RemoteAI, Upwork, Turing, Lemon.io and Arc.dev next to Toptal: what each costs, how each screens people, and which one fits your hire.
| Platform | Best for | Rate | Fees | Vetting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RemoteAI You are here | AI-specific hiring with zero markup on rates | Set directly by talent, no markup | One free job a month (14 days, reviewed if website not verified), $49 per post, or $179 for 5 posts | Manual review of new profiles |
| Toptal | High-stakes, brand-sensitive projects with budget to spare | Hourly, set through Toptal | $79 monthly subscription once you proceed with matching (Toptal FAQ) | Multi-stage screening, as Toptal describes it |
| Upwork | Maximum breadth across every freelance category | Set by each freelancer | 3–10% client fee per contract + contract initiation fee (Basic plan) | General marketplace; Upwork's own profile approval |
| Turing | Scaling a full remote engineering team | See their site | Custom / agency-style pricing | AI-matched, algorithm-driven screening |
| Lemon.io | Early-stage startups that need someone fast | See their site | Built into hourly rate | Vetted pool, as they describe it |
| Arc.dev | Mid-size teams wanting a curated shortlist | See their site | Built into hourly rate | Vetted, community-sourced pool, as they describe it |
Toptal and Upwork fees checked on their own pages on 30 October 2026 (toptal.com/faq, upwork.com/pricing/client). Turing, Lemon.io and Arc.dev are described as they present themselves; check their current terms on their sites. RemoteAI is our own product.
Which one fits
The best platforms to hire AI talent differ most in who screens people and how you pay.
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FAQ
It depends on your priority. For AI-specific talent with no markup on rates and no deposit, RemoteAI is built specifically for this. For high-budget, brand-sensitive hires, Toptal is a strong premium option. For the widest possible pool across all categories, Upwork wins on breadth. For scaling a full remote team fast, Turing and Lemon.io are worth evaluating.
RemoteAI charges flat posting fees (one free job a month, open 14 days, reviewed first if your website is not verified) with no commission on what you pay the talent. Toptal lists a $79 monthly subscription once you proceed with matching. Upwork charges clients a 3-10% service fee per contract on top of the freelancer rate. Check Lemon.io and Arc.dev for their current pricing.
Platforms that review profiles save some screening time. On RemoteAI, new profiles are reviewed before they are listed; skills are not tested. General marketplaces like Upwork have a much larger pool but put the vetting work on you. If you are hiring for a specific, hard-to-evaluate skill like LLM engineering or MLOps, a specialist pool that screens profiles tends to save more time than it costs in platform fees.
For general software engineering roles at scale, Toptal and Turing's broader networks and agency-style support can be worth the premium. For AI-specific roles specifically, a platform built around AI, ML, and LLM talent (rather than general engineering) usually gets you a more relevant shortlist without the agency markup.
Post one job a month free (open 14 days, reviewed first if your website is not verified), with no commission on your hire. See who applies before you pay anything.