Freelancer.com vs Toptal

Scores are each listing's published aggregate on the date shown, quoted as Trustpilot publishes them. A listing can mix reviews from clients, freelancers and candidates; we do not audit or adjust the numbers, and they can change the day after we check.

• Andela Vetted talent network Andela is a global talent marketplace that connects companies with vetted remote software engineers and other technologists. It launched in Lagos in 2014 and says it now sources from 135+ countries. Latin America United States Europe & UK Global 6 of 16 rows sourced Alternatives
• Arc.dev Vetted talent network Arc.dev is a remote hiring platform that matches companies with pre-vetted software developers for both freelance contracts and full-time roles, using AI-assisted sourcing and screening. Global Pricing Arc's pricing page lists freelance talent at $15 to $110+ per hour and a full-time placement fee of 20% of annual salary. Arc publishes no effective date on that page; checked 13 August 2026. 4 of 16 rows sourced Alternatives
• CloudDevs Vetted talent network CloudDevs is a talent marketplace that connects companies with pre-vetted, timezone-aligned Latin American developers and designers, claiming matches within 24 hours. Latin America United States Pricing CloudDevs advertises rates of $45 to $75 per hour on its own homepage. Checked 7 August 2026. 2 of 16 rows sourced Alternatives
• Codementor Vetted talent network Codementor is an on-demand marketplace for live 1:1 developer mentorship and code help, whose freelance hiring arm CodementorX was rebranded as Arc (arc.dev), a vetted remote developer hiring platform. Global Pricing Mentors set the rate for their sessions. Codementor's help centre states the minimum charge for a paid session is the mentor's 15-minute rate, after which billing is per minute, plus a service fee that Codementor does not publish as a percentage. Help article last edited 22 January 2025. 1 of 16 rows sourced Alternatives
• Fiverr Freelance marketplace Fiverr is a gig-based online marketplace where freelancers sell productized services (gigs) at set prices and buyers purchase them directly. Global Pricing Sellers are credited earnings equal to 80% of the purchase amount on Gigs and of the hourly rate on Hourly Contracts, so Fiverr retains 20% on those orders. Fiverr's Payment Terms state that as of September 2025 buyers pay a service fee of 5.5% of the purchase amount, that purchases under US$200 carry an additional US$3.5 small order fee, and that new Hourly Contracts carry a US$5 Order Initiation Fee. Payment Terms last updated January 2026. 9 of 16 rows sourced Alternatives

A tick means our dataset holds a value the platform publishes itself, read from its own page on the date its citation carries. A cell reading "Not in our dataset" is a statement about our records, not about the company: it does not mean the platform publishes nothing.

The comparison ends here; this is our own data. Most articles comparing Freelancer.com and Toptal quote prices that go stale. These numbers come from Flexiple's talent graph: real pool sizes and median salaries for remote engineers in India, refreshed with every site update.

From teams that hired through Flexiple

1. [1]Freelancer.com · freelancer.com/info/how-it-works tells employers to "look at each freelancer's profile rating, client reviews, portfolio of past work, and job completion history." The same page advertises "verified freelancer profiles with ratings and reviews from past clients help you make informed hiring decisions." The page states nothing about the platform screening bidders on the employer's behalf, so no such negative is published. · freelancer.com "How it works": "Simply post a project or contest for what you need done and receive competitive bids from freelancers within minutes."; "Award your project and your freelancer starts work."; "Pay securely using our Milestone Payment system. Release payments when it has been completed and you're 100% satisfied." Funds are deposited into a milestone before work begins and held by the platform; contests let you "set a prize and invite freelancers to submit their work upfront". https://www.freelancer.com/feesandcharges confirms the three billable engagement types by name: "Fixed Price Projects", "Hourly Projects" and "Contests". · Freelancer.com "How it works": "receive competitive bids from freelancers within minutes" and "80% of projects receive their first bid within 60 seconds". · freelancer.com/info/how-it-works, "How do I pay freelancers on Freelancer?": "Freelancer uses a secure Milestone Payment system to protect both employers and freelancers. You deposit funds into a milestone before work begins, and those funds are held securely by the platform. The freelancer can see that the payment is funded, giving them confidence to begin work. You only release the payment once the milestone is completed to your satisfaction. This means you never pay for work you haven't approved. You can pay using credit card, PayPal, or bank transfer in over 39 currencies." · freelancer.com/info/how-it-works, "What happens if I'm not satisfied with the work delivered?": "Freelancer's Milestone Payment system is designed to protect you - funds are only released when you approve the completed work. If the delivered work does not meet your requirements, you can request revisions from your freelancer before releasing payment. If you and your freelancer cannot reach an agreement, you can use Freelancer's dispute resolution process for assistance. As a last resort, you can file an Incomplete Report if the freelancer is unable to complete the project."freelancer.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
2. [2]Toptal · toptal.com/faq, "How is Toptal different?": "Of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, we accept fewer than 3%." And "How does your screening process ensure quality candidates that meet our requirements?": "We screen for communication skills, personality, domain-specific knowledge, and a high level of professionalism. Approximately 3% of applicants pass the screening process. ... We match all candidates with senior Toptal domain experts for each and every interview, and all applicants complete a test project to demonstrate live proficiency with a project similar to what they would work on in a typical engagement." · toptal.com/faq, "Are there any subscription costs?": "We have a flat monthly subscription fee of $79 that is charged if you decide to proceed with talent matching through Toptal. Your subscription gives you access to Toptal's platform and is activated according to Platform Subscription Terms. You may cancel at any time, and, if Toptal can't provide you with talent, you can request a refund on cancellation." The page states no per-engagement rate card. · Toptal FAQ, "Who owns the legal rights to the work created by a Toptal expert?": "The client. Toptal's only business is connecting world-class experts to the clients who want to work with them - not intellectual property. Our contracts provide that all work created by a Toptal expert is the property of the client, not Toptal." And "How do we ensure that our IP is protected?": "Toptal enters into talent agreements with every member of the talent network. Through these agreements, Toptal obtains exclusive ownership of the work created by the Toptal talent that works with you. We then provide you with the intellectual property for the work that the Toptal talent creates for you under our client agreement. ... However, if you would like the expert to enter into a direct agreement with you to effect the direct transfer of IP property, we can work with you to ensure that your needs are met." · toptal.com/faq, "How often will I be charged? How are payments and invoices handled?": "We typically invoice our clients twice a month, though there is some flexibility here. Invoices are generated with Net 10 terms, so our clients have an opportunity to review the charges prior to processing." · toptal.com/faq, "How is the trial period no-risk?": "We make sure to start each engagement with a trial period of up to two weeks. This means that you have time to help ensure the engagement will be successful. If you're completely satisfied with the results, we'll bill you for the time and continue the engagement for as long as you'd like. If you're not completely satisfied, you won't be billed. From there, we can either part ways, or we can provide you with another expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial." · toptal.com/faq, "What happens if I'm not satisfied with a Toptal professional?": "We allow our clients to begin a trial period with up to three individuals from our network per position. While we rigorously screen all applicants to provide you with top-tier talent, we understand that not every person will be a perfect fit for every company." And "What happens if a Toptal expert is unavailable for the days or times they are scheduled to work with me?": "in the extremely unlikely circumstance that such a situation arises, Toptal will credit back the time billed to the client." · Toptal's FAQ states that of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the network each year it accepts fewer than 3%. The same FAQ separately states that approximately 3% of applicants pass the screening process. Both figures are Toptal's own claims and neither is independently verified. · Toptal charges a flat $79 monthly subscription once talent matching begins, and starts each engagement with a trial period of up to two weeks in which unsatisfied clients are not billed.toptal.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
3. [3]Toptal · toptal.com homepage, "Hire Quickly": "Hire in under 48 hours. Scale up or down, no strings attached. We offer flexible engagements from hourly to full-time." · toptal.com homepage, "Hiring Made Easy" step 2 ("Work With Hand-Selected Talent"): "Within days, we'll introduce you to the right talent for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours." The same page also states "Hire in under 48 hours."toptal.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
4. [4]Freelancer.com · freelancer.com/feesandcharges: "The fee for fixed price projects is 10% or $5.00 USD, whichever is greater"; "10% for hourly projects"; "For fixed price projects, a fee of 3% or $3.00 USD (whichever is greater) is levied at the time a project has been awarded"; "For hourly projects, a fee of 3% is levied on each payment that you make to the freelancer"; "$0.30 USD + 2.3%"; "There is no contest fee for posting and awarding the contest for employers." · Freelancers pay 10% of the project value or $5, whichever is greater, on fixed-price projects. Employers pay 3% or $3, whichever is greater, on award, and 3% on each hourly payment.freelancer.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
5. [5]Freelancer.com · freelancer.com/about/press: "a community of online freelancers and employers that has been growing steadily since the company's inception in 2009." The /about page carries no founding year.freelancer.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
6. [6]Toptal · toptal.com/about milestone timeline, 2010: "Toptal.com domain name is officially registered and becomes Toptal LLC in November." · toptal.com/about milestone timeline, 2020: "Toptal becomes the world's largest fully remote company." The About page carries an executive roster, a stats table and a milestone timeline and states no headquarters or office location anywhere on it. Toptal does not itself claim to have no headquarters; the absence is a property of the page, checked 12 August 2026. · Toptal's own timeline records the Toptal.com domain being registered and Toptal LLC formed in November 2010, and states that in 2020 "Toptal becomes the world's largest fully remote company". It documents no headquarters. · Toptal has expanded beyond engineering by acquisition, including Skillbridge (2016, finance experts and management consultants), Growth Collective (2024, marketing) and, in 2026, Graphite, No Single Individual, QO Collective and Adeva.toptal.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
7. [7]Freelancer.com · freelancer.com/about gives the company address as Level 37, Grosvenor Place, 225 George Street, Sydney. · Freelancer Limited trades on the Australian Securities Exchange as ASX:FLN from Level 37, Grosvenor Place, 225 George Street, Sydney.freelancer.comchecked 7 Aug 2026
8. [8]Freelancer.com · Runs a 0% commission programme for freelancers who bring clients that do not already have a Freelancer.com account; the platform says the 0% applies to all project fees between those new employers and the referring account.freelancer.com