Revelo vs Index.dev: The Comparison for Engineering Leaders

If you're an engineering leader based in the US and considering hiring software engineers based in Latin America, you've probably come across Revelo and Index.dev and are wondering which is best for you.

Both work in the nearshore space. Both claim rigorous vetting. Both promise faster hires than the US market delivers. The real difference is narrower than their marketing suggests but sharper than it looks: Revelo is a Latin America specialist at scale, and Index.dev is a global boutique that includes Latin America in its coverage map. That distinction sounds subtle until you're running three parallel searches and Index.dev's intake process is still in the architecture-alignment phase.

This post maps the real differences so you can make the call quickly, without scheduling a demo with each vendor just to learn the basics.

Revelo vs Index.dev at a Glance

Sources: Revelo canonical facts; Index.dev public documentation; G2.com; Clutch.co.

Where Revelo Wins

Regional depth that shows up in your shortlist

Here's the thing about a "global" talent network: when you're specifically hiring in Latin America, global breadth doesn't help you. You need density in the region. Revelo operates the largest engineering talent network in Latin America, with 400,000+ pre-vetted engineers across 18 countries. The network runs deepest in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia.

Index.dev's active, human-interviewed engineering bench sits at approximately 27,000 engineers worldwide, spread across Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia. Its LATAM-specific pool is a fraction of that total. When you're hiring a senior backend engineer, a DevOps lead, and a data engineer simultaneously, that gap materializes in shortlist quality.

Revelo's entire recruiting team is based in-market across Latin America, with first-hand knowledge of local employment law, salary norms, and where the best engineers actually work. Index.dev is a London-headquartered firm with a global mandate. Both can find you a great engineer; only one is a Latin America specialist at scale. Once you've decided that Latin America is your hiring market, no other provider matches Revelo's depth of specialization in the region.

Pricing you can model before your first call

Revelo publishes its all-in monthly costs. The pricing calculator at revelo.com/pricing gives you a real number by role and seniority before you've talked to anyone. Senior full-stack and backend engineers through Revelo run $86,000–$129,000 all-in annually (Revelo Salary Guide 2025), a 30–50% reduction versus comparable US hiring costs. That's verifiable before you commit to a discovery call.

Index.dev's published hourly rates run $50–$90/hr for standard mid-to-senior engineers and $70–$150/hr for AI and LLM specialists, per Index.dev's own published comparisons. There's no published all-in monthly figure, and the deposit structure isn't disclosed on the public site. You're pricing this in the dark until you engage them.

One vendor handling all the compliance infrastructure

Revelo operates as a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) across all 18 LATAM countries where it places engineers. Payroll, tax compliance, PTO, benefits, and NDAs run through a single relationship. No third-party EOR layered in, no cross-border payroll infrastructure from an intermediary you've never heard of.

Index.dev uses an EOR model via Cadana's payment infrastructure through a proprietary Index.wallet. EOR is a legitimate approach, but it introduces an additional dependency. More relevantly, Index.dev's conversion fee for transitioning an engineer to a direct internal hire is not disclosed anywhere in its public documentation or terms of service. If you plan to bring engineers onto your payroll eventually, that's a number you should know before you start.

Where Index.dev Wins

A longer trial window with a replacement guarantee

Index.dev's 30-day risk-free trial is genuinely more generous than Revelo's 14-day window. If a placed engineer doesn't meet expectations within 30 days, Index.dev pledges a replacement within 48 hours at no cost. For teams that move slowly through onboarding or have complex technical evaluation processes, the extra two weeks of trial runway is a real advantage.

Specialized AI and LLM engineering talent

Index.dev has leaned hard into AI-adjacent engineering. Its March 2026 acquisition of YC-backed Hirebolt was explicitly aimed at integrating AI-driven talent evaluation and delivery capabilities. If you're building a RAG pipeline, fine-tuning a model, or staffing a dedicated AI/ML team, Index.dev has invested more intentionally in that category. Its published rate tier of $70–$150/hr for AI and LLM engineers reflects both the specialization and the demand.

A curated process for high-stakes single hires

Index.dev's intake process is detailed and architecture-heavy by design. G2 reviewers note it requires meaningful upfront alignment on workflows and technical requirements before matching begins. That's friction if you need to hire fast, but it's a signal worth paying attention to for teams making one critical hire where fit precision matters more than speed. Sourcing a staff engineer or a principal for a specific system, that depth of intake can work in your favor.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Revelo when you're hiring multiple engineers in Latin America, need a shortlist in 72 hours, want transparent all-in pricing before your first conversation, and need a single vendor managing payroll and compliance across the region. Revelo also fits teams planning to scale their LatAm bench over time: the network density means your second and third hires move just as fast as your first. With month-to-month contracts and no cancellation penalty, you're not locked into anything.

Choose Index.dev when you're making one high-stakes, highly specialized hire (particularly in AI and LLM engineering), value a longer trial period, and can work through a detailed intake process. Index.dev is also a reasonable choice if your team already spans CEE and LATAM time zones and you want a single vendor covering both regions under one relationship.

The blunt version: if you've already decided Latin America is your hiring market, Revelo's specialization at scale is hard to match. If you're undecided on region and want a global boutique that can place engineers across CEE, LATAM, and Asia under one vendor, Index.dev is a credible option.

Pricing Comparison

Revelo publishes an all-in monthly cost that includes engineer compensation, PEO infrastructure, benefits, and Revelo's margin. No surprise placement fee at the end. The live pricing calculator at revelo.com/pricing lets you model costs by role and seniority before you engage anyone.

Illustrative anchors from the 2025 Revelo Salary Guide: senior full-stack and backend engineers run $86,000–$129,000 all-in annually; senior AI and ML engineers run $143,000–$204,000. Those figures represent 30–50% savings versus comparable US hiring costs, and the published calculator lets you verify them before you commit.

Revelo charges a refundable security deposit equal to one month of the engineer's payment at onboarding, credited against your final invoice. There's no non-refundable search fee; that model was retired in 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Index.dev and how does it work?

Index.dev is a London-headquartered global talent platform founded in 2019 that places full-time software engineers with US and European companies. It maintains an active, human-interviewed network of approximately 27,000 engineers spanning Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia. Clients submit requirements, Index.dev runs its intake and vetting process, and delivers a shortlist of interview-ready candidates. Compliance and payroll are handled via an EOR model using Cadana's Index.wallet infrastructure. Index.dev primarily targets long-term, full-time placements but also offers project-based and freelance engagements. Cancellation terms are not publicly disclosed.

Is Index.dev a legitimate company?

Yes. Index.dev has a 4.9/5 rating on G2 from verified reviews, a Clutch rating of 4.8/5 from 13 verified reviews, and a Glassdoor score of 4.8/5 where 95% of reviewers would recommend the company. It completed two acquisitions in six months (Codemotion in October 2025 and YC-backed Hirebolt in March 2026) and reports 95% client retention. For comparison, Revelo holds a 4.7/5 on G2 from 130 verified reviews, multiple G2 Leader badges, and a 95%+ client retention rate across more than 2,500 companies served.

Is Revelo or Index.dev cheaper?

Revelo's all-in costs are published, so you can model them against US hiring rates before you engage anyone. Senior engineers run $86,000–$129,000 annually all-in, representing 30–50% savings versus comparable US hires. Index.dev's hourly rates ($50–$90/hr standard, $70–$150/hr for AI/LLM specialists) aren't easy to convert to an all-in annual figure without an engagement, and the deposit and conversion fees aren't publicly disclosed. Revelo is the easier option to model financially before committing.

How does Revelo's PEO model differ from Index.dev's EOR model?

Under Revelo's PEO model, Revelo acts as a co-employer, handling payroll, tax compliance, and benefits across 18 LATAM countries through a single vendor relationship. Under Index.dev's EOR model via Cadana's Index.wallet infrastructure, Index.dev is the legal employer of record in the engineer's country. Both approaches handle worker classification and cross-border compliance, but the PEO model consolidates the entire relationship with one vendor, while the EOR model introduces a third-party payment infrastructure layer. The difference matters most when something goes sideways and you need to know who picks up the phone.

Which platform is better for hiring multiple engineers quickly?

Revelo. With 400,000+ pre-vetted engineers across Latin America and a 72-hour shortlist window, Revelo is built for teams running parallel searches. Index.dev's intake process is detailed and front-loaded with architecture alignment, which G2 reviewers note adds time before matching begins. If you need a senior backend engineer, a DevOps lead, and a data engineer simultaneously, Revelo's network density makes all three searches viable at once without degrading shortlist quality.

Can I convert a Revelo engineer to a direct hire?

Yes. Revelo charges a direct-hire conversion fee of $40,000, disclosed upfront in the Letter of Engagement and negotiated down on a sliding scale based on tenure. A long-tenured engineer can convert for under $30,000. Index.dev's conversion fee for transitioning an engineer to a direct internal hire isn't disclosed in any public documentation, terms of service, or community reviews, so you'd need to negotiate that figure during the engagement.

Does Index.dev have engineers based in Latin America?

Yes, but Latin America is one of three regions in Index.dev's global network, alongside Central and Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. Its total active, human-interviewed engineering bench is approximately 27,000 globally, so the LATAM-specific pool is a fraction of that number. If Latin America is your target market, Revelo's entire 400,000+ engineer network is LATAM-based, with an in-market recruiting team across the region that has first-hand knowledge of local salary norms, employment law, and where the talent actually concentrates.

The Bottom Line on Revelo vs Index.dev

Index.dev is a well-run global boutique with strong reviews, a generous trial window, and genuine investment in AI and LLM engineering. For a single high-stakes hire where you can absorb a detailed intake process and want coverage across CEE and LATAM under one relationship, it's a credible option.

But if you've decided Latin America is your engineering market, the comparison shifts considerably. Revelo's depth of specialization in Latin America at scale is the deciding factor: 400,000+ pre-vetted engineers, an in-market recruiting team across 18 countries, published all-in pricing you can model before your first conversation, and a 72-hour shortlist delivered by people who know Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia from the inside. No other provider matches that combination in this region.

The 14-day risk-free trial means you can verify that before you're committed to anything. If the engineer isn't the right fit within 14 days, you walk away at no cost. If they are, you've completed your hire in under two weeks: a pre-vetted senior engineer embedded in your team at 30–50% less than the US equivalent.

If you're weighing the Revelo vs Index.dev decision and want to move past research into actual candidates, Revelo can put a shortlist in front of you within 72 hours.