Choosing the right partner for tech talent acquisition goes beyond simple skill matching; it's about aligning with a service that offers true value, particularly in terms of transparent pricing. This exploration highlights the differences between Toptal vs Andela ve Teilur Talent, focusing on their pricing models. Delving into each platform's unique services and benefits, we aim to provide insights that support varied hiring needs for tech professionals globally.
Overview of each platform: Insights into Toptal vs Andela vs Teilur Talent
Teilur Talent
Teilur Talent stands out with its clear pricing model and specialization in Latin American tech talent. This approach ensures a significant part of the fees directly benefits the talent, supporting both cost-efficiency for companies and fair compensation for professionals.
Key features and services offered:
- Latin American talent specialization: Connects businesses with tech talent in Latin America, offering nearshore benefits.
- Transparent pricing: Clear, upfront pricing with flexible engagements, perfect for all kinds of companies.
- Rigorous vetting process: Guarantees high-quality tech talent through a thorough vetting process.

Toptal
Toptal serves as a vast marketplace for freelance talent, offering rates that reflect the high caliber of its professionals. Including Toptal's fees, this model is designed to fit a variety of project scopes and budgets, offering flexibility and a wide talent pool.
Key features and services offered:
- Global freelancer network: Access to top-tier freelancers worldwide across various disciplines.
- Flexible engagements: Various working arrangements with adaptable pricing.
- Selective vetting process: Only the top 3% of talent is admitted through a comprehensive screening.

Learn more about: Toptal pricing
Andela
Andela focuses on building a global platform that connects brilliant people and companies, aiming to foster a more sustainable and productive work model. While Andela's current platform lacks visible pricing details, previously, they had offered a structured pricing model based on developer experience levels. However, it's important to note that these rates are no longer available on their website, which may affect their current accuracy.
Key features and services offered:
- Global platform: Aims to connect brilliance with opportunity, regardless of location or barriers.
- Vision for better work: Focuses on co-creation and ingenuity to improve work practices.
- Developer experience pricing: Previously listed rates offered insights into budgeting for junior to senior developers.

Pricing & fees comparison: Toptal vs Andela vs Teilur Talent
Understanding actual costs is crucial for team expansion, with transparent pricing enabling informed decision-making. Here, we compare how Toptal, Andela, and Teilur Talent fare in terms of pricing and fees.
Pricing and fees
- Toptal: Offers talent at rates ranging from $90 to $170+/hr, inclusive of Toptal's fees, with bi-monthly invoicing and Net 10 terms.
- Andela: Offered hourly rates based on developer experience, with junior developers at $20-40/hour, mid-level developers at $35-60/hour, and senior developers at $50-100/hour. It's important to note these rates are from previously available information and may not be up-to-date.
- Teilur Talent: Features a transparent pricing model without minimum commitments, ensuring over 80% of payments go directly to the talent, highlighting its commitment to fair compensation.
Talent quality and vetting process
- Toptal: Admits only the top 3% of applicants, ensuring access to a pool of high-caliber global professionals.
- Andela: Focuses on connecting bright individuals with organizations, using an algorithmic match based on job title and time zone, showing less flexibility to customer-specific demands.
- Teilur Talent: Implements a comprehensive vetting process, especially for Latin American tech talent, ensuring high quality and expertise match.
Global reach and accessibility
- Toptal and Andela: Highlight their ability to provide global talent, catering to diverse geographical and project needs.
- Teilur Talent: Offers strategic nearshore advantages by focusing on Latin American talent, facilitating easier collaboration for businesses in the Americas.
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.








