Top 10 Alternatives to Hiring In-House Team in Africa (2025 Guide)

Hiring in-house across Africa gives you control, but it also comes with cost, compliance work, slower timelines, and the pressure of managing everything internally.

Many companies are now looking for simpler, faster, and more flexible ways to build teams without carrying the full weight of traditional employment.

This guide breaks down the best alternatives to hiring in-house team in Africa, how each model works, what it costs you, and when to choose it.

 

Why Companies Look Beyond In-House Teams

1. Cost & Overhead – Office rent, benefits, payroll taxes, and recruitment fees can quickly add up.

2. Time-to-Hire – Recruiting skilled talent locally may take months, especially for technical or senior roles.

3. Access to Specialized Skills – Some skill sets are scarce in certain countries, making it harder to hire full-time.

4. Scalability – Expanding your team for short-term projects or spikes in demand is cumbersome in a traditional setup.

5. Compliance & HR Burden – Handling contracts, payroll, and local labor laws requires expertise and resources.

 

Top Alternatives to Hiring an In-House Team in Africa

 

1. Betternship

Best for: Companies hiring remote African talent without handling payroll, compliance, or long hiring cycles.

If you want talent across Africa without building a full in-house hiring engine, Betternship gives you a smoother path.

Instead of running long recruitment cycles, dealing with contracts in multiple countries, and managing payroll internally, Betternship handles everything end to end.

Betternship supports hiring in:

• • Software developers

• Product managers

• Data analysts

• • Designers

• SDRs, marketers, HR, finance

• Full remote teams

What makes Betternship stand out:
• Hiring across 20+ African countries
• Pre-vetted senior and mid-level talent
• 3–10 day matching
• Employer-of-Record (EOR) support
• Contracts, payroll, and compliance done for you
• Affordable compared to global hiring platforms
• Works for long-term hires and short, project-based work

Pros:
• Fast hiring
• Strong Africa-focused network
• Multi-department coverage
• Handles compliance so you don’t need in-house HR
• Ideal for scaling teams

Cons:
• Africa-only talent

 

You can learn more about our process on How It Works – Hire Remote Talents 

Hire African Talent Now with Betternship→

💼 You can also post a job for free on Betternship

 

2. Upwork

Best For: Companies seeking freelance talent for specific short-term projects or specialized tasks.

Upwork provides access to a large global talent pool, including freelancers based in Africa. You can hire individuals for short-term or ongoing projects without committing to full-time employment.

Pros:

• Massive freelancer network

• Flexible pay options (hourly or project-based)

Cons:

• Quality varies widely

• Less structured for building dedicated teams

 

3. Fiverr Pro

Best For: Fast, one-off project work with pre-vetted freelancers.

Fiverr Pro allows you to hire verified professionals for development, design, marketing, and other tasks. It’s ideal for companies that need rapid delivery rather than building a full-time team.

Pros:

• Vetted freelancers

• Quick turnaround

Cons:

• Not suitable for long-term team building

• Limited multi-department coverage

 

4. Toptal

Best For: Companies requiring elite, high-caliber talent for critical projects.

Toptal is highly selective, accepting only the top 3% of applicants. It works well for specialized engineering, product, and design roles but comes at a premium cost.

Pros:

• Strong vetting process

• Free trial period to test fit

Cons:

• Premium pricing

• Limited to tech-focused talent

 

5. 1840 & Company

Best For: Companies needing cross-functional staffing with managed services globally.

1840 & Company provides end-to-end hiring support, including payroll, compliance, and recruitment across all business functions. They offer remote teams similar to in-house setups but without the HR and compliance burden.

Pros:

• Supports all departments, not just tech

• Managed services and payroll included

Cons:

• Less localized focus for Africa-specific talent

• Premium service may exceed small startup budgets

 

6. Deel

Best For: Companies needing global payroll, compliance, and EOR services for African hires.

Deel allows you to hire remote professionals anywhere without setting up local entities. While it doesn’t source talent directly, it ensures compliance, contracts, and benefits are handled correctly; perfect for companies scaling teams across borders.

Pros:

• Handles contracts, payroll, and benefits

• Reduces legal and HR overhead

• Works across multiple African countries

Cons:

• Doesn’t source candidates

• Companies must bring their own talent
  

7. Remote.com

Best For: Companies looking for full legal and HR support for international teams.

Remote.com owns local entities, allowing teams to be hired and paid legally across Africa. Ideal for organizations that want compliance and structured payroll without managing local HR.

Pros:

• Full EOR support

• Transparent pricing

• Payroll and taxes handled

Cons:

• No candidate sourcing

• Not built for project management or team assembly

 

8. Terminal.io

Best For: Companies needing dedicated nearshore engineering teams.

Terminal .io builds and manages remote engineering teams. For African startups or US companies wanting Africa-aligned teams, Terminal offers managed support from recruitment to team onboarding.

Pros:

• Fully managed team-building

• Engineering-focused

Cons:

• Limited to tech roles

• Smaller footprint in Africa

 

9. Gun.io

Best For: Invite-only network of senior engineers for critical projects.

Gun.io ensures quality through a human-led vetting process, making it a good option for technical projects requiring high-skilled developers.

Pros:

• Strong vetting

• Senior-level talent

Cons:

• Smaller pool

• Not ideal for multi-department hires

 

10. Braintrust

Best For: Companies seeking transparent pricing and community-owned networks.

Braintrust allows companies to hire freelancers without middleman markups. Talent keeps earnings, and clients pay flat fees.

Pros:

• Lower costs than traditional platforms

• Transparent model

Cons:

• Young platform

• Smaller network, especially in Africa

 

Read More: Best 15 Tech Recruitment Companies in Africa for IT Talent in 2025

 

TLDR: Comparing Alternatives to In-House Teams in Africa

 

Platform	Best For	Standout Feature	Key Trade-off
Betternship	Africa-focused multi-department teams	Fast matching, payroll & EOR support	Africa-only focus
Upwork	Freelance talent	Massive global talent pool	Quality varies widely
Fiverr Pro	Short-term project work	Vetted Pro freelancers	Not suited for long-term teams
Toptal	Elite, high-stakes projects	Top 3% vetted talent + trial period	Premium pricing
1840 & Company	Managed services globally	Full department coverage	Africa focus limited
Deel	Payroll & compliance	EOR in multiple African countries	Must source talent yourself
Remote.com	Legal & HR compliance	Own local entities	No sourcing
Terminal.io	Dedicated nearshore engineering teams	Managed team-building	Tech only
Gun.io	Senior engineers	Human-led vetting	Small network
Braintrust	Transparent pricing	Community-owned network	Smaller pool

 

Read More: Offshoring vs Nearshoring: How to Build Your Remote Top Tech Team in Africa

 

How to Choose the Right Alternative to In-House Hiring in Africa

When deciding between in-house hiring and alternatives, consider these factors:

1. Speed of Hiring
   • Need talent immediately? Lemon.io (24 hrs), CloudDevs (48 hrs)

   • Need a full Africa-focused team? Betternship (3–10 days)

2. Budget
   • Cost-sensitive? Upwork, Fiverr Pro

   • Premium, high-quality talent? Toptal, 1840 & Company

   • Balanced cost & quality in Africa? Betternship

3. Region
   • Africa? Betternship

   • Latin America? CloudDevs

   • Global? Toptal, Turing

4. Type of Work
   • Long-term dedicated teams? Betternship, Terminal, Arc.dev

   • Short-term tasks? Betternship, Fiverr Pro, Upwork, Lemon.io

   • End-to-end HR support? Betternship, Deel, Remote

5. Talent Scope
   • Engineering only? Toptal, Arc.dev, Andela

   • Multi-department? Betternship, 1840 & Company, Crossover
     

 

Read More: 15 Top Offshore Development Companies to Quickly Hire Skilled Developers in 2025

 

Conclusion

There are plenty of alternatives to hiring in-house in Africa.

Some give you speed. Others reduce compliance headaches.

If you want a model that balances cost, quality, and ease of hiring across the continent, Betternship sits at the center of all three. It works for both long-term teams and short-term projects, and you don’t need to manage payroll or cross-border compliance.

Build the team you want, without slowing down your business.

Hire African Talent Now with Betternship→

💼 You can also post a job for free on Betternship