Here are the top 15 sites to hire freelance R developers:
Based on facts publicly available as of 01.01.2023
1. Toptal
Topal is a service that connects initially qualified R developers with high-profile companies. Developers found on the platform come from all corners of the platform. All are freelancers with the option to engage on a part-time or full-time basis. Both, locally and on a remote basis.
What places Toptal apart from the rest of the list is that it came on the market to serve technical talent. Couple this with a rigorous qualification process, and you emerge with the best human capital for complex projects. Mostly senior R developers.
There are three options when hiring R developers off Toptal.
1. You can engage an individual data science developer with years of experience
2. Solicit the help of a group of computer science professionals to lead
3. Contract an entire development team and data analytics team that manages its own agile process to complete your projects
2. Arc
Arc was formerly known as Codementor. They too have a pre-selection filter aimed at maintaining quality. Predominantly focused on remote talent, Arc's model is such that they bridge the geographic gap between employers and developers.
The location-based salary explorer accessible on Arc's platform is one resource out of a few more to help with the hiring process. They also include a promise to help clients with hiring R developers in 72 hours from first contact.
3. Ideamotive
Ideamotive provides sole R developers, collaborators for statistical analysis, and even entire software development companies to work with. Also on the cards is a transactional approach to solving your R programming and data analysis projects through hypergrowth - where they surround your project with the talent it requires.
To set themselves apart from competition, they propose a holistic approach to your projects. This entails sourcing other departments such as project management, marketing, and sales to help with your chances of success.
4. Upwork
Unlike the communities we've reviewed so far, Upwork's developers are screened through their experience on the platform over time. A rating-based system qualifies R developers based on the projects they complete with every client they interact with. The same applies to talent that signs up as agencies.
The result is a pool of independent R developers from all over the world, such as the United States, United Kingdom, and more. You pick the contract type, duration of the data analysis project, as well as remuneration rate before contractual agreements. Upwork also provides an Escrow model to handle the financial rewards after milestones are achieved. Every project on the platform attracts commission.
5. Kolabtree
When you submit your project to the talent pool on Kolabtree, they provide options to help source the best R developers. You maintain control over who gets to send a pitch based on their skills profile and proven experience.
Intellectual property protection clauses and non-disclosure documents are signed by every member of the community when they join. The final cost of any particular data science project is open to the interpretation of your final choice of developers and their expectations.
6. R-users
If you want to cut through the aesthetics of polished profiles and platform guidelines straight to the talent, R-users is a viable option. To that end, once you look up the talent, you get direct access to their resumes and qualifications profiles.
All the communication, contractual agreements, and transactions take place separate from the platform. This likens the platform from all too common means of acquiring technical talent such as looking up local directories. However, you reserve the benefit of reaching more resumes that that option provides.
7. Peopleperhour
This platform was originally designed around the hourly project payment model. However, Peopleperhour now allows you to contract R developers and other statisticians on a project basis. The range of talent and rates covers a wide spectrum, from less than $10.00 to anywhere over $50.00 per hour.
The platform requires a deposit upfront for each project. The R developer you choose only gets their financial reward after the project is complete.
8. DevTeam.Space
DevTeam.Space is built around a set of AI tools for project management using the Agile methodology. Unlike most platforms that let you single out a developer for each project instance you have, they supply in teams.
To get started with the hiring process, the platform requires that you submit your project details. Then onwards, they match you with available teams matching the expertise and rates of your choice.
9. Mobilunity
This company is a Ukraine-based group of developers focused on helping international companies hire local R developers. The major premise is that it costs less to place an R developer working remotely from Ukraine than anywhere else in the world.
The preferred option is that you nearshore an entire outfit and plug in your project requirements. While this helps with team chemistry and communication, it is not always possible. As such, they're open to the idea of providing any one from the teams available to complement the skills matrix required to accomplish big data/deep learning and machine learning projects with R.
10. CloudEmployee
This platform does one better than providing R developers. They also propose aftercare services as your project evolves. Effectively they become a one-stop-shop for R developers and data scientists. They also cater for the fine picking of matching employees.
Terms commonplace among the lines of copy explaining their approach is "zero-risk" and "no set-up costs". To achieve this, they act as a managed IT consulting firm in between a pool of talent and clients. Most of their R programmers are based in the Philippines.
11. Guru
Guru is a community-centric platform that provides R developers from all corners of the world. The platform rates talent based on their in-app reputation. Their pitch to enterprise grade clients is strong on providing affordable talent, optional dedicated assistance to manage interaction with members of the community, and turnkey solutions to R development requirements.
12. Workana
Sticking to the original (work-board and bid) model coined in the early days of remote talent acquisition. Workana resorts to being the non-invasive middleman between clients and a growing pool of some of the best R developers.
You simply provide details of your project along with a tentative budget. Developers provide proposals. Upon communication with developer profiles at your discretion, you choose who to work with along with any attachments and rules of engagement.
13. Teamextension
With seven offices in Eastern Europe, Teamextension's core objective is to be the pipeline between R developers/software engineers and clients worldwide. They hinge their model on the emerging silicon valley clode experience in Bucharest. That is: affordable amenities, skilled human resource capital, and a lower remuneration expectation.
All payments between need and talent go through the platform. A deposit is a prerequisite, unlocking the talent already checked and qualified to start working.
14. Fiverr
Fiverr is a gig oriented talent source. Options when acquiring R developers for your project are spread across different developer rates and past project successes. Depending on how long you'll need to work with an R developer, contracting a developer for hire sometimes means waiting for them to finish serving gigs they have lined up first.
15. Remoteok
Remote ok is a predominantly distanced working focused platform. They bridge the gap between companies all over the world with talent also situated globally. There is no net to filter the depth of talent when a developer signs up for potential placing. As such the due diligence is all in the hands of the potential employer.