Upwork is huge and cheap at the low end, but you do all the screening yourself and quality varies widely. 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. BairesDev | $75–$130/hr | Sales cycle of 2–6 weeks reported | Outsourcing whole projects to a LatAm team |
| 9. Index.dev | $50–$85/hr | 24–48 hours | Vetted engineers with a 30-day trial |
| 10. Gun.io | $110–$145/hr | About 13 days on average | US-based senior contractors |
| For reference: Upwork | $60–$120/hr | Self-serve; depends on you | Short, well-defined freelance tasks |
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 66% below Upwork'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2026 independent reviewers report its per-role developer hiring pages redirecting to its expert network, with pricing unpublished and a high platform take rate.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.
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.
Gun.io publishes rate tiers — mid $70–110/hr, senior $110–145, lead $145–200 — and charges 20% of first-year salary for direct hires. It focuses on experienced US and Canadian developers and takes about 13 days on average to hire.
It depends on what pushed you away from Upwork. If it's cost, OctogleHire places pre-vetted senior engineers from about $30/hr with no placement fee, roughly 66% below Upwork'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 Upwork. 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.