Yup, and these same companies that don't reply to their application process or require extra leg work (cover letter, etc) just to apply, are the same companies

Yup, and these same companies that don't reply to their application process or require extra leg work (cover letter, etc) just to apply, are the same companies complaining that recruiter fees are too high. As a dev, I've had far, far, far better luck working with external recruiters than attempting internal channels.