Toptal

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company has developed a mobile internet web application.

What is your position?

I am the Vice President of Products in the company. I manage product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

We are a Chinese company, but our product is aimed at users outside of China. We wanted to find a non-local company that would manage UI and UX design for us, bringing a more diverse experience and new ideas to the product development.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

We've worked on only one project with Toptal. We could work by hiring freelancers from their website, but we were also able to hire a project manager from Toptal's network. That person would then help us find the right designers. This was our approach because we wanted the project to run as smoothly as possible. Our manager helped us identify 2 designers, one for UI and one for UX. Finding the right resources through Toptal's website by ourselves would have taken more time, as it would have meant having individual interviews with them. In total, we've worked with one project manager and 2 designers from Toptal.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

We researched numerous companies through the internet and found Toptal. We had used a freelancer in the initial stages of the project in order to experiment on our product with minimal cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Toptal 2 months ago. The project took 6 weeks to finish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

In general, I was satisfied with Toptal. Our project was complex, but they were able to finish the job within 6 weeks. One of Toptal's designers delivered a quality job, but the other was only so-so. This is to be expected when dealing with multiple freelancers. Taking into account the time span, the money spent, and the results we've received, we are pleased.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Toptal's project manager was able to find the right persons within a short period of time. There was a lack of documentation on their website in regards to project management. We would have appreciated more information about their approach, before engaging with designers. There were some misunderstandings with Toptal's project management team in the beginning as a result, but we did overcome this.

What distinguishes Toptal from other providers?

Toptal is very aggressive and fast to respond when engaging with customers. As a company, we've appreciated Toptal's quality of service and attitude towards problems.

Is there anything Toptal could have improved or done differently?

We've worked through 2-week Agile sprints over the course of 6 weeks. Toptal had to remain aligned with our targets, so we were given a very short approval time for the work done. I understand that there was great pressure to move forward, but there sometimes wasn't enough time to verify all the work done by Toptal. They could develop a project management method by which we'd have more time for this.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company is a start-up, peer-to-peer marketplace where users can rent or buy things from each other.

What is your position?

I am one of the co-owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

My partner and I do not have the appropriate development knowledge, so we were looking for someone who could bring our idea to fruition. We were having trouble realizing what exactly we needed and were having trouble with all of the technological terminology. Once we came across Toptal, they told us what type of team they could assemble, which made us more confident that we would have the right people onboard.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Toptal gave us a project manager who helped manage the timeline and scope of the project. They also staffed a front-end developer, a back-end developer, UI [user interface] designer, and a QA [quality assurance] resource. Again, I don't think we would have known to get all those people, much less been able to afford them had we hired them ourselves. We had looked at a base site that was coded in Ruby, so we knew we needed an expert in that area.

We used an agile development style, which allowed us to understand the requirements of the site and then build what we thought was best, based on the developers' feedback. We had many questions about shipping integration and were able to refine what we were looking for in the site in time. However, though we liked the agile framework, the process we used to move through the project was a little clunky. I think this is because the team structure was relatively new to the Toptal team, and the manager hadn't worked on a project similar to ours before.

They didn't get to see our RFP [request for proposal] until after we went through contract negotiations, so I don't think they ever really saw the full scope of what we wanted. Once we got past the early stage, we were able to start the development. There were many people in many different time zones, which we had to be cognizant of. We had morning calls where they would give us an update on what they had done since the last call, and then we were supposed to validate and test the new functionality as they delivered it.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I was searching for developers in May of 2015 and came across Toptal. One of their representatives contacted me, and we discussed their previous work and their capabilities. After that conversation, we moved forward with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We were originally quoted around $30,000, but then that increased to around $48,000 at one point in the project. We finally aligned on $42,500, but that was a challenging negotiation point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have completed the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I can't give any metrics at this point because our engagement went about twice as long as we originally estimated, which set us back on some other things. However, we did open it up to some folks for testing to find any kinks that needed to be worked out. So far, the responses from that group have been very good. We've been getting a lot of positive feedback about the look and the capabilities of the site.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management perspective, it was very helpful to have someone who could effectively communicate the thoughts of my partner and me to the developers and vice versa. He helped bridge the gap between our knowledge bases, especially when it came to implementing specific features. A couple of times, there were instances where we didn't understand the complexity or cost behind a function that we were looking for, such as a search bar. Our project manager did a great job of managing that communication.

Something that was a bit more difficult was the timeline. My business partner and I work full time, so we had a limited window in the early morning that we could speak to the Toptal team. As time went on, there were certain things that we expected to be done between conversations that weren't. It would have been nice to have someone verify that things were done before our calls happened. It was supposed to be a six-week project, but ended up being about 12. It definitely became more stressful for us the longer the project went on.

What distinguishes Toptal from other providers?

Having that communication bridge was necessary. I was glad to have a resource where I could give my perspective and resolve problems rather than having the whole project blow up. Had we not gone through Toptal, we would have only worked with freelancers, and I'm sure we would have had much less recourse. The bridge was also useful from a knowledge perspective. It was very helpful to have somebody that we felt comfortable talking to and trusted to communicate our ideas.

Another positive thing was having an extensive team with people both inside and outside the United States. We wouldn't have been able to afford that many people from the U.S. on our own. We also felt better about having non-U.S.-based resources in the mix because we had such a large group.

Is there anything Toptal could have improved or done differently?

On the front end, they should refine who their target customer for a product like this is. The beginning stages were quite difficult because I didn't know them, and we had a rough contract negotiation. Had they seen our RFP [request for proposal] from the beginning, that would've allowed them to understand the full scope of what we were trying to accomplish and probably would have stopped them from exceeding their not-to-exceed pricing quote. We actually went almost 50 percent above what we originally wanted to spend.

They ended up switching project managers later in the project, and he was very open about the pressure he was getting from upper management to hurry up and finish. After hearing that, we lost confidence in the quality of the work. I'm not sure if the size of our project was the best for them. If the estimating piece had gone smoother in the beginning, I think the whole process would have been more successful. Even now, after we've finished they haven't reached out. It would have been nice to have some support once the project was completed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We provide market research - specifically sales and marketing data to exporters to China. We work mostly in the wine and spirits industry. We provide an online platform where they can log in and see all the partners that they could work with within their industry vertical or product/service category and see monthly trade statistics specific to China. 

What is your position?

I’m the vice president of sales and development and also a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

We’ve been doing consulting in this area for a long time, nearly six years. We then decided to transition to a completely online platform because we thought our customers wanted that. At that point, we reached out to some development firms, had some bad experiences and lost a lot of money and time. We found the whole process very frustrating. Then, I heard about Toptal, so I decided to reach out to them and from the beginning it was a wonderful experience. They were very professional and we started from zero with them. I told them about the project and they matched me with a developer within a week. He turned out to be absolutely excellent. He was really amazing. We worked with him on a project for two months. It was just very refreshing. I enjoyed the professionalism, the daily updates, and that the communication back and forth was clear and concise. We had to put in a lot of effort to make sure that we were answering his questions daily so that he could continue advancing the project. As long as we were doing that, he was getting everything done and he exceeded our expectations.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

We were building out an application and he was constructing the database. He integrated our front-end design work that we had already paid for and he implemented that with a backend that he built from scratch. There were about 10 different technologies he used. He was responsible for making sure the entire system worked properly.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

We had already worked with an Indian company and had a very poor experience. Then, we reached out to one or two other companies. One was in California, and I didn’t get a good vibe from them. Honestly, at the time we needed somebody fast and we didn’t have a lot of time for research and vetting because we had already started the project and it had bombed. When I reached out to Toptal, they had a structure and a response to my questions that gave me the sense that they could actually take it on quickly and run with it successfully.

They put me in touch with someone in Brazil right away. He talked with me in within one or two business days and matched me with somebody within a week. Within two weeks or less we were ready to begin the coding. That’s super fast compared to what I know and what I’ve experienced. Moreover, the person they matched me with was top quality. I remember feeling nervous because I had worked with India in the past and struggled with the whole cultural language barriers because my person was in Portugal. He turned out to be amazingly professional, and neither English nor was time difference a problem.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’re still working with Toptal.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The best benchmark is when my customers don’t have a problem using the tool. There haven’t been any major glitches or defects that have caused people to reach out to us saying that it isn’t working. It all works the way it should, exactly as expected. We’ve only had a couple of instances where we’ve had to do some rework on it. We’ve reached out to Toptal again to do that work with a different developer. He’s was also very responsive and they fixed the issue right away. It was amazingly simple and clean.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

The two-month development process for the initial build out was with one developer. We didn’t use any specific project management tools. We communicated primarily through email and phone. We had a system that we worked out between ourselves. By a certain time, we would respond to him and we had a format for our discussion every day, in which there would be key points and certain areas that he would address every single day. The way that we communicated about various detailed issues was very specific. We had to show him exactly where issues were on the screen, so I would take screen shots and then do annotations in it with Adobe InDesign and send him a PDF. It would all be annotated very meticulously.

What distinguishes Toptal from other providers?

I'd say their professionalism stands out. The developer they assigned to us was extremely intelligent. He had a lot of practical knowledge and an intuitive sense of design. Not just about what we were doing specifically, but just in general about his area of expertise. He was very concerned with us feeling supported and us understanding what was happening. He took the time to explain things in ways that we could easily understand, in layman's terms. He took the time to break it down and make it intuitive. Some of the things he was doing were really difficult to break down, so we really appreciated that.

Is there anything Toptal could have improved or done differently?

I have no areas of improvement to recommend. It was perfect from the beginning to the end. By the conclusion of the project, we were at launch time and it was stressful, but we had this really amazing person at the end cheering us on and wishing us well. He did everything imaginable to make it successful. I really can’t think of anything more that he could have done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for the Krazy Coupon Lady. It's primarily a grocery deal website focusing on in-store coupons with a large component of online deals as well, and we have a development team that manages the website, the iOS application, and the Android application.

What is your position?

I'm the chief technology officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

The first project we went to them with included mostly bug fixes and enhancements to our recently launched iOS application. We were looking for a Swift developer, knowing that it would be unlikely to get a Swift developer because of the newness of that technology stack, but an Objective-C developer who can help in that project space.

It was just one developer to begin with. Then, about a week or two after their first developer joined the team, we immediately started looking for another developer to help with front-end development on the Ionic application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Both of their developers were working within the original scope as intended. As one developer was dedicated to one application, the other one handled the vertical stack of development work, working under the direction of myself and having technical assistance by developers onsite on my team. A design skill set was what we really wanted to make sure we brought in because we already hadcustom transitions, animations and image manipulation, and that was very strong. They did some UI [user interface] work with the responsive constraints between the different device sizes. They're also working with Ionic and angular.JS now.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

If I remember right, I read an article. There are so many publications that I read online, and I just stumbled upon them. It's in a different model. I have been through Elance a number of times with mixed results, and had trouble finding a good resource offshore. I was at Hewlett-Packard for a number of years and had 30 to 40 people in China and India working for me. I knew what the model could be with the right people, but just had a difficult time finding those people without going through some large organization that wants to take over project management and add many layers of management between the client and the actual people doing the work. I didn't want that model, and I was having difficulty finding reliable and competent people.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been together a couple months. I can't remember exactly when our iOS developer joined.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We did a minor version release that cleaned up only the 10 to 15 crashes, and that was the first priority when we brought on the iOS developer. Here's a good statistic, we were running in the 94 percent crash-free user range, which meant 6 percent of our users were getting crashes on a more regular basis. Now, since our minor update release, we're running at 99.3 percent as of the last report.

We use a Kanban model, so it's less revolving around the time we think it's going to take to complete a feature or fix a bug, and more about constant communication and meaningful improvement. We have a Slack channel opened up with the two developers, and then we do the daily stand up over the screen here. Transmitting feedback has never been an issue.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

They've always delivered on time and within the specified budget. We never felt like that was going to be a problem. Tools we used included JIRA, GitHub, and Slack.

What distinguishes Toptal from other providers?

The difference was the two-week trial period. I don't know if that's something I would ever execute for a nonpayment, but it provides a level of protection. In the span of two weeks, we can have a real good sense of the quality and the developer that you're bringing on. It wasn't going to be a flake. They're going to be a resource that's available and getting their job and the work done. Then, I would say the quality of the candidates. While we did interview a very high number of candidates for the Ionic position, some of them just were not in our space. We didn't think they were going to be strong enough. Some of them were too high of a cost. There was one guy in the mix that was $95 an hour, and that was just something we weren't willing to commit to. One of the guys – the first iOS developer we interviewed – I was in the middle of the interview with him when I got a call that I couldn't take from Toptal saying, "Hey, sorry. Don't bother interviewing me. I just got hired out." That was surprising, but it does seem like there is high demand for their talent.

Is there anything Toptal could have improved or done differently?

I don't think so. I wouldn't make any changes in that space. They do a good job of trying to give you a picture of the developer and what they can and cannot do. They invest a good amount of time vetting their candidates.

Any advice for future clients?

When you're interviewing candidates, you still have to evaluate technical capabilities for your specific needs. They're going to come in and – one of the guys that we got pitched to was very good in .NET and had done a lot of Angular.JS work, but when we looked at our specific needs around Cordova, we just made the determination that it wasn't going to be a good match. They're going to be a good developer, but whether they're going to be good in your space or not, it's still up to you to make that determination. Then, you've got to have good work practices and project management set up because, from this perspective, you're going to have somebody – a developer – joining your team. You've got to have leaders who can shepherd them through that process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a software services and software development company. We are a small company based out of Chicago and we specialize in a wide range of technologies. We put together project teams for our clients that are tailored specific to their project requirements. Each project is very different and we outsource a lot of the custom work by bringing in freelancers and developers domestically or from abroad. 

What is your position?

I’m the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

The hardest thing for us is having enough talent and having it reliably available. Because we craft very specialized teams for our clients, finding proficient developers in whatever technology we’re dealing with is hard and can be very time-consuming. Toptal helped us find great resources for some specific technologies.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

We have used an array of different technologies. We’ve gone to them for Swift iOS developers, for Android and Java developers, for node.JS and JavaScript. We hired new developers through them for all those areas of practice. I’ve also gone to them for .NET developers. All of their work has been custom development and they work directly with our own team members.

Typically, we manage them directly but after they’ve been seasoned with our teams for a while and we get to know them, they get to interact with the clients directly as well.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I tried them out first with a single JavaScript developer position and used that as a basis for understanding their process, for interviewing their candidates and then for validating the expertise of that individual based on the criteria that we specified. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We’re close to investing $225,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been with them a year or year and a half.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We’ve used them for different technologies and different engagements, and I’d say that their developers have been talented in all the areas that we requested. We built some complex dashboard platforms for web applications. And using newer technologies like Angular.JS and others were easy with them. Generally, they’ve been on time and been able to meet the challenge of the requirements. Mobile app development is a tough one because you have to do a lot of testing. They were not that heavily involved in the testing; we do that in-house, but from a development standpoint, they’ve met expectations and been able to provide what was required.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Software development is a tough business because requirements in an agile environment can change from sprint to sprint. Some of the initial estimates that were made were a little off target, but the developers didn’t have all the information at hand. Generally, they have not been off the mark in terms of time frames and deliveries. The initial estimates were not always correct, but it’s not always their fault because we have expanded the scope from time to time.

What distinguishes Toptal from other providers?

What separates them from other types of recruiting agencies or technical staffing agencies is that they are great at vetting candidates and at making sure they’re at the top of their game. That’s their secret formula. I definitely trust their selection process.

We try to minimize turnover because some developers get pretty familiar with the projects and they gain that internal knowledge that you need to be very productive. With these guys, we haven’t had any unexpected turnover. That reliability is crucial in our circumstances. We have never had to substitute one developer for another.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a private individual. I retired about 15 years ago, but I’ve been doing some work on some old websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

I needed help with development for some older websites I had. They were done in old HTML and ASP. I needed to update the CSS and get them cleaned up and looking more modern.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toptal developed some websites for me. Initially, I sent them an email with the scope of work, detailing the things I needed to change. Then, I gave the FTP access to the sites they worked on and made a clone of them so they could work on a site off to the side.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an account manager and Drew (Frontend Developer), the technician in London.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I found them online through Google.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent under $1,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them in March 2024; the project only lasted 1–2 days.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The results from the new site were great, and Toptal did an excellent job with the delivery. I was so happy with them that I actually submitted a second project that we’ll finish today.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Whatever I asked for, I always got what I needed in a timely manner. They went a little over the budget. However, I didn’t know what to expect or how long it would take, so I was fine with that.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

The programmer did a good job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Before the project started, my programmer set up a Zoom meeting with my email in front of him. We covered its points and looked over the current website, and he knew exactly what I needed. Overall, Toptal delivered a successful project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything worked well on the jobs we’ve had; there was no need for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any project, always provide a clear scope of work. Sit down with yourself, go over your project, and write out an email detailing what you expect, what you need done, and any other information you have to offer. Afterward, set up a Zoom call with the team you’re working with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at Neron's Brother

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We make video game on the Google Play Store & App Store

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Toptal to accomplish?

• Experienced developers using Unity

SOLUTION

How did you find Toptal?

• Online Search

Why did you select Toptal over others?

• Fast process & High end profiles

How many teammates from Toptal were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Code Optimization
• Launch of WiFi Mode
• Cloud Save Working on ANR issues
• Monetization Strategy

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Revenue went up and we could see correlation

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Weekly meetings helped to prioritize and fix deadlines and ensure smooth communication.

What was your primary form of communication with Toptal?

• Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Very fast process

Are there any areas for improvement or something Toptal could have done differently?

Honestly, no. Price is "high" but you get what you pay for. High end profiles within 24-48h!!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Hamilton Rock

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are Hamilton Rock, a Digital Bank for Digital Companies

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Toptal to accomplish?

• Showcase the Value Proposation
• Define the global, 1st and 2nd Tier Navigation
• Create the Look & Feel of the Platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Toptal?

Online Search

Why did you select Toptal over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Toptal were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We are building the bank of tomorrow, today, offering a platform that will “WOW” the user and create a User Experience customers will “Fall in Love” with. We regard UX/UI product design as pivotal to the success of the business and therefore “Great Design” is a core tenant of our proposition. 

Navigating Hamilton Rock’s modern and contemporary platform will be nothing short of a pleasurable experience that will enable customers to experience “jaw-dropping” beautiful design supported by effortless, and easy-to-use functionality. The purpose of this engagement is to create and design 5 interlinked pixel-perfect, high-fidelity mock-up pages in Figma, Adobe XD, etc., that showcases the Hamilton Rock proposition and exhibits its world-class superior UX/UI design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

After briefing TopTal on our requirements, they responded with just 2 candidates. However, the quality of work from each of the candidates was exceptional and a difficult choice had to be made. The selected UX/UI Designer, designed 6 stunning pages and simply put the work speaks for itself. The feedback internally and from customers has been nothing short of excellent. Very happy indeed.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The UX/UIDesigner we engaged in, was nothing short of excellent in bot design capability and administration efficiency - Everything was delivered on time, punctuated with delivery milestones thought the life of the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Toptal?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What impressed me most about TopTal is their ability to really understand exactly what the engagement entails and their ability to provide top talent, who can deliver exceptional work on time, on budget, and in an efficient and professional manner.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Toptal could have done differently?

No. We are very happy with their service and looking forward to working with them again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Cofounder of Golden Camel

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sports betting aggregator scoring engine

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Toptal to accomplish?

• Growth

SOLUTION

How did you find Toptal?

Referral

Why did you select Toptal over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Toptal were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Tully built out app abs branding

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Timelines and launch

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, they went above and beyond

What was your primary form of communication with Toptal?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Communication skills

Are there any areas for improvement or something Toptal could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chair, litigation department of (a/an) Legal

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software tools for immigration attorneys.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Toptal to accomplish?

• Build a working app

SOLUTION

How did you find Toptal?

Online Search

Why did you select Toptal over others?

Great culture fit

What was the size of Toptal’s team?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Built a website to scrape immigration court hearing information from a website, save that information into a user's account, and integrate the information into court pleadings drafted automatically and delivered to the user, as well as keeping track of court deadlines and other useful stuff that I, as an immigration attorney, use regularly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Build an app that scrapes info from the site successfully.
• Build an app that can keep track of cases by repeated scraping.
• Build an app that can deliver well-formatted sample pleadings with integrated case information.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Vladimir was great, he exceeded my expectations and built everything I needed. However, we had some roadblocks emerge as the project moved along. The website instituted a captcha system that prevented scraping. Vladimir was able to work around this using VPNs partially, and that worked, but only for users from overseas. I was not able to pull scrape requests any longer once the captcha was implemented.

He assured me that he could work around this because there's a GitHub repository that gets updated regularly to overcome captchas, but he eventually was not able to overcome this problem. Without the ability to scrape this info domestically from the US, the app is not usable. He advised that he would continue to look into solutions and would reach out if he found one.

What was your primary form of communication with Toptal?

• Email
• Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They offer great talent for affordable prices. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Toptal could have done differently?

It would be nice if someone could review the project with Vladimir and see if they can find someone else who can solve the captcha problem.