Dedicated team, not freelancers

Superside vs. Toptal

Superside gives you a dedicated design team, collaborative tech-enabled platform and high-quality creative outputs without any of the headache—all for the price of a single designer.

Comparing Superside as the Toptal Alternative


Services offered	Specializes in creative services such as graphic design, motion graphics, illustration, custom production (video, sound, photo), and campaigns and concepts for marketing and creative teams.	Specializes in creative services such as graphic design, motion graphics, illustration, custom production (video, sound, photo), and campaigns and concepts for marketing and creative teams.	Over 260 “specialized” skills for specific requirements with a primary focus on design for product teams.
Pricing	Transparent, subscription pricing starts at $5,000 per month that can easily scale up (or down) to support the design needs of an entire enterprise organization.	Transparent, subscription pricing starts at $5,000 per month that can easily scale up (or down) to support the design needs of an entire enterprise organization.	Based on skill level, market fit, and demand. Hourly wages start at $70 per hour to $6,000 per month. You must hire more freelancers for other specializations as needs change.
Onboarding	Collaborative onboarding process to understand your brand, current team structure, existing skills, and ongoing team needs. With a dedicated creative project manager, there is nothing lost between projects.	Collaborative onboarding process to understand your brand, current team structure, existing skills, and ongoing team needs. With a dedicated creative project manager, there is nothing lost between projects.	Limited onboarding through a director of design who will work with you to understand goals, technical needs, and team dynamics before handing you off to your designer. New projects may require bringing new designers up-to-speed.
Turnaround time	12 to 48 hours	12 to 48 hours	24 hours
Communication	Stay in close contact with your dedicated creative project manager through the Superside platform, email, or Slack integration.	Stay in close contact with your dedicated creative project manager through the Superside platform, email, or Slack integration.	Directly with design freelancer over email and phone. You'll need to train them on your project management platform of choice.
Number of requests / revisions	Unlimited revisions based on hours available in your selected plans which can scale up or down based on needs. Several simultaneous projects are possible. Any unused hours roll over into the next month.	Unlimited revisions based on hours available in your selected plans which can scale up or down based on needs. Several simultaneous projects are possible. Any unused hours roll over into the next month.	Based on the availability of freelancer and design skillset.
Talent	Full-time employees and contractors, carefully vetted from over 57 countries in 19 time zones.	Full-time employees and contractors, carefully vetted from over 57 countries in 19 time zones.	You can choose whether they live in your timezone or not (resulting in price fluctuations).

An antidote to the legacy agency model

Superside's Creative-as-a-Service solution is built for ambitious marketing and creative teams. It helps you save time on hiring and career laddering, and avoid the hassle of dealing with multiple slow and expensive agencies. Want the full story? The video on the right is ready to spill the beans. 👉

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A DesignOps Process That Scales, Not Just a Roster of Freelancers

Superside’s DesignOps process gives you a dedicated design team that helps with your immediate needs and scales as you grow. Operationalize design for reliable, high-quality assets with predictable pricing.

Toptal relies on its freelancers to communicate with you over email, or you can onboard them to a system of your choosing.

A Collaborative Creative Partner, Not a Recruiting Agency

Superside gives you a creative production manager (CPM) who knows your brand, from fonts to logos and colors. They assemble the design specialists you need (e.g., motion designers, illustrators, etc.) to get the creative assets you want.

Toptal features over 260 “design skills” on their page meaning you can get a WordPress designer to build your site, and then a motion graphic designer to help build out your ad inventory. However, therein lies the hidden costs of onboarding. Your WordPress designer isn’t an ads specialist, so even though you spent 2 weeks in a free trial onboarding the right candidate, you have to spend another 2 weeks hoping you can repeat the process with a motion designer.

Predictable Pricing, Not Extra Admin Work

Superside offers flexible subscription-based pricing customized to your unique needs. Get started with a full design team for the price of a junior designer. Unused subscription hours roll over into the next month. Got a big campaign coming up? Ramp up your Superside design team to suit your demands—from a simple infographic to an entire guide with promotional ads on every social channel.

With Toptal, you can hire hourly, part-time or full-time—and they charge a hefty commission thanks to their “rigorous” vetting process. However, the cost varies based on what you need.

Much Faster

20x

Faster than hiring creatives in-house

cut costs

50%

Reduction in average cost per asset

ship faster

70%

Lower turnaround time for digital assets

stress free

9.6

Average NPS rating from customers

Superside vs. Toptal

Comparing Superside as the Toptal Alternative

Services offered

Pricing

Onboarding

Turnaround time

Communication

Number of requests / revisions

Talent

An antidote to the legacy agency model

A DesignOps Process That Scales, Not Just a Roster of Freelancers

A Collaborative Creative Partner, Not a Recruiting Agency

Predictable Pricing, Not Extra Admin Work

20x

50%

70%

9.6

Superside is made for

Creative Directors

Performance Marketers

DesignOps Managers

Frictionless, Delightful Design Starts Here

Trusted by 450+ fast-growing companies and enterprises

Compare Superside vs. Other Alternatives