# The Starters Reviews **Vendor:** Starters Talent **Category:** [Freelance Platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/freelance-platforms) **Average Rating:** 4.9/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 20 ## About The Starters The Starters provides companies access to elite freelance marketers, creatives, and technologists. From designers to CMOs, The Starters has top talent that you can't find anywhere else. Explore and hire pre-vetted talent starting at $25/hr with no commissions or rate markups. ## The Starters Reviews ### 1. Excellent platform for finding freelance clients **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Krysta L. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 10, 2024 **What do you like best about The Starters?** I've been a freelancer on The Starters for about a month now and I've been shocked to see how many inquiries I've had from brands wanting to work with me. As a fractional CMO, it's not easy to find the right clients - ones that align with your values, needs and budget - but this platform has done a great job with pairings. The reasonable monthly fee also helps filter out brands who aren't serious about hiring. I would 10/10 recommend for both brands & freelancers! **What do you dislike about The Starters?** Having to turn down leads as my bandwidth is full! **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Finding quality freelance clients ### 2. Love it. The best way to build and grow your team **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Yaniv M. | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 20, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** I love The Starters. The Starters has quickly become the go-to place to build my team . I have pretty high standards expectations when it comes to the people I work with. I want to work with stars. Every person I've worked with on The Starters has been amazing. Literally. Everyone is the real deal and far better than Upwork, Marketerhire, and others. I wish The Starters was around 15 years ago when we were first building our company. The user interface is beautiful. The design is clean, intuitive, and fun to navigate. I'm a huge fan. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** The Starters doesn't have one flaw. It's a dream come true and I'm a huge fan. I don't dislike anything about The Starters. If you're considering using this, just do it. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** I'm currently using The Starters platform as a way to hire an amazing team. The software is easy to navigate, while the individuals found on the platform are next level. ### 3. Solid platform for our e-comm business talent needs **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Krishna S. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 15, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** What I appreciate most about The Starters is its commitment to quality. As a scrappy e-commerce business, finding skilled freelancers is crucial, but it's often like finding a needle in a haystack. The Starters eliminates the guesswork by pre-vetting top-tier talent who have actual experience with successful e-commerce brands. This saves us time and instills confidence in our choices. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** It's tough to pinpoint anything specific that I dislike. If I had to nitpick, I'd say it's the anticipation of waiting for them to expand their talent pool even further. The platform is growing, and sometimes the demand outpaces the supply of specialized talent in certain areas. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** One of the biggest challenges we faced was finding and vetting the right freelance talent. It was time-consuming and often felt like a hit or miss. With The Starters, they've eliminated this pain point. Their pre-vetting process ensures we're only seeing people who really understand the e-commerce space and are great at their specific domain. It's saved us so much time and has significantly improved the quality of work we're getting. As a result, we're able to focus more on growing our business and less on the hiring process ### 4. All the support you need as a start-up founder, you can find here. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Aisling B. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 11, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** The needs of a start-up are forever changing. I got sucked into hiring full-time only to realise later we needed to pivot and as a result, our skills needs changed too (and fast). Needing to change team resources so quickly needs consistent flexibility. We needed to quickly set up sections of the business, test, and itterate fast and for this, a ninja core team surrounded and supported by highly skilled freelancers who could jump in and out as we quickly tested our concept was the exact solution we were looking for. The Starters is perfect for this. Not only are you getting the highest quality freelancers (who I have honestly LOVED working with) you are getting years of experience and knowledge from a wide range of people (who at such an early stage, you'd never get the opportunity to work with if the only option was full-time hiring). Working with The Starters has had a massive impact on our business - we have moved faster in the past 3 months than we had in the previous 12 months. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** I have yet to find a downside! What would be a helpful addition would be off-the shelf contracts that could be used for each freelancer. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Startup strategies change on a daily basis and so too does the skills needed to try and test new ideas. I feel into the trap that most do, that a 'generalist' core team could allow us to move fast and test. The wasn't the case. We were learning a lot and testing off the back of this, but what we really needed was people who different skills who could understand our problem, help us test, and then move on if it didn't work, or support us to scale out if it did. We've moved to a core ninja team who completely understands our business and what we need to try and test - with the starters we now have highly experienced freelancers who can jump in and support us in a light-touch short-term capacity which allows us to try and test at high-speed. This has been transformative for our business. We are moving so fast and now have access to people who years of experience and knowledge that we could spend months finding through hiring or job interviews. ### 5. The starters is the right hand I didn't know I needed **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ari S. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 26, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** I feel like I have a master resource on speed dial to all of the big things I'm struggling with as a short handed founder. Their team is awesome! **What do you dislike about The Starters?** Nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing (g2 makes you write a certain length here) **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Finding talent you can use and vet is super time consuming and the starters makes this pain free and super easy ### 6. Gamechanger for us already **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Darien P. | Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 03, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** Two things make The Starters great: - Vetted talent. Every freelancer is vetted before joining the platform, which helps ensure you're talking with someone with real experience. If you're using another platform for freelancers, like Upwork or Fiverr, you understand how frustrating this is to solve. - Founder's hustle. Jai has gone to find freelancers not already on the platform specifically for my job. You can't find that anywhere else. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** The Starters' most "limiting" factor is the number of freelancers on the platform. But, even as a new platform, they're onboarding talent very quickly so I have no worries that won't be the case for long. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** The Starters helps us quickly find & hire proven freelance talent. As an agency, we have pretty fluctuating staffing requirements. The Starters ensures we can find the talent we need as quickly as we need it. ### 7. Great platform for finding freelance talent **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jordan E. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 30, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** The platform is affordable, trustworthy, and has been a great way of finding VETTED, skilled talent. I used to rely pretty extensively on Upwork, but I find the quality of talent on Upwork to be hit or miss. I've found the perfect growth manager and influencer outreach coordinator through The Starters. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** Still early days for the platform, so I know they likely haven't onboarded all the talent they will over time. There's already a great selection to choose from, but I'm excited to see what additional talent they bring on. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Hiring a full time employee is expensive. Hiring freelancers is hit or miss - you just never know if the talent actually possesses the skills they say they do. With The Starters, I have a sense of assuredness that their team has properly vetted talent so that I know I'm hiring best-in-class people who can get the job done. ### 8. Access to top tier talent for a fraction of the price. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Conor C. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 11, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** The team at the starters are a pleasure to deal with. They had a brief kick-off call with me and based upon that suggested a number of individulas that would suit our particular role the best. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** Nothing so far. The customer service is excellent and the website is easy to nviagte and find what you are looking for. We have had a great experice with our first hire. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Access to top tier talent for young startups that may not have the funds to have access to the that level of expertize on a full time basis. We have been able to work with somone with excellent experince in the industry at a farction of the cost. ### 9. The best platform for immediate impact **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Steven B. | Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 16, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** The ui is extremely beautiful. It not only is clean, but I can see who worked where, what value they could add, and how much time commitment I could expect from them before I ever engage. The talent is crazy. To think that some people were untouchable and then to see them on Starters definitely has me beyond stoked for the future of talent Ill be able to hire from the Starters **What do you dislike about The Starters?** While there is nothing I dislike about the starters, there are a few ideas that could be valuable as a business owner looking for new talent on a per project basis. 1) Maybe a "what problem are you trying to solve" filter 2) clearer understanding if there's an initial consultation or free offer of some kind when engaging with a talent. I know their time is really valuable so have to be careful of that (especially because of how high caliber the talent is), but would be nice to see **offers 10 min call or **email consultation prior to hiring. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Finding top tier talent to actually help my business (unlike other platforms that are more coaching) grow and use their previous experiences and know how to reduce the barriers of growth. ### 10. Found an excellent Google Ads buyer **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Niraj D. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 09, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** We were able to find an affordable Google ads buyer that has just started with us but has been excellent so far. The end to end process was pretty smooth and we were up and running in a few days. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** I wish I could pay the freelancer via credit card on the site, but they do not handle that. It would make it a bit easier on us instead of manual invoicing and payment. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** The Starters is making it easy to find good marketers. I didn't really know where to go after we let go of our agency, and this was the perfect solution for what we were looking for and very timely. ### 11. Best in class offering for digital experts and brands to come together. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Aaron G. | Group Director, Programmatic, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 11, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** Pairing highly skilled, experienced and vetted digital leaders with hungry brand partners seeking to remove obstacles toward growth. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** I do not have any complaints. It is a startup so brand name/equity continues to grow with time. I saw a successful ongoing client activation within 2 weeks of launch. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Removing 20-100% markups on freelancer hourly rates stood out to me the most. Brands and consultants see mutually beneficial relationships compared to other freelancer platforms and agency relationships as contracts, SOW, and payment terms are not governed by TheStarters. This approach empowered me as a business person to own that process and I found that great for my learning and growth. ### 12. Great Platform For Freelancers **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Carmel S. | Paid Media Consultant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 02, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** I have been able to seemlessly connect with people in the DTC space and work with collegues and folks that utilize my services and expertise. Truely an empowering and rewarding experience all around! **What do you dislike about The Starters?** Nothing, I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience on the platform. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am a freelancer on the platform. I use it to find clients in the DTC space. It helps me find clients and it's really changed my life in that respect. ### 13. The Starters may be new, but is maturing quickly **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shiloh G. | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 21, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** First, cost. I appreciate the transparency and competitive rates. Second, I can trust that each Starter has been vetted by a human, versus an algorithm. So much of marketing is an art that I wouldn't feel comfortable without that level of human proof. Additionally, when I need an individual or skillset that isn't currently on-platform, The Starters team will conduct a bespoke search for that person. I love the mix of self-server and white glove. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** The platform is new so it's not as fully-featured or fully-staffed as competitors. However, they are adding new features and contractors at an impressive rate and I imagine they will find parity soon. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Finding a particular skillset in a time-crunch. ### 14. High quality vetted talent. No markups! **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** David B. | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 10, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** Super helpful to find pre-vetted talent that is qualified and can come in swinging to a business challenger without the hassle and worry of a sourcing/agency fee on a candidate that might not work out **What do you dislike about The Starters?** It's early stage so only a handful of talent has yet made it through the vetting process. Those who have are worth their fee but would love more selection and breadth across industries. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Sourcing copywriters, designers, growth marketers at speed. Being able to skip formality tech capabilities interviews and instead focus deeper on team fit and industry expertise is a big time saver ### 15. Fills a much needed gap **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Christopher L. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 10, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** It's like a shortcut to find and hire amazing freelancers, without the headache or the high costs. Plus, it's easy to use and won't break the bank! **What do you dislike about The Starters?** A little rough around the edges on the website navigation. Nothing that some time and feedback can't fix **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Saving time and money in hiring freelancers, while also ensuring that you're getting access to high-quality, reliable talent. This can help you grow your business and stay competitive without the need for a large budget or a dedicated HR department. ### 16. Phenomenal Founder Lead Company **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Apparel & Fashion | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 11, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** I liked the variety of well vetted options and true professionals on the platform. The talent is typically fairly priced and the support from the platform is much better than others I have been on before **What do you dislike about The Starters?** I think their pricing/product model could be a little better so that you can still see people's profiles and connect with them in platform before paying. I also get that's their only advantage is the sourcing and need to prevent people circumnavigating the product altohgether. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Sourcing and pre-vetting talent so that I don't have to spend extra time looking for someone. Makes me much more productive! ### 17. Love the product so far, we have met some very qualified experts! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Alan S. | Head of Operations, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 13, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** The plateform is super easy to use and find talent. Knowing they have all be vetted also adds a sense of security. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** Nothing as of yet and hopefully it stays that way! **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** we are not at the stage that we can use a marketing agency, so The Starters gives us access to talent and also helps us learn more about paid ads. ### 18. Makes finding great talent really easy **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Neelam P. | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 20, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** I love that I can hire some of the best e-commerce talent at affordable, hourly rates. I used to spend hours going through Upwork to no avail, and this platform makes the sourcing and hiring process super easy and affordable. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** This isn't a downside for me particularly, but they're very focused on a few domains within e-commerce. Would love to see them expand into areas like product, ops, legal, etc in the future! **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's making it easy to find great talent without the hassle of scrolling through resumes, Upwork, or paying ridiculous premiums to staffing agencies. It helps me 1) save time on hiring freelancers and 2) save $$$ to help the bottom line. ### 19. Great platform to find top talent. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Philip V. | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 14, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** The Starters has a top-notch talent pool of qualified resources. Easy to engage and quick effective advice insteaod the usual consultants that just want projects. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** I don't have any constructive feedback just yet. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Good set of marketing resources who have first hand experience. ### 20. My go-to solution **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Consumer Goods | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 23, 2023 **What do you like best about The Starters?** It makes connecting and hiring contractors seamless. There are several subject-matter experts who possess robust experience within their respective categories, and there is a diverse talent pool across different industries. **What do you dislike about The Starters?** I can't think of any negatives at this time. **What problems is The Starters solving and how is that benefiting you?** Ability to quickly access subject-matter experts with relevant industry experience. This saves us countless hours of combing though Linkedin and reaching out to our networks for referrals and recommendations. - [View The Starters pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/the-starters/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-21+11%3A47%3A21+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=1ffa9738-4a36-4b0a-a338-44b671a32fef&secure%5Btoken%5D=e9e1e7d3247b269391831eb2de9e01e0d105787706498208422f87a3c960e9d9&format=llm_user) ## The Starters Features **Hiring** - RFP Creator - Messaging - Freelance Screening - Freelance Profiles **Project Management** - Calendar - Guidelines and Policies - Workflow Builder - Digital Asset Management **Payment** - Payment Automation - Secure Payments - Multi-Currency Payments - Multiple Payment Methods ## Top The Starters Alternatives - [Upwork](https://www.g2.com/products/upwork/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (3,081 reviews) - [Braintrust AIR](https://www.g2.com/products/braintrust-air/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (392 reviews) - [Pepper](https://www.g2.com/products/pepper-content-pepper/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (488 reviews)