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It takes a lot to run a business, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by some tasks as you struggle to manage everything. That’s where freelancers can make a difference in your workday.
Handing off some tasks to quality freelancers can mean the difference between success and failure. But where can you find quality freelancers?
It can be challenging to find quality software developers to do the job right. Gun.io is one freelance platform that specializes in connecting you with experienced, high-quality developers, but it’s not your only option.
We took some time to review freelancing sites that connect businesses with freelance developers to create this list of Gun.io alternatives.
Toptal does a fantastic job of screening and vetting their developers. This means you get high-quality employees without the added time and stress.
Only 3% of developers who apply get accepted into their program. Further, their hourly rates are what you would expect for hiring a software developer.
To learn more, you can register with Toptal, read our comparison of Toptal and Gun.io, or read our full Toptal review.
When it comes to hiring a freelance developer, it can be a little overwhelming because of the role they play in your business. Factor in the number of freelancing sites offering to connect you with the perfect candidate, and it’s easy to give up and just do it yourself.
It doesn’t have to be exhausting or overwhelming. Finding the right freelancing site for you could save you a lot of frustration and free you up to handle the tasks that matter most for your business.
Toptal claims to give you access to top talent, the top 3% of talent, to be precise. While we can’t confirm or refute this claim, Toptal does use a five-step screening process to narrow the field of applicants.
A lot of similar sites, including Gun.io, perform some type of applicant vetting to narrow the talent pool, but Toptal’s extensive process takes time. Toptal looks at potential freelancers from different perspectives, including communication assessments and ongoing evaluation of their work.
Gun.io does use a thorough vetting process with seemingly stellar results that rival Toptal’s claims. However, Gun.io charges a premium for their freelance services. Toptal is far more affordable and delivers high-quality freelancers to choose from.
OnlineJobs.ph is loaded with quality freelancers located in the Philippines. The site does the bulk of the work for you by choosing freelancers that fit your specifications instead of you scrolling through dozens of applicants.
Pricing is one of the biggest draws for OnlineJobs.ph, which incidentally is the biggest complaint about Gun.io. The three pricing plans offered by OnlineJobs.ph fit any budget because the site even offers a free package. Of course, the free package limits you to three job posts, but if you don’t need much, then it’s well worth your while.
Gun.io has many freelancers located in the United States, so you can expect to pay higher rates for experienced developers. OnlineJobs.ph is more affordable with loads of free resources, so it offers more of an all-around experience.
Lemon.io is highly selective when it comes to freelancers. Though the site receives thousands of applications, only a handful make the cut. The site reports that for every thousand applications they receive, only three hundred become Lemon.io freelancers.
Price matters, and Gun.io simply can’t keep up with Lemon.io. Whether you’re a startup or a thriving business, Lemon.io offers quality developers within a reasonable pricing system.
While no freelancing site can guarantee a successful match, Lemon.io strives to please clients. If your freelancer isn’t up to par, you can reach out to your account manager to address the situation. We should note that Gun.io also offers a refund guarantee.
Triplebyte is used to working with tech-oriented businesses. The company specializes in hiring tech-savvy freelancers, so they use a detailed vetting process that tests the technical knowledge of applicants.
To pass Triplebyte’s screening process, applicants must perform well on a multiple-choice quiz, phone call, and coding challenge. You can expect the process to weed out the underqualified candidates, but it may take things too far.
Given the selectiveness of Triplebyte’s process, you may not be able to find the tech talent you need as readily as you can with Gun.io. Additionally, unlike Gun.io, Triplebyte seems to cater more toward the larger businesses, meaning less luck if you’re a small or medium-sized company.
X-Team puts a lot of effort into hiring talented developers. They seek out developers with experience handling the most common platforms to create a versatile pool that can fulfill nearly any team’s needs.
While the X-Team application process is easy enough, the vetting process is detailed to ensure they only use the best freelancers. Like Gun.io, X-Team puts applicants through a series of tests to ensure they can handle the technical aspects.
The curious thing about X-Team is that they only handle long-term contracts. Before working with X-Team, make sure you need a freelancer for at least three months. Companies seeking shorter-term freelancers may prefer working with Gun.io or an alternative from this list.
Upwork is well-known as a freelancing site because it’s been around for a while. With thousands of freelancers available, you can find a developer to meet your needs.
Budget is rarely an issue on Upwork because they have a lot of newbies looking for work. Keep in mind that newbie doesn’t necessarily mean inexperienced.
While you won’t likely reach the Gun.io pay thresholds, you can spend some serious cash on Upwork to hire the more experienced freelancers. You may benefit from upgrading your account to a Business Plus or Enterprise level. Upwork offers plenty of perks to upgraded business accounts to make it more affordable than Gun.io.
Reliability is an issue with Upwork as well. While Gun.io has slews of positive reviews praising their freelancers, Upwork has had issues with abruptly dropping people without warning. Upwork also doesn’t have a vetting system anywhere near Gun.io’s process.
When you need to hire fast and on the cheap, Fiverr is a reasonable option. You can find freelancers to perform almost any tasks, including detailed projects. Pay rates start at five dollars and scale up, but we wouldn’t expect to find a quality developer for that rate.
You could head straight to the Fiverr Pro section for more experienced freelancers. Like Gun.io freelancers, Fiverr Pros passed a vetting process to earn the distinction.
Unfortunately, Fiverr has a bit of a problem with quality, so it may not be your best bet. One of the common complaints refers to developers on the site who deliver low-quality (translation: unusable) code.
Gigster does things differently. Instead of hiring an individual or creating a contest to get a product you can use, Gigster builds a team of their freelancers to complete the work.
That’s right. Gigster’s unique approach involves some top talent working together to meet your needs. You describe the work you need to have done, and they give you a quote for the work. The quotes vary based on the parameters of the project, but there is a minimum involved.
If you accept the quote, they create a development team, assign a designer, and select a project manager. You can watch the project mature through a user-friendly dashboard and communicate with the engineering team via the project manager.
The only thing we would caution about working with Gigster over Gun.io is that you need to feel comfortable with giving up a lot of control. The Gigster team takes the reins of the project management unless you pay extra for a more customized experience.
One of the older, familiar names in freelancing is Freelancer.com. The site offers access to thousands of freelancers with varying degrees of experience. You can sift through the throngs of applicants and set up project contests.
The downside to Freelancer.com is the overwhelming number of applicants and how many unqualified resumes you need to comb through. The drain on your time may not be worth the savings you get from choosing Freelancer.com. Plus, you may not save all that much once you add up all of the fees Freelancer.com charges.
Gun.io may cost a premium, but you know that the applicants you receive are qualified to handle your job. When it comes to developers, it’s difficult to compromise too much on quality, even to accommodate your budget.
This UK-based site provides businesses with access to local and international freelancers. There’s something to be said about the ability to hire somebody in your backyard if you want.
Though anybody can join as a freelancer, PeoplePerHour has a process to follow to reach different certification levels. The best freelancers on the site carry a “top cert” banner on their profiles, translating to less than one percent of the freelancers.
Unfortunately, hiring the right person may not be as easy as it sounds, let alone a local freelancer. Several users report issues with the site and with poor customer service. There also seems to be significant disparities in fees.
In a world where top tech companies employ the best and brightest developers, hiring freelance developers is often the only solution for smaller firms. Using a freelance marketplace should make your life easier as a business owner and allow you to focus on other tasks.
There is a lot to consider when hiring a freelance developer, so it helps to choose a platform that handles a lot of the vetting for you. Toptal and Lemon.io are two Gun.io alternatives that carefully select applicants to ensure a pool of quality developers and software engineers.
If your budget is tight, you may want to try Fiverr or PeoplePerHour, where you can find some bargains.
Whether you go with Gun.io or another freelance website, there’s no doubt that you have many options for short-term freelance developers. With just a little time and patience, you can select the best fit for your company.
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