Top Lean Tech alternative for Latin American nearshoring

Published on
Aug 12, 2024
Written by
Lisa Dahlgren
EDITED by
Maria del Mar Agudelo
Read time
3 Minutes
Category
Transparency Research

In the competitive landscape of tech staffing and talent acquisition, choosing the right partner is pivotal for companies aiming to scale their operations efficiently. This blog explores the offerings, pricing strategies, and talent management approaches of Lean Tech and Teilur Talent, providing insights to guide your decision-making process.

Teilur Talent vs Lean Tech

Lean Tech and Teilur Talent represent two significant players in the Tech Staffing Solutions arena, each with a unique approach to sourcing and managing tech talent. Lean Tech, with its extensive experience and broad service portfolio, offers access to a global workforce, emphasizing flexibility and a comprehensive recruitment process. However, when it comes to transparent fair pricing and a team-focused approach, how does Lean Tech stack up against Teilur Talent?

Transparent Fair Pricing

Teilur Talent stands out as a top Lean Tech alternative by advocating for transparent and fair pricing. Unlike Lean Tech, which adjusts its pricing based on client budgets and includes a commission paid to the candidate, Teilur Talent maintains a clear fee structure, ensuring that both clients and candidates know exactly what to expect in terms of compensation and costs.

Team Focused, Not Client Focused

While Lean Tech provides a dedicated account manager to oversee worker performance and engagement, Teilur Talent takes a more holistic approach, emphasizing the importance of matching the right developer with the right team. This team-focused strategy ensures that placements are not just about filling a vacancy but about enhancing team dynamics and project outcomes.

In evaluating Lean Tech as a potential staffing partner, it's crucial to consider the experiences and feedback from both their employees and clients.

Lean Tech boasts a 4.3-star rating on Glassdoor, with 165 reviews highlighting the company's strengths and areas for improvement. While many reviews praise the organization for its supportive environment and growth opportunities, there are notable concerns regarding management practices and employee treatment. These mixed reviews suggest that while Lean Tech excels in certain areas, there is room for improvement in fostering a more transparent and inclusive workplace culture.

Lean Tech review
Lean Tech review

Feedback on AmbitionBox echoes the sentiments found on Glassdoor, particularly regarding communication challenges between managers and employees.

Lean Tech review

The Right Developer for Your Team

Both Teilur Talent and Lean Tech prioritize finding the ideal candidates for their clients, but Teilur Talent goes a step further by ensuring that these candidates are not only skilled but also a perfect fit for the team's culture and work style. This meticulous approach to onboarding and integration sets Teilur Talent apart, particularly in Software Development Teams and Tech talent headhunting services.

Comments on Comparably, focusing on Lean Tech's parent company, Lean Solutions Group, further illuminate the employee experience, especially concerning professional growth and management interactions. These insights reveal a pattern of concerns related to career development and managerial support, suggesting areas where Lean Tech could implement changes to better support its staff and, by extension, improve client satisfaction.

Lean Tech review

This consistent feedback across platforms underscores the need for Lean Tech to improve its internal communication strategies and management approaches to ensure a supportive and engaging work environment for all team members.

Similarities and Differences Between Lean Tech and Teilur Talent: What is the Best Choice for Your Team?

While both agencies specialize in tech staffing solutions and offer comprehensive recruiting services, the key differences lie in their pricing transparency, candidate compensation models, and commitment to team integration. Lean Tech's flexible pricing and broad market approach contrast with Teilur Talent's transparent fees and team-centric recruitment philosophy.

When Would You Recommend That My Company Choose Lean Tech or Teilur Talent?

Lean Tech might be suitable for companies looking for a broad talent pool across various time zones and a flexible pricing model. However, for organizations prioritizing transparent pricing, team cohesion, and long-term talent retention, Teilur Talent emerges as the preferred choice.

What Are the Top Benefits of Working with Teilur Talent Compared to Lean Tech?

Teilur Talent offers several advantages over Lean Tech, including transparent and fair pricing, a focus on team integration, time alignment with companies located in the US, since all our talent is located in Latin America, and a commitment to finding the right developer for your team. Additionally, Teilur Talent's approach to technical staffing agencies ensures a smoother onboarding process and better talent retention.

Lean Tech Handles Payroll, Compliance, and Recruiting. How About Teilur Talent?

Like Lean Tech, Teilur Talent manages payroll, compliance, and recruiting, Teilur Talent ensures that all legal and financial aspects of employment are handled efficiently, providing peace of mind for both clients and candidates.

How Does Teilur Talent Ensure That Talent Is Retained Better Than Lean Tech?

Teilur Talent focuses on creating lasting matches between developers and teams, going beyond the initial placement to support ongoing engagement and professional development. This approach, coupled with fair compensation and transparent communication, fosters a loyal and motivated workforce, contrasting with Lean Tech's more transactional model.

Our thoughts on the pricing structure of Toptal 

While it's not possible for us to find details about how much of what a client pays ultimately goes to a candidate, we believe clients looking for transparent and straightforward pricing may want to look at other alternatives.

Our opinion is that if they are charging a client more than $12,000 monthly for a developer, they should at the very least be giving $9,600 to the candidate, but it's likely that it's even less than that.


What Hiring Managers Should Ask Before Choosing a Talent Partner

Before partnering with any talent provider — whether Toptal, Teilur, or others — hiring managers should consider asking the following key questions:

  • What percentage of the fee actually goes to the talent?

  • Are replacement or satisfaction guarantees included in the contract?

  • How are regional salary benchmarks determined?

  • Is there full transparency in how rates are broken down?

  • What is the long-term cost difference between hiring directly and through a platform?

These questions can help businesses make informed decisions and ensure that pricing aligns with both market realities and ethical compensation practices.

Toptal vs Teilur Talent Comparison
Concept Toptal Teilur Talent
Transparency Pricing details are not publicly disclosed. Clients see a blended hourly rate that includes both Toptal’s fee and the freelancer’s pay. Fully transparent rate breakdown. Clients see exactly how much goes to the talent and how much is retained by Teilur as a service fee.
Commission / Markup Estimated at up to ~50% based on third-party reports and client testimonials. The exact markup percentage is not officially stated. Capped at 20%, ensuring that at least 80% of the client’s payment goes directly to the developer.
Monthly Subscription Fee $79/month, non-optional, grants access to Toptal’s vetted talent network. (Source: Toptal website). No subscription fees. Clients only pay when hiring or engaging talent.
Initial Deposit $500 refundable deposit required to begin a talent search. No upfront deposit required to start the matching process.
Trial Policy Two-week no-risk trial. Clients are billed only if satisfied with the match. N/A (direct matching) – Teilur focuses on pre-vetted, long-term placements with transparent trial terms discussed case by case.
Pricing Range (Developers) $60–$200+ per hour depending on experience and project complexity (includes platform markup). $6,000–$7,000/month for senior LATAM developers, equivalent to ~$35–$45/hour — transparent, with no hidden markups.
Payment Structure Bi-monthly invoices; payment terms like Net 10. Includes blended rate. Monthly invoices with clear cost breakdown (talent pay + Teilur fee).
Toptal vs Teilur Talent Comparison
Concept Toptal Teilur Talent
Business Model Global freelance marketplace connecting clients with vetted professionals in software, design, and finance. LATAM-focused recruitment company connecting businesses with full-time remote developers and tech professionals.
Selectivity Claim Claims to accept less than 3% of applicants, based on its internal screening process. Works only with pre-vetted, bilingual professionals in LATAM, selected for technical and communication skills.
Recruitment Process Multi-stage: timed skills test → English interview → real-world project → live screen evaluation. Direct evaluation of experience, portfolio, and communication ability. Matches candidates by vertical (QA, Software, Cybersecurity, Data & BI) and company culture.
Trial or Test Period Offers a two-week trial, refundable if client isn’t satisfied. No fixed trial period — focuses on long-term retention and transparent onboarding.
Contract Type Typically weekly contracts (20 or 40 hours) with limited flexibility for short-term projects. Flexible monthly agreements, allowing scalability per project scope and company needs.
Transparency Pricing details not publicly disclosed. Clients see a blended hourly rate including Toptal’s markup. Fully transparent pricing model. Clients see how much goes to the developer and how much is Teilur’s service fee.
Commission / Markup Estimated around 40–50%, based on user reports and external reviews. Capped at 20%. At least 80% of client payment goes directly to the developer.
Initial Deposit Requires a $500 refundable deposit to start the search process. No upfront deposit required.
Client Support Account managers available during hiring and engagement. Support quality varies by project. Personalized support from start to finish, ensuring alignment for both client and talent.
Developer Pay Transparency Developers are contractually restricted from disclosing their actual pay rates. Developers know their full compensation and see transparent rate breakdowns.
Geographic Focus Global, with talent from Eastern Europe, Asia, and LATAM. Exclusive to Latin America, optimizing time-zone alignment and cultural fit.
Turnover Rate Not publicly disclosed. Reported below 15%, reflecting strong retention and satisfaction.
Best For Large enterprises or teams needing globally distributed freelance specialists. U.S. and international companies seeking transparent, long-term partnerships with vetted LATAM developers.

Need help with cost expectations?

Our hiring costs vary depending on the candidate's accepted offer. Use our calculator to estimate costs for different roles.

These are our recommended salaries, but clients are free to set their own rates.

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Client Reviews

Teilur Talent
Teilur Talent Reviews
Madhulika Sharma

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Argentina offers highly competitive labor costs compared to other nearshoring destinations. With a strong focus on software and IT services, Argentina's tech talent pool is growing, and the country is already a resource for tech giants like Google."

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Brazil offers an attractive combination of cost-effectiveness and high-quality talent. With reportedly more than 500,000 software developers and an impressive annual growth rate, Brazil boasts the largest tech talent pool in LATAM."

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Teilur Talent recognized as the top IT Recruiting & Staffing firm in Latin America, Teilur Talent has made valuable contributions towards making the IT workspace more efficient and streamlined."

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Teilur Talent is the world’s first talent development network connecting U.S. tech startups and remote developers from Latin America!"

At Teilur, Inc, we are committed to accuracy and fairness in all our content. Our discussions and comparisons, particularly those concerning other businesses in the recruitment industry, are grounded in the best interpretations made by our dedicated staff, based on publicly available information. We hold a deep respect for the unique qualities of each organization within our field and strive to offer valuable insights rooted in our core beliefs about the recruitment industry's workings. If you encounter any factual inaccuracies in our content, we encourage you to reach out to us at content-research@teilurtalent.com with the specific URL in question. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are committed to reviewing and addressing your concerns.

Got questions? We've got answers.

1

How is Teilur Talent different from other tech recruiting companies in LATAM?

At Teilur Talent, we take a mission-focused approach to recruiting, ensuring that our candidates are aligned with your company's vision and goals. Unlike other tech recruiting companies in LATAM, who may focus solely on technical skills, we prioritize the cultural fit and dedication of our team members to your company. For this reason, we do not support project contractor or freelancer roles. Instead, we focus on fully devoted team members who will help you achieve long-term success.

2

How does Teilur Talent attract and retain the best talent compared to other companies?

At Teilur Talent, we offer our candidates competitive salaries that are 2x to 3x higher than what tech companies would pay locally. This allows us to attract top talent and retain highly motivated and loyal team members. Additionally, we focus on finding candidates whose values align with the purpose, vision, and mission of our clients. This approach ensures that our engineers and tech talent are not just coding and completing task rather, they become part of a greater purpose, which gives them meaning and helps us attract and retain the best talent.

3

What are the typical tech roles that Teilur Talent recruits for?

At Teilur Talent, we specialize in recruiting for a wide range of tech roles that are typically in high demand. These include positions such as DevOps engineers, AI Developers, QA analysts and engineers, back-end and front-end developers, data scientists, product managers, business developers, and technical sales positions. Essentially, we recruit for most roles that are needed in B2B and B2C tech-focused businesses.

4

What are Teilur Talent's fees and pricing structure?

At Teilur Talent, we believe in transparency. We charge a flat rate fee of 20% of what the client pays. This way, our clients know exactly what they are paying for and how much the candidate gets. As an example: If a client hires a software engineer for $60,000 per year ($5,000 per month), Teilur's monthly fee would be $1,000 (20% of $5,000). We don't believe in hidden fees or unwanted surprises, so we disclose all costs upfront to both candidates hired and companies. When exploring other alternatives, make sure they are transparent about their pricing. We believe this is paramount for the benefit of all parties involved in this new era of remote work.

5

What is the candidate screening process at Teilur Talent, and how do you ensure a good fit for my company?

At Teilur Talent, we take candidate screening very seriously. We use a multi-layered approach to find the best candidates for our clients, starting with screening thousands of candidates from our internal and proprietary networks. We leverage AI technology to assess whether a candidate matches the technical skills required for a given job opening. We also perform additional personal evaluations to ensure that the candidate has the soft skills, culture fit, and English language skills required to excel in their new role. Our rigorous screening process ensures that only the best candidates make it through to our clients, saving them time and helping them find the best talent for their teams.