Upwork is a popular platform connecting freelancers with potential employers. But it’s not always the best option for hiring software developers.
That’s why we’re sharing the pros and cons of five alternatives to help you hire developers if Upwork doesn’t work for you.
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Topcoder is a crowdsourcing company with an open global community of designers, developers, data scientists, and competitive programmers. Topcoder pays community members for their work and sells community services to corporate, mid-size, and small-business clients.
You can connect with potential employers in three different ways on Topcoder:
Topcoder has been around for over 20 years. With more than one million members on their platform, they’ve helped many Fortune 500 companies find high-quality developers.
Topcoder is a fast and effective system with an outcomes-based payment model—meaning that freelancers will complete a job for free to gain practical experience.
The platform also accesses freelancers worldwide so that you can work with thoroughly remote workers in multiple locations. Many of these freelancers are experts in their field or ready to elevate their skills through hands-on opportunities.
First-time users report that it can be challenging to navigate the Topcoder website. The user interface is a bit more cluttered than other platforms—a downside to the overall platform experience.
Fiverr—known as one of the largest platforms to find a freelancer for just about anything—is next on our list. Fiverr allows listings and applications for small one-off jobs or gigs online. Jobs listed on the platform are diverse and range from “get a well-designed business card” to “help with HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and jQuery.”
Many professionals consider Fiverr one of the best platforms for anyone looking to onboard freelancers on a tight budget.
Of all our recommendations, Fiverr is the most similar platform to Upwork. There is a wide range of job categories and services available. Hiring managers can select talent from a vast freelance pool, from content writers to freelance developers.
Price is also variable. Services can cost as little as five dollars, and you can hold real-time video conferences with the freelancers working on your project. You can also choose a quick project turnaround time, which is helpful if you are on a tight schedule.
While Fiverr features plenty of high-quality freelancers, it can be challenging to weed out the skilled prospects from those unequipped to handle your project. This inconsistency creates an extra step in your vetting process.
There’s also a higher potential for fraudulent acts on this platform—someone misrepresenting their skills, poor-quality content, or ceasing communication about deadlines on the finished product. While these situations can happen on any platform, it’s not as common for other Upwork competitors.
Freelancer.com is considered a top freelancer website. After all, it’s in the name.
It’s an Australian-based freelance marketplace that allows potential employers to post jobs that freelancers can then bid on to complete. They’ve connected over 50 million employers and freelancers globally from over 200 countries, regions, and territories.
When you use their platform, you can hire freelancers to work in software development, design, engineering, sales, marketing, accounting, and legal services, among others.
Freelancer.com has budget-friendly pricing and is significantly cheaper to use than Upwork, with multiple payment applications available. You can pay your freelancers fixed or hourly rates—whichever works best for your budget.
The platform also facilitates several different communication methods with the freelancers you hire, including text, email, video, or voice calls. This approach makes communication more accessible, especially with international freelancers and developers.
Many freelancers turn down certain jobs on this platform because of the fees associated with the hiring process. While the bidding process Freelancer.com is built around can be beneficial, potential employers are sometimes misled to think that cheaper payouts equal high-quality final products.
It can also be challenging to get people to respond to your job posting if you are not verified since many fraudulent job postings somehow make it past the platform’s established vetting process.
Freelance platform Guru rounds out our list. This freelance marketplace allows companies to find and commission freelance workers. Over 700,000 employers are currently using the site, and approximately 300,000 developers are registered for the platform.
Finding and hiring freelancers to join your team using Guru is easy—especially if your project has a tight turnaround time. Joining the platform is free, so you can receive quotes within a few hours of posting the job.
Guru accepts almost every payment form available, making it easy for leaders who connect with overseas freelancers to pay their workers.
The platform also prefers to foster long-term relationships between freelancers and the employers that hire them.
The freelancer reviews available on Guru are not that reliable and can cause scamming if you are not diligent in your vetting process.
Customer service is another pain point. First-time users report difficulty receiving immediate feedback from customer support. And while the multiple forms of payment are great, some experience difficulties paying their influencers.
At the end of the day, you want to choose the right freelance talent platform to get the highest-quality freelance developer for your team. All Upwork alternatives for developers have advantages and disadvantages, and it’s up to you to decide which service is the right fit for your needs.
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