Looking to find the best tech contractors? The shift to remote work means there are tons of sites for hiring freelance developers. However, as expert tech contractors ourselves here at wellpaid.io, we know that not all freelancer sites are created equal, especially when you require high-quality ones to turn your startup or company into a success.
So, we’ve put together this comparison of the best freelance websites for developers to find new talent. Keep reading to discover why to hire freelance developers, the challenges to hiring top tech contractors in the UK, and how to choose the right freelancer platform for your recruitment needs.
Why Hire Freelance Vs. In-House Developers?
Hiring freelancers rather than in-house developers has a multitude of benefits for your business:
- Project-based hiring means you can source freelancers with the exact skills and expertise you need, giving you much more flexibility than hiring a permanent team member.
- Contractors are usually readily available, cutting down on hiring and onboarding time. Hiring developers via wellpaid.io means you can be sure of their up-to-date availability.
- Freelancers are often more affordable in the long run even if their hourly rate is higher than you’d pay a permanent employee, as you don’t need to pay salary and benefits.
- Just pay for the work you need, rather than finding long-term projects for an in-house developer.
- If you have good communication and working relationship, freelancers are often happy to keep the door open for future work should the need arise.
Challenges Of Hiring Best Freelance Developers In The UK
- Talent pool: there’s much more demand for IT contractors than there are available and qualified developers across the UK right now, and the average starting rate has therefore increased. You need to know that the freelancers you’re hiring are worth the investment: hiring through a platform with an excellent vetting process like wellpaid.io is a great platform for mitigating this challenge.
- Remote hiring and collaboration: communication is key whether your freelance developers will be working remotely or not, but potential distance can impact your working relationship even more. Being able to negotiate flexible contracts and communicate directly with freelancing candidates, as you can with wellpaid.io, is essential to avoiding potential issues regarding screening, sharing expectations, and building trust.
- Regulations: managing freelancer taxes and legislation can be much more complex than with in-house employees, particularly since the 2021 IR35 reform. Experienced tech freelancers will know the deal, which is really helpful to ensure your hiring is above board.
How To Choose The Right Freelancer Platform For Your Business
There are three main types of online marketplaces for hiring freelancers:
- Vetted, industry-specific talent job sites like wellpaid.io, which is dedicated to connecting premium IT contractors with hirers in tech
- Bidding sites like Upwork and Freelancer, where contractors bid for specific projects
- Generic order-based sites like Fiverr, where hirers pick from lists of freelancers from multiple disciplines and different skill levels.
Choosing the right platform to hire top freelance developers depends on your business needs, including:
- The size and budget of the project
- The project timeline and how quickly you want to hire a freelancer
- The quality of work you want and how skilled a developer your project requires
The Best Freelance Websites For Hiring Developers
wellpaid.io
Recruiter-free and 0% commission platform for premium freelance developers. Flexible hiring, no middleman, can be used for any project size or budget.
Pros
- Freelancers are carefully vetted by tech experts
- Platform run by UK-based freelance contractors offering great customer support and expert advice on IR35 and other contracting topics
- Contractors include their up-to-date availability
- Hirers and freelancers can specify budget, software, and experience requirements
- Recruiter-free
- Transparent subscription plan for hirers with no commission charged; can browse contractors for free
- Direct contact between hirers and contractors so fully flexible
- Free for developers to create a profile
- Great discounts
Pricing
Hirers pay a flat rate of £199 per month for one job listing (additional listings at £99 each, which roll over to the next month if unused) plus great benefits and discounts.
It’s free for contractors to create a profile.
Toptal
Toptal is a well-established global freelancer platform known for its highly selective bank of contractors. Expensive commission-based pricing, best for high-budget clients.
Pros
- Rigorous screening process that only 3% of applicants pass
- Speedy placement process
- No-risk 2-week free trial
Cons
- Commission-based pricing means it can get very expensive
- Serves global freelancers across multiple disciplines, so no specific country- or industry-specific knowledge
- Non-flexible hiring: only offer 20-hour or 40-hour weekly contracts
- Poor customer support
Pricing
No pricing data available on their website: free for contractors to create a profile but hirers are charged commission based on each hire, which can often be upwards of 100% of the freelancer rate.
Hired
Intuitive platform to find both freelance and salaried pre-vetted tech talent matched to job requirements. Best for those with big budgets.
Pros
- Clearly specified skills, experience, salary expectation, and work preferences allow Hired’s algorithm to match top contractors to the right hirer
- Built-in, customizable assessments, including coding playback, facilitate screening candidates and testing their skills
- Provides additional services like helping companies reach their recruitment diversity goals
Cons
- Not freelancer-specific, also designed for hiring salaried employees
- Pricing is geared to hiring based on salary rather than by hourly or project rate
- Expensive, complicated pricing system
Pricing
Hired has four different pricing models based on access to services. They range from free access to the platform with a 15% commission charged on your hires’ first-year salary, to $995 per month plus $9,500 per hire, to custom pricing with unlimited hires and no commission.
Gun.io
Developer-only recruitment platform with commission-based pricing designed for hiring vetted developers and salaried employees.
Pros
- Extensive screening of candidates: automated coding exam, live coding exercise, technical interview, and reference checks
- Built-in interview scheduling, contracting, hours tracking, and payment
- Speedy hiring process: usually within 48 hours
Cons
- Charges commission so can be expensive
- Very lengthy application process for developers
Pricing
Charges 15% commission for each salaried hire and 30% of the hourly or monthly rate for contractors.
Flexiple
A premium platform for hiring freelance developers and designers who have worked at top tech companies.
Pros
- Manually vetted, highly experienced freelancers: they claim only the top 1% pass their screening
- Risk-free trial period
- Quick hiring in less than one week
- Flexible contracts
Cons
- It’s a new network, so they don’t have a huge database of candidates
- No transparent pricing information
Pricing
Have to contact them for pricing. Freelancers are not charged to create a profile, but hirers are charged a “nominal fee” that Flexiple says is cheaper than alternatives like Toptal.
Upwork
One of the largest freelancer bidding platforms online, home to contractors across multiple disciplines. Their focus is on volume and affordability.
Pros
- Enormous pool of 12 million potential candidates
- Easy to use
Cons
- No focus on tech contractors
- No vetting so all the screening is done by hirer: quality can therefore vary hugely
- Time-consuming to search for the best candidate
Pricing
Free for freelancers to create a profile, but they’re then charged a percentage of up to 20% of their earnings for each client. Hirers are charged payment processing fees and service charges for each project.
Freelancer
Massive freelancer marketplace with millions of contractors across different job categories who bid for projects. Variable quality, so best for small projects.
Pros
- Huge bank of freelancers for different skills requirements and budgets
- Hirers only pay once 100% satisfied with the job done
Cons
- Not just tech contractors
- No candidate vetting so the quality varies
Pricing
Freelancers are charged a monthly rate from $4.95 to $69.95 based on how many project bids they make. For hirers, it’s free to sign up, post a project, receive and review bids and discuss the project, and they’re then charged 3% or $3 depending on the type of project.
Fiverr
Well-known, order-based, low-cost freelancer platform with candidates offering multiple services. Best for smaller, quicker, cheaper jobs with no guarantee of quality.
Pros
- Easy to find a developer for a quick job: they have a large pool of candidates around the world available 24/7
Cons
- No vetting unless freelancers are verified as “Pros”
- Freelancers have been known to lie about their location, posing problems for tax regulations
Pricing
Fiverr keeps 20% of the freelancer’s earnings. Hirers can browse for free or subscribe to Fiverr Business for $149 per year to manage their freelancers, budgeting, and payments.
Find & Hire Top Tech Talent With wellpaid.io
For smaller, quick-fix, or low-budget jobs, a bidding site could work for you. However, the quality is variable, and the time you’ll spend screening candidates yourself may well offset any cost savings.
If you have an unlimited budget, a vetted talent platform that charges commission on each hire might be the right solution for you.
However, if you want to hire an IT professional who works outside IR35 and has been vetted by tech experts, wellpaid.io is the place to hire your freelance developers. The wellpaid.io marketplace allows you to filter contractors based on required skills, experience, budget and availability.
Browse our list of top UK freelance developers for free or subscribe now to post a job on our recruiter-free, 0% commission contractor marketplace and get hiring quality talent for your next project.