Hiring

Gun.io Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing, and Alternatives

Nikolas Chapoupis

CEO

November 23, 2024

TL;DR

Gun.io is a talent-matching platform that connects companies with vetted software developers for remote freelance or full-time work.
Gun.io doesn't disclose pricing info, so you must contact them for a quote.
Gun.io’s hiring process can take up to 13 days, sometimes with unexpected hiring costs.
Top alternatives to Gun.io include ReactSquad, Arc.dev, and Lemon.io, which offer faster hiring, more transparent pricing, and specialized talent pools.

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In 2025, is Gun.io worth considering for hiring tech talent for your startup?

This article will answer that question by looking at how Gun.io works, its costs, the pros and cons, and how it stacks up against other top options. That way, you can make a more informed decision.

What is Gun.io?

Gun.io is a talent-matching platform created by developers to simplify hiring for technical roles. It connects companies with developers, enabling them to hire individual talent for short-term projects or build entire teams for complex, long-term needs.

How to hire software developers on Gun.io

Gun.io’s hiring process takes about 13 days on average to complete.

Start a chat with Gun.io’s recruiters to tell them what you need.
Gun’s AI engine will find talent matches that match your requirements.
Choose the candidates you’d like to interview, and Gun.io will schedule the calls.
Once you’ve chosen a dev, Gun.io assists with the contracting, billing, and onboarding processes.

Gun.io’s vetting process

Developers who apply to work with Gun.io must pass 3 main stages:

The recruiting team conducts a coding test to test the developer’s technical skills.
A senior engineer interviews candidates to dive deeper into their technical expertise and teamwork ability.
A Gun.io executive interviews the candidate to assess soft skills, communication, and reliability for remote work.

While Gun.io’s vetting process covers some aspects of a candidate’s skills, it could have been more rigorous to guarantee top-quality developers. For example, adding project-based tests to simulate real client work is a good way to check how developers handle complex tasks.

Gun.io’s pricing

Gun.io doesn't have set prices or hourly rates listed on their website. Instead, the cost depends on your specific hiring needs. To get a quote, you'll need to contact the Gun.io team.

If you're looking to hire a full-time developer through Gun.io, they charge a fee equal to 20% of the developer's first-year salary at your company.

Gun.io Customer Reviews

Here are some positive things clients had to say about their experience with Gun.io.

The reviews are generally good, but some clients had a few complaints.

This client was unhappy about the lack of communication regarding budget and time overruns for her project. The developer took longer than initially agreed and wished Gun.io had discussed the extra costs with them.

This client was disappointed with their experience with Gun.io. They hired a developer for an important project but ended up with a deliverable that did not meet their specifications, took longer than quoted, and exceeded the budget. Gun.io did not provide the expected support, and the client felt they had to manage the developer themselves, questioning the value of paying a premium for the service.

Pros and cons of Gun.io


Pros	Cons
2-week no-risk free trial available	Hiring can take up to two weeks to complete
Flexible hiring options: Hire short-term, long term or full-time in-house	Customer support could be better
Multiple tech stacks and programming languages are available	Their vetting process could be more rigorous to screen for higher quality developers
No upfront recruiting costs	Lack of transparency with pricing
	Developers are sometimes unreliable
	Clients have reported unexpected increases in hiring costs

Gun.io Alternatives

Here are the best alternatives to Gun.io.

ReactSquad

ReactSquad is a marketplace of vetted React developers for SaaS startups. We screen our devs through 3 interviews and 4 weeks of a paid test project. They’re also handpicked by Jan Hesters, our CTO, and guaranteed to consistently deliver high-quality.

If your project requires React, Next.js or Remix expertise, we have the right team to meet your needs.

ReactSquad vs Gun.io


	ReactSquad	Gun.io
Hourly rate	$75	Custom quotes
Any upfront costs or hidden fees?	None	Undisclosed
How fast can you hire?	Within 48 hours	Within 2 weeks
Pros	- Fast hiring process - Strong vetting process - Free trial available - Affordable, transparent pricing - Flexible hiring options. You can hire for short-term and long term projects	- Free trial available - Multiple tech stacks - Flexible hiring options. You can hire short-term, long term or full-time in-house
Cons	- Only focused on projects using React.js, Redux or Next.js	- Slower hiring process - Customer support could be better. - Their vetting process could be more rigorous to screen for higher quality developers - Lack of transparency with pricing - Developers are sometimes unreliable
Can you hire multiple devs?	Yes	Yes
Free trial period	1 week	2 weeks
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?	Yes	Yes

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Arc.dev

Arc.dev is a website that helps companies hire remote developers, usually for long-term projects. While Arc developers charge between $60 to $100+ hourly, hiring takes 1 to 3 weeks to be completed.

Arc.Dev vs Gun.io


	ReactSquad	Gun.io
Hourly rate	$60 to $100+	Custom quotes
Any upfront costs or hidden fees?	A refundable initial deposit of $300. Credited to your first invoice if you hire	Undisclosed
How fast can you hire?	Within 2 weeks	Within 2 weeks
Pros	- Flexible hiring options. You can hire for short-term and long term projects. - Multiple tech stacks - Free trial available - Transparent pricing	- Free trial available - Multiple tech stacks - Flexible hiring options. You can hire short-term, long term or full-time in-house
Cons	- Slow hiring process - An advance deposit is required to start a project - Lenient vetting process. Involves only one coding test and a technical interview	- Slower hiring process - Customer support could be better. - Their vetting process could be more rigorous to screen for higher quality developers - Lack of transparency with pricing - Developers are sometimes unreliable
Can you hire multiple devs?	Yes	Yes
Free trial period	2 weeks	2 weeks
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?	Yes	Yes

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Lemon.io

Lemon is an online website for hiring vetted freelance developers from Eastern Europe. They are known for their fast matching of devs with companies, usually within 48 hours. Lemon has developers with experience in several technologies and programming languages.

Lemon vs Gun.io


	Lemon	Gun.io
Hourly rate	$55 to $95+	Custom quotes
Any upfront costs or hidden fees?	A refundable security deposit equal to one week or one month’s cost of the project	Undisclosed
How fast can you hire?	Within a week	Within 2 weeks
Pros	- Fast hiring process - Flexible hiring options. You can hire for short-term and long term projects - Multiple tech stacks - Affordable pricing	- Free trial available - Multiple tech stacks - Flexible hiring options. You can hire short-term, long term or full-time in-house
Cons	- Minimum project duration of 160 hours required to start - Very short free trial - A security deposit is required to start - AI matching engine often leads to mismatches	- Slower hiring process - Customer support could be better. - Their vetting process could be more rigorous to screen for higher quality developers - Lack of transparency with pricing - Developers are sometimes unreliable
Can you hire multiple devs?	No	Yes
Free trial period	20 hours	2 weeks
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?	Yes	Yes

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CloudDevs

CloudDevs is a tech marketplace for hiring remote freelance developers from Latin America. Most of their devs come with 5+ years of experience. They’re a good choice if you want to work with engineers from Latin American countries.

CloudDevs vs Gun.io


	CloudDevs	Gun.io
Hourly rate	$50 to $75	Custom quotes
Any upfront costs or hidden fees?	$500. Credited to your first invoice if you hire. Refundable	Undisclosed
How fast can you hire?	Within a week	Within 2 weeks
Pros	- Fast hiring process - Free trial available - Multiple tech stacks - Affordable pricing	- Free trial available - Multiple tech stacks - Flexible hiring options. You can hire short-term, long term or full-time in-house
Cons	- A security deposit is required to start - Lenient vetting process. Involves one test and a technical interview with a recruiter	- Slower hiring process - Customer support could be better. - Their vetting process could be more rigorous to screen for higher quality developers - Lack of transparency with pricing - Developers are sometimes unreliable
Can you hire multiple devs?	Yes	Yes
Free trial period	1 week	2 weeks
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?	Yes	Yes

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Revelo

Revelo is a platform that connects you with remote software engineering talent from Latin America. You can source from nearly 300,000 developers and start with a two-week free trial. Revelo handles payroll & compliance for its clients.

Revelo vs Gun.io


	Revelo	Gun.io
Hourly rate	$50 to $70	Custom quotes
Any upfront costs or hidden fees?	$500 initial fee to get started. This is in addition to the dev’s rates	Undisclosed
How fast can you hire?	Within 3 weeks	Within 2 weeks
Pros	- Free trial available - Affordable pricing - Large talent pool - Revelo handles compliance and payroll	- Free trial available - Multiple tech stacks - Flexible hiring options. You can hire short-term, long term or full-time in-house
Cons	- Slower hiring process - Lenient vetting process - Advance deposit is needed to start	- Slower hiring process - Customer support could be better. - Their vetting process could be more rigorous to screen for higher quality developers - Lack of transparency with pricing - Developers are sometimes unreliable
Can you hire multiple devs?	Yes	Yes
Free trial period	2 weeks	2 weeks
Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?	Yes	Yes

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Which is the best alternative to Gun.io?

Here are the best Gun.io alternatives for different use cases and scenarios.


Use Case	Option 1	Option 2
You want to hire fast	ReactSquad	Lemon
You want the option to hire for the long term	Arc.dev	ReactSquad
You want senior developers with 5+ years of experience	ReactSquad	CloudDevs
You need quality devs at an affordable price	Lemon	ReactSquad
You want to hire many devs	ReactSquad	Lemon

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If you have a flexible budget and don’t mind spending more time hiring engineers, Gun.io is a good option for you. But if you need React software developers at startup-friendly rates, we’re your best bet.

Here’s what we offer:

Transparent pricing at $75 per hour
Developers with 5+ years of experience
Super fast matching within 48 hours
7-day free trial

Book a call and get matched with a developer in 48 hours.

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Hire reliable React Developers without breaking the bank

zero-risk replacement guarantee
flexible monthly payments
7-day free trial