Finding the right people for your team is not always easy. Many businesses know Andela as a trusted hiring platform, but it’s not the only option. If you’re looking for an Andela alternative, as well as several other Andela competitor platforms that can connect you with skilled developers and professionals at different price points around the world.
Some platforms provide dedicated developers who work only on your project, while others let you hire freelancers for short-term or specialized tasks. This adaptability allows you to pick what suits your business best.
Each Andela alternative has unique strengths some focus on strict vetting to ensure quality, while others stand out for faster hiring or support with admin tasks. Together, these options give you more freedom and control to build the right team without the hassle.
Top Andela Alternatives to Hire Skilled Talent Quickly and Easily
Andela was founded in 2014 in New York City and it began by training developers from African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, helping them secure jobs with North American companies. After it went fully remote Andela expanded its operations to 37 countries. But if Andela doesn’t fully meet your needs, you can explore these great Andela alternatives that make it easy to find and hire skilled talent quickly.
1. Crewmate
Crewmate is an IT staff augmentation platform built for businesses that want to expand their tech teams with skilled developers and designers. Unlike freelance marketplaces where freelancers may juggle multiple clients, Crewmate provides dedicated professionals who work exclusively on your project. This makes them feel like part of your in-house team, ensuring better focus, collaboration and accountability.
Why Businesses Turn to Crewmate Instead of Andela?
- Pre-Vetted Experts: Crewmate saves you from lengthy screening processes. All professionals are carefully vetted before joining the platform, so you can start building your dedicated team right away with trusted talent.
- Fast Matching in 48 Hours: You don’t need to wait weeks or months to hire. Crewmate connects you with qualified developers or designers in less than two days, allowing you to scale your team quickly.
- Regular Progress Updates: The platform ensures you always know where things stand by providing consistent progress reports, so there are no surprises or communication gaps.
- Transparent Monthly Pricing: With Crewmate you pay a clear monthly fee with no hidden costs. This financial clarity helps you plan and control your budget effectively.
- Remote or On-Site Flexibility: Depending on your project’s needs, you can hire developers to work remotely or bring them on-site for closer collaboration.
Full HR & Admin Support: From onboarding and contracts to payroll and compliance, Crewmate manages all the back-office tasks, giving you freedom to focus on your core business.
Pricing on Crewmate:
- Hourly rates typically range from $25–$100, depending on the developer’s experience and project duration.
All payments are billed monthly with full transparency and no hidden fees.
2. Toptal
Toptal is a well-known online platform and one of the strongest competitors to Andela. It helps businesses connect with highly skilled freelancers in areas such as software development, project management, design and DevOps engineering. This guarantees that companies get access to highly professional and experienced talent. By joining Toptal, businesses can quickly and confidently find freelancers who match their project needs.
Why Choose Toptal over Andela?
- Elite Talent Pool: Toptal accepts only the top 3% of applicants worldwide. This means that every freelancer you work with is highly experienced, technically sound and proven in their field, reducing risks of poor quality.
- Tailored Matchmaking: Instead of leaving you to browse endless profiles, Toptal studies your project requirements and matches you directly with freelancers who already have the right background, domain knowledge and skills.
- Flexibility & Scalability: Whether you need just one expert for a small task or an entire team for a long-term project, Toptal allows you to adjust resources as your project grows or changes..
Smooth Collaboration: Beyond technical expertise, freelancers are evaluated for communication and teamwork skills, making collaboration seamless and professional.
3. Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the largest on-demand freelance marketplaces in the world. Here, you’ll find freelancers who can provide almost any service, from voiceovers and animations to graphic design and data entry. Fiverr works best for short-term projects and budget-friendly tasks. You can either post your requirements and wait for freelancers to bid or browse profiles yourself and reach out directly.
Why Consider Fiverr Instead of Andela?
- Wide Variety of Skills: Fiverr gives you access to freelancers from different industries. Whether you need simple tasks like document formatting or creative work like video editing, you’ll find someone suitable.
- Quick Hiring: Fiverr claims that most hires are completed within a few days. This is perfect when you need work done quickly without going through long vetting cycles.
- Fiverr Pro: If you need higher-quality work, Fiverr Pro connects you with vetted professionals who are carefully reviewed, so you can get top results while still enjoying Fiverr’s flexibility.
Pricing: Freelancers may charge between $25 – $995 per project and even more.
4. 99designs
99designs is a platform dedicated to design services, making it a great choice if your focus is branding and visuals. Instead of being a general freelance marketplace, it specializes in connecting you with creative professionals worldwide. You can find experts for logo design, website graphics, product packaging and more.
Why Consider 99designs Over Andela?
- Design-Only Focus: Unlike general platforms, 99designs is purely dedicated to design work, ensuring you connect with specialists who live and breathe creativity.
- Direct Contact or Matching: You can search for designers yourself and message them or simply describe your project and let the platform recommend a suitable designer for you.
- Portfolios for Review: Each designer has a portfolio showcasing their past work. This allows you to judge their style, creativity and suitability before making a decision.
- Regular Quality Checks: 99designs constantly monitors submissions to ensure that only high-quality work gets delivered, maintaining a strong standard across the platform.
Pricing: Fixed packages start from $299.
5. Guru
Guru is another popular freelance platform that connects businesses with professionals across many categories. It focuses on simplicity, flexibility and secure collaboration. With more than 3 million freelancers, you’ll have a wide talent pool to choose from. Posting a job is free and the platform in the freelance marketplace.
Why Guru Can Be an Alternative to Andela?
- Multiple Payment Options: Guru allows freelancers to set four different payment methods fixed price, hourly, task-based or recurring. This gives you the freedom to choose a payment structure that matches your project type.
- SafePay for Security: Payments are held in a secure account until you approve the work, so both sides are protected and you don’t risk paying for incomplete tasks.
- Review Before Payment: Unlike many platforms, Guru lets you check the freelancer’s work before approving the invoice, so you pay only when you’re satisfied.
- WorkRooms Collaboration: Guru offers “WorkRooms,” where multiple freelancers can work together on the same project, making it easier to manage bigger or more complex assignments.
Pricing: Packages start at $11.95/month and vary till $1000 depending on the freelancer demand.
6. Upwork
Upwork is one of the oldest and most recognized freelance marketplaces. It has been in business for over a decade and offers access to freelancers across almost every industry. Unlike Andela, Upwork doesn’t pre-screen freelancers, so you may need extra time to find the right fit. The hiring process can take weeks, but the platform has one of the largest networks of professionals available.
Why Upwork Is a Great Alternative to Andela?
- Bidding System: Projects are posted and freelancers place bids. This allows you to compare various offers and select the one that balances skill and cost.
- Powerful Search Filters: Upwork’s robust search tool lets you filter by budget, skill set, experience level and location, making it easier to reduce your options.
- Client Protection Policies: Upwork has safeguards in place to help you identify fake profiles and avoid scams, giving you peace of mind while hiring.
- Real-Time Collaboration: The platform includes built-in chat, file-sharing and feedback tools so you can stay connected with freelancers throughout the project.
- Work Diary for Transparency: For hourly contracts, freelancers log their work in the Work Diary, which you can review to ensure you’re billed fairly.
- Pricing: Developer rates average $8–$15/hr, with senior experts charging up to $200/hr and more.
7. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is a flexible platform where clients can hire freelancers by the hour or per project. Freelancers set their own rates and the platform is ideal for short-term collaborations. You can post jobs for free and the system will connect you with suitable freelancers. They will then send personalized proposals based on your needs.
Why Choose PeoplePerHour as an Andela Alternative?
- WorkStream Tracking: The platform’s WorkStream feature keeps all activity, communication and payments in one place, making project management more organized.
- Buyer Protection: Payments are held in escrow until the project is delivered, so you don’t have to worry about releasing money too early.
- Dedicated Chat System: The communication tool allows you to send updates, give feedback and track the project’s progress in real time.
- Proposal Comparison: Instead of chasing freelancers individually, you receive all proposals in one place, making it easier to compare and choose the best one.
Pricing: Freelancer rates vary, starting around $8/hr, with project prices beginning at $10.
8. Worksome
Worksome is a modern platform designed to help businesses hire, manage, and pay freelancers and contractors efficiently. It provides a centralized system that combines compliance, contracts, payments, and reporting, making it ideal for companies looking to manage external talent smoothly and securely.
Why Choose Worksome as an Andela Competitor?
- Efficient Workforce Management: Worksome automates administrative tasks like the onboarding process, invoicing and payment tracking, saving time and reducing mistakes while keeping operations organized.
- Compliance & Risk Management: The platform ensures all freelancers and contractors are properly classified and compliant with local labor laws, reducing legal risks for your business.
- Smart Insights: The platform leverages AI to deliver recommendations and analytics, helping you make informed decisions quickly.
Pricing: Flexible and custom pricing based on company size, project scope and services required.
9. Bark.com
Bark is often described as the “Amazon of services.” It connects buyers with service providers worldwide. The platform collects detailed information about your requirements and then contacts professionals on your behalf. This saves you time, as Bark handles much of the outreach. It is especially popular for local services.
Why Bark is a go-to option instead of Andela?
- Time-Saving Process: Instead of manually searching, Bark reaches out to local professionals on your behalf and brings the best options to you.
- Broad Network: Bark not only contacts freelancers signed up on its platform but also reaches professionals outside the platform, giving you more choices.
- Secure Communication: Bark Messenger acts as a central inbox where you can store conversations, estimates and contact details securely.
Pricing: Quote-based depending on service.
10. Grid Dynamics
Grid Dynamics is a global digital engineering company. It helps businesses build remote development teams quickly. You can either create a full team from scratch or add skilled professionals to your existing setup.
Why Choose Grid Dynamics as an Andela Alternative?
- Transparent Engagement: Their co-innovation model ensures that you have full visibility into project progress, intellectual property and innovations. Nothing is hidden.
- Continuous Talent Development: Grid Dynamics invests in training and certifications for its professionals, so you always get highly skilled and updated experts.
- Advanced Tools & Security: The company uses top collaboration tools and maintains strict security protocols to ensure smooth and safe project execution.
- Pricing: Custom pricing based on services and project needs.
Why Look for Andela Alternatives?
Andela is a global platform that helps businesses hire vetted ReactJS, Python and other software developers and build remote tech teams. It’s a trusted choice, but it doesn’t always fit every business. Some companies feel the pricing is high, while others find the hiring process a bit slow. That’s why many look for Andela competitors that can give them more options.
Here’s what you get when you explore alternatives:
- More Control Over Costs – Other platforms offer different pricing models, so you can pick talent that fits your budget. This makes it easier for both startups with smaller funds and large companies to hire without overspending.
- Faster Hiring Process – Instead of waiting weeks, many alternatives can match you with skilled professionals in just a few days. This helps you start projects quickly and avoid unnecessary delays.
- Access to a Bigger Talent Pool – While Andela mainly focuses on developers, alternatives also give you access to designers, marketers, project managers and other experts. This means you can build a complete team in one place.
Flexible Ways to Work – With alternatives, you can choose to hire full-time, part-time or even just for a single project. This way, you only pay for the work you really need.
Conclusion
Choosing an Andela alternative gives businesses the freedom to hire top talent without the usual hassle. These platforms connect you with skilled professionals faster, offer flexible engagement options and let you tap into a global talent pool.
There are many ways to hire developers, and one of the best is through IT staff augmentation. Many IT staff augmentation companies can help you find and hire dedicated remote developers quickly, while also giving you access to a wide range of talent. With their support, you can easily scale your team, reduce costs and bring diverse skills and expertise to your projects.
By leveraging these options, you can build a strong, flexible and high-performing team more efficiently and effectively than ever before.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the best alternatives to Andela for hiring skilled talent?
Andela alternatives are platforms or services that help businesses hire skilled developers and other professionals without using Andela, are Crewmate, Toptal, Fiverr, Upwork, 99designs, Guru, PeoplePerHour, Bark.com and Grid Dynamics.
These alternatives provide options for full-time, part-time, or project-based work and often include pre-vetted talent, flexible pricing, and faster hiring.
2. What are the main advantages of hiring remote developers?
There are many benefits of hiring remote developers helps you scale your team quickly, reduce overhead costs and access talent from anywhere in the world. It also gives your business the flexibility to adjust team size and skills according to project needs without long-term commitments.
3. Do Andela alternatives offer pre-vetted talent?
Yes. Many alternatives, including Toptal and Crewmate, provide pre-screened and carefully vetted professionals. This ensures you work with reliable, skilled experts from day one, saving time on the hiring process and reducing risk.
Gaurav has 19+ years of experience building and managing scalable web and mobile apps end-to-end, including product design, frontend/backend development, deployment, server management, uptime, performance, and reliability.
