Is Toptal or Upwork better for hiring developers?

They solve different problems. Upwork is an open marketplace with the widest talent pool and the lowest entry rates, but you do the vetting and carry the quality variance. Toptal screens hard, positions itself as the top 3%, and surfaces senior talent fast, but effective rates commonly land around $100 to $200 per hour with a refundable deposit, and you still manage individual freelancers. Choose Upwork for breadth and budget, Toptal for premium short term specialists. If you want a managed team rather than individual contractors, a dedicated development team fits better than either.