Home / Guides / PeoplePerHour vs Toptal

PeoplePerHour vs Toptal

A side-by-side look at 2 Freelance Marketplaces tools for 2026 — the verdict, pricing, ratings, features, and what readers think.

peopleperhour.com

4.1 (144 · G2)

Best for UK small businesses buying quick fixed-price Offers, and freelancers building long-term UK client relationships

UK-born freelance marketplace: buy fixed-price Offers or post a project and get AI-matched proposals, with escrow until you're satisfied.

Visit PeoplePerHour

toptal.com

4.8 (2,564 · Trustpilot)

Best for companies hiring senior, pre-vetted developers, designers or finance experts for long-term work

Hire from the top 3% of freelance developers, designers and consultants, matched within about 24 hours, with a no-risk trial.

Visit Toptal

Pricing compared

PeoplePerHour

Free to join; clients pay 10% + £0.60; freelancers 20% to 3.5% tiered

Toptal

$79/mo

	PeoplePerHour	Toptal
Rating	4.1 (144 · G2)	4.8 (2,564 · Trustpilot)
Starting price	Free to join; clients pay 10% + £0.60; freelancers 20% to 3.5% tiered	$79/mo
Free tier	Yes	No
Free trial	No sign-up fee for clients or freelancers	No-risk trial up to 2 weeks; not billed if not satisfied
Platforms	Web · iOS · Android	Web · iOS · Android
Founded	2007	2010
HQ	London, UK	—

PeoplePerHour

Pros

Freelancer fee falls to 3.5% once lifetime billing with a client passes GBP 5,000.
Escrow holds payment until the client confirms satisfaction.
Two hiring routes: ready-made fixed-price Offers or custom projects with proposals.
Long-established UK marketplace with GBP pricing and a strong UK client base.

Cons

20% freelancer fee on the first GBP 250 billed with every new client.
Client fee of 10% plus GBP 0.60 is high compared with other marketplaces.
Extra fees for currency conversion, disputes, upgrades and dormant balances.
Its Trustpilot profile has been removed, so there is little independent review data.

Toptal

Pros

Rigorous vetting: fewer than 3% of applicants are accepted.
Candidates usually introduced within 24 hours by a matching team.
No-risk trial of up to two weeks, with up to three candidates per role.
Talent keep 100% of their rate; Toptal takes no cut.
Highest Trustpilot score among major freelance platforms: 4.8 from 2,564 reviews.

Cons