Rafiki Works vs Toptal vs Upwork vs Deel vs Contra | Hiring Fractional Creative and Technical Talent Compared

This page compares Rafiki Works, Toptal, Upwork, Deel Talent, and Contra for founders looking to hire fractional creative and technical talent: graphic designers, 3D artists, animators, engineers, marketers, and specialists who use AI as a core part of their workflow. The comparison is honest: each platform has real strengths and the right choice depends on what matters most to your business.

Rafiki Works is a managed fractional talent platform based in South Africa. Our network covers graphic design, 3D and motion, brand and marketing, engineering, and AI-assisted workflows. All placements are supported by contracts, compliance, and cross-border payments through Petl Pay.

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Platform overview: what each one is

Before comparing, it helps to be clear about what each platform actually is. They are not all the same type of service, and conflating them leads to the wrong hire.

Platform Type of service Primary market AI/automation specialism
Rafiki Works Fully managed fractional talent platform Global clients, talent from South Africa Graphic design, 3D and motion, brand, engineering, marketing. All disciplines use AI as part of their workflow.
Toptal Curated freelance network, partially managed Global clients, distributed talent pool Strong for senior engineers and designers. Broader disciplines but no creative-AI specialism.
Upwork Self-serve freelance marketplace Global clients and freelancers Huge pool covering all disciplines including design, animation, engineering, and marketing. Quality highly variable.
Deel Talent Compliance infrastructure plus talent layer Companies hiring remote contractors globally Not a specialism. Talent feature is supplementary to payroll product.
Contra Independent professional portfolio and discovery platform Primarily US-based independents Good for US creatives, designers, and marketers. Growing but no dedicated AI-workflow specialism.

Head-to-head comparison

Factor Rafiki Works Toptal Upwork Deel Talent Contra
Managed or self-serve Fully managed. Can also be semi-managed or direct. Partially managed. Matching support provided. Self-serve. You source, vet, and hire. Self-serve with compliance layer. Self-serve discovery.
Vetting standard Under 1% acceptance. Technical assessment plus references. Under 3% acceptance. Rigorous multi-stage screening. Open marketplace. Vetting is your responsibility. Varies. No platform-level vetting standard. Portfolio-based. No standardised vetting.
Speed to introduction Within 72 hours of brief Typically 1 to 2 weeks Same day (but requires your own screening time) Variable Immediate discovery, but hiring takes time
Creative and technical specialism Graphic design, 3D and motion, animation, brand, engineering, marketing. AI-augmented across all disciplines. Strong for senior engineering and design. Less focused on AI-augmented creative work. All disciplines available. Creative, design, and marketing talent is a major Upwork category. Not a primary focus Good for US creatives and marketers. Growing design and engineering community.
Typical monthly rate (20 hrs/week) $1,500 to $8,000 $8,000 to $20,000+ $2,000 to $15,000 (highly variable) Variable by contractor $3,000 to $12,000 (US-weighted)
Talent location South Africa (UTC+2) Global distributed Global distributed Global distributed Primarily US
Compliance and payments Handled via Petl Pay. One invoice. 130+ countries. Handled by Toptal Platform escrow. Limited compliance support. Core product strength. EOR in 150+ countries. Commission-free direct payment. Limited compliance.
Ongoing delivery oversight Yes. Rafiki manages quality and continuity throughout. Partial. Trial period guarantee offered. None. Entirely client-managed. None beyond payroll. None.
Direct hire option Yes. Clients can engage specialists directly with Rafiki handling compliance. No. Must work through platform. Yes, with a conversion fee. Yes. Core use case. Yes. Core use case.

Platform by platform: an honest assessment

Rafiki Works

Rafiki Works' core strength is creative and technical talent from South Africa: graphic designers, 3D artists, motion designers, animators, brand strategists, engineers, and growth marketers. What makes the network distinct is that these specialists use AI as an active part of their workflow rather than as an afterthought. A Rafiki designer is not just producing static assets; they are using Midjourney, Runway, and Figma AI to move faster and produce more. A Rafiki marketer is building AI content systems, not just writing posts.

The managed model means Rafiki handles sourcing, vetting, contracts, compliance, and payments end-to-end through Petl Pay. The South Africa talent base offers a strong pricing advantage over US and UK equivalents, with solid timezone overlap for European clients.

Where Rafiki is strongest: AI-augmented creative and technical talent, managed delivery for founders who do not want sourcing and vetting overhead, pricing, timezone for UK and EU clients, and flexibility between fully managed, semi-managed, and direct engagement models.

Where Rafiki has limitations: Talent pool is smaller than Upwork or Toptal by volume. For very large or highly specialised engineering roles outside the creative and growth space, a broader platform may surface more options.

Toptal

Toptal is one of the most established curated talent networks, with a strong reputation for senior engineers, designers, and finance professionals. Acceptance rates are low and the quality floor is high. It is a legitimate option for senior technical and design talent and has a partial matching service that reduces sourcing friction.

Where Toptal is stronger: Broader senior talent pool across all engineering and design disciplines. Established brand with a long track record. Strong for senior software engineering roles and product design. Global talent pool gives more options for very specific or niche requirements.

Where Toptal has limitations: Significantly higher rates than South Africa-based alternatives. Less focus on AI-augmented creative workflows. Less pricing flexibility for early-stage founders.

Upwork

Upwork is the largest freelance marketplace in the world by volume. Creative disciplines including graphic design, illustration, animation, video, copywriting, and marketing are among Upwork's strongest categories, and the top tier of creative talent on the platform is genuinely strong. If you know exactly what you need, can write a clear brief, and have time to screen profiles and run interviews yourself, Upwork can surface good candidates at competitive rates.

Where Upwork is stronger: Largest talent pool across all disciplines. Fastest time to first result. Wide price range. Particularly strong for creative roles including design, animation, and content. Good for clearly scoped project work.

Where Upwork has limitations: Entirely self-serve. Quality is inconsistent and requires your own vetting effort. No managed delivery or ongoing quality assurance. Finding AI-augmented creative talent specifically requires filtering and interview time.

Deel Talent

Deel's core product is compliance and payroll infrastructure for remote teams, and it is genuinely excellent at that. Deel Talent is a newer feature that allows employers to discover and hire contractors through the platform. If you already use Deel for payroll and want to find additional contractors in the same system, it is a convenient option.

Where Deel is stronger: Best-in-class compliance infrastructure, EOR in 150+ countries, strong if you already have Deel as your payroll tool and want talent in the same system.

Where Deel has limitations: Talent sourcing and vetting is not Deel's core competency. AI and automation specialism is limited. Not a managed delivery service.

Contra

Contra is a platform for independent professionals to build a public portfolio and connect directly with clients, with no platform commission on payments. It skews toward US-based creatives, designers, and marketers, with a growing developer and technical community. It is largely discovery-oriented rather than managed.

Where Contra is stronger: Commission-free hiring. Good for discovering creative and marketing talent. Clean portfolio presentation. Direct relationships with freelancers.

Where Contra has limitations: Limited AI and automation specialism. Primarily US-weighted talent pool, with higher rate expectations. No managed delivery or compliance support. Discovery is largely self-directed.

Which platform fits which situation?

🎨 "I need a vetted designer, animator, or marketer who uses AI, without doing the sourcing myself" Rafiki Works
Rafiki Works is built for this. Graphic designers, 3D artists, motion designers, brand strategists, and growth marketers who use AI as part of their day-to-day workflow. Brief in, shortlist within 72 hours, engagement starts within a week.
👩‍💻 "I need a senior software engineer or product designer from a large global pool" Toptal
Toptal has deep senior talent across engineering and product design globally. If the requirement is highly specific or senior and you need the widest international pool to draw from, Toptal's network is worth the premium rate.
🔍 "I have a clear brief for a creative or design project, time to vet myself, and want maximum choice" Upwork
Upwork is one of the strongest platforms for creative talent volume: designers, illustrators, animators, and content creators. If you can evaluate portfolios yourself and want the widest options at varied price points, it is a legitimate route.
📋 "I already use Deel for payroll and want to find additional contractors in the same system" Deel Talent
If Deel is already your compliance and payroll infrastructure, using Deel Talent for discovery keeps everything in one system. Not a managed placement service, but convenient for teams already in the Deel ecosystem.
🎨 "I am looking for a creative, marketer, or designer and want a commission-free direct relationship" Contra
Contra is well-suited to finding creative and marketing independents, particularly US-based ones. For technical AI and automation roles, it is less specialised, but for pure creative and growth talent it offers a clean direct-hire model.

Frequently asked questions

Toptal has a broader senior talent pool across all engineering and design disciplines and a strong global track record. Rafiki Works specialises in creative and technical talent from South Africa: graphic designers, 3D artists, animators, engineers, and marketers who use AI as part of their workflow. Rafiki also offers significantly lower rates and fully managed delivery including compliance and payments through Petl Pay. For AI-augmented creative roles, Rafiki Works offers deeper specialism. For highly senior or niche engineering roles requiring a large global pool, Toptal may surface more options.
It depends on what you need and how much sourcing time you have. Upwork is genuinely strong for creative talent volume: design, animation, illustration, and marketing are among its largest categories, and the top tier is good. But quality is inconsistent and all vetting is your responsibility. Rafiki Works is managed: under 1% of applicants are accepted, you receive a shortlist within 72 hours, and every specialist uses AI as part of their workflow. For founders who want a vetted, AI-augmented creative without the sourcing overhead, Rafiki Works is the lower-effort route.
Deel is primarily a compliance and payroll platform. Its core product is Employer of Record and contractor payroll infrastructure in 150+ countries, which it does very well. Deel Talent is a newer supplementary feature for discovering contractors. Rafiki Works is a talent sourcing and placement service that also handles compliance and payments through Petl Pay. They serve different primary needs, though both cover compliance in the engagement layer.
Yes. Rafiki Works offers flexible engagement models: fully managed (Rafiki handles everything), semi-managed (Rafiki handles sourcing and compliance, you manage the day-to-day), or direct (you manage the specialist directly, Rafiki handles compliance and payments through Petl Pay). This makes it suitable for founders who want to build a direct relationship with their specialist while still having the compliance and payment infrastructure in place.
Rafiki Works sources talent from South Africa, where senior technical specialists command significantly lower market rates than equivalents in the US or UK, while maintaining a strong quality standard through rigorous vetting. This is a structural pricing advantage, not a quality compromise. Toptal and Contra are weighted toward US and Western European talent pools where rate expectations are higher. At $1,500 to $8,000 per month for a fractional engagement, Rafiki Works offers comparable technical capability at a fraction of the cost.
Rafiki Works is well-suited to founders making their first fractional hire. The managed model means you do not need to evaluate portfolios or conduct technical interviews yourself; Rafiki does the vetting and presents a matched shortlist with context on fit and rates. The specialist then embeds in your team. Upwork and Contra require you to source and evaluate candidates yourself, which takes time and judgment that first-time fractional buyers often do not have yet.
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