent of salary |
| Risk for a hard-to-fill role | With the provider as long as nobody is hired | With the employer |
| Costs at a high salary | Rise with the salary | Stay the same |
| Predictability | Good with known salaries, open on the number of hires | Good for the budget, open on the number of hires |
| Refund | Sliding 100, 66 and 33 percent in months one to three | Depends on the provider, usually not foreseen |
Which logic is cheaper depends on the role. For a rare specialist position with a mid-range salary, the percentage can be cheaper than a campaign budget without a hire. For many similar hourly roles, the comparison often favours the fixed budget. Calculate both variants with your own figures before you commit.
Applicant management in daily work: what HR teams should check
According to the provider, Workwise includes free applicant management. Whether it is enough depends on which recruiting processes run day to day. The overview below shows which problems recruitment platforms are meant to solve for HR teams; it is a checking grid, not a statement about Workwise features.
| Area | Question for the provider | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiting tasks | Which recurring recruiting tasks are automated, which stay manual? | Decides the time effort in the team |
| Interview scheduling | Can interviews be scheduled directly from the system? | Saves coordination rounds with candidates and the department |
| Employer branding | How can the career site be designed and embedded in your own presence? | Affects the quality of applications |
| Recruitment marketing | Which channels are included in the price, which cost extra? | Relevant when comparing the tiers |
| HR controlling | Which figures on cost and duration per hire can be exported? | Basis for comparison with other routes |
| Interfaces | Is there a connection to the existing HR system? | Some users report occasional problems |
Anyone who so far has unstructured application processes with mailboxes and spreadsheets usually gains an overview from central applicant management. Anyone with an established ATS should mainly clarify the interfaces and data export.
Alternatives
For success-based or flat-fee models in German-speaking markets, options include HeyJobs, Jobtastic and Candidates Attraction. Social recruiting agencies running Meta campaigns include Social Natives, Wonderkind and Seiza. For software rather than a service there are applicant tracking systems such as Personio, softgarden and Join.
What to check before you book
Before deciding, work out how many hires you plan per year and at what salary level. With ten roles at 50,000 euros each, 14 percent adds up to 70,000 euros and 18 percent to 90,000 euros. Compare that with models using a fixed budget, where the cost per hire depends on the hit rate.
Ask what counts as a successful placement and how long you are bound after a candidate suggestion. Also clarify whether you may approach the candidates from the process yourself later, since that decides whether a talent pool of your own builds up.
Finally, look at the guarantee period: a refund that ends after three months does not cover a later resignation.
FAQ
How much does Workwise cost?
For permanent roles 14, 18 or 22 percent of the gross target annual salary, plus 3,000 euros setup in Premium; internships 500 euros, working students 800 euros (according to the provider's pricing page, October 2026).
When do you pay at Workwise?
According to the provider, only on a successful placement. This applies to the placement tiers; Premium adds the setup fee.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes, on a sliding scale: 100 percent in the first month, 66 percent in the second and 33 percent in the third. It is included in Premium and optional for Basic and Plus at 1,000 euros.
Is Workwise an applicant tracking system?
It includes applicant management and a career site, but at its core it is a recruiting service with a placement model.
Sources: OMR Reviews, Workwise; Personalwirtschaft, funding round; Workwise pricing page, October 2026.
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