Upwork vs Gigster
Side-by-side from the Top 11 rankings of Toptal vs Upwork vs Fiverr Pro: 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent 2026 and TechCXO vs Pro Fractional vs CTO as a Service: 11 Best Fractional CTOs 2026. Last verified June 17, 2026.
The short answer
Upwork ranks higher on Top 11 (#2 vs #8) for Startups and SMBs hiring freelancers for design, dev, and marketing / Non-technical founders needing senior engineering leadership. The biggest marketplace with the widest talent variety and budget flexibility.
At a glance
| Upwork | Gigster | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #2 / Toptal vs Upwork vs Fiverr Pro: 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent 2026 | #8 / TechCXO vs Pro Fractional vs CTO as a Service: 11 Best Fractional CTOs 2026 |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 9 | 7.9 |
| Best for | Largest talent marketplace | Managed teams with tech leadership |
| Pricing | $$ (5% fee on payments) | $$$$$ (Project-based, $50k+) |
| HQ | San Francisco, USA | San Francisco, USA |
| Founded | 2015 | 2013 |
Upwork
The biggest marketplace with the widest talent variety and budget flexibility.
www.upwork.comSee full entry in Toptal vs Upwork vs Fiverr Pro: 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent 2026
Gigster
A one-stop shop for building products, bundling tech leadership with a full development team.
gigster.com/See full entry in TechCXO vs Pro Fractional vs CTO as a Service: 11 Best Fractional CTOs 2026
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.