An honest comparison
Kordis vs Instawork: your own crew or a gig marketplace? (2026)
Last updated . Competitor facts checked against the sources at the bottom of this page.
Instawork is a gig marketplace: businesses post shifts and Instawork's pre-vetted workers fill them, at roughly a 35% markup on the hourly rate, with a $2,500 fee to hire someone permanently. In Canada it operates in Toronto.
Kordis is the opposite bet: the workers stay YOURS. It makes your own crew as fast to confirm as a marketplace, with texts out, quiet ones called, and fills staged for your OK.
What is Instawork good at?
Instawork runs one of the largest gig marketplaces in North America, with an 8-point vetting process, company-reported fill rates above 90%, and a company-reported 2% no-show rate. For a business that suddenly needs six hands tomorrow and has no crew, it is a genuinely fast solve.
- Pre-vetted worker pool available on demand, no recruiting needed
- Company-reported 90%+ fill rates and 2% no-show rate
- All-in pricing that bundles pay, taxes, and insurance
- Fast for one-off surge demand
How do Kordis and Instawork compare?
| What matters | Kordis | Instawork |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Software for YOUR agency and YOUR workers | Marketplace: the workers are Instawork's pool |
| Pricing | Flat per agency (founding rate, then $499 a month), not per user | About 35% markup per hour worked, plus a $2,500 direct-hire fee |
| Canada | Ontario, BC, and Alberta rules built in: the cards workers carry, gating, calling hours | Toronto only |
| Worker ownership | Your crew, your relationships, your repeat teams | Pool workers; repeat teams not guaranteed |
| Shift filling | Auto Dispatch and Instant Cover: confirmation texts and calls go out on their own; fills and backfills are staged for your OK | Marketplace matching from its pool |
| Compliance | You stay the employer of record; Kordis keeps the records | Instawork handles pay and coverage for its workers |
Instawork's business pricing (about a 35% markup on the hourly rate, $2,500 direct-hire fee) is published in its help center, checked July 2026. Fill and no-show rates are company-reported figures, not independent audits.
Pick Instawork if
- You have no crew of your own and need one-off surge shifts filled in Toronto
- You would rather pay a premium per hour than build a worker relationship
Pick Kordis if
- Your workers and client relationships ARE your business: a marketplace's pool never becomes yours
- The roughly 35% markup on every hour is margin you would rather keep
- You staff outside Toronto: Instawork's Canadian presence is Toronto-only
- You want repeat crews your clients recognize, confirmed automatically with your OK
Common questions
Is Instawork cheaper than running my own crew?
Per hour, no: a $20 role costs about $27 all-in through a 35% markup marketplace. Marketplaces win on speed when you have no crew. An agency with its own workers keeps that margin, which is the point of being an agency.
Does Instawork operate across Canada?
No. Within Canada, Instawork operates in Toronto. Its scale is in US cities. An agency staffing Mississauga, Vancouver, or Calgary cannot lean on it outside the Toronto market, checked July 2026.
Can an agency use both?
Some agencies use marketplaces as an overflow valve for surge demand while running their own crew for everything repeat. The risk is training your clients to go around you; the fix is making your own crew as fast to confirm, which is Kordis's job.
Sources
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