When hiring remote developers, the goal is clear: find top-tier talent who’s a team player and writes high-quality code—all while fitting into the company’s budget.

You want to secure the right skills and experience to scale quickly or tackle complex projects.

So, which platform, between Andela and Toptal, best aligns with these goals? Both offer access to skilled developers globally, but each serves different needs. Andela focuses on entry-level talent and training, while Toptal offers more flexibility and higher-quality service across various industries.

Let’s break down each platform to see which is the right fit for you.

What is Andela?

Andela is a global platform that connects companies with top software developers from regions like Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. They have a large pool of over 150,000 vetted tech professionals from more than 100 countries. 

Andela stands out because they match companies with skilled developers and provide ongoing training to keep their talent sharp. Andela’s focus on these regions ensures access to highly skilled and improving developers, making the process easier for companies that want to outsource hiring.

How to hire from Andela 

1. Post a job on their website. Make sure to share details like hours needed, tech stack and budget.
2. Andela provides a shortlist of talent that fits your project requirements and budget.
3. You can select the top candidates and interview them directly.
4. After choosing, Andela will handle the onboarding process so you can start working with the dev asap.

Andela’s vetting process

1. Candidates apply on Andela’s website to be part of their talent pool.  
2. They must write and pass an AI-powered English proficiency test.
3. Applicants must pass coding challenges testing their problem-solving and reasoning skills. 
4. They also undergo a live technical interview. They’re reviewed on coding abilities, teamwork, work ethic, and communication skills. 
5. Successful candidates complete their profiles and finalize verifications to join Andela’s talent pool.

Andela’s pros, cons and pricing 

Pros

1. Highly skilled developers available.
2. Suitable for long-term projects and permanent jobs.
3. Flexible hiring. You can hire entire teams. 
4. Hire for several tech stacks.
5. Their devs undergo continuous training to keep their technical skills sharp.

Cons

1. Few senior developers available. Most are junior and mid-level engineers.
2. No free trial available
3. Talent is mainly sourced from Africa and Latin America, so their time zones may not work with yours. 

Pricing

Andela charges an average monthly flat rate of $6,000 to $14,000 per developer.

What is Toptal?

Toptal is a platform that allows companies to hire top freelance developers, designers, and project managers. They only accept the best 3% of applicants, so the talent pool is highly skilled. While hiring through Toptal can be expensive, the quality of work is usually very high, making it a good option for businesses with important or complex projects.

How to hire from Toptal

1. Talk to a Toptal rep and share details about your project, such as goals, skills needed, and team culture. 
2. Toptal sends a list of best-matching devs within a few days.
3. Interview the matched candidates for cultural fit.
4. After choosing your dev, you can start working with them in a 2-week risk-free trial after paying a $500 initial security deposit. 

Toptal’s vetting process

1. Applicants are screened on English skills and other personality traits. 
2. Deep technical interviews involving coding challenges to test candidates’ technical knowledge. 
3. Live coding exercises and interviews by Toptal experts to review creativity and problem-solving skills.
4. Candidates at this stage are given a real-world test project that lasts about 3 weeks.
5. Top 3% of successful candidates are added to Toptal’s talent pool. 

Toptal’s pros, cons and pricing 

Pros

1. Access to multiple tech stacks
2. Pre-vetted and high-quality devs.
3. A risk-free 2-week trial is available.

Cons

1. Expensive.
2. Hiring can sometimes take weeks. 
3. Initial deposit is needed before working with a developer.
4. Small talent pool due to limited geographical location and strict vetting process.

Pricing

Toptal developers charge an hourly rate $90 to $250. You have to pay this in addition to a $500 initial deposit before starting your free trial. 

Comparing Andela and Toptal

Here are key factors to help you choose between these two platforms.

We also gathered some clients’ opinions about Andela and Toptal to make your comparison easier.

Andela reviews

With a 4.6 star rating on G2 and 4.5 stars on Trustpilot, Andela has built a positive reputation for itself. Many clients praised Andela for the quality of tech talent they hired. 

One downside is that Andela’s talent pool has few developers skilled in various tech stacks.  

Toptal reviews

Toptal has a 4.7 rating on both G2 and Trustpilot. Positive client testimonials back up their reputation of having quality talent to work with. However, they need to improve the availability and timezone sync. 

What is the best alternative to Andela and Toptal?

Andela is great if you need affordable and talented hires and don’t mind hiring from 5 hr+ time zones. Toptal will always guarantee you highly skilled talents if you have a high budget. 

But what do you do if you want incredible talent within US time zones at affordable rates? Reach out to us at ReactSquad. We provide React specialists for your team shipping code in days. 

Here’s what you gain: 

• Unlike other alternatives, we’re fully focused on one specific tech stack (React & Node.js). Our developers have high expertise and a niche focus on SaaS products
• We have a rigorous vetting process for our developers; with 4 interview rounds and 4 weeks working on a paid test project.
• Senior developers with 5+ years of 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.

Book a call with us and get started on hiring the best React developers for your startup today.