The Top 5 Sites for Hiring Freelance Software Engineers

Plenty of companies want to hire freelance software engineers, but many aren’t quite sure how to get started. Thankfully, there are a couple of great sites that link up developers with the firms hiring them.

Here are the top 5 sites for hiring top freelance software engineers.

1. Toptal

Toptal helps companies locate the best 3% of developers from all over the world. Toptal has a pretty impressive screening process that avoids the quality issues with other freelance marketplaces. During the process, Toptal tests developers’ language and personality skills to make sure they’re fluent in English and work well with others. Afterwards, Toptal rigorously assesses their skills with timed tests, followed by a live screening with two senior engineers that consists of live exercises. Finally, each candidate is given a test project to make sure they can handle themselves with an assignment over 1-3 weeks.

Toptal demands that all freelancers “maintain a perfect track record” from there on, so any developer you hire is guaranteed to be a top performer. As an added show of confidence, they offer a risk-free trial period of up to two weeks, so if you aren’t satisfied, you don’t pay. Also, in contrast to other hiring sites, Toptal’s team will work with you in an extremely hands-on way to find you the perfect match given your project needs.

2. Guru

Guru is a site that allows freelancers to market their skills anywhere in the world for a small fee. The site has a couple of benefits: all payments take place over Safepay and that hiring companies only have to pay for a job completed to their satisfaction. Guru’s Work Room feature also helps hiring companies and freelancers to stay on the same page. The platform allows both sides to communicate and trade files, as well as work out payment.

One downside of Guru is that the website is a bit clunky and hard to navigate, and some information can be hard to find. Another drawback is that Guru doesn’t appear to do its own validation process. While you can see what skills freelancers offer and what fee they’re charging, none of them have been vetted. While, again, you can always get a refund if the job isn’t done right, you run the risk of wasting your time waiting on an inferior development job.

3. Upwork

Upwork offers you a quick, low-cost way to get in touch with developers and engineers. With about 3 million jobs posted annually and more than 4 million clients, it’s clear that Upwork is a good way to get developers fast. As with Guru, though, they don’t have their own intensive vetting process. Any freelancer can sign up and get hired. Upwork will recommend freelancers for you whose skills correspond to your requirements, but that’s not really the same. While Upwork won’t necessarily give you a full refund, they’ll arbitrate any disputes over the quality of the work. On the one hand, this probably attracts some better developers than Guru, but it also allows for the possibility that you’ll waste your time and your money.

4. Freelancer

Like Guru and Elance, Freelancer offers hirers an easy, cost-effective way to find developers. Their homepage features a list of recent projects and prices from all over the world. You can get free quotes on any projects for which you’re considering hiring, and the site has access to nearly 140,000 developers.

The site features a reverse-auction, so you can see who’s willing to work for the least amount of money. As with Guru, you can choose not to release your payment if the work isn’t done to your satisfaction. Still, as far as low-cost options, Freelancer is a solid choice for those looking to hire some freelance work.

5. Workmarket

Workmarket is a software that you can purchase online that helps you locate freelance designers and developers all around the U.S. Their system is fairly user-friendly and consolidates all your tools into one dashboard. The software also offers a couple of screening tools, including York market’s Learning Management System, and it also provides access to background checks.

One bonus that Workmarket offers is that the software automatically adds freelancers to your queue who meet your specifications. You can pay freelancers however you want, and also check other customers’ ratings to see which freelancers are best. Their website also has some helpful information about hiring freelancers, along with some webinars. While Workmarket certainly offers better support than Freelancer, Guru, and Elance, it doesn’t seem to provide access to developers from outside of the U.S., which dramatically reduces its talent pool.

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