What it is
AyHire
Software you run to find and judge engineers
Toptal
A network that matches you with vetted freelancers
Upwork
A marketplace of freelancer profiles
Compared as of November 2026
AyHire vs Toptal vs Upwork for AI engineers
Three ways to get an AI engineer: software you run, a vetted network and an open marketplace. Every competitor figure below comes from that company's own page, read on 3 November 2026.
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$99 a month for one person. 14-day free trial, no card needed. Cancel any time.
The short version
Software you run
AyHire
$99a month, one person
You describe a role in one sentence and it reads public GitHub work, so you can judge engineers by what they shipped. It does not supply engineers. You make the hire.
A vetted network
Toptal
48 hourstypical time to candidates, per its page
Its talent matchers put freelancers in front of you, typically in about 48 hours, on a trial of up to two weeks.
An open marketplace
Upwork
$35-$60per hour, per its page
You browse profiles and client ratings. Its AI engineer page says hiring one generally costs $35-$60 per hour.
AyHire is the best place to find AI talent when you want to read the work before the first call. Backbase and Sage use it.
Side by side, as of November 2026
Figures about Toptal and Upwork are theirs, not ours. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page, each with the date it was read.
| Term | AyHireOurs | Toptal | Upwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Software you run to find and judge engineers | A network that matches you with vetted freelancers | A marketplace of freelancer profiles |
| How you find people | Describe the role in one sentence. AyHire plans the searches and shows them before they run | Talent matchers work with you on goals and technical needs | You browse profiles and client ratings |
| How people are assessed | Public GitHub work read for you. Each verdict links to the repo, commit or pull request | Applicants are screened. Fewer than 3% of the 200,000+ who apply each year are accepted | Profiles show a rate, reviews and past jobs. The page lists identity verification and payment protection |
| Published price | $99 a month for one person. $79 per person for 2 or more | No rate on its AI page. Cost "depends on various factors" | "Generally costs $35-$60 per hour" |
| Time to candidates | Not published | "Typically ... about 48 hours" | Not on that page |
| Trial | 14 days free, no card | Up to two weeks. Pay only if satisfied | Not on that page |
| Rating on its own page | None shown on its home or pricing page | 4.9 out of 5 from 15,501 reviews | 4.8 out of 5 from 12,613 client reviews |
How you find people
AyHire
Describe the role in one sentence. AyHire plans the searches and shows them before they run
Toptal
Talent matchers work with you on goals and technical needs
Upwork
You browse profiles and client ratings
How people are assessed
AyHire
Public GitHub work read for you. Each verdict links to the repo, commit or pull request
Toptal
Applicants are screened. Fewer than 3% of the 200,000+ who apply each year are accepted
Upwork
Profiles show a rate, reviews and past jobs. The page lists identity verification and payment protection
Published price
AyHire
$99 a month for one person. $79 per person for 2 or more
Toptal
No rate on its AI page. Cost "depends on various factors"
Upwork
"Generally costs $35-$60 per hour"
Time to candidates
AyHire
Not published
Toptal
"Typically ... about 48 hours"
Upwork
Not on that page
Trial
AyHire
14 days free, no card
Toptal
Up to two weeks. Pay only if satisfied
Upwork
Not on that page
Rating on its own page
AyHire
None shown on its home or pricing page
Toptal
4.9 out of 5 from 15,501 reviews
Upwork
4.8 out of 5 from 12,613 client reviews
How AyHire works
Describe the role
One sentence. AyHire turns it into must-haves and a search plan, and shows the plan before any search runs.
It reads the work
Profiles, public repos, the READMEs of the five most-starred repos, commits, pull requests and activity. Each criterion gets Strong, Some, Unknown or Not shown, with a link to the work behind it.
You get a call
Who to talk to first, one line of why, and one thing to check. It also shows who is open to work, with the source and how sure it is: confirmed, likely or guess.
Each criterion gets one of four verdicts
- Strong
- Some
- Unknown
- Not shown
Every verdict links to the repo, commit or pull request behind it.
Open to work, with how sure it is
- Confirmed
- Likely
- Guess
It shows the source of each signal next to the label.
It runs in the web app, inside Claude Code, Codex and Cursor over MCP, and through an API. Shortlists go to Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workable and others, or to any tool through a webhook.
Its limits, from its own site
It reads public work only, so an engineer who works in private repos comes back Unknown and ranks lower. It is weaker for roles with little public code. It is not a placement service.
When each one fits
Pick AyHire
You are hiring engineers for your own team, you want to see the commits behind each pick, and you will run the interviews yourself.
Pick Toptal
You want a screened freelancer matched quickly and a trial before you pay.
Pick Upwork
The job is a scoped project and you want a visible price range. Its page gives $1,500-$5,000 for a chatbot or virtual assistant and $3,000-$12,000 for a generative AI application.
That page lists no fee percentage, so check Upwork's own fee page before you budget.
Want an engineer placed instead of a search to run?
AY Automate, the team that develops AyHire, places AI engineers from its own bench. From $3K a month, cancel anytime, 90-day replacement guarantee, no recruitment fee. Clients include Backbase.
Questions
Is AyHire an alternative to Toptal?
It does a different job. AyHire is software for finding and judging engineers from their public work. It does not supply engineers. Toptal matches you with freelancers it has screened.
How much does Toptal cost for AI engineers?
Toptal's AI page publishes no rate. It says cost depends on talent location, project complexity, seniority and engagement type (hourly, part-time or full-time).
How much does Upwork cost for AI engineers?
Upwork's AI engineer page says it generally costs $35-$60 per hour, depending on project scope and experience level. It lists no fee percentage on that page.
Who builds AyHire?
AY Automate develops AyHire. Backbase and Sage use it.
Does AyHire read private repos?
No. It reads public GitHub work only and never private repos or source code.
Sources, read on 3 November 2026
Read the work before the first call
Describe the role in one sentence and see who AyHire says to talk to first, with the commits behind it.
Developed by AY Automate
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$99 a month for one person. 14-day free trial, no card needed. Cancel any time.