Gun.io has excellent US senior talent, but at $110–145/hr and with about 13 days to hire. Here are 10 platforms teams in the UK and US use instead, with what a senior engineer costs on each.
| Platform | Senior rate | Time to hire | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. OctogleHire | from $30/hr | 48 hours | Full-time remote engineers at one low, published rate |
| 2. Toptal | $90–$150/hr | 24h to candidates; 1–3 weeks for rare skills | Urgent senior or niche specialists, budget no object |
| 3. Proxify | $40–$65/hr | About 2 days on average | European contract developers with published pricing |
| 4. Turing | $60–$120/hr | About 4 days historically | AI labs buying training data and expert services |
| 5. Andela | $50–$100/hr | Not published | Enterprises wanting managed teams |
| 6. Arc | $15–$110/hr | 72 hours freelance; 14 days full-time | Browsing a very large global pool |
| 7. Lemon.io | $60–$90/hr | About 24 hours | Startups needing a freelancer within a day |
| 8. Upwork | $60–$120/hr | Self-serve; depends on you | Short, well-defined freelance tasks |
| 9. BairesDev | $75–$130/hr | Sales cycle of 2–6 weeks reported | Outsourcing whole projects to a LatAm team |
| 10. Index.dev | $50–$85/hr | 24–48 hours | Vetted engineers with a 30-day trial |
| For reference: Gun.io | $110–$145/hr | About 13 days on average | US-based senior contractors |
Pre-vetted remote engineers from 30+ countries, placed full-time, part-time or on contract inside your team. One published hourly rate — senior engineers from $30/hr, about 76% below Gun.io's reported senior rates — with no placement fee, a shortlist in 48 hours, a replacement guarantee and two weeks' notice.
Toptal says it connects clients with the top 3% of freelance talent, with human matchers, candidates usually within 24 hours, and a no-charge trial of up to two weeks. It doesn't publish rates — they're quoted per match and include Toptal's margin — and charges a $79/month subscription while you use it.
Proxify says it accepts around 1% of applicants and matches developers in about two days on average. It publishes all-inclusive hourly rates — from about €32/hr up to roughly $65/hr depending on level — with a 40-hour monthly minimum and a 7-day free trial.
Turing is a well-funded AI company that grew out of remote developer matching. By 2026 independent reviewers report its per-role developer hiring pages redirecting to its expert network, with pricing unpublished and a high platform take rate.
Andela quotes after a discovery call rather than publishing rates; a sample senior profile on its site shows $6,500–8,500 a month. Independent reviews report long minimum terms and large conversion fees, alongside strong reviews for talent quality.
Arc says it has 450,000 developers in 190 countries and vets the top 2%. Freelancers bill $15–110+/hr; full-time hires carry a one-time fee of 20% of annual salary. It offers a two-week risk-free trial for freelancers.
Lemon.io says it accepts about 1% of applicants and matches in roughly 24 hours, with a senior engineer interviewing every candidate. Client rates aren't published; billing is prepaid, with a 160-hour minimum and large fees if you hire a developer directly.
Upwork lets freelancers set their own rates — its own guide puts intermediate developers at $25–60/hr and experts at $60–120+ — and adds a client marketplace fee of roughly 3–8% plus a small per-contract fee. Vetting is up to you unless you're on Business Plus.
BairesDev employs 4,000+ engineers in Latin America and is highly rated on Clutch (4.9). It quotes after a discovery call; Clutch lists $50–99/hr, with senior roles estimated higher, and a $50,000+ minimum project size.
Index.dev says it human-vets the top 5% of engineers, shares candidates in 24–48 hours and offers a 30-day risk-free trial with free replacement. Rates aren't published; independent reviews put most roles at $50–85/hr.
It depends on what pushed you away from Gun.io. If it's cost, OctogleHire places pre-vetted senior engineers from about $30/hr with no placement fee, roughly 76% below Gun.io's reported senior rates. If you want a large open marketplace, Upwork is the broadest; for staff augmentation at enterprise scale, BairesDev and Andela are common picks.
Yes. Vetted networks that hire from lower-cost regions and publish one hourly rate are typically 40–70% cheaper than Gun.io. OctogleHire runs a multi-stage technical vetting process, shortlists in 48 hours, and includes a replacement guarantee.
Keep your current engineers while you trial: send a brief to the new platform, interview the shortlist side by side, and move roles over one at a time. With OctogleHire there's no lock-in and two weeks' notice, so a trial costs little.