Gun.io is a platform connecting freelance software developers with business owners and entrepreneurs in need of professional software development services. (Think “hired gun.”)
The company is privately held and was founded in 2011, and their headquarters is located in Nashville, Tennessee. They say that over 80% of their community are based in the US, primarily across cities such as San Francisco, Boston, and New York.
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About Gun.io
The company was founded by Rich Jones and current CEO Teja Yenamandra. Hiring a freelancer always comes with an element of risk, but Gun.io are keen to emphasize, “We believe that remote work isn’t an excuse to be flaky. Gun.io attracts skilled professionals who thrive on autonomy and use that freedom to best provide value to clients worldwide.”
They work with US-based team leaders and developers, so if you’re hiring from the US you shouldn’t struggle with language barriers or time zone differences.
There is a premium to pay for US-based freelancers (see below) in comparison to overseas workers, but there is some extra security knowing you’re working with someone closer to home.
Services
Some of the services Gun.io lists as within the skillsets of their freelancers include:
- Web applications
- SAAS products
- iOS apps
- Android apps
- MVP development
- Project management
- Desktop programs
- UX strategy
- Scripting
How it Works
There is a simple 3-step process when signing up with Gun.io and submitting your task:
- Discovery – You explain what you want done and your budget for your project with one of their team leaders.
- Planning – Gun.io create a plan of attack and handpick the team members from their pool of more than 25,000 freelancers best suited to complete your task.
- Execution – With your say, work starts and your dedicated team leader keeps in contact with you as to the progress.
They list their areas of specialization as, iOS, Andriod, LAMP, .NET, Java, C#, Swift, Scala, Ruby on Rails, Ruby, C++, PHP, Python, Django, Javascript, Objective-C, Node.JS, and project management.
At press time, the company has facilitated close to 1000 projects and paid out over $16 million to developers.
Plans and Pricing
Gun.io are not for those looking for a small one-off quick job. The minimum job size they take on is $15,000 over a two month period.
For ongoing tasks their rates range from $150 to $250 per hour depending on the level of experience required for your project.
To get started, Gun.io requires a retainer fee of $2,000 which is credited against your final invoice. You can get a custom quote for your task by contacting a member of their team and discussing your project.
Gun.io Alternatives
The closest competitor to Gun.io that comes to mind is TopTal, a similar service that curates “top talent” in technical fields. Alternatively, you might check out the smaller Crew.co or a much larger freelance marketplace like Upwork.
In the case of Upwork, you will need to sort through applications yourself however and therefore there is a larger risk involved, but you’re likely to find someone at a lower cost.
Your Turn
Have you worked with Gun.io? If so, please leave a review of your experience below to help others with their decision.