TL;DR

• Codementor is a popular choice for staff augmentation. It doubles as a mentorship community for software developers.
• Codementor offers access to pre-vetted talent but can be expensive and lack transparency with pricing. It is also less suitable for long-term hires.
• There are some good Codementor alternatives like ReactSquad and Turing.
• Some alternatives offer more affordable pricing and free trials, while others lack diverse programming skills.
• If your project requires ReactJS, then ReactSquad is your best bet. 

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Codementor might be a popular choice, but is it the perfect fit to help your startup ship code faster? Codementor has become one of the popular staff augmentation agencies for SaaS startups. This hiring model is one of the top choices helping CTOs assemble their tech teams.

But Codementor isn’t the only option out there. In this article, we’ll break down its pros and cons and introduce you to some great alternatives you might not have considered.

What is Codementor?

Codementor is a talent marketplace and an online mentorship community. Here, programmers can learn from each other, hire devs for projects, and access valuable coding tutorials. They are also the brain behind Arc.dev, a platform for finding and hiring remote software developers.

Codementor’s Vetting Process

Developers who want to become freelancers on Codementor must apply and be approved. However, clicking the application link redirects you to ArcDev, Codementor’s dedicated cloud platform for hiring developers. This shows that Codementor itself has no defined vetting process but uses ArcDev’s. 

Here’s a quick peek at ArcDev’s vetting process:

1. Recruiters review profiles to check for the right training and experience.  
2. Candidates do a video interview to show their English skills, other soft skills, and if they're a good fit for remote work.
3. A senior engineer interviews candidates to test their technical abilities and logical thinking.  
4. An independent team goes over each step of each developer’s vetting process to ensure everything was consistent.

How to hire developers from Codementor

If you’re a founder or CTO and want to hire from Codementor, this is the process: 

1. Create an account on Codementor and post a freelance job request. The request should contain details like project type, technologies required, timeline, and budget.

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2. You’ll see a list of recommended devs below your request details in your dashboard. Codementor notifies all verified freelancers of your job request. You can wait for the freelancers to reach out or browse through interesting profiles yourself.
3. If you browse profiles and find a good fit, you can send them a message from your dashboard. You can then click “hire” on the developer’s profile when you’re happy to go ahead, then click on 'Create freelance job' in the blue popup box to start the project. Your payment will be stored in escrow and handed to the dev after he completes the job.

Codementor’s Pricing

Codementor lets developers set their own rates for coding services. While these rates aren’t clearly stated on their website, expect to pay a developer between $60 and $100 per hour, going by ArcDev’s typical rates.

Codementor Client Reviews

Most clients have good things to say about Codementor. Customers are generally happy with the quality of developers they’ve hired.

Pros and Cons of Codementor

Codementor generally gets positive reviews, but there are a few things to consider if you’re looking to hire remote developers. Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons:

Pros

• Access to a wide talent pool
• Flexibility to either hire or have a 1:1 mentorship session with a developer.
• You can hire multiple devs for multiple job requests

Cons

• Pricing and billing aren’t entirely transparent.
• Not ideal for dedicated long-term hires, as most developers only have a few hours to spare.

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Top 5 Codementor Alternatives You Didn’t Know About

So maybe you prefer a platform with a more transparent pricing, or one with more experienced devs. We’ve got 5 alternatives you can consider.

#1 ReactSquad

Hire senior React developers at affordable rates

• Qualified, senior developers with 5+ years of experience
• Affordable and transparent pricing at $75/hour
• Get matched with a developer in 48 hours

Let’s talk about your project

ReactSquad is a marketplace of vetted React developers for SaaS startups. Before being hand-picked by Jan Hesters, our CTO, each developer goes through 3 interviews and 4 weeks of a paid test project.

At $75/hour, we provide access to skilled specialists without the steep costs of hiring full-time software engineers. 

Pros

• 48-hour matching with a dev.
• Developers have 5+ years of experience in various industries, especially SaaS.
• 7-Day no-risk free trial.

Cons

• Not ideal if your project requires a different technology to React.JS.

Pricing

Simple, affordable, and transparent pricing of $75/hour. No extra charges.

Reviews

Here are some reviews from top SaaS startups who’ve used ReactSquad:

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#2 YouTeam

With a talent pool of over 50,000 software engineers, YouTeam is one of the largest outstaffing agencies in South America. But unlike many platforms, YouTeam doesn’t work with solo freelancers. Instead, they partner with and assign projects to selected software development agencies across South America and Eastern Europe.

Pros

• One-month trial period.
• Dedicated customer success manager for your project.

Cons

• The hiring process can take over 3 weeks to complete. 
• Commitment issues as developers work only a few hours a day. 
• They don’t have experts for all the different programming skills.

Pricing

The hourly rate is set by the engineer, with YouTeam taking a 10% cut. According to YouTeam’s talent pool data, hiring a developer will cost you between $60 to $100+/hour, including YouTeam’s fee. 

Reviews

Customers praise Youteam’s user interface and communication. But a major downside is their lack of talent for lesser-known tech stacks.

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#3 Geekhunter

Geekhunter is a Brazilian company that specializes in recruiting tech talent—ranging from front-end and back-end to full-stack—from Latin America. They connect these developers with startups in South America, North America, and Europe.

Pros

• Free trial available.
• Large pool of developers to choose from.

Cons

• Lack of transparency in pricing.

Pricing

Their fees aren’t clearly listed on their website or review sites, but they state that the average cost of hiring a Geekhunter developer is around $80,000 per year depending on tech stack and experience.

Reviews

Geekhunter has a few positive reviews on platforms like G2 and Trustpilot, although many are from developers. The client reviews point out Geekhunter’s fast hiring process.

#4 Turing.com

Turing is one of the largest tech talent marketplaces, with over 1 million developers, project managers, and other techies. One of its standout features is using an AI matching engine to match companies with devs. Turing also uses AI to screen developers.

For a more detailed review of Turing, check out this article.

Pros

• Fast matching due to AI. This doesn’t guarantee accurate matches, however. 
• Large talent pool.
• 2 week free trial available
• Multiple tech stacks available to hire for. 

Cons

• Expensive
• Service is limited to US or Canadian companies

Pricing

Rates depend on the developer's skill and experience, typically ranging between $100 and $200 per hour for mid-level and senior developers.

Reviews

While it generally has good reviews, some Turing customers have reported issues with communication and customer support.

#5 Andela 

Andela is a marketplace that connects startups with skilled software engineers from Africa and Latin America. 

Pros

• AI talent matching engine speeds up the hiring process. But this doesn’t guarantee accurate matches.
• Access to dedicated account managers.
• You can hire entire software teams.

Cons

• Can be expensive, with monthly rates ranging from $6,000 to $15,000.
• Not many senior developers are available in their talent pool. 
• Not ideal for short-term projects

Pricing

All contracts are signed for 12 months. Andela charges a monthly rate for hiring its developers, ranging from $6,000 to $15,000, depending on the developer’s experience, location, and technology stack. 

Reviews

A review on Trustpilot mentioned a decline in the quality of developers since Andela stopped their training-to-hire program.

For a closer look at Andela, check out our detailed article here.

What Is The Best Alternative To Codementor? 

If your project needs top-notch React, Next.js, or Remix talent, ReactSquad is the way to go. We provide expert React specialists at half the cost of US developers. 

Book a call today and get a dev within 48 hours.