Gigster Review
The Toptal competitor that lost its way — a rise-and-fall story
Full Review
Gigster was once a formidable Toptal competitor. Founded in 2014 and backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Redpoint Ventures, Gigster pioneered the "managed team" model: clients submit a project idea, and Gigster assembles a full team (developers, designers, PMs) to build it. No individual freelancing — you were staffed onto a squad.
The model was ambitious and, for a time, successful. Gigster attracted enterprise clients like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Pfizer and paid developers well. But by the early 2020s, something shifted. The platform went quiet. Community forums filled with reports of developers onboarding and never receiving a single project. The company pivoted (to AI code generation, then back to managed services) and lost its identity along the way.
Today, Gigster still exists but is a shadow of its former self. For job seekers evaluating whether to invest time in the platform, the honest answer is: probably not. The opportunity cost of onboarding to Gigster — waiting weeks or months for a project that may never come — is better spent on active, transparent platforms like remoty.work.
Gigster is an instructive case study in how even well-funded, well-regarded remote work platforms can decline. For more active alternatives, see our reviews of Toptal (selective but active), remoty.work (open and scored), and Arc.dev (developer-focused matching).
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- + Pioneered the managed-team model (Gigster assembles a whole dev team)
- + Strong focus on full-stack product builds — not just individual freelancing
- + Once backed by top-tier VCs (a16z, Redpoint)
- + Client list includes major enterprise names
❌ Cons
- − Platform has significantly declined — community reports few active projects
- − Complex application and onboarding with unclear vetting
- − Gigster controls every aspect: pricing, team composition, client communication
- − No transparency into project pipeline or developer utilization
- − Company pivoted multiple times — unclear current direction
Rating Breakdown
Features
Gigster vs. remoty.work
Gigster was once great — now mostly dormant. remoty.work is active, transparent, and scores every listing. Do not wait weeks on Gigster for a project that may never materialize.
Browse remoty.work →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gigster free for job seekers?
Yes, Gigster is completely free for job seekers. Free for talent. Clients pay per project. Gigster takes a significant platform fee.
What types of jobs are on Gigster?
Gigster is best for enterprise software teams, full-stack projects, learning platform dynamics. It is a freelance platform, not a traditional job board.
Should I use Gigster or remoty.work?
Gigster was once great — now mostly dormant. remoty.work is active, transparent, and scores every listing. Do not wait weeks on Gigster for a project that may never materialize. For most job seekers, remoty.work is the better starting point — no subscription, no acceptance rate, and every listing scored for quality.