Here are the top 13 sites to hire freelance Software engineers:
Based on facts publicly available as of 01.01.2023
1. Toptal
Toptal is a leading name for top talents in the software development niche. Each talent undergoes a thorough screening process, which ensures high-caliber developers.
Only 3% of potential candidates make it to the Toptal final roster of developers. Freelancers pass various language skills, reviews, live screening, and test projects, which are more involved than the vetting processes of other platforms.
Connecting with world-class talents on Toptal can take less than 48 hours. Benefits include a flexible and scalable service with no strings attached. Reaching out to their tech industry experts gives you direct contact with a personalized freelancer with a 98% trial-to-hire success rate.
2. X-Team
X-Team is another great website where you can hire a software developer or software engineer. They vet their candidates to ensure they have the right skill set before they’re made available on the site.
X-Team also supports its developers, funds their learning and growth, and gives them a remote environment that inspires and motivates them daily.
They’ve worked with some of the big brands such as Riot Games, Fox Broadcasting, Kaplan Inc., Coinbase, Google, Twitter, Beachbody and more.
3. Gun.io
The primary focus of Gun.io is to help you hire the right software developer for your team. All the applicants at Gun.io are thoroughly vetted, verified, and ready to go.
Hiring a software developer or engineer from the website is a simple process. Register your account as an employer, set your project’s time scale between 1 month to 1 year, decide on a rate, and the team will send you candidates.
4. Hired
Hired works on similar principles as the other websites wherein the candidates get vetted before they can join the website. However, the platform offers further assessments for you to find the best software engineer even if you don’t know much about the industry.
Finding talent here is easy--you set your requirements, geographical location, language and experience level, and Hired’s algorithm will find the candidates for you. The whole process can take up to 25 days.
Hired is great for hiring a more permanent resource. If you’re looking for freelance software engineers who can be a part of your team for the long term, then Toptal and Gun.io are great options.
5. Fiverr Pro
While Fiverr offers gigs for as little as $5, Fiverr Pro sets it up a few notches. Every software engineer on Fiverr Pro is thoroughly vetted and verified to ensure they deliver top-quality work.
Only freelancers with the highest feedback scores are allowed to join the Fiverr Pro program ensuring you get the cream of the crop.
Unlike Toptal and Gun.io, where you share the details of the job and the freelancers pitch to you. Therefore, it is important that you write a detailed job description to find the best software developer. It’s a little more work for you but still delivers quality freelancers.
6. Upwork
Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces consisting of millions of professionals. Being so popular, the platform offers a number of features making it easy for you to hire a software developer.
You can browse through hundreds of profiles, check their work history, comments, feedback, and reviews. Upwork also offers a unified workspace where you can collaborate and use the platform’s secure payment system.
Upwork is a general freelance marketplace, but you should be able to find quality tech talent there. The only caveat being the software developers on Upwork aren’t vetted so you’ll have to take care of that.
7. Gigster
Gigster is a recruiting platform very similar to companies such as X-Team. It understands your goals and connects you with a qualified team of software engineers.
The process of hiring a software developer through Gigster is easy. You are set up with a project manager who will act as a liaison between you and the developers. This makes the process of hiring a lot smoother and effective.
Gigster will help you save time as compared to a recruitment agency. However, they do not offer a 48-hour guarantee. If you want good quality developers in the least amount of time, then matching services such as Toptal can help.
8. Dice
Dice is a tech and IT career board. The board attracts professionals from all walks such as software engineers, developers, QA testers, and more. Dice has more than 10 million unique tech candidate profiles, so your job posting will most definitely find a lot of relevant responses. Posting a job on the website costs a few hundred dollars but the investment reaps its returns.
9. Guru
Guru has a large global network of freelancers—but not as large as Upwork’s. You can browse through the profiles of almost 2 million experts, propose projects, and find the perfect software developer for your team. Guru also offers a secure SafePay system to make payments easy.
Guru is a slightly more general freelance marketplace and isn’t specifically focused on developers or engineers. So, you’ll have to narrow your search depending on your requirements. The professionals are also not vetted by the platform so that’s something you’ll have to account for.
10. Codeable
Codeable developers are thoroughly vetted, monitored, and ensured to deliver top-quality work. To hire a software developer, all you have to do is a brief and scope of work with the team.
Codeable then gets back to you with a list of the top recommended profile for your project. The limited number of profiles allows you to hire someone in under one day. You can collaborate with your developer on Codeable’s shared workspace and their Escrow system ensures secure and fast payments.
11. Arc.dev
Arc.dev is an on-demand marketplace for software developers. Get live one-on-one help from expert developers. To get started, share the details of your job, timeline, and budget. Arc.dev then recommends its top developers with whom you can chat and discuss your project to see if they’re a good fit. Once you find a good fit, you can hire the developer and get started. Arc.dev's escrow system ensures secure and fast payments.
12. Remoteok.io
Are you building a new software product for your business? Hiring remote software developers is a smart option. With RemoteOK, you can hire software developers across fields of expertise and experience levels relatively easily. RemoteOK is home to a vast pool of talented remote software developers from across the globe.
Whether you’re building an iOS software, a hybrid product, a dedicated back-end system, RemoteOK has the talent to bring your software to life. From Java specialists to CSS programmers to app developers to software engineers to front-end experts, RemoteOK has them all. In fact, leading global brands like Microsoft, Stripe, and Starbucks place their trust in RemoteOK’s software developers.
13. Authentic Jobs
Authentic Jobs is a job board for leading web, design, and creative talent. It has been steadily gaining popularity and is used by The New York Times as part of its acquisition process.
Since development involves both creative and technical expertise, Authentic Jobs is a great place to find and hire software developers. You can include remote or local in your job posting, depending on your needs.