The 10 Best Websites to Hire Developers for Your Startup in 2024

As a B2B SaaS founder or Recruiter, you know that finding great developers is essential to building a successful company. But with the ever-changing tech industry, it can take a lot of work to keep up with the best places to hire developers.

Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. This post will share the ten best websites to hire developers for your startup in 2024. Whether you’re looking for ReactJS experts or full-stack engineers, these sites will help you find the talent you need to take your company to the next level. So without further ado, let’s get started!

1. ReactSquad.io

If you’ve ever hired a developer, you know that finding even one reliable and skilled developer is a monumental task. It’s not just about finding talent; it’s about finding quality talent at a reasonable cost.
Even if you’re swimming in VC funding, justifying Silicon Valley salary rates is getting tougher and tougher.

That’s where ReactSquad comes in. They handle everything — sourcing, vetting, and even the payroll. And guess what? Their rates are about half of what you’d typically pay in the U.S.

How it Works

1. Tell them your needs: Whether you need one developer or a whole team, ReactSquad listens and understands.
2. Speedy matching: Their matching process is lightning-fast – way quicker than traditional recruiting methods.
3. Meet your developer: A quick call to ensure the developer fits your team’s skill and culture.
4. 7-day free trial: Test their skills in real-time, with zero risks involved.

Price

With rates starting at $75/hour and flexible payment options, it’s budget-friendly for early-stage startups, bootstrapped companies, and hypergrowth teams alike. Plus, their zero-risk replacement guarantee is a testament to their confidence in their developers.

Advantages

• Quick team expansion: When your dev team needs to grow fast, ReactSquad matches you with qualified developers in just 24 hours.
• Cost-effective expertise: They have pros in React, Next.js, Redux, Tailwind CSS, and more at less than half the normal rate you’d pay.
• Risk-free trial: You get to try out a developer for 7 days, absolutely free. It’s like a test drive for top-notch talent.

They’re not just another freelancer platform. ReactSquad employs these developers directly, ensuring a level of consistency and quality that freelance platforms can’t match. Plus, they have a rigorous selection process, so you know you’re getting the best.

Drawbacks

• They only focus on React.JS engineers.

2. Gun.io

Gun.io is a platform that claims to provide reliable software engineers for companies of all sizes. They offer a range of features, including a talent directory, a project management tool, and a payment system. The platform allows you to hire a freelancer or an employee. 

How it Works

Their process typically requires three steps:

1. You have to chat with their talent team to let them know the skills you want
2. In 3-5 days, the talent team will get back to you with a list of talents who meet your requirements
3. You can proceed with an interview and hire the one that suits you best.

Note: As mentioned earlier, you can hire the selected talent on a flexible monthly basis or as a salaried employee. 

Price  

They don’t have a standard price; they work with clients to provide a package that meets their budget. However, their monthly retainer starts at $5,000.

Advantages

• Every candidate is vetted and matched to you by senior developers who work in the talent team.
• They offer custom packages, so whatever your budget is, they can assist you.
• You can swap talents if you are unsatisfied with your hire.
• You can hire within 13 days.

Drawback

• A risk-free trial would have been great since the retainer is relatively high.

3. Toptal

Toptal prides itself as the hub for the best developers in the world. Apart from developers, you can also find designers, product managers, and finance professionals on the platform.

How it Works

The Toptal hiring process is in three stages:

1. You contact the talent team and tell them the kind of talent you need.
2. They find one for you and notify you within a few days or up to three weeks.
3. You complete the hiring process and integrate the freelancer into your team.

Pricing

The cost of hiring a freelancer on Toptal is usually between $60 and $200 per hour. In addition, there’s a one-time, refundable payment of $500. You will get this money back if you decide not to hire anyone.

Advantages

• The hiring process is faster when compared to traditional employment.
• You can hire talents for both short and long-term jobs.
• Because their candidates are pre-screened, the failure rate is relatively low.

Drawback

• If you need a developer urgently, three weeks may be too long.
• Most developers charge above $100 per hour, which may be quite pricey if you’re a startup. 

4. Lemon.io

Lemon.io also screens applicants and provides you with the best match from their pool of freelance developers that match your needs. One unique thing about them is that they deliver within 24 hours. Most of their developers are based in Eastern Europe.

How it Works

The process is similar to most of the platforms. Once you land on their website and sign-up for the service, a sales rep will contact you and ask for more details about your project. 

After submitting the details, they will try to match you with a developer within 24 hours.

Price

Their average rate is between $45 to $80 per hour. They also require you to make a ‘security deposit’ before starting your project.

Advantages

• You have access to quality vetted developers
• Their service is fast.
• Their fee is also lower than most of the competitors.

Drawback

• Matching can be slow for projects with less common tech skills and based on the availability of their freelancers.

5. Flexiple

Flexible provides a network of freelance developers and designers suitable for growth-stage startups.

How it Works

The three-step process used by other competitors applies here as well:

• You contact them and tell them about your needs and objectives.
• You get a personalized recommendation based on the information you provided.
• You can interview the candidates to determine who fits your project.

Price

Their hourly rate varies widely from $30 up to $100.

Advantages

• Their service is fast; they claim to deliver within 72 hours.
• Their fees are pretty affordable.
• They screen their freelancers and categorize them so it’s easy to choose the level of experience you need.

Drawback

• There’s little information online regarding this service. For a service that’s not so popular, a risk-free offer would be great.

6. Guru

Guru is one of the most multi-faceted platforms for freelance talents. They have freelancers available for almost every imaginable skill on the planet.

How it Works

Guru gives you two options: search and browse through available profiles or post a job and wait for applications. This platform allows you to be in charge of the entire hiring process with little or no assistance from them.

Price

Since freelancers can fix their prices, you can find prices between $20 and $100 per hour. The site also charges a fee, calculated at 3% on every transaction. You can also promote your job listing at $29.95 per month.

Advantages

• They have a large pool of talents to choose from, over 300,000 developers.
• You can get some good developers even if you are on a budget.

Drawbacks

• They do not vet their talents.
• The platform is a sea of freelance talents; getting what you want may take a while.

7. CodementorX

CodementorX is a freelance marketplace that connects businesses with verified freelance software developers. The platform offers a simple, transparent pricing model and a wide range of developers, making it an ideal option for businesses of all sizes. 

How it Works

To get started, you must create a project on the CodementorX website and receive bids from interested developers. Once you award the project, you and the developer can communicate directly to discuss the requirements and timeline. 

Payment is then made through the CodeMentorX escrow system, ensuring that both parties are satisfied with the final product.

Price

Fees start at $40 and go as high as $160 for more experienced freelance engineers.

Advantages 

• The team continues to offer support to freelancers to help them perform their task well
• Relatively fast recruitment time (72 hours)
• 14-Day risk-free trial 

Drawback

• Not suitable for long-term projects

8. Upwork

Upwork is the most generic website where you can hire freelance developers. 

How it Works

• You post a job or product with the needed requirements
• Upwork sends your listing to freelancers whose skills match your job
• Freelancers their bids for your project in the form of proposals
• After interviewing and selecting your preferred candidate, you can start the contract.

You can also review freelancers’ profiles and invite them to apply for your job.

Price

Developer fees on Upwork are between $21 and $52 per hour. In addition, Upwork imposes a 2.75% to 3.75% service charge for every transaction.

Advantages

• Easy and quick access to a large talent pool
• Reasonable prices that won’t break the bank
• Safe and secure payments
• Quick customer support

Drawback

• There are a lot of low-quality developers on the platform, and you need to spend a lot of time filtering through to get good ones.

9. Revelo

Revelo is a platform where you can hire fully vetted Latin American developers who can work in US time zones. They claim to have over 300,000 vetted tech talents available for hire.

How it Works

Revelo’s process goes beyond screening and matching talents to your project’s needs. They also handle back-office operations, employee benefits, compliance, and all other things that can consume your time.

Price

The prices need to be more transparent, as we could not access the freelancers’ prices. However, an undisclosed fee of $2,500 is charged on top of monthly developer salaries.

Advantages

• The average time to hire a developer is 14 days which is quite good
• 46% of their developers have mid to senior-level experience.
• Developers work in the same time zones as US clients.

Drawback

• Even though their service is good, an extra $2,500 per month is above the industry average and the prices are not transparent.

10. Scalable Path

Scalable Path provides freelance software developers and designers from over 138 countries to any company in need. 

How it Works

The team at Scalable Path hand-picks each candidate according to your project requirements. They prioritize screening processes based on your needs so that you can find what you need. 

Another advantage of Scalable Path is that it allows you to hire good developers in good time; usually, the whole process takes up to 3 weeks.

Price

Most developers on their platform charge hourly rates between $50-$70.

Advantages

• No recruitment fees
• Fast hiring – it takes up to 3 weeks
• Strict vetting of applicants.

Drawback

There are very few reviews online at the moment. Although the few we came across are positive, it could also indicate that the platform is yet to be used by many people.

Alternative Ways To Hire Freelance Software Developers

There are a lot of alternative ways to hire freelance developers. Some of them are:

Job boards and Remote working platforms

Job boards and online communities for developers are great places to connect with outstanding talent. Some of them include the following:

• RemoteOk
• We Work Remotely
• Remotive
• Remote.co
• RemoteHub
• Angel.co
• NoDesk
• Working Nomads
• LinkedIn

Newsletters

Advertising your job vacancy in popular newsletters for software developers will be a great idea. Some of them are GitHub Explore, Programming Digest, DiscoverDev, etc. The sponsorship fees for some of these newsletters can be as low as $200.

Browsing coding platforms and communities

Platforms such as GitHub or StackOverflow are places where developers learn how to build great software. They also share tips and tricks and are committed to helping one another. It is a great place to connect with some of the best developers and get them to work on your project.

Referrals

You can continuously tap into your network whenever you need anything. A recommendation from someone you know and trust may be better than a review on a company’s website. Here’s where our good old friend LinkedIn can be of great help.

3 Tips for Hiring a Developer

No matter the platform you choose, we advise that you follow these tips when hiring a freelance software developer:

#1 Define your project requirements

If you are a non-techie, you need to ask the experts and let them help you figure out the programming languages your project requires. You need to figure out the technical part because this will help you communicate well with your potential developer.

 #2 Define the length of the project

Knowing the length of your project is crucial when determining which platform to use. Some platforms work well for short-term projects, while others are suitable for long-term ones.

#3 Decide on the experience level for your project.

Based on the requirements of your project, you must also determine whether it is suitable for a beginner, mid, or senior developer. 

Our Recommendation

We recommend ReactSquad as the best alternative to for hiring freelance developers, especially if you run a SaaS startup.

Why We Recommend

• Unlike other alternatives, ReactSquad is fully focused on one specific tech stack (React & Node.js). Their developers have high expertise and a niche focus on SaaS products
• ReactSquad has a rigorous vetting process for their developers; with 4 interview rounds and 4 weeks working on a paid test project
• Senior developers with 5+ years experience
• Startup-friendly rates (starting from $75/hr)
• 7-day free trial with your matched developer and a replacement guarantee at any point during your project

Visit ReactSquad’s website to get matched with the best React developers for your SaaS startup.