Upwork is the biggest open marketplace there is. That is its strength and its cost: anyone can list, so the screening work lands on you.
An open marketplace. Anyone can create a profile, you post and sift proposals yourself, and the platform charges service fees on the contract value.
A closed network where every visible profile has cleared a five stage vetting process, including a proctored assessment, with the report attached.
Green means the row favours us, grey means it favours them or the two are level. Both appear below.
| Upwork | Talent Navigator | |
|---|---|---|
| Every profile is vetted | Open to anyone | Five stage vetting, proctored |
| Proctored assessment evidence | None | Score, integrity check, full report |
| Volume and breadth of skills | Enormous, far beyond engineering | Engineering and technical roles |
| Screening effort on you | Substantial | Done before you see the profile |
| Fee model | Service fee on contract value | Credits per profile, no cut of the contract |
| Payroll and compliance | Available as an add on | Flat fee per developer per month |
| Cost for very small one off tasks | Hard to beat | Built for roles, not tasks |
Free to post, then your own hours spent screening a large volume of proposals.
Free to search, one credit to unlock, a shortlist that has already been assessed.
The real cost on an open marketplace is engineering time spent filtering, not the platform fee.
The listed rate often is. The total cost usually is not, once you count the engineering hours spent screening and the cost of a hire that does not work out.
Everything described about other companies comes from their own public pricing and product pages, and reflects what they published at the time of writing. Rates vary by role, seniority and region. Check their current terms before you decide, and tell us if anything here has gone out of date.
Searching is free and needs no account. Look at real scores on real engineers, then judge for yourself.