Five years of Hiring launch data. Volume, engagement, and the products that stood out.
We've been tracking Hiring since 2021. 794 products indexed. The trajectory tells you where builders are investing and where the market sees opportunity.
Below: launch volume by year, engagement patterns by quarter, and the products that defined each period.
| Quarter | Launches | Avg Interest Score | Top Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 28 | 69 | PIO |
| Q2 2026 | 2 | 52 | FindThem |
| Q1 2025 | 41 | 93 | Quick Mock |
| Q2 2025 | 60 | 91 | Bolto |
| Q3 2025 | 43 | 130 | Person search API |
| Q4 2025 | 14 | 114 | GitHired |
| Q1 2024 | 64 | 135 | Brainner |
| Q2 2024 | 31 | 120 | Draftboard |
| Q3 2024 | 35 | 114 | Serra (YC S23) |
| Q4 2024 | 33 | 116 | SigmaRemote |
| Q1 2023 | 60 | 113 | Bluelearn |
| Q2 2023 | 57 | 117 | Pangea |
| Q3 2023 | 67 | 132 | FirstHR |
| Q4 2023 | 58 | 148 | Expert Remote |
| Q1 2022 | 22 | 110 | Firmbee |
| Q2 2022 | 26 | 143 | Insquad |
The Hiring category has been steady over the past 6 years of tracked data. Total launches went from 101 in 2021 to 30 in 2026.
Average engagement ratio across all Hiring launches: 0.34. Products above that line tend to solve a specific, painful problem. Products below it often entered a crowded space without clear differentiation.
Hiring peaked in 2023 with 242 launches. That was 3 years ago. The decline since then could signal market consolidation, saturation, or attention shifting to adjacent categories.
Average engagement per product has risen from 0.28 in 2021 to 0.42 in 2026. That upward trend means the community is spending more time with each new launch. Either the products are getting better, or the audience is getting more selective. Probably both.
The highest-performing quarter was Q4 2023, with an average interest score of 148 across 58 launches. Expert Remote led that quarter.
554 B2B launches (69%) vs 240 B2C (31%) across the full Hiring dataset. Hiring leans B2B, but a meaningful share of products target individual users.
2021: 101 launches. Average interest: 130. Average engagement: 0.28. Top launch: Crewscale (465 interest).
2022: 100 launches (-1% vs 2021). Average interest: 121. Average engagement: 0.30. Top launch: Remotebase (720 interest).
2023: 242 launches (+142% vs 2022). Average interest: 127. Average engagement: 0.27. Top launch: FirstHR (1,036 interest).
2024: 163 launches (-33% vs 2023). Average interest: 124. Average engagement: 0.35. Top launch: Draftboard (804 interest).
2025: 158 launches (-3% vs 2024). Average interest: 104. Average engagement: 0.50. Top launch: Person search API (821 interest).
2026: 30 launches (-81% vs 2025). Average interest: 68. Average engagement: 0.42. Top launch: PIO (282 interest).
Depends on what's declining. If volume drops but engagement rises, the market is maturing. That's often good for existing players. If both drop, the category may be dying. The quarterly breakdown on each page tells you which pattern you're seeing.
At least three. Two data points is a line, not a trend. We have five years of data for most categories, which is enough to distinguish real shifts from noise.
Current year launches compared to the same period last year. Positive means more products launching. Negative means the category cooled. Neither is inherently good or bad. A mature category with fewer but better launches is often healthier than one flooding the market with clones.
Launch volume drops but engagement per product rises. Fewer builders entering, but the ones that do find a more receptive audience. That's an opportunity signal. We flag it when we see it.
We report what happened. We don't predict. Five years of data shows patterns, but markets surprise people for a living.
Three common reasons. The market consolidated around winners. The technology matured and stopped generating new startups. Or builder attention shifted to adjacent categories. Usually it's a combination.
Volume without engagement is saturation. Engagement without volume is opportunity. Check which one you're looking at.