Jobbers.io vs Gun.io: Developer Platforms Compared

By the Jobbers Editorial Team · Published October 2026 · Last reviewed October 2026

If you write code for a living and you’ve been freelancing for more than a year, you already know the uncomfortable truth: finding good clients is often harder than the work itself. Platforms promise to fix that. Some do it by curating a small group of senior engineers and managing everything for you. Others open the door wider and get out of the way.

Gun.io and jobbers.io sit on opposite ends of that spectrum. We spent time going through Gun.io’s current public pages, its developer onboarding flow and its stated policies, and compared them with how our own platform works.

The short answer

Gun.io is a managed, curated talent service. It vets developers, negotiates contracts, handles billing and payroll, and markets itself to companies running high-stakes engineering projects. Developers don’t pay a fee there; clients do.

Jobbers is an open, commission-free marketplace. Clients post projects, freelancers send proposals, and the two sides agree on price and payment terms directly. Jobbers takes no cut of what you earn.

If you’re a senior engineer who wants someone else to handle sales, contracts and invoicing, Gun.io is worth applying to. If you want direct client relationships, no commission and access that doesn’t depend on passing a selective review, Jobbers is the more practical fit. Plenty of developers use both.

What Gun.io actually is in 2026

Gun.io has been around for over a decade. Its current About page dates the company’s origins to 2013, when it started as a community for paid open-source bounties (an older version of the site gave 2012 as the founding year, so treat the exact date with some flexibility). The company has its roots in Nashville, Tennessee.

The positioning has shifted noticeably over the years. Gun.io used to describe itself mostly as a place to hire freelance developers. Today its homepage talks about “engineering governance”: the company handles sourcing, vetting, contracts, compliance and delivery oversight, and says it runs payroll and compliance across 100+ countries. On its About page it describes a corps of roughly 1,000 vetted engineers and claims more than $100M in engineering spend managed through the platform. Those are the company’s own figures; we haven’t seen them independently audited.

How developers get work on Gun.io

According to Gun.io’s Find Work page, the process looks like this:

1. You build a detailed profile (work history, languages, past projects). Gun.io says it values past work over a pile of code tests, and you’re only considered once the profile is 100% complete.
2. Senior developers on the Gun.io team review your profile and decide whether you’re eligible for specific roles.
3. If you’re shortlisted, you talk with someone from Gun.io, then Gun.io sets up interviews with the client.
4. Gun.io handles the contract, sets up payments and stays involved during the engagement.

One thing developers like: Gun.io states that you keep 100% of the rate you set, and that its fees are charged to clients. It also says it bills clients and guarantees developer payments. That’s a real advantage if you’ve ever chased a late invoice.

The trade-off is control. Because Gun.io sits in the middle (negotiating, contracting and billing), you’re working within its process rather than building a direct commercial relationship. Archived versions of Gun.io’s FAQ also described non-solicitation commitments between clients, developers and the platform. If that matters to you, read the current terms of use before you sign anything.

What Gun.io costs clients

Gun.io does not publish a standard rate card. Its public pages describe custom, all-in pricing where the client sees a single price that already includes Gun.io’s fee. Third-party review sites quote various hourly ranges, but since none of them come from Gun.io itself, we’re not repeating them here. If you’re hiring, ask Gun.io for a quote directly.

What Jobbers is (and isn’t)

Jobbers is a global marketplace for freelance jobs across development, design, marketing, writing and other skills. Developers are one of our biggest groups, but we’re not a developer-only service. You can browse freelance jobs without going through a selection committee.

Here’s how it works, without the marketing gloss:

• 0% commission. Jobbers doesn’t take a percentage of your earnings on completed work. What you agree with the client is what you get.
• Direct payment terms. Freelancers and clients discuss and agree on payment amounts, schedules and methods themselves. There’s no platform-imposed billing layer in between.
• Paid credits for proposals. Sending proposals uses credits, which are paid. We’d rather be upfront about that: Jobbers is commission-free, not cost-free.
• Open access. There’s no invitation-only gate. Your profile, portfolio and proposals do the vetting, and clients decide who to hire.

The honest downside of a direct model: you carry more responsibility. You write the contract (or use a template), you agree on milestones, and you decide how you want to get paid. For experienced freelancers that’s freedom. For someone new to client work, it’s a learning curve.

Side-by-side comparison

Criteria	Gun.io	Jobbers.io
Model	Managed, curated engineering talent service	Open freelance marketplace
Who it’s for	Software engineers (mostly experienced) and companies with complex projects	Freelancers in many fields, including developers, and clients of all sizes
Fee for freelancers	None stated; developers keep 100% of their rate (fees charged to clients)	0% commission; paid credits to send proposals
Client pricing	Custom, all-in pricing; no public rate card	Price agreed directly with the freelancer
Access	Profile review by Gun.io’s senior developers; selective	Open sign-up
Contracts and billing	Handled by Gun.io	Agreed between freelancer and client
Payment	Gun.io bills clients and pays developers	Payment terms and method negotiated directly
Client relationship	Intermediated by Gun.io	Direct
Best for	Senior devs who want sales and admin handled	Devs who want independence and no commission

Table based on each platform’s public pages as of October 2026. Policies change, so check the official sites before deciding.

Where Gun.io wins

We’d be doing you a disservice if we pretended a commission-free marketplace beats a managed service in every situation. It doesn’t.

You don’t have to sell. A lot of very good engineers hate prospecting. Gun.io’s model means someone else finds the client, pitches you and negotiates. If you’d rather spend 100% of your time coding, that’s worth a lot.

Admin is off your plate. Contracts, invoicing, payroll, cross-border compliance: Gun.io says it handles all of it. For developers billing US companies from abroad, that removes real friction.

Long engagements. Gun.io is oriented toward ongoing, often multi-month contracts rather than one-off gigs. Stable income is a big deal when you freelance.

Where Jobbers wins

You own the relationship. On Jobbers you talk to clients directly, set your own terms and keep the client if the work goes well. Repeat clients are where freelance income gets comfortable, and nobody stands between you.

No percentage taken from your work. Many big marketplaces take a cut of every invoice. Jobbers takes 0%, so raising your rate doesn’t mean handing more to a platform.

No gatekeeping. Selective platforms are great if you get in. If you’re mid-level, switching stacks, or based in a market that curated services don’t prioritize, an open marketplace lets your portfolio speak for itself.

Broader range of work. Need a quick WordPress fix this week and a three-month React build next quarter? Jobbers covers small and large projects, while a curated service mostly routes longer engagements.

A few numbers that frame the decision

Demand for software skills isn’t going away. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of software developers, QA analysts and testers to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 106,100 openings a year on average. It also reports a median annual wage of $135,980 for software developers in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Note that BLS wage data covers employees, not the self-employed.

Independent work keeps growing too. MBO Partners’ State of Independence research counted 72.9 million independent workers in the United States in 2025. That’s a lot of people competing for clients, which is why the “how do I find work?” question matters more than which logo is on the platform.

Practical advice before you commit

Whichever platform you choose, a few habits protect you:

• Get the scope in writing. On a direct marketplace like Jobbers, a short contract with deliverables, deadlines, payment schedule and IP terms prevents most disputes.
• Use milestones. Split larger projects so you’re never more than a few weeks of work away from a payment.
• Understand your tax status. If you work with US clients, the IRS explains the difference between independent contractors and employees, and the U.S. Department of Labor covers worker misclassification. Rules in your own country apply as well.
• Watch for scams. Fake job offers that ask you to pay upfront or move to unusual payment channels are common. The FTC’s guide to job scams is worth five minutes of your time.
• Read the terms. Especially any non-solicitation, exclusivity or IP clauses. They decide what happens after the contract ends.

Our verdict

Gun.io and Jobbers aren’t really fighting over the same developer. Gun.io is for engineers who want a managed pipeline of long-term contracts and are happy to let a platform handle sales and paperwork in exchange for working inside its process. Jobbers is for developers who want direct clients, full control over pricing and payment, and zero commission on what they earn.

If you’re undecided, there’s no rule against using both. Apply to Gun.io, and in the meantime set up a profile on jobbers.io and start sending proposals. Diversifying where your work comes from is one of the most reliable ways to keep a freelance business stable.

Important notice: This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or financial advice. Platform features, fees, policies and statistics change over time. Figures and descriptions in this article were checked against publicly available sources in October 2026, but readers must verify all numbers, fees and data directly with the official sources (including Gun.io, Jobbers.io, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and MBO Partners) before making any decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Jobbers.io and Gun.io?

Gun.io is a managed, curated service that vets developers and handles contracts, billing and payroll between companies and engineers. Jobbers.io is an open, commission-free marketplace where freelancers and clients connect and agree on prices and payment terms directly.

Does Gun.io charge developers a fee?

According to Gun.io’s Find Work page, developers keep 100% of the rate they set, and Gun.io’s fees are charged to clients. Check the current terms on Gun.io’s website, as policies can change.

Does Jobbers.io take a commission?

No. Jobbers.io takes 0% commission on freelancers’ earnings. Freelancers and clients discuss and agree on payment directly. Sending proposals uses paid credits.

Is Gun.io only for senior developers?

Gun.io focuses on vetted software engineers, and its senior developers review each profile to decide eligibility for roles. In practice it favors experienced engineers with a solid track record, though Gun.io does not publish a minimum years-of-experience rule on its main pages.

How much does it cost to hire a developer through Gun.io?

Gun.io does not publish a standard rate card. It offers custom, all-in pricing that includes its fee. Companies should request a quote directly from Gun.io.

Can I use Jobbers.io and Gun.io at the same time?

Generally yes, as long as you respect any exclusivity or non-solicitation clauses in contracts you sign. Many freelancers use more than one platform to keep a steady flow of work.

How do payments work on Jobbers.io?

On Jobbers.io, the freelancer and client agree on the amount, schedule and payment method themselves. Using a written contract and milestone payments is recommended to protect both sides.

Which platform is better for developers outside the United States?

Both accept international talent. Gun.io says it handles payroll and compliance in 100+ countries, but access depends on passing its profile review. Jobbers.io is open to freelancers worldwide with no selection gate, so it can be easier to start on.

Is Jobbers.io only for developers?

No. Jobbers.io covers many freelance categories, including software development, design, marketing, writing and translation. Gun.io focuses on software engineering.

How do I choose between a managed platform and an open marketplace?

Choose a managed platform like Gun.io if you want sales, contracts and billing handled for you and prefer long engagements. Choose an open marketplace like Jobbers.io if you want direct client relationships, control over your rates and no commission on your earnings.

Sources

• Gun.io homepage
• Gun.io – About
• Gun.io – Find Work
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Software Developers, QA Analysts, and Testers
• MBO Partners – State of Independence
• IRS – Independent Contractor or Employee
• U.S. Department of Labor – Misclassification of Employees
• FTC – Job Scams

About the authors: The Jobbers Editorial Team writes guides and platform comparisons for freelancers and the businesses that hire them. Our team runs a commission-free freelance marketplace and reviews platform policies, fee structures and official labor data as part of its daily work.