For small things I prefer bounties where anybody can claim the bounty, and there is a set end date where your software has to be ready to be reviewed instead of one guy claiming it then taking forever to finish. Whoever is accepted wins the bounty.

For me any kind of freelance Toptal like site needs to be specific about hours they expect you to be available as most people will be doing it P/T after school, or whatever other job they're doing. There is of course the problem with clients not paying, then your site is on the hook to pay the developer.

I work for clients at 6-12 months stretches as an independent contractor. Sometimes longer. And when I part with them I usually stay around on a monthly retainer. The retainer then keeps me in the loop with them, and I often get billed for smaller tasks their team can't address, or needs extra capacity on.

Through a lot of trial and error, coming up from sites like Upwork, Fiverr, etc. That's the only way I feel that "freelancing" works for me. Where I am deeply networked and have already build rapport with the clients.

That's great that you've built a deep roster of clients. Can't disagree that it's the best source of work.

It takes time, and it can be rough starting out. But its worth it. The one thing which I disliked most about freelancing platforms is that you can not take clients off platform or even network with them without putting your account at risk.

I think that’s hard to agree with and we do freelance work all the time.

This is because people go to freelancers for 1. Speed 2. Quality 3. Temporary work

If something is temporary and you want it fast then a majority of the time you’ll want it cheap.

BUT you could find a really small market that wants to go fast and expensive - it’s just much smaller

I don't know where you're based but if you're out of the US, then by design the clients you're working with want it cheap. But between cheap and ridiculously pricey, there is a world of freelancers that are just reasonably priced but not cheap -- and similarly, clients who have those budgets (even if for short durations).

It definitely can, there is a lot of money on the market and the current options can't serve everybody. It is just a matter of executing it well. Especially if not taking a %. People are getting tired of paying so much for matchmaking.

I am looking for an iOS developer to help me bring a minimum-viable prototype over the finish line.

Your post prompted to check out Toptal. I signed up. What's so onerous about Toptal?

The vetting and hoops of interviews (talent side).

From the client side, there's nothing onerous but Toptal also prioritizes (requires?) clients that have mid to longer term commitments.

It’s been a while since I did iOS but maybe I can help you. My email is in my profile.

> lightly vetted but less onerous than Toptal, less race to the bottom than Upwork platform

What do you think the reasons are for lack of a platform in the middle?

I think the platform needs to be niche and not-built-for-scale by design. This doesn't gel with the VC backed route. I absolutely think there's room for a few 1-2M revenue businesses here that could be built by a motivated self funded small team.

Maybe the middle is an unstable equilibrium? You’ll either get a race to the top or to the bottom?

I have no idea but it seems like a plausible idea.