Developer platform pricing

They do not all charge the same way. Upwork's plan cards list a 5% client service fee on Basic and a 10% fee on Business Plus, and another answer on that page lists 7.99% on Basic (upwork.com/pricing/client). Toptal's FAQ lists a flat monthly subscription of $79 if you proceed with talent matching, and Toptal does not publish a talent rate (toptal.com/faq). Arc.dev lists freelance hires at $15–$110+ an hour and full-time hires at 20% of the annual salary (arc.dev/pricing). Lemon.io lists typical rates of $60 to $90 an hour (billing page). Andela and Gun.io do not publish a price. A search-firm CEO quoted by SHRM put a contingent fee at 20% to 25% of total compensation and a retained fee at 30% to 35% (SHRM, December 12, 2022). On the marketplace, Arca.ph charges a one-time 15% of first-year pay, only if you hire. Profiles are free to view. There is no subscription, retainer, or upfront fee. Checked Oct 29, 2026.

Toptal's FAQ says it charges a flat monthly subscription fee of $79 if you decide to proceed with talent matching, and that you may cancel at any time. The same page says Toptal typically invoices twice a month on Net 10 terms, and that a trial of up to two weeks is not billed if you are not satisfied (toptal.com/faq). Its why page lists a recruiting fee of $0 (toptal.com/why). Its developers page says the cost depends on the project, seniority, and whether the engagement is hourly, part-time, or full-time, and it does not publish a talent rate (toptal.com/developers). Clutch's Toptal profile lists an hourly rate of $100–$149 (Clutch profile). Arithmetic on the subscription alone, for 12 months, is $948. That is only the subscription. It is not a talent rate, and it is not a yearly price Toptal publishes. Checked Oct 29, 2026.

Upwork's upwork.com/pricing/client says it is free to get started and that you pay when you hire. The Basic plan card lists a 5% service fee. Its example is that a $100 contract would cost $105, plus a contract initiation fee. The Business Plus plan card lists a 10% service fee. Its example is that a $100 contract would cost $110, plus a contract initiation fee. Another answer on that page says the Basic Marketplace fee is 7.99%, so 5% is not the only Basic number there. The page also publishes lower rates for some clients. Those rates are left out here because the page limits them to clients in one place. Contract initiation fees range from $0.99 to $14.99 per contract. Business Plus has no initiation fee except on fixed-price contracts of $100 or less, where a one-time fee of up to $4.99 can apply. Each active direct contract is billed at $49 a month. The help article repeats the $0.99 to $14.99 range, once per new contract (Contract Initiation Fee article). Checked Oct 29, 2026.

Arc.dev's arc.dev/pricing lists freelance hires at $15–$110+, pay per hour, and full-time hires at 20% of the annual salary. Its arc.dev/terms set the fee at 20% of the candidate's first year's full-time annual compensation, and they allow a fixed fee of USD 30,000 if Arc cannot get the offer letter. The hire-developers FAQ says that for a first full-time hire, you pay what you want based on the value you see, so 20% is not the only public statement. Lemon.io's lemon.io says the minimum is 160 hours and that there are no upfront recruitment or setup fees. Payment is typically one month in advance. Its billing page lists typical hourly rates from $60 to $90 an hour. Its comparison page lists an agreed rate of $55–$120 an hour. This page does not treat those bands as one number, and it does not multiply either band by 160. Checked Oct 29, 2026.

Not on the pages checked. Andela's andela.com/pricing asks for contact information and does not print a dollar figure. Gun.io's gun.io homepage does not print a price, and gun.io/pricing shows that same homepage. Checked Oct 29, 2026.

A search-firm CEO quoted by SHRM, December 12, 2022 put a contingent fee at 20% to 25% of total compensation, paid only if you hire, and a retained fee at 30% to 35% of total compensation, billed in thirds. Two-thirds of the retained fee is due even if you do not hire. Matt Watson, writing for Full Scale, says an IT markup is usually 30 to 50 percent over pay (Full Scale). His example, not a rate card, is a $3,000 monthly salary with a 30 percent margin, a $900 fee that month. Matt Watson, Full Scale, October 26, 2026. Checked Oct 29, 2026.

Profiles are free to view. There is no subscription, retainer, or upfront fee. If you hire someone Arca.ph introduced, the fee is a one-time 15% of first-year pay, with a 3-month free replacement. You hire and pay the developer directly. Arca.ph is a private, invite-only network of remote engineers. Your AI agent, such as Grok, Claude, or ChatGPT, searches and sorts that network and builds a shortlist. Arca.ph cuts out the staffing-agency middleman.