15 Best Sites to Hire AI Engineers: A Practical Guide for Your Business

AI has been a popular topic for a long time, but now it’s just part of everyday life. It powers search, recommendations, automation tools, and analytics. Because it’s integrated into so many products and workflows, companies of all sizes are looking for people who can build and maintain real AI solutions.

The challenge is that not every engineer who lists “AI” on their profile can work with data, train models, or deliver production-ready features. Many platforms claim to provide access to “top AI talent,” so figuring out where to hire reliable specialists has become its own challenge.

This guide will help you find the top platforms to hire AI developers where businesses actually locate strong AI engineers. It will explain what expertise is important in practice and assist you in choosing a service or hiring model that fits how your team works.

AI Is Everywhere, and Industry Leaders Are Using It to Move Faster

AI is literally a key reason market leaders keep gaining an edge. For example, companies like Amazon, Google, Shopify, and Netflix rely on AI in their operations. They use it for predicting demand, personalizing user experiences, automating support, optimizing delivery routes, reducing fraud, and speeding up product development.

AI drives real outcomes. Amazon’s recommendation algorithms account for a large part of its sales. Netflix saves millions each year by lowering churn through tailored content suggestions. Even non-tech brands like Walmart and UnitedHealth now use AI for forecasting, logistics, diagnostics, and customer service.

In other words, the companies winning in their markets are not just using AI; they are building with it. Businesses that want to keep up need engineers who can convert data and ideas into systems ready for production.

Why Hiring a Skilled AI Developer Really Matters

A capable AI engineer makes the difference between a smart prototype and a feature that truly benefits your business. They understand how to work with imperfect data, choose and fine-tune models, build training pipelines, and deploy systems that perform reliably at scale.

Experienced developers also help companies avoid costly mistakes, like over-engineering solutions, depending on unstable APIs, or creating models that work in a notebook but fail in production.

The right AI specialist allows your team to deliver smarter features faster while staying focused on business priorities and long-term maintenance.

What You Gain from Hiring a Skilled AI Engineer

Bringing an experienced AI developer changes how your business solves problems and creates value. When done right, AI work directly affects efficiency, accuracy, customer satisfaction, and long-term growth. Here are the outcomes companies usually see when they hire AI developer:

Faster and Smarter Decision-Making

AI engineers build models that help teams respond to data instead of guessing. Forecasting, trend detection, monitoring for anomalies, and real-time analytics become more straightforward and reliable. 

Automation That Cuts Costs Without Hurting Quality

Instead of relying on manual, repetitive tasks, businesses can automate work like support triage, document processing, quality control, inventory updates, or risk checks. Skilled AI developers create systems that manage routine tasks accurately.

More Personalized and Competitive Products

Personalization has become a basic expectation, and AI engineers help companies provide it. From individual recommendations to smart search, dynamic pricing, and adaptive user experiences, AI-driven features make products feel more intuitive and customer-focused.

Operational Efficiency at Scale

As companies expand, old processes often create delays. AI engineers help redesign workflows to scale smoothly. This includes automated routing, improved logistics, predictive maintenance, faster underwriting, and other enhancements that save time and reduce operational friction.

Better Use of Your Existing Data

Most businesses have large amounts of underused data. AI programmers help transform that data into valuable insights, predictions, validated hypotheses, and new product features. This often becomes a foundation for new revenue streams or improved service options.

Features That Are Hard for Competitors to Copy

The greatest advantage of applied AI is its defensibility. A well-built model improves as your business gathers more data, giving you a long-term edge that competitors can’t quickly match. The sooner you adopt it, the stronger this advantage will be.

Top 15 Best Sites to Hire AI Engineers

This list gathers the 15 best platforms to hire AI developers. The order isn’t a ranking of their skills; it’s a practical selection to help you explore different models, strengths, and specializations. Use this as a guide. You can choose the platform that fits your budget, tech stack, and engagement style.

Mobilunity

Headquarters: Kyiv, Ukraine

Developer locations: Ukraine, Eastern Europe

Team size: 200+ employees

Tech stack: Python, LLMs, LangChain, RAG, TensorFlow, PyTorch, MLOps

Key clients: BYG-E, Paidy, 42Matters, Minedia

Who it is for: Companies needing long-term AI engineers integrated into their teams.

Advantages: Stable dedicated model, predictable costs, strong engineering culture.  

Mobilunity offers trained AI engineers who join client teams as full members. Their developers create LLM features, automate workflows, build RAG pipelines, and support ML systems in production. This dedicated model ensures team retention and smooth collaboration. Mobilunity also handles HR, onboarding, and daily operations for a hassle-free experience.

Turing

Headquarters: Palo Alto, USA

Developer locations: Global

Team size: 1,000+ employees

Tech stack: ML, LLMs, MLOps, data science

Key clients: Coinbase, Dell, Plume

Who it is for: Companies needing fast access to pre-vetted remote AI developers.

Advantages: Automated vetting, large global pool, quick matching.

Turing uses an AI-driven vetting system to connect companies with skilled AI developers who can begin right away. Their specialists handle model development, LLM integration, MLOps, and data workflows. This service is perfect for companies expanding AI projects across various product areas.

Arc.dev

Headquarters: Palo Alto, California, USA 

Developer locations: Global (strong presence in Eastern Europe & Asia)

Team size: 50-100 employees 

Tech stack: Machine learning, LLM apps, data pipelines, Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch

Key clients: HubSpot, Spotify, Splice, Hims

Who it is for: Teams seeking vetted AI freelancers or full-time remote developers.

Advantages: Strong screening, flexible engagement, fast access to global AI talent.

Arc.dev connects companies with pre-vetted AI developers for freelance, contract, or full-time roles. Their talent pool features specialists in model training, AI feature development, data engineering, and putting ML systems into production. Arc’s vetting process includes technical screening and evaluations based on real projects. 

Toptal

Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA  

Developer locations: Global (North America, Europe, Asia)  

Team size: 1,000+ employees (distributed)  

Tech stack: Machine learning, LLM integrations, Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, data science

Key clients: Airbnb, Bridgestone, Motorola, Duolingo  

Who it is for: Companies needing elite, rigorously vetted AI engineers.

Advantages: Extremely selective screening, strong enterprise experience, flexible contract models.

Toptal focuses on top AI developers who go through a detailed selection process. Their experts handle machine learning, deep learning structures, data engineering, and large-scale AI projects. Toptal is perfect for businesses that value reliability and experience over cheaper or quicker hiring options.

CloudDevs

Headquarters: Lewes, Delaware

Developer locations: Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia)  

Team size: 5,001-10,000 employees 

Tech stack: ML models, data engineering, LLM app development, cloud-based AI 

Key clients: Coinbase, Santander, Taloflow, MuralHealth  

Who it is for: Companies wanting LATAM-based AI developers with close time-zone alignment.

Advantages: Fast hiring, flat weekly rates, strong senior-level availability.

CloudDevs links companies with experienced AI and software developers from Latin America. This setup provides helpful time-zone overlap for North American teams. Their engineers handle applied ML, AI features, data processing, and modern cloud deployment. The platform focuses on speed and simplicity. It benefits startups and small to medium-sized businesses that require reliable AI specialists without dealing with global time differences or lengthy hiring processes.

Scalable Path

Headquarters: San Francisco, USA

Developer locations: Global-remote (strong in Latin America & Europe)

Team size: 200+ employees

Tech stack: ML, data science, Python, TensorFlow, MLOps, full-stack integration

Key clients: Huffpost, Earnest, Hired_, Engadget

Who it is for: Companies needing a large global pool of vetted remote AI talent with flexibility.

Advantages: Deep human screening (senior devs interview candidates), risk-free trial, variable contract lengths.

Scalable Path provides pre-vetted developers. They can easily join or extend your team with little onboarding effort. Their screening is more thorough than standard platform checks. Senior engineers perform live technical interviews and role-specific tests. The network’s global reach allows you to access a variety of talent while keeping engagement flexible and affordable.

Revelo

Headquarters: Miami, USA

Developer locations: Latin America

Team size: 201-500 employees

Tech stack: ML, TensorFlow, MLOps

Key clients: Hydrolix, Priority, Workable, Oracle 

Who it is for: Companies needing remote full-time engineers from Latin America aligned with U.S. time-zones.

Advantages: Large talent network, nearshore model, payroll & compliance handled.

Revelo provides software and AI engineers from Latin America to U.S. and global companies. They focus on full-time positions, building teams, and post-training services for LLMs. Their platform manages the whole hiring process, including vetting, payroll, and compliance. This allows companies to access a large talent pool with low overhead.

Lemon.io

Headquarters: New York, NY 

Developer locations: Eastern Europe, primarily Ukraine and Poland  

Team size: 150+ employees  

Tech stack: ML model development, LLM apps, data processing, product-focused AI dev

Key clients: Early-stage startups and small SaaS companies  

Who it is for: Startups needing quick access to vetted AI/ML specialists.

Advantages: Fast matching, startup-friendly pricing, strong hands-on vetting.

Lemon.io is a marketplace that connects startups with approved AI and software freelancers from Eastern Europe. Their developers focus on practical AI tasks like building LLM-powered features, recommendation engines, automation tools, and data pipelines. Lemon.io manages candidate screening and offers quick turnaround, usually within 48 hours. 

Gun.io

Headquarters: Nashville, Tennessee, USA  

Developer locations: North America, Latin America, Europe  

Team size: 50–200 employees  

Tech stack: ML/AI, model deployment, Python, MLOps, LLM integration

Key clients: Cisco, NBC, Tesla, The Motley Fool

Who it is for: Companies needing senior AI talent fast and on flexible terms.

Advantages: Rigorous vetting, fast time-to-hire, support for full-time & contract hires.

Gun.io connects companies with skilled AI engineers through a strict screening process, live interviews with senior engineers, and a wide talent network. Their average time to hire is 13 days, which is one of their best metrics. 

Bacancy

Headquarters: Ahmedabad, India

Developer locations: India, USA, Canada

Team size: 1,000+ engineers

Tech stack: Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, NLP, CV models, data engineering, ML Ops

Key clients: NatWest, Bangkok Bank, UPS, Shell

Who it is for: Companies seeking cost-efficient AI developers for full-time or project-based roles.

Advantages: Large engineering bench, wide tech stack, flexible contracts.

Bacancy offers a wide range of AI and ML engineers. They have experience in model training, natural language processing, computer vision, and integrating AI functions into existing systems. Their ability to scale and keep costs low makes them a great choice for companies wanting to increase their AI capacity without incurring high expenses.

Proxify

Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden

Developer locations: Europe & global remote

Team size: 200+ employees

Tech stack: Python, ML engineering, LLM apps, deep learning, data pipelines, cloud AI

Key clients: Lufthansa, Honeywell, Kone, AEG

Who it is for: Companies wanting reliable long-term remote AI developers with European work culture.

Advantages: Strong vetting, stable engagement, transparent rates.

Proxify connects companies with vetted AI and ML developers who work as long-term remote team members. Their engineers have practical AI skills. They build ML models, create LLM-driven features, and develop analytics pipelines and scalable cloud deployments. Proxify prioritizes reliability, retention, and smooth collaboration across European time zones.

Andela

Headquarters: New York, USA

Developer locations: Africa, LATAM, Eastern Europe, Asia

Team size: 500 employees

Tech stack: Python, ML, LLM apps, data science, MLOps, cloud AI

Key clients: GitHub, ViacomCBS, Coursera, GitLab

Who it is for: Companies wanting globally distributed senior AI talent.

Advantages: Large vetted network, predictable pricing, strong enterprise experience.

Andela connects companies with experienced AI and ML engineers from different regions. They provide strong global coverage and high English proficiency. Their talent includes experts in model development, data processing, recommendation systems, LLM-based features, and scalable ML infrastructure. Andela’s matching process is clear and organized.

Braintrust

Headquarters: San Francisco, USA

Developer locations: Global (U.S., Europe, LATAM, APAC)

Team size: 50 employees

Tech stack: ML engineering, LLM apps, data science, automation, cloud AI

Key clients: Deloitte, Porsche, Nike, NASA (public portfolio)

Who it is for: Companies wanting enterprise-level AI talent without marketplace markups.

Advantages: Zero commission model, vetted enterprise-grade talent, transparent rates.

Braintrust is a decentralized talent network. Companies can hire AI engineers directly, without any platform markups. Their AI specialists work on model development, LLM integrations, predictive analytics, and automation systems. Braintrust’s enterprise clients and commission-free model make it attractive for teams looking for senior talent at stable rates. 

A.Team

Headquarters: New York, USA

Developer locations: Global, senior-level only

Team size: 200+ employees

Tech stack: AI engineering, ML systems, LLM apps, data science, automation, cloud AI

Key clients: Blackstone, Allstate, lululemon, Santander

Who it is for: Companies wanting senior AI engineers or entire micro-teams.

Advantages: Elite talent pool, team-based delivery, strong product/AI focus.

A.Team matches companies with high-level AI engineers and complete “builder teams” experienced in developing production-ready AI systems. Their members specialize in LLM app development, ML pipelines, model tuning, and integrating AI into existing products. A.Team works especially well for scale-ups and established brands needing strategic AI execution rather than individual freelancers.

BairesDev

Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA (nearshore model)  

Developer locations: Americas and Europe (timezone-aligned)  

Team size: 4,000 + employees

Tech stack: ML models, LLM apps, NLP, CV, data engineering, MLOps

Key clients: Google, Salesforce, Adobe, Motorola 

Who it is for: Companies wanting large-scale AI hiring with nearshore time-zone alignment.

Advantages: Enterprise-grade processes, large senior talent base, strong global delivery infrastructure.

BairesDev offers access to senior AI and ML developers from Latin America who join long-term engineering teams. Their experts handle model development, AI feature engineering, data processing pipelines, and MLOps workflows. 

Key Skills to Look for in an AI Developer

When hiring an AI engineer, it’s important to look beyond just programming skills or the best place to hire developers. You need someone who knows how to turn data into a functional model and how to refine a prototype into a reliable product. 

The most important skills to look for include:

• Strong programming foundations, mainly in Python, along with experience in JavaScript, TypeScript, or Java for integrating AI features into real products.
• Familiarity with AI frameworks and libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, Hugging Face, vector databases, and orchestration tools like LangChain.
• A solid grasp of machine learning and deep learning, including data preparation, training workflows, model evaluation, and familiarity with modern architectures like Transformers.
• Practical experience with large language models (LLMs), especially in building retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, integrating LLM APIs, designing prompts, and fine-tuning model behavior for real use cases.
• Basic knowledge of data engineering, covering SQL, ETL/ELT workflows, data validation, and handling structured and unstructured datasets.
• Awareness of MLOps practices, including containerization, deployment pipelines, monitoring, and cloud AI environments.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills, which help the developer translate unclear business needs into actionable steps and clearly explain trade-offs.

Also, take into account hiring models, as freelancers are great for quick prototypes, contractors are useful for specialized tasks, and full-time engineers are best for long-term AI development.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Skilled AI Developer?

AI engineers are among the most sought-after specialists today. Their prices can vary greatly based on factors like location, experience level, and how you choose to hire them. Knowing the costs upfront can help you pick the right hiring method and prevent you from paying too much for unnecessary skills or too little and risking the quality of the developers you hire. Most experienced AI engineers have a typical price range worldwide, but companies have different ways of setting their rates.

AI Developer Cost Comparison (2025)

Average monthly cost for a mid–senior AI engineer hired through the platforms above.

*Cost ranges combine public customer feedback, regional salary benchmarks, and in-house market research carried out by our analysts. Final pricing depends on seniority and engagement model, and may vary.

Why Choosing a Company for Hiring is Better Than Using Freelancers

Working with a professional hiring partner gives you stability, consistent delivery, and access to well-screened AI talent. For companies developing long-term AI features or dealing with sensitive data, this setup greatly improves quality and reliability.

Key advantages include:

• Vetted and verified engineers. Companies conduct thorough screening, technical interviews, and portfolio reviews to ensure talent can provide production-ready AI solutions.
• Easy team scaling. You can start with one developer and expand to a larger AI team without restarting the whole hiring process.
• Operational and delivery support. Onboarding, replacements, performance tracking, and administrative tasks are taken care of for you.
• Access to established workflows. Partners offer best practices for model training, MLOps, documentation, and quality control, helping teams work more efficiently.
• Transparent pricing. You receive predictable monthly costs rather than unpredictable hourly rates or incomplete freelance work.
• Higher retention. Long-term engagement models mean engineers stay on the product, learn your technology, and produce more stable results.
• Lower delivery risk. With oversight and structured processes, the chances of delays, rework, or poor model performance are significantly lessened.

Mobilunity: A Trustworthy Partner for Building AI Engineering Capacity

Mobilunity gives companies access to experienced AI talent and flexible hiring models suited to different needs. With a strong engineering culture and long-term client relationships, Mobilunity aids teams in growing steadily while keeping full visibility and control over their daily work.

Mobilunity offers cooperation based on three hiring models:

• Dedicated Team Model puts together full-time AI developers who work only with your company. You guide the technical direction while Mobilunity handles HR, administration, onboarding, and retention.
• Mobilunity FLEX Model is suitable for companies that need to quickly expand their AI capabilities. FLEX allows you to add or reduce AI developers as priorities change without altering your internal structure.
• Tech Recruitment Service is for businesses that want to hire developers directly, Mobilunity provides complete recruitment support. The team sources, screens, and evaluates candidates to match your technical and cultural needs.

Mobilunity’s flexible models and consistent quality of talent make it a strong partner for companies looking to build reliable AI development capacity without extra costs.

Conclusion

Finding the right AI engineers comes down to choosing a hiring approach you can trust. The best sites to hire vetted AI engineers in this guide have different benefits, but the main goal is the same: to connect with experts who can turn AI ideas into functional, scalable solutions.

Mobilunity offers a straightforward option for companies seeking dedicated, long-term AI talent with flexible engagement choices. With dedicated teams, easy scaling, and clear support, it helps businesses build their AI skills confidently.

The right partner streamlines the hiring process, lowers risks, and keeps your AI projects on track.

Written by:

Anastasia Stefanuk

Market Researcher

Disclaimer: All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate numbers based on the research done by our in-house Marketing Research Team. Please use these numbers as a reference for comparison only. Feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.