Comparison
Should you hire on Rekruuto or on Upwork?
Hire on Rekruuto when you want one full-time person, based in the Philippines, on your team. Use Upwork when you want to hire a freelancer for a project or for hours. Most Rekruuto roles are $1,800 a month, an AI Implementation Specialist starts at $2,500 a month, and the start is 14 days, with a 1-week trial.
| Compared | Rekruuto | Upwork |
|---|---|---|
| What you are buying | A dedicated full-time hire. You manage the day-to-day work. | A marketplace. You hire freelancers, usually by the hour or by the project. |
| Who they work for | Your team, full time, in your time zone. | Often several clients. You are one contract among others. |
| Price | Most roles $1,800 a month. AI Implementation Specialists from $2,500 a month. That is the staffing line. | Each freelancer sets a rate. The marketplace also charges fees. Read the current fee page on Upwork before you compare a quote. We are not repeating a number here. |
| How fast it starts | 14 days for hiring and onboarding. | Whenever a freelancer you choose can start. There is no single start date. |
| If it is not a fit | 1-week trial. We find a replacement or refund your money. | Whatever you wrote into that contract. There is no marketplace-wide trial we can promise. |
| Vetting | We accept only the top 2% of applicants. | You screen proposals and profiles yourself. |
| After the first month | The person stays on the work. You can pause or cancel with 2 weeks' notice. | The engagement ends when the project or the hours end, unless you hire them again. |
When Upwork is the better option
Upwork is the better buy when the work has an end, or when you want a few hours from a specialist you will not need next month.
- The job is a single project with a clear finish, and you do not have a backlog behind it.
- You need a rare skill for a few hours, not a 40-hour week.
- You want to try more than one freelancer on a small paid test before you commit.
- You already like writing the contract, reviewing proposals, and replacing people yourself.
Most Rekruuto roles are $1,800 a month. An AI Implementation Specialist starts at $2,500 a month. Hiring can start in 14 days. There is a 1-week trial: if you are not satisfied, we find a replacement or refund your money. You can pause or cancel with 2 weeks' notice.
A longer look at marketplaces, employers of record, and staffing models is the kind of decision this page is for. If you want the full-time seat, start with roles or the AI Implementation Specialist. The trial terms are on the 1-week trial page.
The same choice against a local employee is Rekruuto vs hiring locally. Against a managed agency, see Rekruuto vs a staffing agency.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rekruuto a replacement for Upwork?
Only if you want a full-time dedicated person. If you want hourly or project freelancers, Upwork matches that model and we do not.
Why are competitor prices left blank?
Freelancer rates and marketplace fees change, and they are not our numbers. Read the current figures on Upwork. Our prices are the ones in the table.
Do Rekruuto hires work US hours?
Yes. They work in your time zone, so you can collaborate during your working day.
What happens in the first week?
You work with the new team member for a week. If you are not satisfied, we find a replacement or refund your money.