Top 11 Unicorn.dev Alternatives To Hire Remote Developers

Unicorn.Dev is a solution for companies looking to hire remote tech talent. This platform has a global pool of over 8,000 pre-vetted developers and tech talents to source from. One significant thing about Unicorn.Dev is that all of their senior talents have at least 5 years of experience, ensuring they have qualified candidates available. Unicorn.dev's talents are also available to work within a 4-hour time zone gap, making it convenient for them to collaborate with international teams. 

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Key info about Unicorn.dev

Pricing: Developers' rates range between $50-85/hour with custom and flexible contracts.

Matching time period: 48-72 hours after your initial query/request.

Trial period: 7-day free trial for each talent.

Best for: Companies that want to hire senior developers for long, complex projects.

As more and more companies move towards remote work, hiring talented developers who can work from anywhere in the world has become increasingly important. Unicorn.dev might seem like the best platform for finding top remote developers, but there are better alternatives that offer quicker, wider, and more specialized.

Here’s a list of 11 alternatives to Unicorn.dev to hire efficient remote developers:

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1. ReactSquad

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When it comes to working with developers who specialize in React, ReactSquad is your perfect choice. It is a staffing agency that provides vetted React developers companies and engineering teams.

Pricing: A transparent pricing of $85/hour.

Hiring period: Within 48 hours.

Trial period: 14-day risk-free trial available.

Best for: Hiring developers who are experts in React.js, Next.js, Javascript, etc.

If you’re ready to hire a React specialist within 48 hours, book a call today.

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2. CloudDevs

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CloudDevs is a talent hub that offers pre-screened Latin American developers for hire. Their tech talent is carefully matched with the client's requirements, and the recruitment process is usually completed within 5 days.

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Pricing: A flat rate of $50-85/hour.

‍Hiring period: Up to 5 days after your initial query/request.

Trial period: 7-day free trial for all their talents.

Best for: Hiring developers individually or as a team from your timezone.

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3. Toptal

For years, Toptal has been a leading platform for businesses and entrepreneurs seeking tech talents such as software developers and product managers. Toptal connects companies and startups with vetted offshore tech talents who specialize in various fields, including software development. They’re also great if you need programmers for both short-term and full-time projects.

Toptal is one of the most expensive alternatives to Unicorn.Dev, assuming quality developers are top priority.

Pricing: Freelancer’s rates range between $100-$200+ per hour. There’s also a $79 monthly subscription to use their talent search services.

Hiring period: Can take up to 3 weeks.

Trial Period: 14-day risk-free trial.

Best for: Hiring quality, cherry-picked developers if you have the budget.

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4. Lemon.io

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Lemon.io is a network of vetted freelance developers focused on web development. Lemon recruits talent from Eastern European countries like Ukraine, Serbia, and Poland.

Their hourly rates are affordable for most businesses, but the platform requires you to commit to at least 160 project hours before you can start working with one of their developers. Lemon.io has a rigorous screening process. They evaluate developers on 3 key factors: technical competency, English proficiency, and qualifications. This ensures that you get access to a pool of competent engineers.

Pricing: Ranges between $55-100 per hour for a developer.

Hiring Period: Usually takes a week. 

Trial Period: 20-hour free-trial period. You can replace the dev if unsatisfied.

Best for: Any company looking for a cost-effective alternative for middle-to-senior level developers.

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5. Turing

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Turing offers a diverse pool of tech talent sourced from 140 countries. Their unique semi-automated and strict talent vetting process tests for both technical and soft skills. 

Out of 200,000 applicants a year, only the top 1% are selected and added to their pool. Turing prioritizes long-term job opportunities, resulting in better retention rates and more reliable client matches. However because of the high competence of talent, they’re quite expensive.

Pricing: Developer rates range between $100-$200 per hour. 

Hiring Time Period: You’ll get a match with a suitable tech developer within 5 days of your initial request.

Trial Period: 14-day free trial period.

Best for: Any company that has a large budget to hire elite developers on a long-term basis.

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6. Hubstaff Talent

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Hubstaff Talent is a recently launched talent-hiring service. It is a great alternative to Unicorn.Dev as it’s free to use-they don’t charge additional fees on developer rates. Clients can also post jobs free of charge. 

Hubstaff Talent operates mainly as a database of freelancers but without a manual vetting process to assess developer quality. You can browse through developer profiles and directly contact them. That said, you’ll have to do a lot of digging to find a good developer.

Pricing: Developers usually charge between $35-$70 per hour. 

Hiring period: Depends on how early you find a developer who fits your requirements. 

Trial period: No trial period.

Best for: Any company needing to complete small-scale development projects or gigs.

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7. Codeable

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Codeable is an alternative to Unicorn.dev that entirely concentrates on WordPress developers. They help to build WordPress projects ranging from short-term to recurring or full-time. Codeable's specialists come from over 60 countries, with most having more than 6 years of professional WordPress experience. They use an algorithm to give projects a single-price estimate, which is the average of all the offers from interested freelancers for your project. This helps to eliminate undercutting and over-pricing.

Pricing: Ranges from $80-120/hour, depending on the scope and complexity of the project

Hiring Time Period: Nothing openly disclosed. 

Trial Period: No trial period, but you may request a partial refund if you’re unsatisfied.

Best for: Companies that need WordPress experts as soon as possible.

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8. Scalable Path

Scalable Path is another tech staffing agency that has over 28,000 experienced freelance software developers from around 180 countries. 

As a client, you’ll receive personal support throughout the hiring process as their team handpicks candidates based on your project's requirements.

Scalable Path screening evaluates both technical and soft skills. This helps you find the most qualified and competent developers in their pool. 

Pricing: Depends on your requirements, but developer rates typically range from $45-65/hour.

Hiring Time Period: Less than 3 weeks.

Trial Period: Free trial is offered, but no specific period is defined.

Best for: Companies looking to hire developers quickly without paying upfront fees.

9. Gun.io

Gun.io is a competitor that helps startups recruit software developers. These developers are part of Gun’s tech talent community, which is strictly by invitation. Gun.io uses a custom recommendation process to match these devs with suitable companies. 

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Pricing: Freelancer's rates are usually between $50-90/hour.

Hiring Time Period: Takes about 2 weeks.

Trial Period: No trial period.

Best for: Teams looking for skilled freelance developers for their projects.

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10. Moonlight

Moonlight is an online community and marketplace that connects software developers with tech companies worldwide. Job listings and account creations are free, so the vetting process isn’t strict. 

When you post a job, the community is notified of the opportunity to apply. Within 48 hours, you’ll have a list of applicant proposals to review. Choose who you want to work with, and start right away. 

For full-time hires, you can interview the applicants or hire them for a short contract project instead of a coding test. 

Pricing: There are no fees for listing jobs or accessing Moonlight’s talent pool. But they charge a 15% service fee once a job begins. Developers normally charge around $65/hr.

Hiring Time Period: It depends on your speed since it’s fully self-serve.

Trial Period: You work with the freelancer on a short contract project before hiring them full-time.

Best for: Companies looking for mostly US-based developers.

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11. Arc.dev

Arc.Dev is a platform that caters to diverse tech stacks and time zones, ensuring the timely delivery of projects. Arc.Dev offers the flexibility of hiring both permanent and freelance remote developers.

Arc.Dev's unique selling proposition is its ability to match freelance developers within 5 days, while the recruitment process for permanent developers may take up to 14 days. 

Pricing: This could be anywhere from $60-100/hour or more, depending on the talent’s experience.

Hiring Time Period: It could take 1-2 weeks of your initial request.

Trial Period: 2-week trial for freelance hires and a 3-month risk-free period for full-time hires.

Best for: Companies looking to hire top-notch talent on both a short-term and long-term basis.

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Best Alternative to Unicorn.dev

ReactSquad is the best alternative to Unicorn.dev if you need React developers. It is a staffing agency that provides vetted, senior React developers to companies and engineering teams.

Here’s what they offer:  

• Specialists: They’re 100% focused on React. Developers have 5+ years of experience in various industries, especially SaaS.
• Rigorously vetted devs: Devs undergo 3 interviews + 4 weeks of a paid test project. Handpicked by an experienced CTO.

‍Book a call to get matched with the senior React developers in 48 hours.