The short version
- Choose a marketplace for a small, well-defined task or a fixed deliverable, when you have time to screen candidates yourself.
- Choose DevKit when you need senior engineers or a team on your side for months, technically vetted for you, with one contract, NDA, full IP transfer and a free replacement if someone is not the right fit.
- On Upwork, clients pay a 5% marketplace fee on the Basic plan (10% on Business Plus) plus a contract initiation fee, and freelancers pay a separate 0–15% fee. On Fiverr, buyers pay 5.5% per payment plus $3 on orders under $100, and sellers keep 80%. DevKit charges one monthly rate per engineer and no platform fees.
- On a marketplace, vetting is your job. Fiverr Pro says its freelancers are vetted by industry experts. At DevKit, every engineer passes a technical interview with our senior engineers before you see a CV.
Side by side
| DevKit | Upwork | Fiverr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | IT staffing partner: staff augmentation, dedicated teams and tech recruitment. | Online marketplace: you post a job, receive proposals and hire freelancers or agencies. | Marketplace of Gigs with Basic, Standard and Premium packages; Fiverr Pro adds hourly hiring and project services for businesses. |
| Who you work with | Engineers from DevKit's own team and private network, placed on your team for months. | Independent freelancers and agencies that you choose from proposals. | Independent sellers that you choose from Gig listings; Fiverr Pro freelancers for business clients. |
| Vetting | Technical interview with DevKit's senior engineers before you see a CV. | You screen candidates yourself using profiles, work history, client feedback and the Job Success Score. | You choose by listings and reviews. Fiverr Pro: "Every professional freelancer is vetted by industry experts." |
| Time to start | Vetted CVs in 3–5 business days; engineers start in 2–3 weeks; dedicated teams in 2–4 weeks. | Depends on the proposals you receive and your own screening; no published timeline. | Orders can be placed immediately on a Gig; delivery time is set per Gig. |
| Pricing and fees | Clear monthly rate per engineer, shown on every CV. No platform, contract or per-payment fees. | Client marketplace fee of 5% on the Basic plan (3% for eligible US clients paying by checking account) or 10% on Business Plus (8%), plus a contract initiation fee of $0.99–$14.99 per contract on Basic. Freelancers pay a separate service fee of 0–15% per contract. | Service fee of 5.5% on every payment, plus $3 on orders under $100. Sellers receive 80% of the order amount. |
| If it is not working out | Replacement at no extra cost at any point, with handover. Monthly terms, no long-term lock-in. | Upwork Payment Protection: work diary review for hourly contracts; milestone approval before funds are released for fixed-price contracts. Finding a new freelancer is your job. | Fiverr Pro: "If you're not satisfied with the deliverables, we'll refund you." Finding a new seller is your job. |
| Support behind the engineer | DevKit's senior engineers and tech leads back every placement with reviews and advice. | None from the platform; each freelancer works independently. | None from the platform for standard Gigs; Fiverr Pro offers project planning and management services. |
| Contract, NDA and IP | One contract with DevKit Agency LLC (US) or DevKit Agency OÜ (EU). NDA and full IP transfer as standard; GDPR-compliant; DevKit handles payroll, taxes and contractor compliance. | A separate engagement with each freelancer or agency under Upwork's terms of service; you manage NDAs and contractor compliance. | Orders under Fiverr's terms of service; you manage NDAs and contractor compliance. |
Facts about other companies are taken from their public pages on the date shown above. "Not published" means we did not find the information on the pages we reviewed. If something is out of date, email hi@devkit.agency and we will correct it.
How is DevKit different from Upwork and Fiverr?
Upwork and Fiverr are marketplaces. They give you access to a very large pool of freelancers, and in return you do the work: write the job post, read the proposals or listings, screen people, agree terms, manage the engagement and find someone new if it ends. The platform charges a fee on every payment.
DevKit is a staffing partner. We vet engineers from our own team and private network with a technical interview, place them on your team for months, back them with senior engineers, and handle the contract, payroll and replacement. You get fewer options, chosen for your role, instead of hundreds of options to sort through.
Who does the vetting?
On Upwork, you do. Upwork gives you tools for it: profiles, work history, client feedback and the Job Success Score, which Upwork describes as a summary of a freelancer's work history and reputation on the platform. On Fiverr, you choose from Gig listings and reviews; Fiverr Pro states that every professional freelancer on it is vetted by industry experts.
At DevKit, every engineer passes a technical interview with our senior engineers before you see a CV. We vet for your role: the stack, the level the work needs and how your team works. Because we stay accountable for the match, we also replace anyone who is not the right fit at no extra cost.
What do the fees look like?
Upwork charges clients a marketplace fee on every payment: 5% on the Basic plan (3% for eligible US clients paying with a checking account) and 10% on Business Plus (8% with the same discount), plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99 per contract on Basic. Freelancers pay a separate service fee that, for contracts formed since May 2025, ranges from 0% to 15% per contract.
Fiverr adds a 5.5% service fee to every payment, plus $3 on orders under $100, and sellers receive 80% of the order amount. DevKit charges one monthly rate per engineer or per team, shown on the CV before you decide, with no platform, contract or per-payment fees. For recruitment, it is a one-time fee per successful hire.
- Upwork, client side: 5% (Basic) or 10% (Business Plus) per payment, plus $0.99–$14.99 per new contract on Basic.
- Upwork, freelancer side: 0–15% per contract on new contracts since May 2025.
- Fiverr, buyer side: 5.5% per payment, plus $3 on orders under $100.
- Fiverr, seller side: sellers keep 80% of the order amount.
- DevKit: monthly rate per engineer or team; no platform fees; free shortlist.
How fast can you start, and for how long?
For a small task, a marketplace is faster: you can order a Fiverr Gig immediately, and Upwork proposals start arriving as soon as a job is posted. The time to a good hire depends on how long you spend screening.
DevKit sends vetted CVs within 3–5 business days, and engineers usually start within 2–3 weeks. We are built for engagements that last months, where onboarding, continuity and support after day one matter more than starting tomorrow.
What happens if it does not work out?
Upwork's protection is about payment: on hourly contracts you can review the freelancer's work diary before paying, and on fixed-price contracts you approve milestones before funds are released. Fiverr Pro offers a refund if you are not satisfied with the deliverables. In both cases, finding a replacement is your job.
DevKit replaces an engineer who is not the right fit at no extra cost, at any point, and handles the handover so the work keeps moving. Terms are monthly, with no long-term lock-in.
Contracts, IP and compliance
On a marketplace, each engagement is governed by the platform's terms of service and your own arrangements with the freelancer. NDAs, data protection and contractor classification are yours to manage, which matters for EU companies under the GDPR.
With DevKit you sign one contract with DevKit Agency LLC in the US or DevKit Agency OÜ in the EU. An NDA and full IP transfer are standard, the engagement is GDPR-compliant, and DevKit handles payroll, taxes and contractor compliance.
How we made this comparison
Every statement about Upwork and Fiverr on this page comes from their own public pages, listed under Sources, as they read on the date shown at the top. Quotation marks indicate their exact wording. Fees change; if a number here is out of date, email hi@devkit.agency and we will correct it promptly. We do not rank companies or claim to be the best; we describe what each offers so you can decide.
When DevKit is the better choice
When DevKit is the better choice
- You need senior software or AI engineers on your team for months.
- You want technical vetting done by senior engineers before you spend time interviewing.
- You want one contract with a US or EU company, an NDA, full IP transfer and GDPR compliance.
- You want a predictable monthly rate with no platform fees, and a replacement if it is not a fit.
- You want a whole team with a delivery manager, or to hire in-house through recruitment.
When Upwork and Fiverr is the better choice
- You need a small, well-defined task or a fixed deliverable, such as a landing page, a script or a design.
- You want to start today and are happy to screen candidates yourself.
- Your budget is best spent on short hourly work rather than a monthly engagement.
- You want to choose from a very large pool across many skills.
Sources
- Upwork: Pricing, plans and fees for clients: https://www.upwork.com/pricing/client
- Upwork Help: What is the Client Marketplace Fee?: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/4660220468499-What-is-the-Client-Marketplace-Fee
- Upwork Help: What is the Contract Initiation Fee on Upwork?: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/26106318334611-What-is-the-Contract-Initiation-Fee-on-Upwork
- Upwork Help: Learn about the Freelancer Service Fee: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211062538-Learn-about-the-Freelancer-Service-Fee
- Upwork Help: Intro to Upwork (posting jobs, proposals, Job Success Score): https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/34954643219987-Intro-to-Upwork
- Upwork Help: How Upwork protects your payments: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211062568-How-Upwork-protects-your-payments
- Fiverr Help: How Fiverr works for clients: https://help.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010558038-How-Fiverr-works-for-clients
- Fiverr Help: Paying for orders, extras, or custom offers (service fee): https://help.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050216133-Paying-for-orders-extras-or-custom-offers
- Fiverr Help: Your earnings page (sellers receive 80%): https://help.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/9234443621137-Your-earnings-page
- Fiverr Pro: vetting, hourly hiring, satisfaction guarantee, project services: https://pro.fiverr.com/
Upwork and Fiverr is a trademark of its respective owner. DevKit is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Upwork and Fiverr. This page is an independent comparison based on publicly available information.
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