Where to hire developers: 11 best platforms to try

Are you looking to hire a new developer? Wondering what are the best platforms to find top tech talent quickly?

Funny thing - If I were to name one thing all our customers have in common, it’d be this: They regularly have to hire the best developers fast and never have enough time to go through the traditional hiring process—advertising the position, screening CVs, figuring out who’s a good fit, and so on.

Luckily, that process is slowly becoming obsolete as more developer hiring platforms emerge that let you tap into vast pools of top talent.

(Unfortunately, the bad news is that now you have to figure out which of those platforms would be the best for you.)

Well, luckily (again), we’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you and created a list of the 11 best places to hire developers.

Before we get to that, though, we should discuss another thing…

What are developer hiring platforms?

The reason I want to cover this is because the answer isn’t that straightforward.

For one, when we use the term - developer hiring platform - we don’t mean a system that facilitates the hiring process. No. Of course, you hire developers on such a platform, but there is more to it than just streamlining reviewing resumes.

So, when we talk about developer hiring platforms, we refer to systems that:

• Provide access to a large database of vetted candidates
• Help hiring teams find and then connect with skilled developers.
• Facilitate evaluating candidates based on skills or projects rather than self-reported claims.

I understand that this definition has a lot to it, so let’s break it down a bit more.

How developer hiring platforms work

I’ve already hinted that those platforms do not follow the usual process of hiring a developer. To hire someone with those platforms, you don’t have to advertise the position, screen resumes, etc.

Instead, these platforms allow you to take a completely different approach.

For one, these platforms give you access to a large pool of candidates

With those tools, you no longer have to rely on the best candidates to come to you - reply to your ad, send in their CV, etc.

Instead, you can take a more active role in the process and research the platform’s list of candidates to identify people who match your requirements.

As a result, search (and filters) are these platforms' core capabilities

Most platforms for hiring developers allow you to:

• Find the best candidates based on your specific requirements and their experience, skills, location, and more.
• Create a shortlist of top candidates.
• Evaluate their actual, real-life projects and assess their skills.
• Connect with ideal candidates, and finally,
• Hire your next dev.

At the center of this process lie robust search features, which allow you to quickly identify the best candidates from the platform's vast pool of developers.

For example, here’s what those search features look like in our platform, Frontend Mentor.

With these options, our customers can quickly filter thousands of developers on our system and identify candidates that match their ideal profile.

This brings us to the next point…

The platforms help you engage the right candidates

When you use developer hiring platforms, you remain in the driver’s seat for the entire process.

You can find candidates on those platforms, initiate contact, and begin the hiring process.

For example, here’s the main part of the candidate profile in Frontend Mentor.

Note how the profile displays the person’s areas of specialization and additional information. Further down, it lists their projects, which you can review to validate the person’s skills.

It also includes a Send Message button that immediately connects you with the candidate and initiates the hiring process.

Why use a developer hiring platform?

Fair question. After all, the traditional hiring process, although quite irritating, is not imperfect. So, why would you consider switching to a developer hiring platform instead?

Well, there are several benefits.

#1. Speed

With these platforms, you can get from identifying the need for a new developer to talking to the ideal candidates within minutes.

Yes, you read it right. Minutes.

Because, let’s face it, all it takes to find strong candidates is to submit a search outlining your top criteria, and you have a pool of potential developers ready.

This brings us to the next benefit…

#2. Immediate access to a large pool of candidates

Developer hiring platforms have tons of candidate profiles on their systems. Most platforms you’ll read about shortly will have thousands upon thousands of vetted candidates, and you can connect with them instantly through the platform.

#3. Less hassle

I mentioned that the usual hiring process is not imperfect.

In fact, it's irritating.

After all, it takes so much work (and time!) to advertise a position, wait for resumes to arrive, screen them, build a list of ideal candidates, conduct interviews with each, run technical tests with finalists, and settle on the one person you’d like to hire.

/* Ugh…*/

Developer hiring platforms help you get the same outcome - hire a developer - but without all that hassle.

You register on the platform and define ideal candidate characteristics, and the system will scan its database for anyone who matches your criteria.

#4. Lower cost of hiring

When preparing to write this guide, I looked for data on the average costs of hiring a developer, particularly when using traditional hiring methods.

Now, as I’m sure you can imagine, no one gives a definite answer here. However, all sources agree that it is ridiculously expensive.

• Glassdoor, for example, estimates that the cost is approximately $4,000 per new hire.
• SHRM reports that the cost can reach up to $5,000.
• More advanced analyses, which also considered onboarding, training, and productivity loss during the vacancy period, estimate the cost of up to $50,000!

All in all, the traditional method seems to be ridiculously expensive.

Hiring platforms, on the other hand, aren’t.

Sure, they aren’t free. You have to pay for access, or sometimes upon completing a successful hire. However, these usually cost far less than the figures reported in the data above. Plus, the increased speed of hiring means that you also don’t accrue other additional costs during the process.

#5. The ability to hire on skills, not credentials

I admit that skills-first hiring is still a relatively new, albeit extremely powerful, concept.

It’s also the one that completely changes the game for hiring developers.

In principle, hiring on skills means that when evaluating candidates, you prioritize their technical abilities and experience over formal education and credentials.

Hiring platforms offer various ways for you to assess those abilities.

Some ask candidates to complete projects and assessments. Others, like our platform, combine learning and hiring elements, allowing you to evaluate candidates based on real-life projects rather than assessments.

Overall, these platforms circumvent the need to review and evaluate candidates based on self-reported skills, and that’s a big win if you ask me.

What to pay attention to when choosing a developer hiring platform?

So far, we’ve evaluated developer hiring platforms in more general terms. But as you’ll soon find out, these platforms offer many approaches and differ from one another in multiple ways.

So, before I show you the best places to hire developers, let me offer some advice on what to look for when evaluating those platforms.

Developer vetting process

Platforms accept developers to their systems based on either skills or self-reported claims.

Pay attention to how your target platforms do it to understand better the type of developers you will find there.

Skillsets available

I suppose that this advice is a bit of a no-brainer, really. It’s still one worth mentioning, though.

You see, the platform should give you access to the exact skillsets you require now and in the future.

Granted, you might not be able to know what you might need in the future. But you can probably at least estimate how likely you might be to expand to other technologies in the future.

Ease of use

It’s only logical; if your chosen platform isn’t easy to use, you will dread using it. As a result, your hiring process will continue to drag on, just like it did when you followed the traditional approach.

Pricing models

Some platforms charge per hire. Others let you sign up for a monthly plan that includes a certain amount of searches or messages to candidates. And some offer a mix of both options and can even find candidates for you.

11 Best Developer Hiring Platforms

#1. Frontend Mentor Hiring

Focus on developers only: Yes

Ideal for: Hiring early-career developers

Job types offered: Full-time, freelance, remote

Overview:

Frontend Mentor Hiring (disclaimer - this is our platform) is a platform dedicated to helping you connect with talented early-career developers.

What’s quite unique about us is that Frontend Mentor is also a developer learning platform with over 850,000 registered users.

And so, our developer hiring platform helps you discover top talent within our massive developer community. And because all our candidates have also used the learning platform, you can review their abilities through real-life project-based assessments.

Vetting process:

• Real-life projects completed as part of the Frontend Mentor community
• Project-based assessments

IMPORTANT TO KNOW - Developers in the Frontend Mentor community must reach a certain point threshold before becoming available for hire. This ensures that any candidates that you find on the platform have reached a certain level and have plenty of projects for you to review to gauge their skills. This also means that the developers in our community who are available for work are also some of the most self-motivated, passionate developers on our platform.

Pricing model: Monthly or yearly plan (but we also offer a done-for-you option.)

Free trial: 14 days

Looking to hire exceptional early-career developers? Check out Frontend Mentor Hiring, a developer hiring platform where you search for and hire based on real-life skills rather than self-reported claims.

#2. Devready

Focus on developers only: Yes

Job types offered: Contract, full-time, remote

Overview:

DevReady is another developer hiring platform where you can get on-demand access to vetted candidates.

However, using DevReady isn’t as simple as signing up for an account and creating a search. That’s because DevReady works more like a done-for-you service. So, to begin you need to meet with the company’s specialist, explain the role you’re trying to fill, and the company will match you with relevant candidates and let you take over from there.

Vetting process:

• Technical interviews
• Assessments

Pricing model: Flat fee

Free trial: No free trial

#3. Turing

Focus on developers only: Yes

Job types offered: Full-time, remote

Overview:

Turing is a platform that leverages AI to match startups and Fortune 500 companies with top remote developers. According to Turing’s website, with AI, its platform is able to evaluate over 20000 signals to assess a candidate's fit.

But it’s worth noting that developer hiring is only part of what Turing does. The company also helps companies build generative AIs, enhance their models, and so on.

The hiring platform, however, works in a similar way to others on this list. Upon signing up, you gain access to the platform’s candidate network, put a search, and build a list of targeted candidates to engage further.

Vetting process:

AI-powered vetting process, incorporating over 20,000 machine learning signals to assess developers' technical and soft skills.

Pricing model: Monthly plan

Free trial: 14 days

#4. CoderPad (CodinGame)

Focus on developers only: Yes

Job types offered: Full-time, freelance, remote

Overview:

Coderpad is a platform focusing on helping companies evaluate and hire developers through interactive coding games. With Coderpad, you don’t necessarily gain access to a dedicated pool of candidates. Instead, the software facilitates running technical tests to evaluate the abilities of your potential candidates.

The platform also lets you code together with candidates and not only see how they work but assess how you’d be working together.

Vetting process:

N/A

Pricing model: Monthly plan

Free trial: No free trial, but a dedicated free plan is available

#5. Toptal

Focus on developers only: No

Job types offered: Freelance, Full-time, Remote

Overview:

Toptal prides itself on connecting you with the top 3% of freelance talent out there. Naturally, you can only validate such a claim by using the platform. However, the company is known for its rigid vetting process that includes live problem-solving sessions, and more, which might suggest that they do indeed find the top candidates for you.

Like several other platforms on my list, Toptal isn’t a self-serve system, though. To get started, you need to talk to the company’s specialist, who will then scout their databases and identify the best potential candidates for you.

Vetting process:

• Technical screenings
• Live-problem solving sessions
• Test projects

Pricing model: Flat fee

Free trial: No free trial

#6. Hired

Focus on developers only: No

Job types offered: Contract, Full-time, Remote

Overview:

Hired is another well-known developer hiring platform that gives you instant access to a network of vetted candidates. What’s unique about Hired is that candidates are live on the site for ten weeks only. This way, when you encounter someone’s profile, you can be certain that they are actively looking for their new role and avoid wasting time trying to engage with inactive listings.

Vetting process:

• Resume reviews
• Technical assessments
• Interviews

Pricing model: Flat Fee

Free trial: No free trial.

#7. Upwork

Focus on developers only: No

Job types offered: Freelance, Short-term, and long-term projects

Overview:

Upwork refers to its platform as a talent marketplace, and I think the description fits it quite well. That’s because, with Upwork, rather than reviewing resumes, you post a project and have developers interested in working on it reach out to you.

From then on, you can review proposals, and once you've found your expert, discuss the details and get started.

Vetting process:

• Profile reviews
• Skill assessments
• Previous client feedback

Pricing model: Marketplace fee (usually 3%-5% of the project’s total cost.)

Free trial: No free trial.

#8. Freelancer.com

Focus on developers only: No

Job types offered: Freelance, Short- and Long-term projects

Overview:

I suppose the name of this hiring platform says it all. Freelancer.com is indeed a place to hire freelancers for short- and long-term projects.

The platform works similarly to Upwork. To hire a developer, you need to post a project to which interested freelancers can reply and submit their quotes and proposals. Once you’ve identified the best candidates, you can discuss details with them and hire the best person for the job

Vetting process:

• Profile reviews
• Skills tests
• Previous client feedback and reviews

Pricing model: Marketplace fee

Free trial: No free trial.

#9. Flexjobs

Focus on developers only: No

Job types offered: Remote

Overview:

Flexjobs is a job search platform. It’s the only hiring platform on my list that follows a more traditional hiring process. With Flexjobs, you advertise your remote position, and receive applications from candidates.

Vetting process:

FlexJobs vets job listings rather than individual developers, ensuring all listed opportunities are legitimate and free of scams.

Pricing model: Monthly subscription

Free trial: No free trial

#10. Arc.dev

Focus on developers only: No

Job types offered: Full-time, Part-time, Contract, Remote, Freelance

Overview:

Arc offers all the features you’d expect from a developer hiring platform: a network of vetted candidates, robust search features, and even HireAI, an artificial intelligence capability that helps you identify the best candidates instantly.

Vetting process:

• Technical assessments
• Coding challenges
• Interviews

Pricing model: Subscription or flat fee

Free trial: 7 days

#11. LinkedIn

Focus on developers only: No

Job types offered: Any type

Overview:

I don’t think you could create a list of hiring platforms and skip LinkedIn. Granted, LinkedIn is first and foremost, a professional social media platform, but it does feature capabilities to help you find and hire developers fast.

From job postings to robust search features, you can use LinkedIn to identify and connect with top talent across the globe (although, worth noting that LinkedIn is probably the most time and effort-consuming platform on the list. Still, LinkedIn might be a great place to start if you are fine with manually identifying candidates.)

Vetting process:

LinkedIn does not vet candidates.

And there you have it…

…eleven absolutely amazing developer hiring platforms. All that’s left is to research them more closely and sign up for the platforms that match your requirements the most.

Good luck!