10 Best Websites to Find Top Tech Talent

Finding great engineers and technical specialists has never been harder or more important.

Reports from the Linux Foundation both point to persistent tech talent shortages, especially in cloud, DevOps, cybersecurity and AI/ML roles. For AI specifically, recent analysis suggests demand outstrips supply by over 3:1 globally, with more than 1.6M open AI roles and only ~518K qualified candidates.

So the question isn’t “Do we need a better hiring strategy?” It’s: Where do we actually find top tech talent, efficiently and reliably, in this market?

In this guide, we’ll break down 10 of the best websites to find top tech talent (freelance, contract and full-time), how they differ, and when to use each one.

What “Top Tech Talent” Looks Like Now

In 2026, “good developer” is table stakes. The real differentiators are:

• Depth and breadth of skills, e.g. a backend engineer who also understands cloud infra, or a data engineer who can work with modern ML tooling.
• Ability to work with AI – the Linux Foundation notes that knowing how to work effectively with GenAI is rapidly becoming a competitive advantage for both engineers and organisations.
• Business context – engineers who can tie technical decisions to product, revenue and risk.
• Remote collaboration – distributed teams are the norm; async communication and autonomy matter as much as raw coding skill.

You won’t get all of that from every platform. Choosing the right site is the fastest way to tilt the odds in your favour.

How to Evaluate Tech Hiring Platforms

Before we get into the list, it’s worth defining your evaluation criteria. For tech roles, the platform itself can make or break your experience.

Look at:

• Type of talent
  • Freelancers / contractors
  • Permanent employees
  • Fractional or project-based experts
• Vetting model
  • Open marketplace (anyone can join)
  • Pre-vetted (tests, interviews, trials)
  • Fully managed (matching + screening done for you)
• Speed and time-to-hire
  • Can you see candidates in days, or will it take weeks?
• Cost and pricing
  • Platform fees, markups and minimum budgets
  • Typical hourly/day rates for the seniority you need.
• Geography and compliance
  • Global vs regional focus
  • Help with contracts, invoicing and cross-border compliance
• Support and tooling
  • Do they help with shortlisting, interviews, NDAs, contracts, payments, disputes?

Keep that checklist in mind as we walk through the top options.

10 Best Websites to Find Top Tech Talent

1. Twine

Twine is a global freelance marketplace focused on creative, technical and marketing talent. For tech hiring, Twine gives you access to developers, engineers, AI/ML specialists, data experts and technical designers.

Twine lets you post a project brief for free, then receive pitches from relevant freelancers. The platform is heavily used for roles like:

• Web, app and backend developers across major languages and frameworks
• Cloud, DevOps and infrastructure engineers
• AI/ML and data specialists
• Technical UI/UX and product designers

Strengths

• Tech + creative focus – instead of a noisy general marketplace, you’re fishing in a pool of people already oriented around product, design and engineering work.
• Good fit for project-based work – MVPs, rebuilds, feature sprints, proofs-of-concept, AI prototypes, and ongoing retainers.
• Streamlined workflow – brief, proposals, messaging and payments all in one place.

Best for

• Startups and SMEs need flexible, project-based developers or small, distributed product teams.
• Companies building digital products (apps, SaaS, web platforms) that need both engineering and design talent.

👉 Find your developer or tech project on Twine

2. Toptal

Toptal positions itself as a network of the top 3% of freelance talent across development, design, finance and product. Every applicant goes through multi-step testing, interviews and trial projects, with Toptal emphasising a 98% trial-to-hire success rate.

Strengths

• Rigorous screening – suited to complex systems work, high-stakes migrations or leadership-level engineer roles.
• Fast matching – Toptal says clients can often onboard developers in about 48 hours for some roles.
• Broad tech stack coverage – backend, frontend, mobile, cloud, data and more.

Best for

• Companies with a budget that need highly experienced freelancers for core systems, critical launches or fractional “staff+” engineers.

3. Turing

Turing is an AI-powered deep-vetting platform focused on remote software developers and engineers. It markets itself as the “largest AI-vetted talent network” and emphasises hiring remote developers in days using automated technical screening and matching.

Strengths

• Structured, automated vetting – algorithmic tests, coding interviews and seniority assessments.
• Global reach – deep talent pools across multiple regions and time zones.
• Fit for scaling teams – good if you need multiple engineers across different stacks.

Best for

• Fast-growing companies wanting to scale a remote engineering team with pre-vetted developers, but willing to adapt to Turing’s engagement model and pricing.

4. Arc.dev

Arc focuses heavily on remote tech talent, matching developers, designers, PMs and other tech specialists with startups and tech companies. It positions itself as a hub to find freelance and full-time remote developers, often matched to US and global startups.

Strengths

• Remote-first – everything is built around distributed teams.
• Pre-vetted candidates – Arc emphasises vetting and curated matches rather than a raw open marketplace.
• Good for long-term roles – freelance, contract-to-hire and full-time.

Best for

• Startups comfortable with remote-first engineering teams, especially when hiring across borders.

5. Upwork

Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, covering more than 1,800 skills, including extensive categories for software development, data, DevOps and product work. Independent reviews consistently highlight its breadth and flexibility.

Strengths

• Massive supply – you’ll find everything from juniors to seasoned architects.
• Flexible engagement – hourly, fixed-price and long-term contracts.
• Powerful filters – sort by skill tags, hourly rate, location and job success metrics.

Trade-offs

• Vetting is on you – Upwork provides reviews and ratings, but the platform is open-entry. You’ll need a strong screening process.
• High volume of applicants can be overwhelming for popular roles.

Best for

• Teams that have the time and process to run their own selection, and want to optimise for cost control and choice.

6. Hired

Hired is an AI-driven tech talent marketplace that connects companies with pre-screened software engineers, data professionals, DevOps, QA, UX and product specialists.

Instead of posting and waiting, you browse a curated pool of active candidates and invite them to interview.

Strengths

• Tech-specialist focus – built specifically for engineering and tech-related roles.
• Curated candidates – only a minority of candidates are accepted, which keeps quality high.
• Data-driven hiring – salary benchmarks, pipeline analytics and integrated workflows.

Best for

• Companies hiring full-time or long-term contract engineers, especially in competitive markets like the US, UK and major European hubs.

7. Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)

Wellfound is a recruiting platform designed specifically for startups and startup-ready talent, with over 10 million candidates on the platform.

It’s widely used for roles like software engineering, product management, design and growth.

Strengths

• Massive startup-minded talent pool – highly engaged candidates actively seeking startup roles.
• Built-in ATS and branding tools – job postings, company profiles and candidate messaging in one place.
• Strong focus on remote tech roles.

Best for

• Startups (and scale-ups) hiring permanent engineers and product teams, particularly those who want candidates excited about early-stage environments.

8. Gun.io

Gun.io is a platform focused on elite software developers and engineers, with a managed approach: they handle sourcing, vetting and often ongoing management, while you focus on delivery.

Strengths

• Managed sourcing – you submit a role and receive a shortlist of verified candidates.
• Engineering-led – the platform emphasises engineering ROI and technical quality over pure volume.
• Good for teams that want hands-on support rather than a DIY marketplace.

Best for

• Organisations that want highly vetted contract or full-time developers, and value an agency-like partner experience with a product-led platform.

9. Index.dev

Index.dev is a newer platform focused on AI-vetted and human-matched developers, often emphasising nearshore or global remote talent.

Strengths

• AI + human vetting – combines algorithmic screening with manual curation.
• Tailored to project-based and long-term team augmentation.
• Good coverage of mainstream and modern stacks.

Best for

• Companies that want to augment an existing engineering team with vetted remote developers, and are open to working across time zones.

10. LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t a “tech hiring platform” in the narrow sense, but it remains one of the most powerful tools for directly sourcing senior and niche technical talent.

You can:

• Search by skills, titles, industries and tools
• Filter by “Open to work”
• Use the Services / Open to freelance features for contractors
• Leverage shared connections for warm introductions

It’s especially powerful if you’re hiring:

• Senior engineers and architects
• Tech leadership – Head of Engineering, VP Eng, CTO
• Hybrid roles – e.g. AI Product Manager, ML Engineer with domain expertise

Best for

• Critical hires where you want full control over outreach and are willing to invest time into search and relationship-building.

Which Platform Is Right for Your Tech Hiring?

Regardless of platform, you’ll get better results if you:

• Define the business outcomes (not just a tech stack)
• Decide upfront: strategy, execution or both?
• Invest in a lean but rigorous technical and behavioural screening process
• Think skills-first, not just CV-first, echoing OECD’s recommendation for tackling tech talent shortages.

Final Thoughts (and a Practical Next Step)

The global tech and AI talent market isn’t getting easier. AI skills in particular are scarce, with demand outpacing supply worldwide and pushing salaries up significantly.

But the right combination of:

• Targeted platforms
• Clear briefs
• Skills-first assessment

can drastically improve your chances of landing the engineers, data specialists and AI experts your roadmap depends on.

If you want a focused starting point for project-based tech hiring, from backend engineers to AI specialists and product designers, Twine is built for exactly that mix of creative and technical work.

💼 Connect with top freelance talent on Twine, build your tech team today.
👉 Post your tech project on Twine