By the Sevetu team
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Short answer
If you want someone to take the search off your hands and replace the person if it goes wrong, an agency app such as BookMyBai or EzyHelpers is built for that, and you pay a placement fee for it. If you are happy to make a lot of calls, a pay-for-contacts service such as Helper4U or Kaamwalijobs gives you a list of numbers for a fixed price. If you want to choose the person yourself with no hiring fee, use a direct app such as Sevetu, where posting a job and hiring are free, and run the interview and trial yourself.
Every app below was checked on its own pricing, FAQ or terms page on 9 October 2026. Prices change, so open the page again before you pay.
Agency apps: someone finds the person for you
An agency app shortlists candidates, sends them to you, and stands behind the hire for a set period. You pay for that.
- BookMyBai. Its charges page lists a one-time placement fee of one month's salary for live-in workers, with 18% GST on all charges, and says the maid's monthly salary is paid directly to her.1 It offers replacement if the worker leaves or you let her go within 180 days, and says part-time helpers for one to two hours a day carry no agency fee.1
- EzyHelpers. Its standard plan is a one-time commission with nothing recurring, or a managed plan with a smaller one-time fee plus a fixed monthly fee.2 It says helpers keep their full salary, and that police verification is done when you ask for it.2 The page does not publish the amounts.
- Broomees. It works on a subscription: a relationship manager finds the fit, the worker's salary is separate from the package, and membership includes what it calls an "unlimited replacement" policy.3
The value here is real if you have no time. What to read before paying: the fee and whether GST is on top, how long the replacement promise lasts and what ends it, and whether the fee is refundable if nobody suitable turns up.
Pay-for-contacts apps: you buy a list
These services do not choose for you. You pay to see contact details, then call and interview people yourself.
- Helper4U. You pay once for a package that gives you candidates' contact details, interview up to 25 people, and the permanent hiring package lasts 21 days.4 Its policy page offers free replacement for six months.5
- Kaamwalijobs. Its plans, GST included, run from ₹2,950 for 15 days and 75 candidates to ₹14,160 for 120 days and 500 candidates, with separate job posting plans from ₹354.6
- Babysits, for babysitters and nannies. A free account can reply to messages; Premium, which lets you start conversations, costs ₹249 a month, and babysitters use it free.7
This suits a household that wants a wide pool and does not mind phoning. Check how long the plan lasts, whether contacts are near you before you pay, and the refund window.
Direct hiring: you post, people apply
On a direct app you describe the job, the people who do that work apply, and you choose. Nobody sits in the middle taking a placement fee or a cut of the salary.
Sevetu works this way. You post the role, your area, timings and budget. People who do that work apply, and many carry a Verified badge from an identity (KYC) check with Aadhaar or another government ID. You chat in the app without sharing your number, agree the pay, hours, weekly off and notice, and record it in a digital work agreement. Posting a job and hiring are free for households, joining and applying are free for workers, and both will stay free. There is no platform fee, and Sevetu takes no commission from anyone's salary. How the Verified badge works →
The honest trade-off: nobody replaces the person for you, and the badge is an identity check, not a police check. You run the interview, the paid trial and the reference call yourself, and you can apply for police verification through your city police. The official route, city by city →
Which one should you use?
| Your situation | The model that fits |
|---|---|
| You have no time and want a replacement promise | Agency app, and budget about a month's salary for the fee |
| You will phone twenty people to find the right one | Pay-for-contacts list |
| You want to choose yourself, with no hiring fee | Direct hiring, such as Sevetu |
| You want a nanny or babysitter | Any of the three; see hiring a nanny |
| You need a japa maid for after delivery | Start early; see what a japa maid does |
Five questions to ask any app before you pay
- What exactly am I paying for? A person, a list of numbers, or nothing at all.
- Is GST on top? Agency fees in this market usually say so in small print.
- What if the person leaves in the first month? Get the replacement terms in writing, with the time limit.
- Who checked the ID, and how? "Verified" can mean an Aadhaar check, a court-records search or a police check. Ask which.
- Can I meet them and do a paid trial first? If the answer is no, walk away.
Whichever app you use, the salary is between you and the worker. Write down the pay, the pay date, hours, weekly off, leave and notice before day one. What to put in a work agreement →
Questions people ask
It depends on what you want the app to do. If you want someone else to find the person and promise a replacement, an agency app such as BookMyBai or EzyHelpers is built for that, for a fee of about a month's salary. If you want to choose the person yourself with no hiring fee, a direct app such as Sevetu is free to post a job and hire, with no commission on either side.
Yes. On Sevetu, posting a job and hiring are free, and will stay free: ID-verified people apply, and you hire directly with no placement fee, no platform fee and no commission. You pay the salary you agree directly to the worker.
The agency apps that publish a fee charge about one month of the worker's salary as a one-time placement fee, often with GST on top. BookMyBai lists one month's salary plus 18% GST for live-in workers. The worker's monthly salary is separate and usually paid by you directly.
It varies, so ask each one what "verified" means. Some say they do police checks, some do it only on request, some search court records, and some, including Sevetu, do an identity (KYC) check only. You can always apply for police verification yourself through your city police.
Yes. Most of these apps cover cooks, nannies, babysitters, elder-care attendants and drivers as well as maids. On Sevetu you can post a job for anything you need help with at home.
Sources
- BookMyBai, Our charges, read 9 October 2026: "1 Month salary One-Time Placement Fee" for live-in workers; "All charges attract a statutory GST of 18%. Maid's monthly salary is paid directly to the maid."; replacement "within 180 days"; part-time 1 to 2 hours daily: "No agency fees". bookmybai.com
- EzyHelpers, home page, read 9 October 2026: "On our standard plan you pay a one-time commission and nothing recurring. On Ezy Managed there is a smaller one-time fee plus a fixed monthly management fee"; "Police verification is conducted when you request it"; helpers keep their full salary. ezyhelpers.com
- Broomees, home page, read 9 October 2026: "Broomees charges a monthly fee for part-time helper service and takes no cut from the helper's salary"; "Choose a subscription"; "an 'unlimited replacement' policy as part of your membership"; "Workers salary is seperate from the package". broomees.com
- Helper4U, FAQs, read 9 October 2026: you pay once for a list of candidates and that payment gives access to their contact details; "You can interview upto 25 candidates"; the permanent hiring package duration is 21 days. helper4u.in
- Helper4U, Replacement and refund policy, read 9 October 2026: "FREE replacement for 6 months". helper4u.in
- Kaamwalijobs, Pricing plan, read 9 October 2026: candidate plans ₹5,900 for 30 days (100 candidates), ₹9,440 for 60 days (200), ₹14,160 for 120 days (500), ₹2,950 for 15 days (75); job posting plans ₹354, ₹590 and ₹944; "18% GST Included". kaamwalijobs.com
- Babysits, Pricing, read 9 October 2026: Premium ₹249 a month; Premium lets you start conversations; babysitters use Babysits for free and keep 100% of what they earn. babysits.in
Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
