Hire a Freelance Software Developer or Engineer on These 9 Superior Sites
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Updated:
January 14, 2021
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Behind every website, you’ve ever visited is a software engineer. This is even true of DIY sites like Wix and Squarespace. an engineer wrote the code that lets you drag and drop pieces into place. Software engineers write websites, apps, games, and network systems.
Perhaps you’re looking for a software engineer who can:
Below are nine sites where you can find software engineers for your business. They can help you find someone with a great portfolio and a proven record of success in computer science.
The “top” in Toptal comes from the platform’s reputation for hiring only the top 3% of freelance applicants. For every 100,000 freelancers who apply each year, only 3,000 get picked to join Toptal. They are developers, designers, project managers, and finance experts.
Toptal rigorously screens their freelancers. They test each one on skills, experience, creativity, communication, and personality. Those that do make it onto the platform come from companies like Apple, Google, and Shopify.
Toptal also allows you to search for freelancers based on software development languages. If you need a software engineer who knows HTML5, you find a list of freelancers with that technical skill.
Toptal gives you a two-week trial period. If you don’t like the first person you try, you can try another without making a payment. A new trial begins with each freelancer you engage with.
Andela’s freelancers are native English speakers sourced from Africa. Like Toptal, Andela puts their applicants through rigorous testing. They only accept the cream of the crop. Only the top 2% of applicants make it.
Andela only has software engineers. This isn’t a one-stop-shop for all your hiring needs. Engineers overlap with the rest of your team for at least five hours a day. The rest of the time, they work solo.
Once you find an engineer, you don’t have to share them with another company. They will dedicate their time and energy to your projects and tasks. Andela provides their freelancers with equipment and training. That helps them stay reliable and ready to work.
All engineers are full-time, not project-based. Andela charges a flat monthly rate for its talent. This fee includes onboarding, equipment, IT management, and account management.
This site is a job board that connects you with remote workers in the Philippines. OnlineJobs.ph lets you scan their bios and resumes for free. If you upgrade, you’re able to contact people you want to interview.
Once you get a new hire through their site, that person is your employee. You negotiate their salary and benefits. In fact, you can leave the platform after you hire your software engineer.
If you stick around, you can use OnlineJobs.ph tools like EasyPay and TimeProof. EasyPay converts US dollars to the currency of the Philippines. TimeProof monitors your employee’s time and activity.
One advantage of the site is the price. It only costs $69/mo. for their basic membership and $99/mo. for premium. The remote workers on the site also don’t charge a lot of cash. Web designers average less than $2,000 in monthly salary.
Gigster is specifically for hiring IT professionals. It’s not a one-stop-shop. You won’t find HR, accounting, or marketing folks here. If you need AI, Kubernetes, or machine learning skills, this is the place to come. Gigster’s network consists of around 1,000 members based all over the world.
Gigster asks you questions about your goals. Then, their system matches you with an IT professional based on your answers. Once you’ve identified a freelancer you like, you work with them through the platform. You don't need to onboard them to your company or offer them benefits packages.
Gigster’s site boasts virtual management and analytics. As you might expect from a site like Gigster, they have a lot of technology to keep track of your freelancer's work. They use it to check your freelancer's performance and measure their productivity.
Triplebyte is a job-matching site dedicated only to software engineers. When you find someone you like, you hire them like you would if they answered a help wanted ad. Search Triplebyte only if you’re looking to hire full-time, salaried professionals.
To get in touch with Triplebyte’s talent pool, you’ll need an annual membership. The membership fee scales with the number of people you hire in a year. More hires gets you a lower rate. To hire an IT pro through Triplebyte, expect to pay between $17,000 and $32,000.
Because of this price point, most hires will go to larger corporations. Think Adobe, Twitch, Reddit, and Instacart. They vet all their candidates through screening and an online coding challenge. It seems clear that only the top talent makes it onto their team of programmers.
Do you need front-end developers, back-end developers, or a whole development team? If so, X-Team is the place to go. Past clients have been such big names as Fox, Dell, and Twitter.
Freelancers at X-Team keep their membership on the platform. They are contracted out to you much like a temp worker. Most freelancers are looking for full-time work, but X-Team also negotiates part-time contracts.
X-Team sources developers globally who work remotely. If you connect with a local freelancer, they are free to visit your office. They bill contracts monthly, and you can upscale and downscale your team as needed.
On the Developer side, X-Team has great benefits. These include conferences, gym memberships, and gaming tournaments. When developers are happy and healthy, productivity goes up and morale stays high.
You can indeed hire a freelancer on Fiverr for only $5, but there are other price points too. The good news is that you’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
This isn’t a developer-specific platform. Fiverr has freelancers who do e-commerce marketing, animation, and a lot more. Fiverr does not have a vetting process for their workers. Instead, buyer ratings and feedback evidence performance.
There are two ways to find a freelancer through Fiverr. You can either search for what you need by keyword or add a job posting. You can filter search results by language, budget, and delivery time, and more.
You always pay per project. There are no hourly or full-time contracts available. Fiverr is great for one-off projects and getting extras off your plate. Pro and business accounts are available if you’d like to explore a higher tier of professionals.
Lemon.io works only in the niche of freelance developers for startups. They vet freelancers through reference checks, an interview process, and skills testing.
Their freelancers all work at hourly rates. The rates range from $40 to $60 per hour for their startup plan. You can hire a developer for either full-time or part-time work. They guarantee replacements if you’re unsatisfied with anyone.
There’s also the option to hire a Chief Technology Officer to work with you. The CTO will coordinate with your in-house developers and the ones through Lemon.io. They also review code for errors and efficiency. The CTO fee starts at $2,000/mo.
One great feature included when you hire Lemon.io developers is the weekly report. It shows which tasks your freelancer has completed and how many hours they performed. This is a great way to make sure you’re operating in-budget.
In the vein of Toptal and Fiverr, UpWork is a freelance platform offering a wide selection. You’ll find virtual assistants, IT professionals, data entry clerks, and graphic designers. You can find just about any other remote worker you can imagine.
With UpWork, you first post a job description for work that you’re wanting to hire someone for. Then, you can wait for freelancers to find and bid on your job. You can also invite specific freelancers to submit a proposal. Some of them will respond and offer a lower rate.
The messages feature of UpWork is especially robust. It allows messaging, chats, and video between you and the freelancer. UpWork handles payment processing through PayPal. Freelancers work either hourly or at a flat rate per project milestone.
The platform has basic, plus, and enterprise levels of client membership. Basic is their free option. Plus is $50/mo. plan. Enterprise is scalable based on the level of service you want.
The platforms in this article all have their pros and cons. You should use the recruiter platform that best suits your specific needs and style.
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a software engineer in the United States is $92,046. You usually pay for years of experience. Freelancers outside of the U.S. may have lower rates.
An engineer is someone who applies engineering principles to the whole system. A developer is someone who creates functional software.
Any freelance software engineer has to know the latest coding languages. This requires consistent training and keeping up with industry trends. Only those freelancers who enjoy the work will be willing to put forward the extra effort.
On any platform, expect to pay by experience level. Take a look at a potential freelancer’s portfolio. Read their client feedback and check any performance metrics available on the platform.
In just a few clicks, you could have a great new team member on board!
According to Salary.com, the average software engineer makes between $30 and $37 per hour, and the average rate is $33 per hour.
According to Payscale.com, the average software engineer hourly rate is $25.89 per hour.
However, some software engineers make far more. According to Codementor, the average software engineer makes $81-$100 per hour.
Salary.com lists the average salary of a software engineer as $69,300 per year.
However, some estimates are higher. According to Payscale.com, a typical salary for a software engineer is closer to $85,000 per year.
According to Glassdoor.com , the average salary for a software engineer is just over $92,000 per year.
Here are 10 skills you might consider looking for in a software engineer:
Here are 10 interview questions you might consider asking when hiring a software engineer:
