TL;DR

• Toptal offers highly skilled developers to companies globally. 
• Their developers normally charge $100 to $200 an hour. You’ll pay an additional $79 monthly for talent search
• Gigster offers an entire development team to work on your project, making it less hands-on. You can monitor project progress through your dashboard. 
• Gigster’s vetting process is unclear so you can’t guarantee its dev quality
• Toptal edges Gigster because of its more transparent vetting process.
• ReactSquad is the best alternative to Toptal and Gigster. Our devs are specialists in React.JS projects.
• We offer transparent pricing of $75. No hidden fees. Get started in 48 hours or less.

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Toptal and Gigster offer access to developers globally to work on your software project with different approaches. Toptal offers more flexibility and high-quality devs across various industries. Gigster provides a complete development team that manages and builds your software. Let’s break down each website to see which is the right fit for you.

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What is Toptal?

Toptal is a talent-matching platform that helps businesses connect with remote software developers globally. Toptal has a famously strict vetting process to ensure quality devs are added to its talent pool. As a result, Toptal developers are known to charge some of the highest rates in the industry, making Toptal more suitable for enterprise companies. 

How do you hire a developer from Toptal?

1. To start, click “Hire Top Talent” at the top right corner of Toptal’s website. 
2. You will be asked to fill out a form on its website with details of your project and talent requirements.
3. A sales rep will call you to discuss your project further and answer all your inquiries.
4. Toptal will present a list of candidates that fit your requirements, usually within 4-5 days.‍
5. ‍You can interview the shortlisted candidates to see who is the best fit.‍
6. ‍Once you’ve signed off on your choice, you can get started with the dev on your team in a 2-week risk-free trial.

Note: Toptal charges a flat monthly subscription fee, so factor that into your overall budget. 

What is Toptal’s vetting process like?

Toptal’s vetting process tests applicants on various criteria before they are accepted. Here’s how: 

1. Toptal recruiters test applicants’ English language and communication skills. They also assess candidates on personality traits.
2. Toptal recruiters test each applicant's technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, and creativity with coding assessments. 
3. Candidates undergo a live testing round where they solve exercises in real time.
4. The final round involves working on a real project for about 3 weeks. This step assesses how candidates perform in a real-world scenario.

Toptal Client Reviews

Toptal has a strong 4.7-star rating on G2 and Trustpilot, with many clients praising the platform for the quality of its software engineers. 

However, not everyone is pleased. Negative client reviews mainly touched on Toptal’s high pricing and the lack of transparency with their risk-free trial. One client disclosed that they were asked to pay the developer out of their own pocket despite canceling during the free trial period. 

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Toptal Pricing

Toptal charges a flat monthly subscription of $79 for its Talent search platform. This is separate from the hourly rates of its devs, which usually range between $100 and $200. 

Toptal Pros

1. Toptal devs have expertise in multiple tech stacks.
2. Its rigorous vetting process ensures skilled professionals.
3. Has a large talent pool.

Toptal Cons

1. Developer rates are expensive.
2. Hiring can sometimes take several weeks to complete.
3. The monthly subscription for finding talent can be a turn-off for some. 
4. Users say there’s a lack of transparency with its free trial.

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What is Gigster?

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Gigster is a platform that connects businesses with a network of freelance developers, designers, and project managers to deliver custom software solutions. Founded in 2014, its services include fully managed development and providing talent on demand. Unlike other platforms, Gigster matches you with a software development team instead of a single developer. It uses AI for talent matching, sometimes leading to mismatches as AI does not yet grasp interpersonal dynamics like humans.

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How do you hire a developer from Gigster?

1. To start, click “Hire Gigster” at the top right corner of Gigster’s website.
2. Fill out a form with project requirements to receive an AI-estimated quote.
3. A Gigster rep will contact you to discuss your idea further, finalize the quote, and state the deliverables. If you’re happy with the quote, you can sign a contract.
4. Your project is shared with the Gigster Talent Network, where developers compete for a spot on your “assigned team”.
5. Gigster then selects the best team for your project, and work begins. You will be assigned an Engagement Manager who directly manages the project and the team. But you can monitor the progress of your project from your personal dashboard.
6. Once your project is done, the final deliverables are handed to you. You pay Gigster, and they’ll distribute payments to the developers.

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What is Gigster’s vetting process like?

Gigster does not provide clear and detailed information about its vetting process. They only say they take their time to recruit the best talent. This makes it hard to determine the quality of devs in their network, as you can only take their word for it. 

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Gigster Client Reviews

Gigster does not have many reviews online, but the few found hinted at the decent quality of their devs. One client, however, had issues with the time zone sync. 

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A user on Quora complained about the lack of direct contact with the team and only having to communicate with the project manager. There’s also uncertainty with the final pricing. 

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Gigster Pricing

Gigster does not list prices on its website. You have to contact them to get a custom quote. But, a Quora review revealed that projects typically start at $30,000. This price can increase with extra customizations.

Gigster Pros

• Fast matching. Projects can get started within 10 days. 
• Gigster provides an entire team for your project, including developers, designers, and project managers.
• Developers are skilled in several technologies.

Gigster Cons

• You cannot directly manage your team and have to rely on a project manager
• Lack of transparency with their vetting process
• Users say there’s some uncertainty with pricing
• Most of their devs are only available part-time.
• There’s no free trial available to test them before committing.

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Toptal and Gigster Compared

A quick glance shows that Toptal edges Gigster due to its stricter, more transparent vetting process and free trial availability. 

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What is the best alternative to Toptal and Gigster?

Toptal will guarantee skilled talent, but be ready to pay premium rates. Plus, the extra subscription fees can be a turn-off, especially when other platforms don’t charge for talent searches. Gigster also claims to provide good devs, but their vetting process is unclear. You also cannot directly manage your freelance team and have to communicate through an assigned project manager, leaving you without hands-on control of your project. 

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But if these two don’t cut it for you, there’s a third option. 

ReactSquad is the best alternative for projects using the React.js tech stack. We provide vetted React developers to SaaS startups. Our transparent and friendly pricing makes us attractive to startups and our devs are seriously vetted for quality and competency by Jan Hesters, our CEO. 

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Each developer specializes in React.js, Redux, Node.js, Next.js, JavaScript, TypeScript, and related technologies. The best part is that you work directly with them and won’t have to go through a middleman. Plus, you get to try them out for 7 days at no cost to you. 

Interested? Book a call today and get matched with a dev in 48 hours.