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Toptal vs Turing for hiring remote software engineers
Toptal publishes a monthly subscription and no talent rate. Turing's product pages do not print a price, and the terms set a direct-hire fee. Arca.ph is the third option: profiles are free to view, 15% of first-year pay is paid once and only on hire, and there is a 3-month free replacement (pricing, checked Oct 29, 2026).
Fees below are the figures already quoted on the developer platform pricing page and the Turing alternatives page, from Toptal's pages, Clutch's Toptal profile, or Turing's pages, checked on Oct 29, 2026. Each figure has a named source and that date. Terms change, so check before you sign. This page compares fee models.
Toptal vs Turing, in short
Use Toptal when you want a subscription if you proceed with matching, invoices for the engagement, and a talent rate that Toptal does not publish. Use Turing when you are ready for an order form, or for the direct-hire fee the terms print. Arca.ph is the third option when you want to view profiles for free and pay one fee only if you hire.
Toptal's FAQ lists a $79 monthly subscription if you proceed with matching (toptal.com/faq, checked Oct 29, 2026). Turing's terms set a $50,000 conversion fee per person if you hire a technical professional directly (turing.com/odt-terms, terms last updated June 4, 2025, checked Oct 29, 2026). The rest of this page keeps those numbers on the pages that printed them.
What Toptal publishes
- Subscription: "a flat monthly subscription fee of $79" if you proceed with talent matching. You may cancel at any time (toptal.com/faq, checked Oct 29, 2026).
- Recruiting fee: the why page lists Toptal's recruiting fee as $0 (toptal.com/why, checked Oct 29, 2026). That $0 is the recruiting-fee cell. It is not a talent rate.
- Talent rate: the developers page says the cost depends on the project, seniority, and whether the work is hourly, part-time, or full-time. It does not publish a talent rate (toptal.com/developers, checked Oct 29, 2026). Clutch's Toptal profile lists an hourly rate of $100–$149 (clutch.co/profile/toptal, checked Oct 29, 2026). That range is Clutch's listing, not a rate card on toptal.com.
- Invoices: typically twice a month, on Net 10 terms (toptal.com/faq, checked Oct 29, 2026).
- If you are not satisfied: a trial of up to two weeks is not billed (toptal.com/faq, checked Oct 29, 2026).
Arithmetic on the subscription alone: $79 a month for 12 months is $948. That figure is arithmetic. It is only the subscription. Toptal does not publish it as a yearly price, and it does not include talent pay. The $79 it starts from is on the FAQ, checked Oct 29, 2026.
What Turing publishes
- Product pages: the homepage, the experts page, and the enterprise page do not print a price (turing.com, experts page, enterprise page, checked Oct 29, 2026).
- Order form: the terms say the client pays Turing under an order form. Invoices come no more often than every two weeks. Payment is due within 30 days (turing.com/odt-terms, terms last updated June 4, 2025, checked Oct 29, 2026).
- Direct hire: if the client hires a technical professional directly, the conversion fee is $50,000 per person (turing.com/odt-terms, checked Oct 29, 2026). The $50,000 figure is a direct-hire fee. It is not an hourly rate.
- A separate hiring page: if you decide to stop within two weeks, you pay nothing. The same page says you start a 2 week no-risk trial. It does not print an hourly rate (welcome.turing.com/about, checked Oct 29, 2026). Stopping within two weeks, and the 30 days' written notice in the terms, are not the same promise.
Arca.ph, the third option
Arca.ph is a network of remote engineers. Your own AI agent, such as Grok, Claude, or ChatGPT, searches and sorts that network. Arca.ph does not shortlist on the marketplace.
- Profiles: profiles are free to view (pricing, checked Oct 29, 2026).
- Marketplace fee: 15% of first-year pay, paid once, and only on hire (pricing, checked Oct 29, 2026).
- Replacement: a 3-month free replacement (pricing, checked Oct 29, 2026). You hire and pay the developer directly. There is no subscription.
Arithmetic on one example
A developer at $3,000 a month is $36,000 of first-year pay. The lines below are arithmetic on that illustration. They are not quotes from Toptal or Turing. Toptal's talent rate stays unpublished on the pages checked. Turing's published dollar figure stays the $50,000 direct-hire fee in the terms.
- Arca.ph marketplace: 15% of $36,000 is $5,400, once, only if you hire. Arithmetic. The 15% is on the pricing page, checked Oct 29, 2026.
- Toptal's $79 subscription for 12 months: $948. Arithmetic. That is the subscription only. The $79 is on the FAQ, checked Oct 29, 2026.
For a long engagement, a one-time fee and an ongoing invoice are different bills. How to compare a one-time fee with an ongoing markup is in Staffing agency markup rates: how to hire your developer directly.
Side by side
Toptal vs Turing vs Arca.ph
Which to use
- A monthly subscription if you proceed, invoices for the engagement, and no published talent rate: Toptal.
- An order form, or a published $50,000 fee if you hire the person directly: Turing.
- Profiles free to view, and 15% of first-year pay paid once and only on hire: Arca.ph, on the marketplace, with a 3-month free replacement.
Get started with Arca.ph. Other pages: Toptal alternatives, Turing alternatives, developer platform pricing, and the compare hub.
FAQ
What fees do Toptal and Turing publish?
Toptal's FAQ lists a flat monthly subscription of $79 if you proceed with talent matching (toptal.com/faq). Its why page lists a recruiting fee of $0 (toptal.com/why). Its developers page does not publish a talent rate (toptal.com/developers). Clutch's Toptal profile lists an hourly rate of $100–$149 (Clutch profile). Turing's turing.com, experts page, and enterprise page do not print a price. Its terms set a conversion fee of $50,000 per person if the client hires a technical professional directly. That fee is for a direct hire. It is not an hourly rate. Those terms were last updated June 4, 2025. Checked Oct 29, 2026.
How much does Toptal charge to hire a developer?
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.
How much does Turing charge?
Turing does not publish an hourly rate. Its turing.com, experts page, and enterprise page pages do not print a price. Its terms say the client pays Turing under an order form. Turing invoices no more often than every two weeks, and payment is due within 30 days. If the client hires a technical professional directly, the terms set a conversion fee of $50,000 per person. Those terms were last updated June 4, 2025. The $50,000 fee is for a direct hire. It is not an hourly rate. A public hiring page says that if you stop within two weeks, you pay nothing, and that you start a 2 week no-risk trial. That page also does not print an hourly rate. Checked Oct 29, 2026.
What does Arca.ph charge compared with Toptal and Turing?
Profiles are free to view. On the marketplace, 15% of first-year pay is paid once, and only on hire, with a 3-month free replacement. You hire and pay the developer directly. There is no subscription. Toptal publishes a $79 monthly subscription and does not publish a talent rate (toptal.com/faq, toptal.com/developers). Turing does not publish an hourly rate, and its terms set a $50,000 direct-hire fee (terms). Checked Oct 29, 2026.
What if the hire does not work out?
Toptal's FAQ says a trial of up to two weeks is not billed if you are not satisfied (toptal.com/faq). Turing's public hiring page says that if you decide to stop within two weeks, you pay nothing. Its terms say either party may end the agreement on 30 days' written notice. Those are not the same promise. On the marketplace, Arca.ph offers a 3-month free replacement. Checked Oct 29, 2026.
If you need help: Done-for-you is 35% of first-year pay, charged once on hire. You hire and pay the developer directly. There is a 3-month free replacement. (pricing, checked Oct 29, 2026).
Get started.
Profiles are free to view.