Lemon.io Review: Pricing, Alternatives, and more

What is Lemon.io?

Lemon.io is an online platform for hiring vetted freelance developers from Eastern Europe. The freelance marketplace is saturated, but Lemon.io stands out in two ways: 

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1. By prioritizing speed - they claim to match you with a quality developer for your project within 48 hours. 
2. Quality assurance because of their strict vetting process. 

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How Lemon.io works

Lemon connects startups with experienced developers with the skills to take on their projects. 

1. You make first contact by filling out a request form. 
2. A Sales Representative will reach out to you to discuss your project needs. 
3. Lemon.io will match you with a developer from their database with the skills you need. 
4. You can now 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 agree to make a ‘security’ deposit and commit to at least 160 hours of work before your project can begin. 

Lemon.io Pros & Cons

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Pros

Cons

Hourly rates between $55 - $95

Relatively small talent pool for a platform with multiple programming languages

Matches an available candidate in 48 hours.

Matching can be slow for projects with less common tech stacks.

Good for: Javascript, Python, Ruby on Rails, Java, and Swift

Not ideal for: React, Node.Js, Redux, etc.

Access to quality vetted developers. 

You need to make a ‘security’ deposit before the project can start.

Requires a minimum commitment of 160 work hours.

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Other Questions

FAQs

Answers

Any upfront fees?

You must pay a ‘security deposit’ before the agreed start of the project. The deposit is equivalent to a week’s fee for the project.

Which technologies are common?

Javascript, Python, Ruby on Rails, Java, and Swift

Any minimum duration for a project?

You must commit to at least 160 hours of work

Do developers speak English?

Yes 

Hourly rate

Rates start at $55 - $95/hour

Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?

Yes

What if I don’t like my developer?

You may contact Customer support for a replacement

Can you ask for a refund?

Yes

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Who is Lemon.io for?

Their most typical clients are startups who use Javascript, Python, Ruby On Rails, Java, and Swift languages. If your project requires a different tech stack, your chances of getting a good developer are slim; it is better to look elsewhere.

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Client Fees

Lemon developers typically charge between $55 to $95 an hour, depending on their experience and technology. Before your project begins, you must make a first deposit (about a week’s fee). From there, you're charged weekly till your project ends. All contracts require at least 160 hours of work. 

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Real Lemon.io User Reviews

So we know how Lemon works, but what experiences have users had, and what do they say about it? 

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Good Client Reviews

When it comes to getting quality talent, Lemon is reliable. Shows that their strict vetting works. 

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This customer enjoyed his onboarding process at Lemon.io. 

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Bad Client Reviews

Lemon’s limited talent pool can cost you the wrong matchups

For a platform that acts as the perfect matchmaker between founders and developers, they sometimes get it wrong. These customers were unimpressed:

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Lemon.io’s customer support needs some support

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

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What are the best alternatives to Lemon.io?

Lemon.io is a good choice if you want a variety of tech stacks to choose from. But that means sacrificing quality sometimes. There are cases where Lemon has swapped developers because clients weren’t impressed with the first one. There are good alternatives to get you exactly what you want:

How do the alternatives compare?

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ReactSquad

Lemon.io

Toptal

Turing

Hourly Rate

$85

$55 - $95

$100 - $200

$100 - $200

Upfront costs?

No. 

Yes. Equivalent to 1 week’s cost of the project. 

Yes. $500. 

Can be refunded if you decide not to move forward.

No.

How fast can you hire

Within 48 hours

Within a week

Within 3 weeks

Within a week

Can they provide a team?

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Specialised Frameworks?

React; NextJS, Node.JS, Javascript, etc

Any

Any

Any

Can you request a tech interview, live coding, or test task?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Which is the best alternative to Lemon.io?

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Use Case

Option 1

Option 2

You need a product launched in record time

ReactSquad

Turing

You want to hire ASAP

ReactSquad

Lemon.io

You want the option to hire for the long-term

Turing

ReactSquad

You want senior developers with 5+ years of experience

ReactSquad

TopTal

You need great quality at a lower price

Lemon.io

ReactSquad

You want to hire a team

ReactSquad

Turing

You want to hire from anywhere

TopTal

Turing

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Conclusion

Lemon.io is legit. Their manual matchmaking and strict vetting process usually give you good software developers. But like most freelance sites, you’re not guaranteed quality every time, especially for rare technologies. And the minimum hours required might be a turn-off for some. 

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If you are growing fast and speed is important, consider a specialist agency.

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ReactSquad is a specialist staffing agency that provides vetted React developers to engineering teams. 

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• Specialists: They’re 100% focused on React.
• Rigorously vetted devs: 3 interviews + 4 weeks of a paid test project. Handpicked by a Silicon Valley Senior Engineer.
• Fast matching: Get a dev within 48 hours.
• Simple, affordable, and transparent pricing of $85/hour. No hidden charges
• Developers have 5+ years of experience in various industries, especially SaaS.
• Full-time and in-house developers → Consistently high quality
• 14-Day no-risk free trial

‍Book a call today and get matched within 48 hours.