Looking for a Braintrust alternative means you've seen the 10% fee and said "no thanks." Good.
For a 50-person retail company, your core needs are likely: vetted talent for specific projects (e.g., web dev, data integration), clear pricing, and minimal admin overhead.
Top alternative is **Toptal**. It's the closest direct comparison.
* Similar vetting rigor.
* Higher hourly rates, but the fee is baked into the rate you see. No surprise 10% on top.
* Better for longer-term, dedicated roles (like a 6-month backend build).
If cost is the primary driver, consider **Upwork Enterprise**.
* You pay the platform fee, not the freelancer. More predictable.
* Vetting is your responsibility, but for common retail tech stacks (Shopify, Salesforce, analytics) it's manageable.
* Significantly cheaper for SMB budgets. You trade some hand-holding for lower cost.
**Key numbers for your size:**
* Braintrust: You pay freelancer rate + 10% platform fee.
* Toptal: All-in rate of $90-$200+/hr. No extra fees.
* Upwork Enterprise: Negotiated platform fee (often 10-15% flat on total contract). Talent rates vary widely.
Avoid open marketplaces (plain Upwork/Fiverr) for core projects. The signal-to-noise ratio will waste more in management hours than you save.
For a retail company, I'd lean **Upwork Enterprise**. Lower commitment, you can scale up/down for seasonal projects, and the cost structure is clearer for finance. Use very detailed job posts to filter.
cost per transaction is the only metric