They charge differently. Upwork publishes a 5% marketplace fee on its Basic plan (up to 7.99%, per its help center) plus a fee per new contract. Toptal publishes a $79 a month subscription and no talent rates (as of Oct 2026).

How is StaffPick different from Toptal?

Every StaffPick profile shows the person's own hourly rate and test scores before you ask for an intro. Hire Direct is $79 a month, the same as Toptal's subscription, and you pay the person directly. StaffPick covers ten roles, from virtual assistants to developers.

Toptal review for employers

What Toptal publishes about cost as of Oct 2026, what it doesn't, how it compares with Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph and StaffPick, and when it's the better choice.

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Browsing and the AI shortlist are free.

Toptal's fees for clients, as of Oct 2026

Talent rates: Not published
Toptal FAQ (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026
Platform subscription: $79 a month
Toptal FAQ (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026
Trial period: Up to 2 weeks
Toptal FAQ (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026

Toptal's $79 a month is the same price as StaffPick's Hire Direct. StaffPick profiles also show each person's rate before you ask for an intro.

How the options compare

Fees as each company publishes them, as of Oct 2026. Prices change, so check the linked page before you sign up.

ToptalA monthly platform subscription; talent rates aren't publishedNo published talent rates. A $79 a month platform subscription, and a trial of up to 2 weeks

Toptal FAQ (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026

OnlineJobs.phA monthly subscription to contact workersFree plan can't message anyone. Pro $69 or Premium $99 a month

OnlineJobs.ph pricing (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026

UpworkA fee on each payment, plus a fee per new contract5% of each payment on Basic (up to 7.99%, per its help center), 10% on Business Plus, plus $0.99–$14.99 per contract

Upwork pricing (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026

FiverrA service fee on each order5.5% of each order, plus $3.50 on orders under $200

Fiverr Help: paying for orders (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026

StaffPickA flat monthly plan, or their pay plus a flat feeFree to browse. Hire Direct $79 a month; Done For You is their pay plus $399 a month. Pricing

When Toptal is the better choice

You need a skill outside the ten roles StaffPick covers.
You want a trial period of up to 2 weeks before you commit.
You don't need to compare published rates before you start.

How StaffPick is different

StaffPick covers ten roles, from virtual assistants to developers, for ongoing remote work.

Tested before you see them: English (a CEFR band), a 60-second typing test, a quiz for the role and an ID check. The scores are on every profile.
Free to browse: Look at every profile and get an AI shortlist from one sentence, without paying.
Hire Direct, a flat fee: $79 a month to request intros. You pay the person directly, in the way you agree.
Done For You, if you'd rather not: Their pay plus $399 a month. StaffPick pays them and replaces them free if it doesn't work out.

Questions about Toptal

Still unsure? Contact us. A person reads every message.

As of Oct 2026, Toptal's FAQ doesn't publish talent rates. It lists a $79 a month platform subscription and a trial period of up to 2 weeks.

Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph and Toptal are trademarks of their owners. StaffPick isn't affiliated with them. Every fee above comes from the company's own page, linked beside it, as of Oct 2026.

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