What is Lemon.io?

Lemon.io is a website for hiring vetted freelance developers from Eastern Europe. Lemon was founded by Aleksandr Volodarsky and Vasyl Dzesa in 2015. Anvar Azizov later joined in 2018 as the 3rd co-founder.

How hiring from Lemon.io works

1. Make first contact by filling out a request form on their website. 
2. A sales representative will reach out to discuss your project needs. 
3. Lemon.io will handpick a dev from their database with the skills you need. 
4. You can chat directly with the developer to see if they’re what you need. 
5. Once you’re okay with the candidate and approve them, you must make an initial deposit and commit to at least 160 hours of work before your project can begin. 

Lemon.io vetting process

Lemon process of screening software engineers is as follows:

1. Recruitment department reviews developers' CVs and background.
2. Recruiters conduct an online interview to assess soft skills and language proficiency.
3. Lemon hires external contractors to conduct technical interviews with candidates.
4. Recruitment team adds successful candidates to Lemon’s dev pool.

Lemon.io pricing

There is no fixed fee for a project. However, Lemon developers typically charge between $55-$95 an hour, depending on their experience and technology. See their rates below:

Before your project begins, you must make a first deposit (about a week’s or a month’s fee, depending on your billing cycle). From there, you're charged weekly or monthly until the project ends.

Lemon.io User Reviews

Let’s find out the experiences users have had with Lemon and what they say about it.

When it comes to providing quality talent, Lemon has been reliable.  

This customer liked the smooth onboarding of the Lemon dev he got.

But they sometimes get it wrong with their developer matching. This customer was unimpressed with the lack of devs for tech stacks Lemon claimed to have available:

This customer was disappointed with Lemon’s incorrect matching and poor customer service. He asked for a full stack engineer but instead, Lemon matched him with a frontend dev. To top it off, his original invoice was tripled despite Lemon being at fault. 

Lemon learned the hard way that customers hate poor customer service. 

Lemon.io Pros & Cons

Frequently Asked Questions about Lemon.io

What are the best alternatives to Lemon.io?

Lemon.io is a good choice if you want to hire pre-vetted developers fast. But that means sacrificing quality sometimes. In some cases, Lemon has swapped developers because clients weren’t impressed with the first one. 

There are good alternatives that match you with quality devs at lightning speed. 

ReactSquad

We’re a marketplace of vetted React developers for SaaS startups. We provide expert React developers to teams looking to ship products fast. Within 48 hours, we’ll match you with a React specialist vetted and handpicked by a Silicon Valley senior developer. 

ReactSquad vs Lemon.io

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Toptal

Toptal is one of the biggest platforms for hiring remote developers around the world. They have 1 million pre-vetted developers skilled in multiple programming languages. Toptal is most suited for large organizations as their developers charge premium rates. 

Toptal vs Lemon.io

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Proxify

Proxify is a popular talent platform with 4000+ remote developers available for hire. You can choose a developer from their talent pool and get started in about a week. But you must be ready for a minimum commitment of 40 hours a month to start. 

Proxify vs Lemon.io

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Terminal.io

Terminal.io helps companies hire skilled software engineers globally. With Terminal, you can review profiles, interview candidates and share your feedback with Terminal’s team. However, if you want to hire quickly, you might want to look elsewhere; the hiring process takes about 30 days for contract hires and around 45 days for full-time hires.

Terminal.io vs Lemon.io

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Gun.io

Gun is another platform where companies can find software engineering talent to scale their dev teams. They provide a dedicated account manager to guide you in finding the freelancer that meets your needs. 

Gun.io vs Lemon.io

Which is the best alternative to Lemon.io?

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

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Lemon.io is definitely legit. Their fast matchmaking usually provides quality developers at competitive pricing. However, their minimum project commitment and customer service concerns may make you hesitate before committing. 

If you’re hiring React developers, you should consider us. We’re a marketplace of vetted React developers for SaaS startups. Our engineers are rigorously vetted with 3 interview rounds and 4 weeks of a paid test project. They’re also handpicked by a Silicon Valley senior engineer.

Here’s what we offer:

• Senior developers with 5+ years experience
• Simple, affordable pricing of $75/hr.
• 7-day no-risk free trial with a replacement guarantee.
• You can hire React devs for short and long-term projects.

Book a call with us today and get matched with a dev in 48 hours.  

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