Upwork vs. Toptal
Find and hire the best talent in the business
Find out what makes Upwork, the world’s work marketplace, the place to find and work with skilled talent.
Get StartedTypes of freelancers
Upwork*
- Located in over 180 countries
- Work in 12 specializations and have over 10,000 available skill sets
- Over 70% have a college degree
- More than 20% have a postgraduate degree
Toptal*
- Live in more than 100 countries
- Provide services in six specializations
- Have a minimum of two years' experience
Ways to find freelancers
Upwork*
- Post jobs
- Browse profiles
- Browse Project Catalog
Toptal*
- Work with a Toptal placement expert
- Browse Toptal freelancer profiles
Hiring process
Upwork*
- Review freelancer profiles and Project Catalog listings
- View proposals or place a project request
- Discuss job details over chat, audio, or video
- Enter into a secure contract
- Place payment into escrow
- Receive completed work
- Approve work
- Release payment
Toptal*
- Request acceptance to the Toptal platform
- Provide a job description
- Wait for a response from the Toptal team
- Review suggested freelancer profiles
- Enter into a trial contract
- Opt to extend or end the contract
Billing methods (varies by country)
Upwork*
- Credit card
- PayPal
- U.S. bank transfers
Toptal*
- Credit card
- U.S. bank transfers
- Bank wire
- PayPal
Client fees
Upwork*
- One-time initiation fee of up to $4.95 on new contracts
- 5% processing fee on all transactions (some U.S. clients using ACH bank transfer may be eligible for a 3% processing fee)
Toptal*
- $500 deposit (credited on first invoice or refunded)
- Possible markup charged on top of freelancer rates
Special features
Upwork*
- Freelancer identity verification
- Optional bonus payments
- Mobile apps
Toptal*
- Freelancer identity verification
- Professional talent matching
- Two-week trial periods
- Pass-through or direct intellectual property agreements
- Toptal Project Consultants
*Data sourced from Toptal.com and other public sources made available by Toptal.
For clients
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Trusted by leading brands and startups
“Upwork enables us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and produce content at a higher caliber.”
Josh Machiz, Chief Digital Officer
Results
Emmy Winning
Facebook Watch program
Millions
of impressions generated per client per IPO
“One of the greatest advantages of utilizing freelancers is finding a great variety of talent with different skills and bringing on new talent quickly as our needs change.”
Carol Taylor, Director of Content Esperience
Results
50% Faster
launch of projects
10,000
projects completed
“I don’t think business would have grown as fast or as well if not for the freelancers’ expertise and ability to adapt.”
Anthony Massarweh, Program Manager
Results
3x Faster
launch of new program
72-Hour
average turnaround on websites
And many more
Toptal data sourced from Toptal.com and other public sources made available by Toptal.
This analysis of services is provided for informational purposes only. Each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.