Codeable Alternatives 2020 — These Are Your Top 6 Options
Thanks to the growing number of job websites that cater to remote software engineers, coders have more ways than ever to work from home. WordPress experts are in particularly high demand.
Codeable is one of the most popular freelancer platforms for WordPress developers. Read on to learn how it compares to X-team, Toptal, Gun.io and other competing freelancer services.
What is Codeable?
Codeable markets itself as “the only WordPress freelancer platform.” The Codeable team relies on a unique business model, which it uses to recruit the most knowledgeable WordPress experts and connect them to businesses, marketing agencies and independent consultants.
Advantages
The fact that Codeable is a high-end, curated jobs marketplace means that the average quality of developers is likely to be quite high. You can expect to make between $70 and $120 per hour if you make it past the interviews. Codeable says that it ends up hiring only 2% of all applicants.
Simplicity is another one of the core benefits of Codeable. Neither the client nor the developer has to engage in any kind of bidding to get a contract started. Codeable’s three-pronged pricing guide lets clients know what they should expect to pay before they request a quote. As is the case with most freelancer platforms, Codeable handles billing, collections and other similar tasks on your behalf.
Another interesting thing about Codeable is that its developers work together instead of compete against one another. According to the Codeable website, there’s a Slack channel that’s used for collaboration purposes and developers often refer clients to one another. There are only about 500 developers on the entire platform. With that small of a community, it is probably not hard to make connections.
Disadvantages
The fact that Codeable only accepts 2% of all applicants can be a disadvantage if your skills aren’t quite there yet. Other platforms are more accessible for mid-career developers.
In addition, the open communication paradigm that Codeable employs can sometimes work against you. After you invest time into talking with a potential client, they may decide to go with a different Codeable developer instead of you. Because self-promotion of any kind is not permitted, you can’t use the platform a stepping stone to make a name for yourself.
Another potential problem: since Codeable hires WordPress developers from all over the world, time zone issues and language barriers are sometimes an issue.
The best Codeable alternatives for veteran WordPress professionals
Even if you have many years of experience, Codeable probably won’t accept you unless you have the specific WordPress skills that they require. These three freelancer platforms are also curated, but they are broader in scope.
Gun.io
Gun.io says that its freelancer community consists of more than 20,000 developers of all different stripes — not just WordPress specialists. Even though its scope is wider, it’s just as picky as Codeable is when it comes to accepting applicants. Gun.io claims to have “the most comprehensive vetting process” among developer-oriented freelance sites. If you live in the US, you may appreciate Gun.io’s North American focus. The clients you’ll be working with will likely speak English as a first language and you won’t have to get up at 3:00 AM to video conference with them.
Toptal
Toptal is one of the fastest-growing curated developer-centric job sites in the world. Its marketplace consists of not only all kinds of developers, but also designers, finance experts and project managers as well. The company reeled in $200 million in 2018 and has been expanding at a 30% rate for the past several years. Only 3% of the 100,000 applicants it receives each year make the cut. Its developers make $60 to $150 per hour.
X-Team
X-Team is similar to Toptal and Gun.io in that its mission is to connect the best of the best developers to Fortune 500 brands. However, the pay rate is not mentioned anywhere on the site. What is spotlighted is Unleash+, which is a $2,500/year benefits package. X-teamers can tap into Unleash+ to purchase gym memberships, educational courses, pay for babysitters and even buy healthy food.
The best Codeable alternatives for journeyman WordPress professionals
If you’re fresh out of school or only recently learned the ins and outs of WordPress, you may want to try your luck on the WordPress jobs boards listed below. The clients you’ll find through these sites won’t pay as much and you’ll have to keep your eye out for scams, since anyone that signs up can post a job. On the other hand, it is possible to make decent money through these sites if you put in the work needed to find good quality leads that match your qualifications.
WP Hired
WP Hired is a basic WordPress jobs board that has been around since 2010. The fact that both freelancers and businesses can use it free is both a disadvantage and an advantage. On the one hand, you don’t have to pay a fee to search its listings. However, finding the job you’re looking for might take some effort. Post listing categories include: design, migration, performance, plugin development, programmer jobs, theme customization and writer jobs.
WordPress Jobs
Like WP Hired, WordPress’s official jobs board is also free. However, WordPress Jobs is moderated by volunteers, so it has less spam compared to other similar jobs sites. Eleven different categories allow you to filter through various types of WordPress-related job opportunities. However, there aren’t many jobs to filter through at the moment. Three of four new jobs appear on the site per day, on average.
Krop
Krop is an open jobs board that caters exclusively to WordPress design professionals. Fees for posting job posts start at $199, while fees for job seekers start at $8.25/month. Its user base consists of UX/UI designers, web designers, photographers, graphic designers and art directors.
