Toptal vs Upwork

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

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The comparison ends here; this is our own data. Most articles comparing Toptal and Upwork 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]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
2. [2]Upwork · Upwork Help, "What is Expert-Vetted status on Upwork?": "The Expert-Vetted badge highlights independent professionals in the top 1% of their field on Upwork. To earn it, freelancers complete a rigorous evaluation process, including a 30-minute interview to assess both hard and soft skills." The badge is stated to be visible to Enterprise and Business Plus clients. That screening sits on top of an open marketplace: https://www.upwork.com/i/how-it-works/client/ tells clients to "Browse freelancer portfolios to see real examples of their work", "Read freelancer reviews to gauge their communication, reliability, and quality" and "Message or video chat with freelancers to learn more about their experience and skills."support.upwork.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]Upwork · Upwork Help: "With hourly contracts, you pay your freelancer by the hour. The minimum hourly rate is $3.00 USD ... Freelancers track their hours using a work diary ... You can set a weekly limit on how many hours can be billed ... You're billed based on hours logged each week." And: "With fixed-price contracts, you pay your freelancer a set amount for a defined project or deliverable (we call them milestones). The minimum project rate is $5.00 USD ... You can break the project into milestones (or keep it as one) ... You fund each milestone before work begins."support.upwork.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
5. [5]Upwork · Form 10-K FY2025 (filed 13 February 2026): "Effective May 2025, we introduced a variable pricing structure for talent service fees for new contracts. Under this variable pricing structure, talent on the Upwork Marketplace are charged a fixed fee for each contract ranging from 0% to 15% of their earnings, depending on platform-specific supply and demand factors... The applicable fee is disclosed at contract inception and remains fixed for the duration of the contract. For contracts formed prior to May 2025, we maintain a flat talent service fee of 10% for talent working with clients on the Upwork Marketplace." And: "We charge a client marketplace fee of 5% on each transaction-or 3% if paid via ACH for eligible clients. We also offer a Business Plus plan that includes premium features targeted at larger customers, which is subject to a client marketplace fee of 10% on each transaction-or 8% if paid via ACH for eligible clients." · Form 10-K FY2025: "clients of our Enterprise Solutions offerings can subscribe to a compliance service that includes worker classification services for an additional fee"; revenue policy note headed "Enterprise compliance service fees." · Upwork Form 10-K for fiscal 2025: "our platforms and workforce solutions include capabilities designed to support trusted and reliable remote engagements, such as escrow services, approval workflows, and dispute resolution processes that help ensure clients pay only for work that has been completed and talent are paid in full and on time." And: "we provide escrow services to our customers and maintain a subsidiary licensed as an internet escrow agent by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which we refer to as the DFPI." · Upwork Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, risk factor "We are subject to disputes with or between our customers": "Disputes sometimes arise between talent and clients, including with respect to service standards, payment, confidentiality, work product, and intellectual property ownership and infringement. If either party believes the contract terms were not met, the service agreements negotiated between our customers and our default terms provide a mechanism for the parties to request assistance from us and, for some contracts, a third-party arbitrator." · Form 10-K for FY2025 (filed 2026-02-13): "Upwork Inc. is incorporated in the state of Delaware and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California." · Reported revenue of $787.8 million for fiscal 2025, up 2% on 2024, in the Form 10-K filed 13 February 2026; common stock trades on Nasdaq under UPWK following an initial public offering in October 2018. · Effective May 2025 Upwork moved new contracts to a variable talent service fee of 0% to 15%, disclosed at contract inception and fixed for the contract; contracts formed before May 2025 stay on a flat 10%.sec.govchecked 12 Aug 2026
6. [6]Upwork · Upwork "How Upwork works" FAQ, "How fast can I hire a freelancer on Upwork?": "Most clients hire within three days of posting a job. Once your job is live, freelancers begin submitting proposals. You can also invite specific freelancers to apply or review suggested freelancer matches to move faster."upwork.comchecked 12 Aug 2026
7. [7]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
8. [8]Upwork · TechCrunch, 5 May 2015: Elance and oDesk merged and the combined company rebranded as Upwork. The 2015 date is the date of that rebrand, not of the predecessor companies. · Elance and oDesk merged more than a year before the rebrand; TechCrunch reported on 5 May 2015 that the combined company was rebranding as Upwork.techcrunch.comchecked 7 Aug 2026