While broad compensation management platforms like Pave (formerly Trove) have gained popularity for general insights into salary trends, only Comp Engine by Betts Recruiting is tailored to give tech startups a real-time view of the changes and variations in earnings across go-to-market (GTM) titles in the industry. These types of solutions often fall short in providing granular-level visibility into the intricacies of OTE (on-target earnings) in the technology sector, where total compensation packages often include additional benefits like equity or stock options to remain competitive, while also experiencing frequent shifts in trends as firms try to lock down their unicorn seller.
This blog will explore the biggest differences between Comp Engine and Pave, and how these tools stack up when it comes to salary reporting for tech sales, marketing and customer success jobs.
Pave
Pave is a compensation management and planning platform designed for organizations of all sizes across various industries. As one of the newer entrants in the pay band analytics space, it has positioned itself as a modern solution for HR teams looking to connect talent acquisition and payroll processes between their various third-party applications. It operates on a give-to-get data model, requiring companies to integrate their HRIS and cap table management software and share anonymized compensation data to access benchmarking capabilities.
This method helps solve one of the biggest downsides of built-in compensation analytics tools for job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed. However, it also introduces new potential problems like worrying about data privacy for employees and the possibility of a security breach via this integration. Pave’s basic salary benchmarking is also contingent on this data sharing, so if you do not participate, you are stuck paying full price, which can become significantly expensive with all of the features included.
Comp Engine
Comp Engine is a specialized tool designed specifically to help technology startups optimize their compensation planning and recruiting strategies for GTM roles. It offers unmatched real-time insights into salary and earnings trends for roles like Account Executives, SDRs, and Customer Success Managers. By leveraging intelligence sourced from Betts Connect, our own hiring platform featuring one of the largest networks of pre-vetted go-to-market talent in tech, it empowers hiring managers to make more data-driven decisions when crafting competitive comp packages.
Comp Engine vs Pave – Comparing Compensation Tools
What sets Comp Engine apart from typical compensation analytics tools is our laser focus on the metrics that matter most to tech startup talent acquisition teams looking to scale GTM teams:
- Detailed breakdowns of equity packages and variable compensation
- Specific data on how compensation impacts candidate pool size
- Clear insights into offer competitiveness for specialized roles
- Expected time-to-hire metrics at different compensation levels
Unlike those solutions that rely on periodic updates from aggregated sources, Comp Engine also draws real-time data directly from successful placements made through Betts Connect. This means that you can access:
- Up-to-the-minute compensation trends for tech GTM roles
- Insights based on actual hires, not just job listings or surveys
- Detailed information about total compensation packages
- Clear visibility into market rates for niche or emerging roles
Here is how Comp Engine measures directly against Pave, and where it stands out for tech startup GTM hiring:
Enterprise vs Startup Focus
Pave offers an interface designed for broad HR team usage across large organizations, relying on direct integration with HRIS and payroll systems to provide full access to the data you need. However, users often report challenges during setup and implementation, and the platform’s enterprise approach makes it difficult for smaller teams to derive full ROI. In contrast, Comp Engine prioritizes ease of use for startups, offering a streamlined platform that hiring managers can leverage immediately without requiring complex connectors or manual setup.
Role-Specific Intelligence
While Pave includes detailed reporting capabilities aimed at large-scale companies, its compensation insights often lack precision for specialized positions. The platform particularly struggles with emerging titles and niche roles, providing only surface-level information on the broadest collection of positions.
Comp Engine, by contrast, leverages Betts Connect’s proprietary dataset to deliver real-time benchmarks specifically for go-to-market roles like sales, marketing, and customer success in the SaaS startup space. This also includes titles that require specialization, an increasing trend in the technology sector, as well as variations on different positions taken directly from placements made by Betts recruiters.
Data Quality & Sourcing
Pave collects its data from a few sources, but one of its biggest channels is from customers who agree to provide access to their information in exchange for the integration and usage. Along with the privacy and security concerns this could bring, customer reviews indicate gaps in data coverage for niche roles and specific industries. Given Pave’s approach, their network of titles is limited to data from those of their 8000 customers that have opted to share, while information for any titles they are not hiring will be limited or nonexistent.
Betts has worked with over 10,000 startups and helped many scale their GTM teams from the Seed stage to IPO launch, while also compiling one of the largest networks of experienced talent in tech via our Connect platform. All of this data is fed into Comp Engine, while we curate the information regularly to make sure insights reflect the latest developments our recruiters have found. This focused approach ensures that compensation data directly reflects current market rates and trends specific to tech startups’ hiring needs.
Pricing
Pave’s pricing structure is modular, with costs potentially reaching up to $50,000 annually depending on the chosen features, according to feedback and independent research. Benchmarking is ostensibly available gratis if your company abides by the give-to-get data integration policy.
Meanwhile, Comp Engine users get access to all of its functionality for free. This includes unique features like candidate pool analysis, showing the percentage of available talent at each compensation level, and comprehensive filters for title, experience, industry, and location. This accessibility benefits startups seeking high-quality insights without adding onto their costly software subscriptions.
Transform Your GTM Hiring Strategy with Betts Recruiting
Attracting top-tier talent starts with a strong compensation strategy, and Betts is here to help you. By offering real-time data and tailored insights, Comp Engine equips your hiring team to make informed decisions that not only attract exceptional candidates but also support long-term retention.
Sign up here for free access to Comp Engine and get started with data-driven talent acquisition today.