Toptal
Toptal is a freelance marketplace where employers can hire freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, and project managers around the world. The platform has a rigorous screening process, only accepting 3% of freelancer applications each year.
Toptal was founded in the U.S. in 2010 and recruits freelance professionals around the world, including Canada. They operate from San Francisco but work with employers in all countries to help them find talent. Pricing is not available in Canadian dollars.
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Pricing:
Toptal's pricing varies according to a freelancer's specialty, their location, and whether you need them for hourly, part-time, or full-time projects. Hourly job rates range from US$60.00 to US$250.00 per hour; part-time jobs from US$1,000.00 to US$4,000.00 per week; and full-time jobs from US$2,000.00 to US$8,000.00 per week.
In addition, you'll need to make an initial deposit of US$500.00 that will be applied as a credit to your first invoice once you make a hire. If you decide not to move forward, your deposit will be refunded in full.
Review:
Canadian employers can use Toptal to connect with the best freelance talent from anywhere in the world, although they are unable to specify a location or target Canadian freelancers, should that be crucial to the project. Toptal pairs employers with the most suitable talent based the project requirements. Less than 3% of web traffic to Toptal comes from Canada, which is small compared to the U.S. (16.25%).
Pros:
- Connect with IT developers and tech industry experts in over 100 countries, mainly across the Americas and Europe.
- Candidate matching is performed by senior Toptal domain experts.
- Rigorous screening of applicants via skills and proficiency assessments.
- Projects are completed remotely, with options to temporarily have Toptal experts on-site.
- In most cases, employers get matched with an expert within 24 hours.
- The option to work with multiple candidates before deciding on a particular expert, is available.
- A trial period of up to two weeks is offered to employers to ensure a perfect match.
Cons:
- There are no candidate search filters.
- There is no resume database for employers to browse.
- Toptal's pricing is higher compared to other freelance job posting sites such as Fiverr and Upwork.
- Pricing is not available in Canadian dollars.
- The website is not available in French.
Reputation:
On Trustpilot, reviews are overwhelmingly positive with a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating from 1.5K+ users. Comments mention Toptal's reactive and professional services. Sitejabber reviews also add up to a favorable Toptal consumer rating of 4.9 stars from more than 150 reviews.
How to Hire Freelancers on Toptal:
Three easy steps for hiring freelancers on Toptal.
Hiring freelancers on Toptal.
Navigate to the Toptal home page.
From the Toptal home page, click on the "Hire Top Talent" button at the top right or center-left of the page.
Follow the on-screen prompts.
Choose the role you'd like to fill and click "Get Started." Follow a series of on-screen prompts to define the role, clicking "Next" after each question. Once complete, enter your details and click "Sign Up."
Connect with talent.
Wait while the platform searches for suitable talent within the network. You will be alerted once a viable match is made, and a Toptal domain expert will be in touch to discuss your options.
Toptal vs. Fiverr:
Both Toptal and Fiverr help employers find talented freelancers. Toptal, however, only connects elite IT experts with employers after rigorous screening. Toptal freelancers can charge between US$60.00 to US$250.00 per hour or US$1,000.00 to US$4,000.00 per week, while Fiverr freelancers charge between C$6.00 and C$990.00 per job.
Toptal vs. Eluta.ca:
While not strictly a freelance job board, Eluta.ca allows employers to include the words "Freelance" or "Remote" in their job titles or descriptions. Eluta.ca is a local Canadian job board with free and paid options that start at C$199.00 per job post, compared to Toptal's US$500.00 deposit per hire and weekly or hourly rates.
Toptal vs. Upwork:
Both Toptal and Upwork connect global employers with talent, although Upwork does a better job of targeting Canadian freelancers if the project requires local insight. With Toptal, employers pay a deposit of US$500.00 per hire along with freelancer rates. Upwork has free job posts and paid plans that start at US$49.99 per month.
Toptal vs. Freelancer:
Toptal and Freelancer both provide hiring platforms for employers to recruit tech talent. The key difference is that Toptal matches employers with thoroughly screened, elite IT experts, while Freelancer allows access to bidder profiles for employers to choose from. Freelancer makes it easier to target freelancers from Canada.
Toptal vs. Gun.io:
Toptal and Gun.io both match rigorously vetted tech freelancers with global employers. Toptal performs matching, while Gun.io lets employers choose from matched candidates. Costs include payment for work completed. Toptal also charges a deposit of US$500.00 per hire, while Gun.io charges project-dependent rates or 20% of the first year's salary.
Toptal vs. Arc:
Both Toptal and Arc are tech hiring platforms that connect employers with thoroughly screened elite developers. Toptal matches candidates to global employers, but Arc does a better job of targeting Canadian developers. In terms of cost, both include payments to developers and they typically charge percentage-based fees related to each hire.
Key Information
Legal Name | Toptal LLC |
Founder | |
Founding Date | Jan 01, 2010 |
Address | 548 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94104 USA |
Number of Employees | 3874 |
Telephone | |
Website |
FAQs:
What is Toptal?
Global employers use Toptal's comprehensive recruitment solutions to connect with elite IT developers, designers, finance experts, and project managers.
Is Toptal legit?
Yes, Toptal is a professional recruitment company with a very positive reputation and great reviews from users.
How much does Toptal cost?
Toptal's pricing policy involves an initial deposit of US$500.00 per hire, along with the designated expert hourly or weekly rates for the duration of a project.
Where is Toptal based?
Toptal has its headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in New York and Wilmington.
What makes Toptal different from other IT hiring services?
Employers are matched with elite talent, since Toptal rigorously assesses and screens each applicant wanting to join the Toptal network. Only the top 3% of thousands of applicants are accepted as Toptal experts.