Boardio vs Boardsi: Board Search Platform Comparison
If you're weighing Boardio vs Boardsi for your next advisor or board search, the short answer is that the two platforms solve different problems for different companies. Boardsi is a US-based executive and board recruitment platform that connects executives seeking paid board and advisory opportunities with companies looking for board members and advisors. Boardio is built for startups and scaleups that need advisors and board members with international, growth-stage experience, sourced from a network spanning 120 countries.
Here's how the two actually compare, and which one fits depending on your stage, geography, and how you want to run the search. For related competitor context, see also Boardio vs Nurole and Boardio vs Connectd.
What Boardsi Does Well
Boardsi was founded around 2017 by Martin Rowinski and is based in the United States (Las Vegas, NV address on site). It positions itself as a dual-sided platform: an executive path for leaders seeking board and advisory seats, and a company path for organisations that want to place board members or advisors. Marketing leans heavily into paid board positions, a Board Suite offering, board education and executive branding, plus AI-driven matching claims.
That model can work well for US executives building a board career and for companies that want a recruitment-style process aimed at compensated corporate or advisory seats. Boardsi invests in executive-side packaging (branding, education, profile support) and frames itself as a specialist in board of director and advisory placement rather than a generalist headhunter. Executives pay for that packaging through Boardsi membership fees published in the Terms of Service ($200 setup plus $195 monthly, or $980 for six months, plus a $195 quarterly platform fee). On Boardio, advisors join for free, so that side of the marketplace is not a paid membership product.
Where Boardsi is less of a fit is earlier-stage, international, or advisor-first searches where the company wants a pay-on-success global shortlist and flexible advisor compensation. Its public messaging is oriented around US paid-board SEO and executive career networking, not the cross-border advisor mandates that startups typically run when entering a new market or building a first advisory board. For how company-side board searches usually unfold, see how the board member search process works.
Where Boardio Is Built Differently
Boardio matches startups and scaleups with advisors and board members across a network of 12,000+ professionals in 120 countries, not a US-only paid-board lane. 90% of companies that run a search on Boardio are looking for advisors outside their home market, most often for international expansion, fundraising, or building a cross-border board.
Instead of a contact-led quote that sits behind registration, Boardio runs a Turnkey full-service search: you describe the target market, sector, stage, and what you need, and Boardio sources, vets, and delivers a curated shortlist. Advisor compensation is flexible by design, structured as equity, a cash retainer, or a revenue share, which matters most for sales-focused advisory roles where a straight paid-NED fee does not fit. Advisors are always free to join Boardio and can apply to most opportunities without a paid membership tier. If you are an advisor exploring opportunities, start at Boardio for advisors.
Boardio's focus is growth-stage matching for startups and scaleups, including advisory board builds and hands-on advisor mandates, rather than executive career packaging for paid US board seats. Paid board and advisory roles still exist in the wider market; for context on that category without treating it as Boardio's primary model, see paid advisory board positions.
Pricing Comparison
Pricing is one of the clearest differences in a Boardio vs Boardsi decision, but the fees apply to different sides of the marketplace. Compare company costs with company costs, and advisor or executive costs with advisor or executive costs.
| Boardio | Boardsi | |
|---|---|---|
| Companies | Turnkey success fee from €1,900, paid only if you start working with an advisor Boardio found, plus a 100% Growth Guarantee | Company-side search fees are typically quote / contact-based; not published as a simple pay-on-success success fee like Boardio Turnkey |
| Advisors / executives | Free to join; can apply to most opportunities without a paid membership tier | Published executive membership (Terms of Service): $200 nonrefundable setup + first month $195 ($395 to start), then $195/month; or $980 for six months (setup waived); plus $195 quarterly platform fee for all members |
| Network focus | 12k+ advisors across 120 countries; strong for startups and scaleups | US-focused paid-board and executive networking angle |
Source: Boardsi executive membership fees are from Boardsi's public Terms of Service (Cost of Our Services). That is a real cost for executives seeking board seats. Boardio's competitive advantage on the advisor side is free join. On the company side, the advantage is pay-on-success Turnkey pricing from €1,900 rather than an opaque quote-only company search fee.
Which One Fits Your Search
If you are a US company or executive focused on compensated corporate board or advisory placement, and you want a dual-sided recruitment network with executive branding and board-education packaging, Boardsi's model is built around that use case.
If you are a startup or scaleup that needs an advisor or board member for a specific problem (entering a new market, closing a funding round, building out a first advisory board) and you want a global search with pricing tied to results, that is what Boardio's Turnkey process is built for. Boardio's strongest advisor markets include Finland, the US, Sweden, Germany and the UK, which makes it a natural fit for companies expanding into or out of those regions.
In short, Boardio vs Boardsi comes down to audience and commercial model: Boardsi for US corporate / paid-board placement and executive career networking with published membership fees for executives; Boardio for startups and scaleups running an international advisor or board search with free advisor join, pay-on-success pricing from €1,900, and a 100% Growth Guarantee. Boardio's advantage is clearest when you keep the sides straight: free advisor join versus Boardsi executive membership fees, and pay-on-success company Turnkey versus quote-led company search pricing.
Ready to run a company search? Start Turnkey at https://www.boardio.com/start.
About Boardio: Boardio is an advisor and board member matchmaking platform connecting startups and scaleups with experienced advisors across 120 countries.
Frequently asked questions
Is Boardio a good Boardsi alternative for startups?
Yes, for startups and scaleups specifically. Boardsi is oriented toward US executive board careers and paid board / advisory placement. Boardio is built for advisor and board searches at growth-stage companies that need international reach across 120 countries, with Turnkey pricing from €1,900 paid only when you start working with an advisor Boardio found.
How does Boardio's pricing compare to Boardsi's?
On the company side, Boardio Turnkey is a success fee from €1,900 paid only if you start working with an advisor Boardio found, with a 100% Growth Guarantee. Boardsi company search fees are typically quote or contact-based and are not published as a simple pay-on-success fee. On the advisor or executive side, Boardio advisors join for free. Boardsi's Terms of Service price executive membership at $200 setup plus $195 per month (or $980 for six months), plus a $195 quarterly platform fee. Comparing free advisor join and pay-on-success company pricing with Boardsi's paid executive membership and quote-led company fees is where Boardio's commercial advantage shows.
Does Boardsi focus on the same companies as Boardio?
Not primarily. Boardsi markets dual-sided executive and company paths with a strong US paid-board angle. Boardio focuses on startups and scaleups matching advisors and board members internationally. On Boardio, 90% of companies seek advisors outside their home market.
Do advisors have to pay to join Boardio or Boardsi?
On Boardio, advisors are always free to join and can apply to most opportunities without a paid tier. Boardsi's executive path commonly uses membership or subscription terms (public terms cite setup and monthly fees). Company pricing on Boardsi remains separate and quote-led.
