Alternatives to Toptal
Top 23 Toptal Alternatives to get you started!

23 Best Toptal Alternatives with Pricing in 2022 [Updated]

Mustafa Najoom
18 min readNov 4, 2021

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With the onset of COVID19, we have seen drastic changes in the years after 2019 till now in the work culture all around the world. Working from home is the major outcome of Quarantine. Even though life is moving back towards normalcy, Remote work culture is to thrive in many years to come.

Establishments across all niches of life are in search of talent online, resorting to networks that help these establishments link with talented freelancers across the board. “TALENTED” is the focus here. Due to the high demand for skilled freelancers, the number of networks/websites that play the role of the third party between a company and freelancers has also increased exponentially.

This is where the problem arises for companies and/or employers because all the freelance networks differ from each other in terms of services they provide, so it is wise that if you are looking to hire freelancers, you should invest some time in researching developers/freelancers that meet your needs. Simply relying on Toptal or Turing might lead you to a dead-end. It’s a good place to start but it’s also wise to look into alternatives to Toptal and Turing while you are at it!

This guide is going to examine networks like Toptal and Toptal alternatives thoroughly. To see how they are new places to seek help for companies. Before going into details, let us see what these websites exactly offer and who their most suitable clients are

What is Toptal and Why is it Regarded as Reputable?

Toptal is one of the most accessible and user-friendly websites that cater to freelancers and Companies alike. They help companies find Top 3% of freelancers across the globe.

It has a humongous notice board where freelancers can be found. Toptal has numerous rules and standards in place that ensure that all of its employees are highly skilled and trained, leaving no space for doubt.

Toptal has made a name for itself by providing companies with top-quality freelancers in the fields of product and project management, web design, and software development. Skilled and top-tier professionals in your desired field are hired for you, taking off a huge burden from your shoulders. Toptal is an ideal website for long-term and team-based work.

Why Toptal Alternatives to Seek Help?

You must be wondering why the need for websites such as Toptal and its alternatives arose? Certain factors contribute to increasing demand for such companies. These companies are the high Toptal competitors.

One of the major causes is the Talent and Worker skills that are available on these websites. In these changing times, businesses have to outsource work at some point. In case, when it comes to finding the right and skilled person for the job. It presents a huge hurdle to which these companies provide a solution. These companies have various tools in place to ensure that. This means that employers can spend more time on getting the job done than on finding people for the job.

Increased reliability that these sites provide is another major cause of attraction. Not likewise, yet these sites provide high-rated Toptal freelancer-reviewed developers to hire. Let’s start talking about Toptal similar companies.

What Makes Alternatives of Toptal So Much Vital?

Toptal is well-reputed and has made a name for itself by providing efficient services. Yet, no network or business is perfect and always has some room to improve upon. Also, Toptal, in simple words, might not be offering services in the way that you are looking for. Hence, how do you want to run your projects in this situation?

This is where Toptal alternatives come into play. Toptal alternatives are websites that provide similar basic services to Toptal. Yet, you can come across some differences and changes in policies. You may find that difference is the thing that you are looking for, not have found at Toptal!

Moving forward, we are going to list some of the best Toptal substitutions. They can benefit you a lot. Let’s discuss how they are providing services that may be better suited for you.

1. Toptal vs Upwork

Upwork is different from Toptal in its working. It does not hire the right professional for you. Instead, Upwork is a freelance board. Where individuals from almost any field sign-on and access the gigs that you post. Freelancers make a proficient Upwork profile. Also, for better response, they can have an app of Upwork download on mobile.

Freelancers will then contact you with their bids. You then get to decide whether to hire them or not. You have to negotiate the pay and handle all the hiring procedures. Whereas Toptal does all this for you according to your needs.

At Upwork, you have to follow and supervise the project till its completion. Whereas at Toptal, you only pay one bill and do not have to worry about any other thing. Work will deliver on time by them. Upwork is better if you are on a budget since you get to negotiate with the freelancer in a direct way. Upwork is better suited for short-term projects.

Freelancers and job seekers find Upwork jobs at a vast level. At the same time, by checking Upwork reviews of freelancers. Companies can hire them at very ease. So, search in Google “Upwork” and register yourself today. All you have to do is to pass out an Upwork test at first. To Become an Upwork seller.

Price Comparison:

On the surface, Upwork appears to be the most cost-effective alternative. They charge a 3% service fee, in contrast to Toptal and Upstack, which rely on hourly margins to earn money. Their freelancers are often less expensive per hour than those on other sites.

Because of their $499 service costs, Toptal is clearly the most costly alternative. Although Upstack is slightly less expensive, their skill is still more expensive per hour than comparable freelance programming sites such as Upwork.

2. Toptal vs Gaper

Gaper claims to work with only the top 1% of engineers who have worked for companies such as Stripe, Oracle, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft. Ahmed Muzammil and Mustafa Najoom created the platform in 2019, making it one of the newest Toptal rivals. They have part-time and full-time positions available all across the world.

For hiring, you have to fill out a form to get a quote and to set up a call with their team. They also have a risk-free two-week policy where you pay nothing if you are not satisfied. Gaper is a great choice if you want to hire individual developers or if you want to go the augmented team route. Their prices are competitive and the quality is never compromised.

Price Comparison:

Gaper provides hourly rates starting from $30/hour compared to the $60 starting hourly rate at Toptal. There is no fixed deposit and there is a 2 week risk free trial available as well where you pay nothing in the rare case that the resource doesn’t work out for you

3. Toptal vs Gigster

Gigster is a unique website with a structure to provide everyone you need to get the job done. Companies demand what they want to complete a certain project on Gigster. So, the platform provides a team. A team will have a variety of professionals from different niches and requirements. Gigster has what you need.

To assemble a team, Gigster has an intricate in extreme, and meticulous AI-based system. It matches the members of teams with each other and your proposal in a proficient way.

Price Comparison:

Gigster differs from Toptal in its pricing. Toptal charges hourly rates, whereas Gigster charges customers according to the project. Gigster also does not take up small projects(less than $52,000), whereas Toptal does not consider this. Gigster only provides expertise in the field of software engineering. On Toptal, you have a wide range of options.

4. Toptal vs Turing

Now, time for Turing vs Toptal. Turing is another excellent alternative to Toptal. It is most similar in function to Toptal. It is a network designed to cater to companies in need of Software Developers. It makes it high-level easy for you. So, explain your desire what you want in detail. Hence, it finds the right software developers for you. Moreover, it screens & hires developers, all within a small period of three days. Isn’t this great!

Price Comparison:

Turing’s pricing methods are also very fair and moderate. Pay is set by the engineers themselves. The highest-paying jobs are accessible only to top-rated sites in the system. So that you get exactly the skills you paid for.

Turing is better suited in the regard that the pay depends upon the complexity of the project. Also, the developer’s skills. Whereas at Toptal, you have set prices with hourly rates. At Turing, you can hire on hourly as well as project-based rates. Turing is preferable for both long-term and short-term projects.

5. Toptal vs Upstack

Now let’s explore Upstack vs Toptal. Upstack links businesses with remote software developers. An exclusive representative from Upstack is set up with the clients. Who helps them with the process of hiring and asks the required questions from you.

Using the answers, the AI-based system matches the developers. Those who are best suited to perform your project. To ensure that the candidates selected by the system are reliable. Upstack gives a 14-day free trial, which is a rare perk.

Price Comparison:

Upstack offers flexible contracts and free trials. Which are services not found at Toptal. In comparison to Toptal, they have strict contracts. Upstack is a bit more pricey than Toptal, but it provides better adaptability. Its customer service is one of the best in the market.

6. Toptal vs Flexiple:

Flexiple has already serviced over a hundred clients as a lean workforce, getting rave reviews for the quality of service. Flexiple provides professional vetting of developers through a thorough screening procedure that includes both technical and soft skills assessment. It offers individualized matching, in which freelance developers are hand-picked to meet your needs. This, together with a risk-free 1-week trial period, guarantees that you pick the finest candidate for the job.

Price Comparison:

Flexiple’s charges are 40–60% lower than Toptal’s for the same grade of developers. Flexiple guarantees round-the-clock service with a dedicated support manager during the engagement, with a strong focus on client satisfaction. When compared to Flexiple, Toptal, being a much larger company, may have more developers with specialized abilities.

7. Toptal vs Lemon.io:

Lemon.io (previously Coding Ninjas) is a freelance marketplace that mostly employs programmers from Eastern Europe. They have a thorough verification procedure in place to ensure that you are matched with the finest developers for your project. They are one of the greatest Toptal alternatives on this list because of their constant quality.

To begin, send Lemon a brief description of your requirements. They will then search their database for the most qualified developer for your project.

Price comparison:

They provide you with a free quote with no obligations. There’s no commitment to employ if the developer isn’t suited for you. Because the developers are largely from Eastern Europe, they charge fairly affordable hourly rates in the United States, ranging between $25 and $45. Before you begin hiring and working with the developers on your project, you must first purchase hours.

8. Toptal vs Dribble:

Dribbble takes a novel approach to the employment of freelancers. They allow users to upload photos of their portfolios in order to demonstrate their abilities and impress potential employers. This method is an excellent tool to weed out low-quality designers.

Over 40,000 organisations have utilised the site to employ designers, and their reputation in the design world is solid. Dribbble is used by some of the top designers in the world. As a result, you should have no issue getting high-quality employment as a business owner.

Price Comparison:

Dribbble and Toptal have separate recruiting processes. Toptal links you with individual freelancers, whereas Dribbble is a job board-style website. When you sign up with Toptal, you’ll chat with one of their representatives, who will put you in touch with the top freelancers in your area. Dribble is an invite-only platform so pricing is a bit more exclusive and expensive compared to toptal.

9. Toptal vs DesignBro:

DesignBro is a newcomer to the world of freelancing. They allow you to host design contests with many graphic designers, similar to DesignHill.

Toptal and DesignBro both go through a rigorous vetting procedure that pays off in terms of quality and client happiness. You’re nearly certain to have someone very talented because DesignBro handpicks all of its designers and only accepts 5% of them.

The DesignBro setup procedure is really straightforward. All you have to do is submit a design brief, choose your favorite results, and DesignBro will link you with a selection of top designers. DesignBro is a fantastic resource for designers, but that’s all there is to it. There are no additional freelance work categories available.

Price Comparison:

Design Bro puts quality first so expect higher prices. You will be able to find UI/U designers and prices start somewhere from 150$ for a single project usually a logo design.

10. Toptal vs Codeable:

Do you have a WordPress site that needs to be updated? WordPress developers are the emphasis of Codeable, a freelancing marketplace. The procedure is identical to that of Toptal. You offer a brief project description, and Codeable matches you with the best candidate. If you decide to work with that freelancer, you may start collaborating right away.

On Codeable, you may publish little or huge tasks like malfunctioning plugins, 404 issues, and poor load times.

But that’s about it.

Codeable is effectively a one-stop shop for all WordPress-related freelancers. You won’t discover anything on their site if your business has nothing to do with WordPress. Toptal is a superior alternative because it has a larger pool of freelance developers to pick from.

Price Comparison:

Codeable adds an additional 17.5 percent to the overall average estimate provided by our specialists. For example, if our experts estimate your project to be $100, our system will add the 17.5 percent Codeable fee to the top, resulting in a price of $117.5 on your screen, which is the final out the door price paid by Codeable.

11. Toptal vs Andela:

Andela is a crowdsourcing site that caters to African developers. The startup boasts a slew of high-profile investors, including Mark Zukerberg, and has huge hopes for Africa’s digital expertise.

For freelancers, Andela has a stringent verification process. To assure quality, they only hire the top 2% of candidates.

Andela has been working hard to keep its excellent standards. This is most likely due to the fact that even the most competent developers can’t make a livelihood on the platform, so they turn to sites like TripleByte or X-Team.

If you have a collection of little jobs, Andela may still be useful. However, if you want to form long-term relationships with your freelancers, Toptal is the way to go.

Price Comparison:

Smaller-and more local-African firms can’t afford to employ through Andela. Clients that pick Andela because of its culture to make it a terrific place to work have a bad taste in their mouths. It’s important to note, however, that what makes a “fair” rate in the United States may not be the same in other nations.

Hiring an associate software developer costs roughly $4,200. If you hire a full-time software engineer, you may expect to pay $12,000 per month. That may appear to be a large price to pay for a developer from a city in Africa, such as Kampala or Kigali. However, this is still a bargain compared to the costs of hiring a developer in New York.

12. Toptal vs Gun.io:

Gun.io may not be the most well-known of the Toptal contenders, but they have a lot of promise.

Gun.io, like Toptal, is one of the few platforms dedicated solely to the recruitment of software developers. When you publish a project brief, they provide exceptional customer service and a quick matching procedure. Gun.io, like Toptal, has a thorough verification procedure. They conduct in-depth interviews with their applicants to verify that they possess the abilities required to finish tasks.

Is Gun.io, on the other hand, a better option than Toptal? Working with Gun.io gives you the assurance that you’ll be working with freelancers that are dedicated to their job. The only snag is that their whole workforce consists of software developers.

Price Comparison:

The fees charged by Gun. io is included in freelancers’ pay. Depending on the region from which they work, freelancers might charge anything from $20.00 to $88.00 per hour.

13: Toptal vs Fiverr:

Fiverr is a freelancing platform with gigs starting at $5.

There are many different sorts of freelancers to pick from on Fiverr, and it’s easy to find something that fits your budget.

With that in mind, unlike Toptal, Fiverr does not have a detailed screening procedure. As a result, the quality is frequently variable.

That isn’t to say you won’t be able to discover trustworthy freelancers on Fiverr. Thousands of evaluations speak for the services of a plethora of creative specialists. Almost anyone, on the other hand, can create a Fiverr seller profile and begin offering themselves as a freelancer. ‍

Price Comparison:

Freelancers on Fiverr charge anywhere from $5 to $995.00 per assignment. There is no charge for joining or subscribing. Each transaction is split 80/20 between the freelancer and the client.

14: Toptal vs Guru:

Guru is a large freelancing marketplace with over 2 million freelance accounts. They provide free job postings and use SafePay to secure all of their transactions. It’s simple to manage several freelancers working on a project with their integrated WorkRooms.

Guru has been battling with quality, which seems to be a regular situation for budget-friendly freelancing sites while having inexpensive freelancers for hire.

Guru has a fantastic customer support team that caters to both freelancers and job seekers. Their resolution center is incredibly fast and replies immediately if you have any technical or financial concerns.

Price Comparison:

If you’re seeking low-cost freelancers for modest assignments, Guru can be a good place to start. However, unless you’re prepared to spend top dollar, don’t expect to obtain high-end work.

15: Toptal vs Hubstaff Talent:

Hubstaff Talent is a new company that provides a 100% free service. It is appropriate for both organizations and agencies wanting to engage independent freelancers. It has no manual vetting mechanism in place to determine the quality of developers. Rather, it emphasizes the use of tools to connect freelancers with jobs.

Unlike Toptal, Hubstaff Talent is a transparent marketplace where clients can explore developer profiles and contact them directly, without the need for a middleman.

It’s more of a database of freelancers who have registered on the platform.

It doesn’t have any extra features to assist you in finding the greatest talent for your requirements.

Price Comparison:

Hubstaff talent is a free directory of remote resources for businesses to hire from. They don’t charge any fees, no markups, no sign-up fee compared to the service fee Toptal charges, Hubstaff is definitely a cheaper option.

16: Toptal vs Revelo:

Revelo is a network that connects Latin American IT talent with firms looking for full-time, remote employees. It does not provide freelancers or professionals on a project-by-project basis. Rather, it provides you with properly verified and experienced full-time professionals who will work for you.

Revelo will offer you candidates who match not just the technical abilities required, but also the soft qualities required to rapidly become a productive member of your team, within days of your initial session. Revelo makes it simple to recruit Latin American remote workers by handling all of the legal paperwork, as well as payroll, benefits, and rewards.

Price Comparison:

Revelo costs $1,800 monthly plus the developer’s salary

17: Toptal vs Arc.dev:

Toptal vs. Arc.dev! So, we will compare them in this section. Arc.dev is a portal for job seekers. It links pre-screened developers with firms looking to hire remote workers. This portal also gives you information on remote work, hiring, and technical teams. Arc eliminates the annoyances associated with remote recruiting. The company’s mission is to make it easier for businesses to hire people. So that they can locate developers, never discovered before.

So, what distinguishes Arc from Toptal? Arc makes recruiting remote developers and teams easier. It entails permanent full-time and contract hires. Arc makes the entire hiring process easier. They assist businesses with sourcing and screening. Also, make sure the individual you recruit is compatible with distant technical skills. Hence, you can rely on them.

What distinguishes Arc from Toptal? The reason for this is that Arc.dev prioritizes long-term recruiting. It also assists businesses in hiring full-time remote developers. Compliance, payroll, and benefits are all taken care of by it. Furthermore, the arc has a rigorous verification procedure in place. Through which software engineers can become accessible in a variety of skill levels.

Price Comparison:

The price of ARC.dev is comparable to that of Toptal. Pay ranges from $60 to $200 per hour, with all employees working a full 40-hour workweek.

18: Toptal vs X-team:

X-Team seeks out and employs experienced engineers that are self-motivated, proactive, communicative, and eager to learn and improve. Their vetting process has 4 stages:

Initial Screening, Portfolio Review, Test Project, and Internal Project. Developers are compensated to work on internal projects at this point in order to demonstrate their worthwhile also incorporating them into the highly motivated X-Team group.

Price Comparison:

X-Team is not a freelancer-company matching service. Instead, it’s a close-knit community of world-class developers picked for their technical prowess, ability to communicate, and capacity to keep pushing ahead so pricing may vary significantly and can be more expensive compared to Toptal.

19: Toptal vs Clouddevs:

CloudDevs can keep its overheads low by conducting its whole business remotely, allowing it to give the best possible pricing to clients without incurring exorbitant fees.

CloudDevs’ 8000+ talent pool is made up entirely of Elite Senior Developers and Designers from Europe and Latin America.

Unlike Toptal, which has a waiting time of up to three weeks, the firm guarantees that its recruiting procedure may be completed within 24 hours.

Price Comparison:

In comparison to Toptal’s $80 to $200 per hour cost, CloudDevs charges a flat rate of $40 per hour. They’re the only top-ranked Toptal option that can provide this pricing without sacrificing quality.

20 Toptal vs Pangara:

Pangara is a one-of-a-kind platform. Despite the fact that it was founded by Swedish entrepreneurs and has its headquarters in Stockholm, it exclusively hires Vietnamese coders who have passed their background checks.

Application screening, psychometric exams, technical tests, and a structured interview are all part of their four-step qualifying procedure. The goal of this one-of-a-kind method is to assess a candidate’s linguistic abilities, motivation, and work ethic. You answer a series of questions to outline your needs, and Pangera’s network of skilled experts broadcasts the employment possibilities to them. You can cancel the project by giving the other party 10 business days’ written notice.

Price Comparison:

Very limited information is available on pricing. To get a quote you will have to contact them directly

21: Toptal vs Adeva:

Adeva’s founders think that software engineers all over the world should have the same chance to work on interesting projects. They established a freelancing network for developers, designers, and QA engineers to give these chances, streamlining the employment process and lowering the cost of recruitment.

You submit your contact information for recruiting and wait for an Adeva representative to contact you and link you with your personal engineering manager, whose goal it is to connect you with the proper tech talent for your project.

Price Comparison:

Adeva bills customers twice a month and charges a percentage of the total project cost which may vary from time to time. Unlike Toptal they do not charge a service fee.

22: Toptal vs YouTeam:

“The greatest engineers are not freelancers,” YouTeam thinks. All of the developers on the platform are full-time workers of the best software development companies in Eastern Europe and South America (as validated by YouTeam). YouTeam acts as a liaison between the customer and the software house with which they have chosen to collaborate.

The platform handles the legal and financial issues of offshore outsourcing, as well as provides a variety of beneficial features such as time zone matching and proactive quality monitoring.

Y Combinator, an American business incubator, has invested in YouTeam.

Price Comparison:

According to YouTeam, the typical hourly wage of a developer on recruiting platforms in 2021 will range from $15 to $150 per hour on Upwork, $17 to $113 per hour on Toptal, and $23 to $150 per hour on YouTeam in web development which means it’s relatively more expensive than Toptal.

23. Toptal vs Crew:

Crew was created in 2012 as ooomf, attended the FounderFuel accelerator program in Montreal, Canada that same year, changed its name to Crew in 2013, and relaunched as Crew.co in 2015.

Crew claims to be a location where you can hire online and mobile designers, developers, and small studios to work on your project. They claim to have a project success rate of 99 percent, with projects finished on time, on budget, and without issues.

Price Comparison:

Limited information is available.

Conclusion:

Despite the fact that all of these Toptal alternatives provide development resources, the choice ultimately boils down to what you require. CloudDevs, Gaper.io, and Gun.io are the cheapest options that provide comparable service quality to Toptal. Both of these platforms provide a thorough screening and verification procedure for all of its developers since they are among of Total’s closest rivals.

FAQs:

How do I choose which platform is best for me?

Here are some key points to consider when choosing an alternative:

  • Define your requirements (tech stack, talents, and roles) and look for platforms that provide the services you want.
  • Consider if you require a single developer or wish to assemble a team; some platforms are better suited to one or the other.
  • Determine if you require short-term or long-term assistance.
  • Consider any cultural and time zone disparities.
  • Check to see how experienced the company’s employees are.
  • Avoid all-knowing experts and instead, seek professionals in a particular topic.
  • Examine the scaling-up, scaling-down, and canceling processes.
  • Always keep safety in mind.
  • Select the best option for your budget

What are the top 5 Toptal competitors?

Do people like working for Toptal?

According to some reviews, freelancers appear to be particularly dissatisfied with the platform’s screening process’s poor compensation for work ratio. Freelancers put in a lot of time and effort to complete Toptal’s lengthy screening procedure, but they don’t always obtain tasks right once after being chosen.

How much can I earn on Toptal?

In the United States, the average compensation for a Freelancer is $52,417 per year, which is 62% less than the average Toptal salary of $141,144 per year for this career.

Which freelancing platforms are the best?

Here is a list of the top 8 freelancing platforms according to hostinger

Originally published at https://gaper.io on November 4, 2021.

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Mustafa Najoom
Mustafa Najoom

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