I used to be able to source high-quality developers for small front-end projects from Upwork.
Simple things like build a custom page in Shopify that we already have designs for in a Figma file. I would pay above market rates to get the best talent.
The last 5-10 projects I’ve tried hiring freelance developers for have been total failures. I’m talking about “Top Rated Plus” developers unable to build a simple page with no interactive elements within a week, and quitting because they can’t figure out how to finish the project.
Does anyone here have any suggestions for good developer marketplaces? I’ve learned after this current project that I’m done with Upwork, because even filtering for devs who have billed 1,000+ hours, are top rated and based in the US and they’re still totally incompetent. It’s truly strange.
The problem is platforms like Upwork get saturated, and the ability for a quality Dev to stand out is low (many times clients undervalue the work or the work is too small to be worth it).
There are typically 2 types of Devs - the ones who just want to work on challenging Dev work and get paid well, and those who want to run a business. Many of the best Devs imo don’t want to run a business and don’t want the hassle of finding a few days work here and there constantly. Upwork requires effort to market and organise work. The Devs who want a few days here and there are never the highest quality developer. The best freelancers want long term contracts on actual challenging work.
I work at a boutique high end Dev consulting company in Australia, and happy to chat further if you’d like