Gigster Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing and Alternatives
Hiring
Gigster Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing and Alternatives
Nikolas Chapoupis
CEO
November 10, 2024
In this article, we’ll dive into Gigster's pros, cons, and pricing. And if it turns out that Gigster isn’t the solution you’ve been hoping for, we’ll suggest some great alternatives to keep your project on track.
What is Gigster?
Gigster is a platform for startups searching for freelance developers to build custom software solutions. They connect you with Silicon Valley engineers, providing a project manager to oversee your project. Founded in 2014, Gigster developers are based in US and Western Europe and they work part time, as they work full-time elsewhere.
How Gigster works
Fill out a form with your project idea, and you’ll receive an AI-calculated quote.
A Gigster rep will contact you to discuss your idea further, finalize the quote, and state the deliverables. If you’re happy with the quote, you can sign a contract.
Your project details are shared with the Gigster Talent Network, where developers compete for a spot on your team.
Gigster selects the best team for your project, and work begins. You can monitor the progress of your project through your personalized dashboard.
Once your project is finished, the final deliverables are handed over to you.
You pay Gigster, and they handle distributing payments to the developers.
Pricing
Gigster isn’t so transparent with pricing as it provides custom quotes for each project. But after some digging, we discovered that the minimum cost per project starts at $52,000. This price can increase if you need extra customizations.
Gigster User Reviews
According to reviews, while Gigster has decent developers, they communicate poorly. Gigsters lack of pricing transparency is something you also need to note so you’re not caught off guard.
This client complained about the lack of commitment by devs since they work part-time.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Access to thoroughly vetted developers.
Gigster provides an entire team for your project, including developers, designers, and project managers.
Developers are skilled in several technologies.
You can monitor your projects through an easy-to-use dashboard.
Cons
Some clients report that Gigster’s developers struggle with effective communication.
You don’t manage the freelance team directly; all communication goes through the assigned project manager.
Developers are only available part-time, as they work full-time elsewhere.
Since developers are part-timers, there’s a risk they may leave your project before it’s completed.
No free trial is available to test the waters before committing.
Top 5 Gigster alternatives for hiring remote developers
ReactSquad
ReactSquad is a marketplace of vetted React developers for SaaS startups. Our engineers are rigorously vetted and handpicked by our CTO, Jan Hesters, ensuring top-tier talent for your projects. Because our developers work with us in-house, we can consistently guarantee the high quality you expect. If your project requires React, Next.js or Remix expertise, we have the right team to meet your needs.
- Focused only on projects that use React.JS or Node.js.
- Expensive
- You can’t hire only one developer
- Can’t manage team directly
- Devs work mostly part-time
Free trial period
7 days
Andela
Can you hire many devs?
Yes
Yes
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?
Yes
No
Lemon.io
Lemon.io is an online marketplace that connects you with freelance developers from Eastern Europe. With developers working in similar time zones, Lemon.io is a good option for European startups looking for reliable, skilled talent. Their vetting process involves CV screening, English test, and live technical interviews. However to get started you need to commit to a minimum of 160 project hours.
Lemon vs Gigster
Lemon
Gigster
Hourly rates
$55 - $95
$100 - $150
Upfront costs or extra fees?
Advance payment equal to one week/month’s work, depending on billing cycle
None
How fast can you hire?
Within 3 days
Within a week
Pros
- Fast hiring
Good for: Javascript, Python, Ruby on Rails, Java, and Swift
- Access to pre-vetted developers
- Multiple tech stacks
- Online project tracker
- You can hire entire teams
Cons
- Minimum commitment of 160 hours to start.
- Advance payment required
- Expensive
- You can’t hire only one developer
- Can’t manage team directly
- Devs work mostly part-time
Free trial period
20 hours
Andela
Can you hire many devs?
Yes
Yes
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?
Yes
No
Toptal
Toptal is a leading platform for companies looking to hire top software engineers. Toptal has a global talent pool of over 1 million devs. Their developers are known for charging very high rates, although you’re normally guaranteed quality talent. As a result, Toptal is more ideal for enterprise companies.
Should you choose Toptal or Turing for hiring remote developers? Find out in this article.
Toptal vs Gigster
Toptal
Gigster
Hourly rates
$100 - $200
$100 - $150
Upfront costs or extra fees?
$79 monthly subscription
None
How fast can you hire?
Within 2 weeks
Within a week
Pros
- Strict vetting process
- Hire from anywhere
- Multiple tech stacks
- Multiple tech stacks
- Online project tracker
- You can hire entire teams
Cons
- Expensive
- Slower hiring process
- Expensive
- You can’t hire only one developer
- Can’t manage team directly
- Devs work mostly part-time
Free trial period
2 weeks
Andela
Can you hire many devs?
Yes
Yes
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?
Yes
No
Grupa
Grupa provides Silicon Valley engineers to specific companies: VC-backed US startups registered as Delaware C-corporations. Their developers work part-time (about 15-30 hours a week) for cash (at least $10,000 a month), equity (at least 0.375%), or both (at least $7,500 + 0.125%).
Grupa vs Gigster
Grupa
Gigster
Hourly rates
$85 - $165
$100 - $150
Upfront costs or extra fees?
$500 fee for priority service
None
How fast can you hire?
Within a week for priority service. Can take weeks for those on a waiting list.
Within a week
Pros
- Access to highly experienced developers
- Multiple tech stacks
- Online project tracker
- You can hire entire teams
Cons
- It can be expensive
- Devs work part-time, which could affect their commitment
- Service is limited to specific types of startups
- Waiting list to get started means hiring can be slow
- Expensive
- You can’t hire only one developer
- Can’t manage team directly
- Devs work mostly part-time
Free trial period
None
Andela
Can you hire many devs?
Yes
Yes
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?
No
No
CloudDevs
CloudDevs is a cloud-based developer recruitment platform that connects businesses with developers and assigns them to projects. It’s another platform that recruits from the Latin American region, with a talent pool of nearly 8000 developers to hire from.
CloudDevs vs Gigster
CloudDevs
Gigster
Hourly rates
$50 - $70
$100 - $150
Upfront costs or extra fees?
Refundable deposit of $500. Credited to your first invoice when you hire
None
How fast can you hire?
2-3 weeks
Within a week
Pros
- Multiple tech stacks
- Hire short term or long term
- Affordable pricing
- Multiple tech stacks
- Online project tracker
- You can hire entire teams
Cons
- Advance deposit required
- The whole onboarding and completion process can take weeks
- Customer support could be improved
- Expensive
- You can’t hire only one developer
- Can’t manage team directly
- Devs work mostly part-time
Free trial period
1 week
Andela
Can you hire many devs?
Yes
Yes
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?
Yes
No
Quick Summary
Here’s an overview of the main points from this article for quick reference:
About Gigster
Gigster provides development teams to startups to help build custom software.
I'm Nikolas, CEO of ReactSquad. Jan Hesters and I started this company after struggling to find skilled developers in our previous startup. Now I'm committed to helping SaaS companies scale by matching them with senior React developers in less than 48 hours.
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