How and Where to Hire the Best Freelance Developers?

Hiring software developers become a necessity at one point in your tech journey when your startup or business starts growing bigger.

While conventional hiring of employees has been dominant for so many years, alternative ways such as freelancing prove to be as efficient as full-time employment. Hiring freelance developers may even be more beneficial when it comes to financing and mutual duties between the employer and employees. But where to start looking for freelancers, the top-tie talent? What to consider while hiring a freelance developer?

Don’t you feel overwhelmed with all these Wheres and Hows? Let’s dig down step by step.

Define your goals

Before hiring a freelance developer, you should form a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Define your destination and have a detailed description of the project including the needed software development skills and the budget. This will help you write an accurate job title attracting the right developers. Afterward, you will want to write a realistic job description including all the skills the freelance developer has to master to apply for the project. Remember in most freelance platforms you will have to mention the duration and the money you are willing to pay in the description.

One thing you should understand is that real talent is not going to actively search for jobs and find you. It is the other way round. Therefore it is ultimately important to contribute reasonable time and effort into doing the appropriate research beforehand.

Research several freelance platforms

Even though the digital world offers a great many opportunities to find a programmer such as asking for referrals, networking at online tech seminars and conferences, social media, and of course coding communities, freelance platforms are naturally where you want to look for freelance developers first, as the number of relevant freelancers there will be higher than anywhere else.

But how to get oriented with so many companies offering the very same services? Don’t panic! We have listed below some of the freelance platforms we believe to be the best in 2024. Have a look!

ItHire

ItHire is a tech-only company connecting businesses to freelance software developers, designers, project managers, and more. The company simply lets you post your desired job on the platform with enough information about your project mentioning the expected duration and the type of freelancer you want to work with. Afterward, you get personalized suggestions of freelance developers. All you need is to review their applications and choose the best fit for you.

Furthermore, the company also is willing to provide you with a project manager who will plan, execute and monitor your project and if you happen to feel burdened about choosing a developer for you, you can leave it up to the pm to form the team your project needs.

The company has its internal tracking tool allowing the clients to track the progress of the developers, the number of hours that have been contributed to the project, and pay accordingly.

The payment system is designed to satisfy both parties equally since the transactions happen only after the client reviews the submission and approves them.

ItHire presents itself as a company that offers 5% of the tech talent. The screening process of freelancers is rather challenging as it includes code reviews, real-time testing, and several soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and more.

Financially the platform is rather convenient for startups and small businesses as the price starts somewhere from 20$ to 100<$ per hour.

To give an overall estimation to ItHire

Pros:

• Personalized suggestions
• Safe payment system
• Low prices for beginners
• Challenging screening process
• Excellent customer support
• Professional developers

Cons:

• Relatively new website, it may take time to build trust in the marketplace.

Lemon.io

Another tech-only platform for the people who are specifically searching for developers is Lemon.io. The company offers a very simple and fun mechanism for finding a programmer. You first let the bot know your name and email address and then describe the project you want them to fulfill. The bot suggests having a meeting with a match and voila you get a confirmation mail if you approve the suggestion.

The company claims that there is a precise price-quality balance when it comes to hiring their freelance developers. There are no upfront payments. You pay before the project starts. The price range starts at 35$ and more hourly.

Pro:

• Rigorous vetting procedure
• Save privacy policy
• Relatively low prices

Cons:

• Only web and software development

TopTal

Toptal is probably one of the most well-known freelance platforms out there. Having expanded its network Toptal offers not only software engineers but also designers, project managers, finance experts, and more.

Toptal stands out with its strong vetting process accepting only the top 3% of the freelance talent. Maybe it is a bit difficult for freelancers to get there, but once they do, a whole new world of freelancing opens up for them. Toptal is a great communication tool as well, as it organizes tech gatherings and conferences for freelancers every while in a while.

However, the prices may seem a bit high for startups as it ranges from 80$ to 200$ hourly.

Pros:

• Difficult screening process
• Highly professional freelancers

Cons:

• High prices
• Not a very efficient customer care

Go for IT!

After choosing the platform, finding your freelance developer or maybe developers, all you need is to track the process and evaluate their job. Don’t feel reluctant to give constant feedback, as it will result in a more effective outcome.

The hiring process may take time, but the road to success starts with choosing the right people to work with. Good luck!