A Decade Ago, there were no traces of freelancing in the scenario of employee work culture. However, in the present framework, every other employee is seeking freelancing to earn more. The study reveals that out of all employees there are 34% of freelancers. These freelancing projects gradually will increase by 14% in the coming six years.
Freelancing is getting more in demand because organizations are hunting freelancers who can work for them to improve their productivity. To search for talented and professional freelancers, employers need specific platforms to fulfill their requirements. This gave rise to a platform like Toptal.
Other than Toptal there exist many Toptal alternatives with unique features offering plenty of freelancers. We have inculcated various alternatives to Toptal here in this post to save time in finding a suitable freelancer as per your requirements.
A Quick Walkthrough Of Toptal
Before diving deeper into the alternatives to Toptal, let us have a quick featured review of Toptal. Toptal was established in 2010 by Taso Du Val. It is a reputed platform trusted by business owners. A freelancer platform that offers employers an open book of talented professionals. Toptal’s screening procedure is highly strict that it allows only the top 3% of freelance candidature.
Hence this scrutinizing assures entrepreneurs to receive highly-talented freelancers. This makes sure that your hired freelancer is talented and will produce top-quality outcomes.
Besides this, there are many alternatives to Toptal with highly extensive and innovative features that you would like to explore. Let us go through other Toptal alternatives further in the list.
When Will You Choose to Drop Using Toptal and Prefer Alternatives to Toptal
Before moving forward with the alternatives to Toptal we must look into the insights of why to choose other options beyond Toptal. Some of them might be:
- Negotiation Opportunities
If you are the one who wants to negotiate rates with a freelancer for any project, you must seek an alternative to Toptal.
- Not Suitable Freelancer
If there are no freelancers available under your budget, you have the reliability to search through Toptal alternatives.
- Limited Location Support
Toptal allows clients of limited locations. Hence, if you do not belong under the accessible range of Toptal, you have to move to Toptal alternatives for talented professionals.
6 Toptal Alternatives That Fulfill Entrepreneur’s Needs
Let us now come to the point of various Toptal alternatives that help you in finding the right freelancer for your project.
1. ultraGenius, an alternative to Toptal
- ultraGenius is an emerging and fastest platform to hire excellent freelance developers from India.
- The platform introduces the top 2 percent of talented freelance developers by incurring 4 step screening process.
- Reputable businesses use the ultraGenius platform to find qualified remote workers.
Why choose ultraGenius over Toptal?
- ultraGenius offers the top 2% of talented freelancers by analyzing their core skills.
- Identifying the technical and cultural fit, ultraGenius choose the right freelancer from its community.
- Within 24 to 72 hrs of calling, utraGenius makes sure to offer relevant candidates as per the requirements of the employer.
- ultraGenius believes in transparent pricing. Unlike Toptal, ultraGenius levies a one-time fee on the annual salary of the employee.
How much does ultraGenius cost?
- It takes a one-time fee from the annual income of the developer.
For your ease, check out the brief version of all the platforms below.
2. Upwork, an alternative to Toptal
- Upwork is an alternative to Toptal and is the most demanding platform available for hiring freelancers. Formerly, it was named as oDesk.
- The positive part of Upwork is that it offers plenty of services. You can easily grab freelancers for a varied variety of projects.
- However, the negative aspect is that there is no strict screening procedure for freelancers to join this platform. Hence, freelancers not have enough expertise and skills also join this platform and are unable to fulfill the demands of the employers.
- There are approximately 12 million freelancers over Upwork and you need to fetch the best fit as per your project’s requirements.
So, what do you think, which one is more reliable for your business?
Upwork Vs Toptal?
Come, let us check out the major differences between the two.
- The Hiring Process
Upwork is a freelancer platform that allows employers to meet varied skills and talented candidates.
- To hire any freelancer, you need to post your job. Interested freelancers then approach you by accepting your proposal.
- You can check out those freelancers’ profiles, know about their skills, then conduct an interview and hire a suitable candidate.
Toptal possesses a unique hiring process. The top 3% of freelancing talent are part of this absolute network. So, if you are damn sure to hire the best, I suggest going with Toptal.
- As Toptal does not accept proposals, you have to engage with Toptal’s team to find the ideal freelancer for your business.
- Yes, you have to consume your precious time in this but you are very sure to get the best freelancer for your project.
- Vetting Procedure
In Upwork, there is no screening process. This implies anyone can join by building their profile and start bidding for the projects.
- The best part is, as a freelancer, this is a great opportunity for freshers to build their skills. Although you need to give many proposals, you will get a job and gradually will gain experience.
Toptal exhibits a strict screening approach. The freelancers have to go through a definite vet process before they can jump into a pool of talent. Using Toptal, employers can assure themselves of choosing an experienced and talented candidate.
The typical pay for developers at Upwork ranges from $8 to $15 per hour to $200 per hour.
3. Gun.io, an alternative to Toptal
- Gun.io is highly recommended for its exclusively talented freelancers. It is a community of highly experienced software developers.
- These software developers go through various steps of vetting before joining Gun.io as professional freelancers.
- Employers fetch freelancers based on an invite-only approach. Employers explore various resumes of freelancers available on Gun and send an invitation to the one that fits best for their project.
Now, Let’s check for the comparison of Toptal with Gun.io.
- Unlike Toptal, Gun.io contains a network of expert freelance developers that is only accessible through invitation.
- User opinions based on performance data, with 16 reviews, Gun.io has a rating of 4.5/5. In contrast, Toptal has 172 reviews and a rating of 4.7/5.
- Gun.io is a comparatively small but excellent network of developers.
How much do Gun.io freelancers cost?
- Its hourly prices range from $75 to $150, which is an expensive choice.
4. Flexiple, an alternative to Toptal
- Flexiple is a true Toptal alternative in an actual sense with great expertise. It also offers flexibility to employers to choose the best for them.
- Flexiple is serving many reputed companies with the best results.
- Whether it is a short-term or long-term project, Flexiple never compromises with the caliber of talent you work with.
- Only the Top 1% are hand-selected by Flexiple after a 6-stage screening procedure.
Which one would you choose to go with when both are almost similar? Toptal or Flexiple?
- Unlike Toptal, Flexiple offers a 14-days free trial with quality freelancers. Also enables you to only pay after receiving satisfactory results.
- Flexiple charges are between 40 to 60% less expensive than Toptal, considering the same class of freelance developers.
- Flexiple claims for customer satisfaction and offers 24/7 solid support from the manager while communicating.
How effectively do Flexiple Costs?
- You can easily employ a top-notch developer with nominal rates ranging from 30 to 80 dollars per hour.
5. Hubstaff Talent, an alternative to Toptal
- Hubstaff Talent is a new platform for entrepreneurs to seek freelancers. There are plenty of agencies across countries working on a contractual basis.
- Hubstaff Talent does not possess any specific screening process for freelancers. It gives more attention to the usage of software to link remote workers with a project.
Which one is better? Hubstaff Talent or Toptal?
- The best part of Hubstaff Talent is that it is free for both entrepreneurs and freelancers.
- Unlike Toptal, Hubstaff Talent saves the profiles of freelancers with their signing process.
- Hubstaff Talent welcomes every freelancer regardless of their skills and experience. This proves to be time-consuming for employers to find the best fit for their project.
How much does the Hubstaff Talent platform cost?
- This platform is free for both freelancers and employers.
6. Gigster, an alternative to Toptal
- Gigster is a one-stop solution to build a full team of developers.
- Organizations attempting to create SaaS applications will benefit most from using this platform for independent contractors.
- Gigster makes use of AI-based algorithms to build a community of developers, project managers, and designers.
Which one will you choose now, Gigster or Toptal?
- Unlike other Toptal alternatives, Gigster imposes fees for each project.
- Using Gigster, a committed project manager manages the development procedure while the employer is busy managing his business. However, Toptal does not offer this reliability.
- Gigster undoubtedly offers talented freelancers but building an entire community takes so much time. Whereas Toptal possesses a faster placement procedure.
What is the price?
- A minimum of 52,000 dollars per license for a single project.
A Final Verdict
Each Toptal alternatives possess unique features in its platforms. Every employer seeks through its demands and requirements and can easily choose the platform that suits them best. Freelancing has got its wings only because employers have given them this authority.
And these platforms act as a medium for employers and freelancers to connect effectively.
ultraGenius is also an emerging platform, an alternative to Toptal, that offers employers plenty of talented freelance developers from India. ultraGenius also helps entrepreneurs find relevant freelancers as per their business needs. You can easily hire developers from ultraGenius hiring portal.