NeuronHire vs Lupa

NeuronHire vs Lupa: who vets your next engineer?

Both hire in Latin America, send a shortlist within about a week, and most clients hire in around three weeks. The difference is who checks the engineering. Lupa recruits for every function, and its FAQ says your team owns the technical evaluation. NeuronHire works only with engineers: an engineer interviews every candidate before you see the profile, and you choose contractors, EOR or a fixed-price project.

Book a Call

See the full comparison

Last reviewed Oct 21, 2026
13 sources cited
Written by Tercio Lima

At a glance

Full breakdown ↓

Model: Your choice: contractors, EOR or fixed-price projectsDirect Hire, Staffing or RPO
Technical evaluation: Run by an engineer, before you see the profileOwned by your team, with Lupa's help designing it
First candidates: 2 to 4 engineers within 7 days3 to 4 candidates, usually within a week
Pricing: Shared on the first call15% of annual salary for Direct Hire; other models on a call
Trial & guarantee: 7 days, replace or refundPay only on hire, with a 120-day replacement guarantee
Roles: Engineering only, focused on hard-to-find and AI rolesEvery function, from engineering to finance and sales

The short answer

Pick NeuronHire if you're hiring engineers and want an engineer to vet every candidate before you see them, a 7-day trial with a refund option, and month-to-month billing with no upfront fee. Pick Lupa if you're hiring across functions, like engineering plus finance or marketing, want to employ people directly for a one-time success fee, or want a 120-day replacement guarantee. Both send a shortlist within about a week, and most clients of both hire in around three weeks.

Choose NeuronHire if…

You're a 15 to 200 person startup hiring engineers, and your team doesn't have time to run the technical screen for every candidate.
You're hiring a hard-to-find specialist, like an agentic AI engineer, an AI product engineer, or a data, DevOps or security engineer, and want the search built around that role.
You want to start with a 7-day trial and a refund option, and pay a monthly rate only while the engineer works with you, with no upfront fee.
You want to choose the engagement model: contractors with a buyout option and the fee agreed upfront, an EOR tailored with you, or a fixed-price project.

Choose Lupa if…

You're hiring beyond engineering, like finance, sales, marketing, operations or leadership roles, or you need part-time hires, which Lupa's Staffing model offers.
You want to employ the person directly from day one, for a one-time success fee when they start.
You have an engineering team ready to run the technical evaluation, and you want a 120-day replacement guarantee.

Why NeuronHire

Why engineering leaders pick NeuronHire over Lupa

What changes when engineers run the vetting, and how we keep your commitment low.

Engineers vet every candidate, so your team doesn't have to

As of October 2026, 80% of the NeuronHire team has engineering backgrounds, and every technical interview is run by an engineer before you see the profile. Lupa's searches are led by a senior Talent Partner who specializes in your field, and its FAQ says your team owns the technical evaluation, with Lupa helping you design it.^{[12][8][1][2]}

Engineering only, built for hard-to-find roles

We only hire engineers, and each search is built around one role, with 2 to 4 engineers per shortlist. Much of our work today is in specialized AI roles: full-stack AI engineers, agentic systems engineers, backend AI engineers. Lupa's strength is breadth: it recruits across tech, finance, sales, marketing, operations and leadership.^[8][11][1]

Low commitment, with a way out

Start with a 7-day trial: if it's not working, we replace or refund. There's no upfront fee: you pay a monthly rate only while the engineer works with you, you can pause with 15 days' notice, and if you bring the engineer in-house, the buyout fee is agreed upfront. Lupa's Direct Hire works the other way: a one-time success fee when the person starts, backed by a 120-day replacement guarantee.^[6][7][8][3]

Your choice of engagement model

Hire contractors on month-to-month billing, with a buyout option to bring the engineer in-house and the fee agreed upfront. Prefer an EOR? We tailor it with you. Need something built? We scope, staff and deliver it for a fixed price. Lupa offers Direct Hire, Staffing and embedded recruiters (RPO), and adapts to EOR or contractor setups.^{[8][10][1][3]}

Side by side

NeuronHire vs Lupa: full comparison

Every row shows where each platform stands, including the rows where Lupa comes out ahead.

AdvantageNeuronHire advantage
AdvantageLupa advantage
ComparableComparable
Different approachDifferent approach

NeuronHire vs Lupa comparison, grouped by category. Competitor details from Lupa's public website, checked Oct 21, 2026.
Criterion	NeuronHire	Lupa
Model & pricing
Engagement model^{[8][10][1][3]}	Different approachYour choice: contractors on month-to-month billing with a buyout option, EOR tailored with you, or fixed-price projects	Different approachThree services: Direct Hire, Staffing (Lupa manages contracts and payroll) and RPO (embedded recruiters); EOR or contractor setups on request
Pricing^[6][1][3]	Different approachShared on the first call, no hidden fees	Different approachDirect Hire: 15% of annual salary, stated on its contact page; Staffing and RPO pricing shared on a call
Upfront fees^[7][6][2][3]	ComparableNone, no hidden fees	ComparableNone for Direct Hire, where the fee is charged only when the person starts; RPO has a monthly base fee
Minimum commitment^[6][2]	Different approachMonth-to-month, no long-term contract, pause with 15 days' notice	Different approachDirect Hire is a one-time fee; notice terms for Staffing and RPO aren't published
Direct hire^[6][2][3]	Different approachAllowed through a buyout option, with the fee agreed upfront	Different approachIts core service: you employ the person and pay a one-time success fee when they start
Talent & vetting
Technical interview run by an engineer^{[12][1][2][4][3]}	AdvantageEvery candidate, in a live interview, before you see the profile	Its recruiters screen technical skills; your team owns the technical evaluation, and Lupa helps you design it
Who runs the search^[12][8][1]	Different approachOur team, 80% with engineering backgrounds, after a kickoff on stack, goals, culture and comp range	Different approachA senior Talent Partner who specializes in your field
Roles covered^[8][11][1]	Different approachEngineering only, with a focus on hard-to-find and AI roles	Different approachTech and engineering, including AI and machine learning, plus finance, sales, marketing, customer service, operations and leadership
AI in the process^[12][1]	ComparableOur platform handles sourcing and AI matchmaking; people run every interview and make every recommendation	ComparableAn in-house AI platform supports the search; no bot-led interviews
Speed
First candidates^[7][1][2]	Comparable2 to 4 vetted engineers within 7 days	ComparableA shortlist of 3 to 4 candidates, usually within a week
Time to hire^[8][2]	ComparableMost clients hire in 2 to 3 weeks	ComparableMost clients hire within 21 days
Risk & contract
Trial & guarantee^[6][8][3]	Different approach7-day trial: if it's not working, we replace or refund; after that, a replacement at no extra cost within the warranty window in your contract	Different approachYou pay only on hire, with a replacement at no extra cost if the hire leaves or doesn't meet your standards within 120 days
After the hire
Payroll & compliance^{[12][8][2][5]}	Different approachWe handle contracts, payments and compliance on one monthly invoice; engineers are contractors by default, and EOR can be tailored with you	Different approachUnder Staffing, Lupa manages contracts and payroll; under Direct Hire, you employ the person
Time-zone overlap^[9][1][2]	ComparableEvery engineer in Latin America, UTC-3 to UTC-6, with 4 to 8 hours of daily overlap with US teams	ComparableTalent across 20 Latin American countries who work your hours; no overlap figure published
Reported retention^[13][1]	88% of all engineers placed since 2025 are still with their client	Advantage97% of placements still in the seat after their first year
Hires made^[7][1]	Different approach100+ engineers placed, all in engineering roles	Different approach1,000+ candidates hired across every function it recruits for, not engineers only

Model & pricing

Engagement model^{[8][10][1][3]}

NeuronHireYour choice: contractors on month-to-month billing with a buyout option, EOR tailored with you, or fixed-price projects

LupaThree services: Direct Hire, Staffing (Lupa manages contracts and payroll) and RPO (embedded recruiters); EOR or contractor setups on request

Pricing^[6][1][3]

NeuronHireShared on the first call, no hidden fees

LupaDirect Hire: 15% of annual salary, stated on its contact page; Staffing and RPO pricing shared on a call

Upfront fees^[7][6][2][3]

NeuronHireNone, no hidden fees

LupaNone for Direct Hire, where the fee is charged only when the person starts; RPO has a monthly base fee

Minimum commitment^[6][2]

NeuronHireMonth-to-month, no long-term contract, pause with 15 days' notice

LupaDirect Hire is a one-time fee; notice terms for Staffing and RPO aren't published

Direct hire^[6][2][3]

NeuronHireAllowed through a buyout option, with the fee agreed upfront

LupaIts core service: you employ the person and pay a one-time success fee when they start

Talent & vetting

Technical interview run by an engineer^{[12][1][2][4][3]}

NeuronHireEvery candidate, in a live interview, before you see the profile

LupaIts recruiters screen technical skills; your team owns the technical evaluation, and Lupa helps you design it

Who runs the search^[12][8][1]

NeuronHireOur team, 80% with engineering backgrounds, after a kickoff on stack, goals, culture and comp range

LupaA senior Talent Partner who specializes in your field

Roles covered^[8][11][1]

NeuronHireEngineering only, with a focus on hard-to-find and AI roles

LupaTech and engineering, including AI and machine learning, plus finance, sales, marketing, customer service, operations and leadership

AI in the process^[12][1]

NeuronHireOur platform handles sourcing and AI matchmaking; people run every interview and make every recommendation

LupaAn in-house AI platform supports the search; no bot-led interviews

Speed

First candidates^[7][1][2]

NeuronHire2 to 4 vetted engineers within 7 days

LupaA shortlist of 3 to 4 candidates, usually within a week

Time to hire^[8][2]

NeuronHireMost clients hire in 2 to 3 weeks

LupaMost clients hire within 21 days

Risk & contract

Trial & guarantee^[6][8][3]

NeuronHire7-day trial: if it's not working, we replace or refund; after that, a replacement at no extra cost within the warranty window in your contract

LupaYou pay only on hire, with a replacement at no extra cost if the hire leaves or doesn't meet your standards within 120 days

After the hire

Payroll & compliance^{[12][8][2][5]}

NeuronHireWe handle contracts, payments and compliance on one monthly invoice; engineers are contractors by default, and EOR can be tailored with you

LupaUnder Staffing, Lupa manages contracts and payroll; under Direct Hire, you employ the person

Time-zone overlap^[9][1][2]

NeuronHireEvery engineer in Latin America, UTC-3 to UTC-6, with 4 to 8 hours of daily overlap with US teams

LupaTalent across 20 Latin American countries who work your hours; no overlap figure published

Reported retention^[13][1]

NeuronHire88% of all engineers placed since 2025 are still with their client

Lupa97% of placements still in the seat after their first year

Hires made^[7][1]

NeuronHire100+ engineers placed, all in engineering roles

Lupa1,000+ candidates hired across every function it recruits for, not engineers only

Lupa details come from Lupa's public website, checked Oct 21, 2026. Numbers in brackets link to each source.

Deep dive 1 of 4

Who runs the technical evaluation at Lupa vs NeuronHire?

This is the biggest difference between us. Lupa's FAQ says your team owns the technical evaluation: its Talent Partner runs the search, verifies experience and helps you design the assessment, and your engineers judge the technical depth. We run that step for you: an engineer interviews every candidate live before you see the profile, so your team spends its time on 2 to 4 engineers who have already passed a technical bar.^{[12][8][6][1][2][4][3]}

NeuronHire

Vetted by an engineer, before you see them

1We align on your stack, hiring goals, team culture and comp range on a kickoff call.
2Our platform sources and matches from 1,500+ engineers in our network across Latin America.
3Candidates work through technical challenges and real-world scenarios, and an engineer runs a live technical interview.
4You get 2 to 4 engineers within 7 days, each with notes from our technical interview.

Lupa

Recruited by Lupa, vetted by your team

1A consultation call and a kickoff meeting define the role and a performance profile for it.
2A senior Talent Partner who specializes in your field runs the search, backed by Lupa's in-house AI platform.
3Lupa's recruiters interview every candidate on skills, motivations, past results and team fit, screen technical skills and verify professional experience.
4You get 3 to 4 candidates, usually within a week, and your team runs the technical evaluation, with Lupa's help designing it.

Deep dive 2 of 4

How much does Lupa cost compared to NeuronHire?

The two models charge at different moments. As of October 2026, Lupa's contact page says its Direct Hire fee is 15% of annual salary, charged once when the person starts; for scale, that's $9,000 on a $60,000 salary. Staffing and RPO are priced on a call. We share pricing on the first call, with no upfront fee: you pay an all-inclusive monthly rate only while the engineer works with you. If you later bring the engineer in-house, a buyout fee applies, agreed before the engagement begins. The fair test is to ask both for the total cost of the same role over the first year.^{[6][8][1][2][3]}

NeuronHire

A monthly rate, priced on the first call

Pricing shared on the intro call, no hidden fees.
No upfront fee: an all-inclusive monthly rate, only while the engineer works with you.
A buyout option to bring the engineer in-house, with the fee agreed upfront.
Pause with 15 days' notice, and scale up or down as your roadmap changes.
Benchmark salaries first with our LATAM salary calculator.

Lupa

A success fee, or a monthly fee

Direct Hire: a one-time success fee of 15% of annual salary when the person starts.
Staffing: a monthly fee, with payroll run by Lupa.
RPO: a monthly fee for recruiters embedded in your team.
Staffing and RPO pricing is shared on a call.

Deep dive 3 of 4

How does Lupa's guarantee compare to the NeuronHire trial?

We protect you early, and Lupa protects you for longer. Our 7-day trial lets you see the engineer in real work first: if it's not working, we replace or refund. After that, you get a replacement at no extra cost within the warranty window in your contract. Lupa doesn't describe a trial or a refund, and offers a 120-day replacement guarantee if the hire leaves or doesn't meet your standards.^[6][8][3][5]

NeuronHire

A 7-day trial, with a refund option

7-day trial: if it's not working, we replace or refund.
After the trial, a replacement at no extra cost within the warranty window in your contract.
Month-to-month billing, and you can pause with 15 days' notice.

Lupa

A 120-day replacement guarantee

A replacement at no extra cost if the hire leaves or doesn't meet your standards within 120 days.
If the shortlist misses, Lupa refines the search and sends new candidates at no extra cost.
No trial period or refund is described on its site.

Deep dive 4 of 4

Who employs the engineer at Lupa vs NeuronHire?

It depends on the model you pick at Lupa. With Direct Hire, you employ the person and run payroll yourself; with Staffing, Lupa manages the contract and payroll, and it adapts to EOR or contractor setups by country. With us, we always handle contracts, payments and compliance on one monthly invoice: engineers are contractors by default, with a buyout option to bring them in-house, or we tailor an EOR with you. We also deliver fixed-price projects.^{[12][8][6][10][1][2][3]}

NeuronHire

Contractors, EOR or a project

We handle contracts, payments and compliance, and you pay one monthly invoice.
Engineers work as contractors by default; if you prefer an EOR, we tailor it with you.
A buyout option to bring the engineer in-house whenever you're ready, with the fee agreed upfront.
For a defined scope, we staff and deliver the project for a fixed price.

Lupa

Direct Hire, Staffing or RPO

Direct Hire: Lupa finds the person and you employ them.
Staffing: Lupa manages contracts and payroll, billed monthly.
RPO: Lupa's recruiters join your team for a set period.
EOR or contractor setups on request, depending on the country.

NeuronHire by the numbers

engineers placed^[7]: 100+
to first profiles^[7]: 7 days
of our team has engineering backgrounds^[12]: 80%
of engineers we've placed since 2025 are still with their client^[13](internal placement records since 2025): 88%

clients backed by

When Lupa may be the better choice

We'd rather you pick the right partner than the wrong one with us. In a few situations Lupa is the better call, and it's worth being straight about them.

You're hiring beyond engineering, or part-time: Lupa recruits for finance, sales, marketing, operations and leadership roles too, and its Staffing model offers part-time hires.
You want to employ the person directly from the start, for a one-time success fee.
Your team is ready to run the technical evaluation, and a 120-day replacement guarantee matters more to you than a trial.

The Process

Hire in 4 simple steps

From first call to signed developer in 2–3 weeks.

Book a Call

A 30-minute discovery call where we understand your stack, team size, seniority needs, and timeline.

Get Matched

Within 7 days we deliver 2–3 hand-picked developer profiles from our vetted LATAM talent network.

Interview

You run your own technical interviews. We coordinate scheduling and give you our vetting notes to guide the conversation.

Hire

Select your developer, sign a flexible engagement agreement, and fast onboard

Transparency

How we built this comparison

Last reviewed Oct 21, 2026

Disclosure: Tercio Lima works at NeuronHire, and this page is written by NeuronHire. Every claim about Lupa comes from Lupa's own public website, checked on Oct 21, 2026. Where Lupa's pages disagree with each other, we show the range or the conservative number.

We didn't hire through Lupa and we didn't test its claims. When something isn't published, we say so instead of guessing. NeuronHire's numbers come from our own published pages and internal placement records; where a number is internal, we say how it was measured.

Sources

1
Lupa homepage, including its FAQ
From Lupa's public website · checked Oct 21, 2026
2
About Lupa, including its FAQ
From Lupa's public website · checked Oct 21, 2026
3
Lupa contact page, including its FAQ
From Lupa's public website · checked Oct 21, 2026
4
Lupa: Hire Developers in LATAM
From Lupa's public website · checked Oct 21, 2026
5
Lupa: Staffing
From Lupa's public website · checked Oct 21, 2026
6
NeuronHire homepage
neuronhire.com · checked Oct 21, 2026
7
About NeuronHire
neuronhire.com/about-us · checked Oct 21, 2026
8
NeuronHire for companies
neuronhire.com/for-companies · checked Oct 21, 2026
9
NeuronHire: Hire a developer
neuronhire.com/for-companies/solutions/hire-a-developer · checked Oct 21, 2026
10
NeuronHire: Hire for a project
neuronhire.com/for-companies/solutions/hire-for-a-project · checked Oct 21, 2026
11
NeuronHire: Hire Agentic AI Engineers
neuronhire.com/for-companies/hire-by-role/agentic-ai-engineer · checked Oct 21, 2026
12
10 Best Platforms to Hire Latin American Developers (2026)
neuronhire.com/blog/best-platforms-hire-latin-american-developers · checked Oct 21, 2026
13
NeuronHire internal placement records
NeuronHire internal data · checked Oct 21, 2026

FAQ

NeuronHire vs Lupa: common questions

What engineering leaders ask when comparing NeuronHire and Lupa.

What's the best Lupa alternative for hiring LATAM engineers?

It depends on what you're optimizing for. If you're hiring engineers and want an engineer to run the technical interview before you see a profile, plus a 7-day trial and a choice of contractors, EOR or a fixed-price project, NeuronHire is built for that. If you're hiring across functions, want to employ people directly for a one-time success fee, or want a 120-day replacement guarantee, Lupa is a strong fit. Our ranking of the 10 best platforms to hire Latin American developers compares more options.

How much does Lupa Hire charge?

As of October 2026, Lupa's contact page says its Direct Hire fee is 15% of annual salary, charged once when the person starts. Staffing is billed monthly and RPO is a monthly fee, with both priced on a call. NeuronHire doesn't publish rates: we share pricing on the first call, with no upfront fee, and you pay a monthly rate only while the engineer works with you. If you bring the engineer in-house, a buyout fee applies, agreed before the engagement begins. To compare fairly, ask both for the total cost of the same role over the first year.

Does Lupa run technical interviews?

Lupa's recruiters screen technical skills, and its FAQ says your team owns the technical evaluation: Lupa verifies professional experience, interviews candidates on skills, motivation and fit, and helps you design the technical assessment. At NeuronHire, 80% of the team has engineering backgrounds, an engineer runs a live technical interview with every candidate before you see the profile, and each profile arrives with our notes from it.

Does Lupa offer a trial or guarantee?

Lupa offers a 120-day replacement guarantee: if the hire leaves or doesn't meet your standards within 120 days, it replaces them at no extra cost. Its site doesn't describe a trial period or a refund. NeuronHire offers a 7-day trial: if it's not working, we replace or refund, and after the trial you get a replacement at no extra cost within the warranty window in your contract.

How long does it take to hire through Lupa vs NeuronHire?

About the same. Lupa says most clients meet a shortlist of 3 to 4 candidates within a week and hire within 21 days. NeuronHire delivers 2 to 4 vetted engineers within 7 days, and most clients hire in 2 to 3 weeks. The difference is what happens in between: with Lupa your team runs the technical evaluation, and with us that step is done before you see the profile.

Does Lupa handle payroll and compliance?

Under its Staffing model, yes: Lupa manages contracts and payroll and bills monthly. Under Direct Hire, you employ the person and run payroll yourself, and Lupa says it adapts to EOR or contractor setups depending on the country. NeuronHire always handles contracts, payments and compliance on one monthly invoice. By default, engineers work as independent contractors under NeuronHire, with a buyout option if you want to bring them in-house. If you prefer an EOR, we tailor the setup with you during the negotiation.

Can Lupa hire non-engineering roles?

Yes. Lupa recruits across tech and engineering, including AI and machine learning, and also finance, sales, marketing, customer service, operations and leadership. NeuronHire only hires engineers, with a focus on hard-to-find and AI roles. If you need one partner for every function, Lupa covers more ground; if the role is a hard engineering hire, that's where we focus.

Can I hire a NeuronHire or Lupa engineer full-time?

Yes, with both, in different ways. Lupa's Direct Hire is built for it: you employ the person from day one and pay a one-time success fee when they start. With NeuronHire, the engineer starts as a contractor, and a buyout option lets you bring them in-house whenever you're ready, with the fee agreed upfront.

Is NeuronHire a good fit for hard-to-find AI engineering roles?

Yes, that's where we focus. Much of our work today is in specialized AI roles, like agentic AI engineers, AI product engineers and backend AI engineers. We build the search around your role, and you get 2 to 4 engineers within 7 days, each one interviewed by an engineer. Lupa also recruits AI and machine learning roles, alongside every other function it covers, with your team running the technical evaluation.

Does Lupa or NeuronHire use AI to screen candidates?

Both use AI to support the search and people for judgment. Lupa says it runs its searches on an in-house AI platform and doesn't use bots to run interviews. Our in-house platform handles sourcing, pipeline management and AI matchmaking, and every evaluative and technical interview, and every hiring recommendation, is done by people.

Is hiring through NeuronHire or Lupa a good fit for European startups?

It can be, with a narrower overlap than US teams get. Both hire in Latin America, and Lupa's site is built around US companies. São Paulo and Buenos Aires sit three to five hours behind London, Berlin or Paris, so your afternoon overlaps their morning. Bogotá and Lima are five to seven hours behind, and Mexico City six to eight, which leaves a shorter shared window. Canadian teams line up the way US ones do.