Best Toptal Alternatives for Developers, Marketers, and More

Many companies rely on Toptal for vetted talent, but its high rates (often $80–$200+/hr) have led businesses to seek alternatives. Nowadays, more and more firms are moving away from Toptal because of its high hourly rates, limited specialist availability, and strict vetting process.

Whether you need software developers or specialists in marketing, finance, or legal work, a variety of platforms can match you with skilled remote talent.

Below, we first highlight top alternatives for hiring developers, then cover networks for marketers, accountants, paralegals and other roles.

Toptal Alternatives for Hiring Developers

●      CloudDevs (clouddevs.com) – CloudDevs is Latin America’s leading developer marketplace. They boast Latin America’s largest pre-vetted talent network with over 500,000 engineers across seniority levels, enabling US-based businessed to hire LATAM talent in just 24 hours.  CloudDevs provides fully vetted senior devs at the affordable rate of 45 to 75 USD per hour. A veteran developer on Reddit calls CloudDevs “the finest Toptal alternative” after years of trying options. CloudDevs specializes in U.S./LATAM time-zone overlap, offering trial periods and handling payroll/compliance, making it ideal for companies wanting nearshoring, transparent fees, and top-tier React, Node, Flutter or AWS talent.

●      HireDevelopers.com (hiredevelopers.com) – A global developer network allowing you to hire developers from regions like Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, with flexible, month-to-month contracts. The platform emphasizes fast matching of the pre-vetted talent for any skill and budget. Users can post openings and get rapid applicant pools suited for short-term projects or MVP builds. In practice, it’s known for broad reach (across multiple continents) and a simple pricing model, making it a good choice if you need global talent quickly.

●      Unicorn.Dev (unicorn.dev) – Unicorn.Dev provides “hand-selected & rigorously vetted” developers worldwide, delivering candidate matches in about 24 hours. Unicorn.Dev offers elite engineers (all with 5+ years’ experience) from around the world. It advertises flat-rate pricing ($40–$55/hr) and even a 7‑day risk-free trial per hire. In short, Unicorn.Dev gives access to a vetted global talent pool (often in Asia or Eastern Europe) under the same high standards as CloudDevs, which many startups find more affordable than Toptal.

●      Gigster (gigster.com) – A managed teams service rather than a freelance marketplace. Gigster assembles entire development squads on fixed budgets. Using a blend of AI triage and human project managers, they build products (mobile apps, web platforms, AI integrations, etc.) “within fixed budgets and timelines”. Gigster handles all recruiting, coordination and vendor management for you, which greatly reduces administrative overhead. This makes it an attractive Toptal alternative if you want a turnkey engineering solution: you give them a spec and they deliver a finished product through an integrated team. It tends to be best for large companies or well-funded startups planning complex projects that need tight oversight.

●      (Honorable Mentions) – Upwork and Fiverr are massive general freelance marketplaces that can also serve as alternatives in a pinch. Upwork, for example, boasts “millions of pros” across development, design, marketing and more, with no upfront cost to post jobs (you pay freelancers hourly or per milestone). However, unlike Toptal’s curated model, quality is self-directed: you must sift through proposals or use Upwork’s skill filters. Upwork is great for rapid hiring of short-term contractors or niche tasks, but you may need to validate skills yourself. (These platforms weren’t our primary focus here, but they remain viable options.)

Overall, each of the above developer platforms has its niche. CloudDevs and Unicorn.Dev excel at vetted remote senior devs with nearshore overlap; HireDevelopers.com covers a broad global roster quickly; and Gigster offers an end-to-end managed approach. Depending on your needs and budget, these can rival Toptal’s service, often at lower cost or with greater flexibility.

Toptal Alternatives for Marketers, Accountants, Legal & Admin Assistants Among Other Talent

For non-technical roles like marketing, finance, legal, and administrative support, specialized platforms can be more effective than tech-centric sites.

Below are some leading Toptal alternatives in those categories:

LatHire – A Latin America–focused talent agency (sometimes just called LATAMHire). While known for developers, LatHire also covers marketing, sales, legal, finance and operations roles. Its site lists categories like Digital Marketing, Social Media Managers, Accountants, Bookkeepers, Paralegals and more. For example, LatHire advertises that it “connects US companies with senior accounting & finance professionals from Latin America” and claims up to 80% savings on salaries. Similarly, for legal roles: “LatHire connects you with top LatAm Paralegals… Save up to 80% on senior talent across law, administration and beyond”. In practice, clients praise LatHire for a rapid, cost-effective way to hire remote Latin American talent. The platform vets candidates and handles payroll, letting U.S. firms tap specialists in marketing and finance on nearshore terms.

HireParalegals.com – A niche platform exclusively for legal support staff. As its name suggests, HireParalegals targets U.S. law firms and legal departments seeking remote paralegals, legal assistants, secretaries, etc. It markets itself with taglines like “Hire Elite Paralegals & Law Talent in 24 Hours” and promises to “Save 80%” versus typical domestic hires. The site features thousands of attorneys, paralegals and assistants (e.g. corporate lawyers, litigation support, contract specialists) who are bilingual and experienced. Essentially, it’s a Toptal-like network for legal pros: candidates are vetted, you can search by specialty (e.g. Contract Law, Labor Law), and the platform handles contracting. For legal tasks that a Toptal marketing or design pool can’t fill, HireParalegals provides a focused alternative.

Upwork (upwork.com) – One of the largest all-purpose freelancer marketplaces. Upwork connects businesses with millions of freelancers in virtually every field, marketing, graphic design, accounting, copywriting, law, and more. It’s a popular Toptal alternative for non-tech roles because of its sheer scale and flexibility. You can post jobs for marketers or accountants, review bids, interview candidates, and pay per hour or project. Upwork also offers talent agencies and time-tracking tools. While vetting isn’t as rigorous as Toptal’s, Upwork’s marketplace approach and escrow system make it easy to try short-term projects or find specialized help globally. Many companies start marketing campaigns or accounting projects on Upwork before considering higher-priced networks.

We Work Remotely (weworkremotely.com) – A dedicated remote jobs board. WeWorkRemotely bills itself as “one of the most popular job boards for remote work” with tens of thousands of postings. It features jobs across many categories (programming, marketing, customer support, etc.). For hiring, you can post an open role (e.g. “Remote Marketing Manager”) and receive applications from a global, remote-focused audience. It’s less of an agency and more of a bulletin board, but it’s a Toptal alternative in the sense that it attracts experienced candidates seeking remote positions. Many startups use WWR to find senior remote hires in marketing, design or ops. The key benefit is visibility, your job is seen by thousands of remote professionals, though you will handle interviewing directly.

Remote.co (remote.co) – Another extensive remote jobs resource. Remote.co advertises “100k+ jobs in 100+ categories”, covering everything from programming to healthcare to legal. Similar to WeWorkRemotely, it’s a job listing site rather than an on-demand talent network. However, its curated approach (it “as seen on” tech media outlets) means listings often attract qualified candidates. Remote.co also provides guides and FAQ, which can help small companies build a remote-friendly hiring process. As a Toptal alternative, it’s useful for finding roles like remote sales manager, virtual assistant, or bookkeeper. You post your opening and receive candidates who are explicitly looking for remote work.

Each of these platforms has strengths in different fields. LatHire is great for Latin American marketing, finance and legal talent with nearshore pricing. HireParalegals.com is uniquely focused on U.S. law firm needs. Upwork and similar marketplaces offer the largest pool of freelancers in all specialties (marketing, accounting, etc.). Job boards like We Work Remotely and Remote.co draw dedicated remote workers (especially in marketing, design, writing, etc.). By tapping these networks, companies can hire marketers, accountants, paralegals and other professionals in a way that is often faster and more affordable than using Toptal’s specialized talent pool.

Conclusion

In this blog, we’ve laid out the best Toptal alternatives for different needs and budgets. If you want vetted, near-shore senior engineers with strong U.S./LATAM time-zone overlap and predictable fees, CloudDevs is a practical option. If your priority is fast access to a broad, global roster of full-stack developers with flexible month-to-month contracts, HireDevelopers is a good fit.

Choose CloudDevs when nearshoring, trial periods, and simplified payroll/compliance matter. Choose HireDevelopers when you need rapid, global coverage for short projects or MVPs. Either way, the platforms covered here give you viable, lower-cost alternatives to Toptal depending on what you value most.