Toptal vs Andela vs Teilur Talent: Pricing & true costs compared

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

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.
Teilur Talent

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.
Toptal

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.
Andela

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.

Feature Comparison
Feature Toptal Andela Teilur Talent
Pricing and Fees $90 to $170+/hr, inclusive of fees, bi-monthly invoicing with Net 10 terms. Junior: $20-40/hr, Mid-level: $35-60/hr, Senior: $50-100/hr (Note: these rates may not be up-to-date). Transparent pricing model without minimums, >80% of payment goes to talent. See costs clearly with our calculator below
Talent Quality and Vetting Process Admits only the top 3% of applicants, ensuring a pool of high-caliber global professionals. Uses an algorithmic match based on job title and time zone, indicating less adaptability to customer-specific needs. Comprehensive vetting for Latin American tech talent, ensuring a high match in quality and expertise.
Global Reach and Accessibility Provides global talent, catering to a wide range of geographical and project needs. Offers global talent, but previously available pricing details may not reflect current capabilities. Specializes in Latin American talent, offering nearshore advantages for easier collaboration in the Americas.

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.

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.