Upwork vs Toptal: where should you hire?
Upwork vs Toptal is a trade-off between choice and screening. Upwork is an open marketplace with a wide range of prices, so you do the vetting. Toptal screens its talent and matches you, and usually costs more. Choose Upwork if you can judge developers yourself, and Toptal if you’ll pay more to reduce that risk.
Reviewed by Anubhav Gupta, Bespoke Devs · Updated
Upwork vs Toptal, side by side
| Compare | Upwork | Toptal |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Open marketplace | Screened network that matches you with talent |
| Who vets developers | Mostly you, using profiles and reviews | Toptal’s own screening |
| Client fee | A marketplace fee on payments: check the current rate | A $79 monthly subscription if you proceed with talent matching |
| Typical rates | Set by each freelancer, with a wide range | Not published. Reviews report around $60–$150 an hour |
| Trial | Depends on the contract | Up to two weeks, and you aren’t billed if you’re not satisfied |
| Who manages the work | You | You |
Prices and terms change often, so confirm on each company’s site. Toptal’s rate range comes from third-party reviews.
Which one fits you
Choose Upwork if
- You can assess a developer’s work yourself
- Your budget is tight
- You have a small, well-defined task
- You have time to interview several people
Choose Toptal if
- You can’t judge technical skill yourself
- You’ll pay more for screening
- You need someone experienced quickly
- You can still manage the project day to day
What neither one solves
Both connect you with people, and the project stays yours to run.
- You still write the scope and manage the work.
- You may need separate design and QA help.
- If you need one team to deliver the whole product, look at an agency instead.
What the difference costs
Toptal vs Upwork is hard to compare on price alone, because Upwork rates are set by each freelancer and Toptal doesn’t publish its rates. Using the range reported in third-party reviews, 100 hours of Toptal work would be about $6,000 to $15,000, plus the $79 monthly subscription. That’s only an illustration, and your rate will depend on the person.
To complete the Upwork vs Toptal comparison, get a few real Upwork quotes for the same work and add the current marketplace fee. Then add your own time. On Upwork, reviewing profiles, interviewing and checking work all fall to you, and that time has a cost even when it doesn’t show on an invoice.
How to lower the risk on either platform
Screening helps, but it can’t tell you how someone will work on your product. These steps can.
- Write the scope firstA short list of features and exclusions gets you comparable quotes. The MVP scope builder can give you a first draft.
- Start with a small paid taskPick something real that takes a few days, and see how it comes back. On Toptal, use the trial period for this.
- Ask for repository access from day oneYou should be able to see the work as it’s written, whoever you hire.
- Get a second opinionIf you aren’t technical, pay an independent developer to review the first piece of work.
Common questions
Other talent networks and marketplaces include Turing and Contra. You can also work with an independent contractor directly or use an agency, depending on how much you want to manage.
It can be if you can’t assess developers yourself, because one bad hire can cost more than the difference. If you can judge the work, you may not need to pay for screening.
Check the contract terms for each job, and get ownership transfer in writing. See [who owns the source code](/saas-mvp-development/questions/who-owns-the-source-code).
Toptal is usually the safer of the two, because screening replaces some of the judgement you can’t yet make. You still have to run the project, though. If you’d rather hand that over too, [compare a freelancer with an agency](/saas-mvp-development/freelancer-vs-agency).
Keep reading
- SaaS MVP developmentWhat’s included, what it costs and how a 15-day build works.→
- Freelancer vs agencyCost, timeline and risk compared, including when the freelancer wins.→
- Who owns the source code?Paying for code doesn’t always mean you own it. Here’s what to check.→
- MVP scope builderSort your features, see hours and cost, and copy a one-page scope.→
Tell us what you’re building.
Takes under a minute. We come back with a scope and a fixed price.
- Reply within 24 hoursA real person reads every brief.
- Fixed scope, fixed priceYou get a written proposal, no hourly billing.
- You own the codeFull ownership of code and assets at launch.