Djobzy is a location-based work and services marketplace with live-map discovery where workers keep 100% of the agreed price and clients see all fees upfront. Toptal is a curated remote freelance network positioned around “top 3%” screening, priced through an opaque blended hourly rate that clients see and freelancers usually don’t.
These aren’t really the same product. Toptal is a filtered pipeline of pre-vetted senior specialists sold to enterprise buyers at premium prices; Djobzy is an open marketplace where the same person can hire or offer work. But they get compared often, so here’s the honest fact-by-fact version.
Reviewed by the Djobzy team · Updated 24 July 2026 · All comparisons →
Djobzy
Open marketplace, transparent fees
Workers keep 100% of the agreed price. Employers pay a visible 15% platform fee. Anyone can join.
Toptal
Curated freelance network, opaque markup
Accepts ~3% of applicants. Clients pay a blended hourly rate ($60–$200+); Toptal’s markup on freelancer rates is not disclosed.
Djobzy vs Toptal: side by side
Ten dimensions, no winner declared. Sources are numbered and listed at the end.
Marketplace type
Djobzy
Location-based work and services marketplace with live-map discovery. Open to anyone who passes verification.
Toptal
Curated remote-freelance network. Toptal describes its network as the “top 3%” of applicants; accepted freelancers are matched to client projects by an internal team. Founded 2010.1
Scope
Djobzy
Local and remote work. Jobs, services, freelance and shift work — and one profile covers all of it, at any experience level.
Toptal
Remote-only, focused on senior specialists in software development, design, finance, product management and project management. Some coverage of specialist areas via HireGlobal (launched 2025).2
What the worker or freelancer pays
Djobzy
Zero commission
Workers keep 100% of the agreed worker price. Everything is transparent — there’s nothing between the agreed rate and what lands in your account.
Toptal
Undisclosed markup
Freelancers set their own rate. Toptal then adds a markup to that rate when billing the client — the amount isn’t disclosed to either party as a line item. Independent 2025–2026 review analysis places the markup in a 20–50% range, but Toptal doesn’t publish the figure.3
The freelancer doesn’t know what the client is actually paying; the client doesn’t see what portion goes to the freelancer.
What the client or employer pays
Djobzy
15% platform fee
Charged on top of the agreed price and visible before you confirm. Current pricing is published at djobzy.com.
Toptal
$60–$200+/hr + $79/mo + $500
Blended hourly rate typically $60–$150 per hour, up to $200+ for specialised roles. A $79/month platform subscription and a $500 refundable deposit are also required.4
Payment protection
Djobzy
Payment is held in escrow until the job is completed. Workers are paid on completion; clients are protected until then.
Toptal
Toptal offers a 2-week no-risk trial — clients don’t pay for the first two weeks if they’re not satisfied. Toptal handles invoicing and pays freelancers directly; freelancers manage their own taxes as independent contractors.5
How people find each other
Djobzy
Live map with active listings and provider profiles visible by location. Direct discovery, transparent pricing shown by the worker before any conversation.
Toptal
Concierge match. A client describes the role; Toptal’s internal matching team surfaces candidates from the vetted network, typically within 24 hours. Clients don’t browse freelancer profiles directly.6
Verification
Djobzy
Seven levels: email, phone, social, address, government ID, payment card, and interview plus third-party background check.
Trust signal, not a guarantee of safety, character or competence.
Toptal
Multi-stage screening: English language test, in-depth skills review, live technical assessment, test project, then continuous quality monitoring. Toptal reports accepting fewer than 3% of applicants.7
Reputation portability
Djobzy
Career Passport — a portable professional record carrying reputation, reviews, experience and work history across locations and opportunities.
Toptal
Reputation is largely embodied in the “top 3%” acceptance itself. Client-specific reviews and history stay inside Toptal. No public statement found describing reputation as portable off-platform.8
Repeat work
Djobzy
Employers can build a trusted list over time and re-hire directly. No new contract initiation fees. Workers keep a portable Career Passport that grows with each engagement.
Toptal
Suited to long-running engagements. Independent 2026 reporting notes that converting a Toptal freelancer to a direct full-time hire typically triggers a conversion fee — read the contract terms carefully.9
Where it works
Djobzy
Live map active globally. Local work concentrated in focus markets (Vancouver, Toronto); remote work open worldwide.
Toptal
Global. Toptal freelancers work across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia; remote-first for all engagements.10
The pricing-transparency question
Toptal’s pricing model deserves a section of its own because it’s the most-cited concern in independent 2026 reviews. On Djobzy, the worker sets the price and the employer sees it, plus the 15% platform fee, plus the total — no hidden layer. On Toptal, the freelancer sets a rate, the client sees a different (higher) rate, and neither party sees the markup as a line item.
That model has legitimate reasons behind it. Toptal is selling curation, matching, screening, and account management as much as it’s selling freelance hours — the markup pays for that. But the opacity is real. Freelancers frequently report on Quora and G2 that they didn’t know how much clients were paying until they left the platform. Clients report the same in reverse. Djobzy’s model works differently on purpose: we think transparency is a feature, not a compromise.
Which situation fits which platform
Toptal may fit better if
You’re an enterprise buyer with a real budget who needs a senior specialist quickly for a high-stakes engagement, and you value not having to review dozens of profiles or run your own vetting. Or you’re an experienced developer, designer, or PM who can pass the screening and doesn’t need to see the client-side price to feel comfortable with your own rate.
Djobzy may fit better if
You want a transparent marketplace where the worker’s price is the worker’s price and the platform fee is a visible number rather than a hidden markup. Or your work isn’t limited to the senior-specialist enterprise-remote niche — Djobzy covers local and remote work, at any experience level, in any category, for the same fee structure across all of it.
Different markets, different economics
Toptal sells curation into a premium enterprise market. Djobzy is an open marketplace. Neither is trying to be the other; the choice is about what problem you’re solving, not which platform is objectively better.
Transparent pricing. No hidden markup.
You set your rate. The client sees it.
Workers pay zero commission. Employers pay a 15% platform fee, visible before you confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related comparisons
Looking at Djobzy alongside another platform? These may help:
About Djobzy
Djobzy is a location-based work and services marketplace with live map discovery. It connects people who need work or services completed with workers, freelancers, professionals and service providers who can provide them locally or remotely. Users can find opportunities, hire help, offer services and build portable reputation through Djobzy’s Career Passport. Workers pay zero commission and keep 100% of the agreed worker price, while employer and client platform pricing applies.
Sources and verification
All Toptal figures verified 24 July 2026. Platform terms, fees and features change — confirm current details directly with each platform before deciding.
1, 2. toptal.com about pages, HireGlobal launch reporting (2025)
3. Independent 2025–2026 review analysis (Tecla, The Frontend Company, We Recruit IT, FatCat Remote) — markup figure is estimated 20–50%, not published by Toptal
4. ITQlick 2026 pricing analysis and HireInSouth 2026 breakdown (hourly ranges, $79/month subscription, $500 deposit)
5. Toptal 2-week no-risk trial documentation
6. Toptal matching-model documentation and Tecla 2026 review
7. Toptal screening documentation and independent reporting on ~3% acceptance rate
8, 9. Absence-of-feature statement on reputation portability; conversion-fee note from We Recruit IT 2026 review
10. Toptal geographic coverage documentation
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