Best Freelancer.com Alternatives For Hiring Developers

The way of doing business in the modern world has changed in more ways than one. Thanks to digitization and the rise of freelancing, it is easier for companies to lay hands on the best talent from any part of the world. Freelance marketplaces connect companies, agencies, organizations, and individuals looking to hire to a large pool of skilled and talented freelancers willing to work.

These online marketplaces are reliable, efficient, and make the hiring process easier and more cost-effective. Suppose you are looking to hire a developer, a machine learning consultant, or a business strategist for a project. In that case, you only need to register with an online marketplace, place a job advert and receive thousands of applications from interested developers worldwide. You then interview those you find capable before deciding on the right fit. 

Freelancer.com is one of the many online marketplaces available today where you can find the best developers for your project. However, it is not the best one as other viable options exist. In this article, you will know more about Freelancer.com and know why you should seek alternatives to it. You will also discover the other options you should consider and how they compare to Freelancer.com.

What is Freelancer.com?

Freelancer.com is a popular marketplace for freelancers. It has risen in popularity since its founding in 2009 and has recorded over 50 million users since then. Many individuals and companies search for freelancers for different projects on Freelancer.com and find what they seek on the platform. Freelancer is very easy to use and gives you the opportunity of getting your job done quickly thanks to its rich and talented pool of freelancers. Also, its fees are not on the high side, making it great for big projects. 

Why You Should Seek Another Option

Many contractors are on Freelancer, which may make hiring a developer time-consuming. It is also possible to run into scammers every now and then on the site, so you should be extra careful. 

Freelancer also lacks great security measures and vetting processes. Hence, you are not exactly assured of hiring the best fit for your project. Besides all these, the platform is also notorious for being slow and unhelpful, though it has improved in that regard. 

Despite Freelancer.com being a great platform to find the best talent for different projects, it may not meet your needs. Besides, it is better to have multiple options than relying on one marketplace when tons of alternatives are available. 

Features to Look Out For in a Freelancer com Alternative

There are things you should consider in choosing a similar website like Freelancer to hire the best developers for your projects. You don't want to leave a good platform like Freelancer for a mediocre or lower-rated one. Thus, it would be best to look for a platform that either outperforms Freelancer or matches its performance levels. 

The features you should look out for include: 

• The talent pool
• Pricing
• Hiring process
• Time zone
• Quality assurance

You should only register with freelance marketplaces with a huge talent pool. This talent pool should consist of freelancers who are good at what they do and are readily available to work.

A good alternative to Freelancer.com should have a fair pricing system for freelancers and hirers and not look to exploit them. The hiring process should also be stress-free, quick, and free of bureaucracies or bottle-necks. You want to hire a developer quickly and not dwell on the hiring process. Thus, ensure the online marketplace ticks that box. 

Also, it should have flexible time zones and be open to people worldwide. You are looking to hire the best developers and don't want to be inhibited by time zones. Thus, the marketplace should accommodate people from all parts and have a system that works with their time zones.  

Finally, a good marketplace should be big on quality assurance. Hence, it must have a system that ensures the hirer does not pay the freelancer unless they have satisfied their demands with the highest possible quality. The marketplace should have processes that make it easier for hirers or freelancers to express any grievances and have such sorted out before completing transactions. 

Best Freelancer.com Alternatives

Here are top-rated Freelancer alternatives you can consider to hire the best talent for your projects. 

Flexiple is an online marketplace with a talent pool comprising only developers and designers. The freelancers on the platform are among the best and have experience working with big tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, etc. 

Flexiple vets every freelancer on its platform to confirm proficiency in different criteria. The vetting process is manual and involves technical skills, past projects, teamwork, the ability to meet deadlines, and reliability. It is only when a freelancer passes the vetting process that they are allowed to join the network. Thus, you can rest assured that the developers you hire on the platform are the best. 

Flexiple's hiring process is smooth and helpful. You get personalized recommendations and payment plans that are flexible and time-based. In addition, you will always get responsive support throughout your engagement with the freelancer, which increases your chances of having success in your project. 

Flexiple Pros 

• Its vetting process is rigorous
• The developers on the platform have a good experience
• You get a risk-free trial period
• The onboarding process is quick
• Excellent customer support

Flexiple Cons 

• It is a new online marketplace. Thus, you may struggle to find developers in fringe technologies. 

Arc.dev originally began as CodementorX, a mentoring platform for developers. Developers thronged to the platform seeking help for skill improvement, problem-solving, and much more. Now, Arc.dev continues with its mandate of being an on-demand mentorship platform for developers. In addition to that, it also provides a solution to companies looking to hire the best freelance developers. 

Arc.dev uses a strict vetting process like other top-rated online marketplaces. It utilizes various assessment tools to ensure its freelancers are of the highest quality. Unlike Freelancer, where you can hire freelancers for the long and short term, Arc.dev focuses on helping companies hire full-time and long-term remote-working developers. The platform ensures all parties comply with the rules of engagement and handles payroll and benefits. 

Arc.dev Pros 

• A strict vetting process
• Presence of skilled software developers

Arc.dev Cons 

• Very expensive
• It grew from a mentorship program to a freelance marketplace, so its tech talent platform is still fresh

Hubstaff Talent is an online marketplace where you will find a rich catalog of freelancers. If you need a developer for your project, you just need to head to the website and browse the list of freelancers. You can search by skill, cost, or location, to choose your best fit. 

However, you conduct the vetting and hiring process outside the platform. After finding a suitable developer, you get in touch with them and discuss the necessary terms before working with them. However, Hubstaff has pre-vetted the freelancers on its platform. Thus, you can rest assured that they are of good quality. 

Hubstaff Pros 

• Some filters help to narrow your search
• It is free
• It is great for short-term work

Hubstaff Cons 

• It has a small pool of freelance developers
• Some of its job sources are unreliable
• It lacks a vetting process
• You have to spend a lot of time finding good quality talent

If you are looking for the best freelance software developers, Gun.io is one platform where you can find them. The online marketplace strives to connect companies to vetted and approved freelancers who can assist with several short-term projects. You can also hire employees through the platform.

Gun.io is developer-only and employs a strict vetting process. This vetting process involves testing coders for their ability to work remotely. The coders must pass an automated coding exam, a live coding exercise, and a technical interview. The platform's CEO also interviews the contractors, whose references are checked to ascertain their credibility. 

Gun.io Pros

• Community-based staffing
• Flexible pricing
• Extensive vetting process

Gun.io Cons

• Lacks client management and support
• No customer reviews on the website
• Lengthy sign-up process

Gigster is more of a software development platform than a freelance marketplace. It has vetted developers based in Silicon Valley. Thus, you can be assured of the expertise of the freelancers you hire from the platform. 

Gigster has over 350 freelance professional developers you can work on your project with. Artificial intelligence helps handle the selection process and project estimation on the project.

Gigster Pros

• It is invite-only, meaning you will find the best talent there
• Each customer has a project manager they are assigned to who oversees the job progress and files periodic reports
• Employers receive various reports and metrics like team happiness, progress, and bugs

Gigster Cons

• It isn't easy to find long-term freelancers on the platform
• The project managers are freelancers
• A higher service fee than Freelancer and other online marketplaces 

Toptal is an excellent freelance marketplace and one of the most outstanding Freelancer alternatives. It has a remarkable talent pool of freelance software developers and designers. The company only accepts the top 3% of professionals that apply to become its members. 

If you want to hire an expert developer via Toptal, you just need to submit your project or job description and requirements. The platform's internal team will handle the hiring process and match you with the right freelancers. 

Toptal Pros

• A rigorous vetting process that ensures only the best developers get hired
• It is free
• Every project has a risk-free trial period of 20 hours

Toptal Cons

• Not ideal for small projects

Upwork is one of the best freelance marketplaces in the world. It connects freelancers across several fields to individuals, companies, agencies, and organizations needing their services. The platform emerged after the merger of oDesk and Elance and has become one of the world's largest online crowdsourcing marketplaces. Upwork has millions of freelancers and contractors worldwide. Thus, there is every chance you will find the right developer you are looking for to handle your project. 

Upwork's hiring process is straightforward. It requires you to submit your job description and an estimated budget. Once you do, the platform publishes it, and in no time, multiple freelancers who believe they can do the job well will send their proposals. If a proposal catches your fancy, you can interview the freelancers, and once you find one who satisfies your requirements, you can begin working with them in accordance with Upwork's terms. 

Upwork Pros

• It is easy to use
• There are thousands of professionals in all areas
• Financial transactions are secure because of its Escrow feature
• Fees charged by skilled professionals are not high

Upwork Cons

• Too many people on the platform, so it is possible to find rookies or unskilled freelancers
• The customer service has so much to improve upon
• Finding a skilled professional may take time

If you want to hire the best tech developers for your team or company, you should look no further than Ideamotive. Ideamotive is a top candidate for the best Freelancer alternatives because of its incredible features. On the platform, you will find top tech product teams on-demand. You also have access to individual software development contractors and IT consultants. 

Ideamotive helps startups, scale-ups, and established businesses worldwide to build, grow, and scale their digital products. It has a rich network of tech experts and combines on-site talent, off-site collaborators, and the best software houses. On Ideamotive, you will find software developers for every software project and technology. You will also find the best business software consultants, back-office experts, AI and ML developers, big data engineers, UI/UX designers, digital illustrators, and many more. 

At Ideamotive, companies worldwide can find tech talent who have been thoroughly vetted. Clients who have hired from the platform are always satisfied with the services they received and leave good reviews. 

Ideamotive Pros 

• It has the highest quality developers and tech professionals
• Excellent customer service and communication
• You get out-of-the-box solutions to your problems
• You can hire not just one freelancer but a highly-skilled tech team for your project
• It is cost-effective as you pay only for booked hours of each talent
• You get to know the origin of tech talent
• It takes care of the full talent lifecycle from onboarding to reporting
• You can stay in control of your project with utilization and progress reports

Ideamotive Cons 

• Smaller talent pool compared to Freelancer.com

Fiverr is one of the major freelance marketplaces and is similar to Freelancer. If you need to hire a top-notch developer for your project, it is a good place to go. Fiverr has multiple features that help its clients to get the best freelancers for their projects. 

For instance, it has a pro version that gives hirers access to thoroughly-vetted and verified talents. The vetting process in this version is very strict, and only a low percentage of freelancers pass it. Hence, you are sure of getting the very best. Another feature is Fiverr Business, where you will find specially curated talents supplied by a business success manager. 

Fiverr Pros 

• Easy to use
• You can browse portfolios without registering
• You can find talent from a wide range of countries
• You can find talent for just about any niche

Fiverr Cons 

• Mostly short-term projects are available
• The vetting process is almost lacking

Comparison Table of Best Freelancer Alternatives

Wrap Up

There are multiple Freelancer alternatives for you to choose from. Hence, you may be undecided about making the right choice for your project. However, if you know the goals of your project and want the very best hands for the job, you should seek the best platform to do so. 

Some of the platforms reviewed have a strong and skilled talent pool that they rigorously test to ascertain they are the right fit. Hence, except you want mediocre jobs that cost little money, you should register with a platform that guarantees you the best. 

Tech projects require the best talents. Therefore, you need professionals who don't charge ridiculous amounts but are experienced and get the job done promptly. If that is what you are looking for, you need a platform that understands your needs and has the right personnel for you.