Freelancing has grown in popularity as a career choice as the freelance sector continues to grow. It’s critical to select the appropriate platform for professionals offering to work remotely. There are a few popular freelancer platforms in 2024, each with their own features, prices, and user bases. Let’s explore the Best Freelancer Platforms in 2024.
Upwork
Upwork is one of the most well-known freelancer platforms with around 12 million registered users, offering and hiring all kinds of services. These include development, IT, design, creativity, sales, marketing, writing, translation, administration, customer service, accounting, and finance, among many others.
The prices and quality of the work performed on Upwork are generally higher than those on platforms like Fiverr. This is because, in order to join, you have to have your profile approved. During registration, agencies and experienced professionals are given preference.
As a freelancer, you will pay a service fee of 10% on the income you generate from all your contracts with a client, whether they are hourly, fixed-price, or a project from the Project Catalog. You can choose to be paid via direct deposit, PayPal, Payoneer, and bank transfer, among other options.
If you have created a direct contract with a client who does not have an Upwork account but pays you through Upwork. However, you will be charged a 3.4% processing fee.
You can also opt for the Freelancer Plus membership, for $20 per month, which offers additional services such as promoting your work, seeing your competitors’ bids to gain a winning advantage, and accessing an AI application that helps you start and complete your work faster.
Key Features:
- Wide Range of Services: Covers categories like development, IT, Design, Marketing, Writing, and Customer service.
- Approval Process: Freelancers must get their profiles approved, favoring experienced professionals.
- Service Fees: A 10% service fee on income from all contracts, with a 3.4% processing fee for direct contracts.
- Freelancer Plus Membership: For $20 per month, freelancers get additional benefits like promoting their work and accessing AI tools.
Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the fastest-growing freelancer platforms of Israeli origin, it was founded in 2010 and has since experienced continuous growth, reaching more than 4 million users working as freelancers.
Users can showcase samples of their work and offer their professional services in various categories such as graphic design, digital advertising, writing, video and animation, photography, and more, setting their own prices for their services. It is recommended by the platform to include a 20% provision to cover the 20% that Fiverr takes out for using the platform, creating invoices, promoting your service, and other activities.
There are no membership or subscription fees to join Fiverr. You keep 80% of each completed transaction. Once you deliver the order and the buyer accepts it, your 80% share is transferred to your account and can be viewed on the earnings page. After 1 to 2 weeks, you can withdraw your earnings through PayPal, bank transfer, or Fiverr Revenue Card. Fiverr also has its own learning platform where it offers specialized courses in different fields.
Key Features:
- Service Categories: Offers a wide range of categories including graphic design, digital marketing, writing, video and animation, and photography.
- Pricing: Freelancers set their own prices, but Fiverr takes a 20% commission on each transaction.
- No Subscription Fees: There are no membership or subscription fees; freelancers keep 80% of their earnings.
- Payment: Earnings can be withdrawn via PayPal, bank transfer, or Fiverr Revenue Card within 1 to 2 weeks after completion of an order.
Freelancer
With more than 55 million users from 247 countries, Freelancer is the largest freelancer platform in the world. This platform is characterized by the diversity of areas covered by the offers, with over 1,800 categories, including software development, writing, engineering, design, marketing, sciences, and legal services.
There are different types of subscriptions, as well as the possibility to add extra features or include customization options. However, the platform does not have access fees, mandatory subscriptions, monthly fees, or annual fees. There are no fees for posting a project or setting up a user account.
For fixed-price projects, the platform charges a fee based on the value of the selected bid. There is an additional fee if the employer pays more than the amount of the first bid. In the case of hourly projects, the fee is deducted from each payment that the employer makes. The fee for fixed-price projects is 10% or $5, whichever is greater, and 10% for hourly projects.
A maintenance fee of up to $14 per month will be applied to user accounts that have not been logged in for six months, unless the account is canceled or reactivated. Storage, bandwidth, support, hosting profile management, portfolio storage, directory listings, file storage, and message storage are the reasons for this. Upon later reactivation, the user may request a refund of the money.
Key Features:
- Diverse Categories: Covers more than 1,800 categories, including software development, writing, engineering, and design.
- Flexible Fees: No fees for posting a project or setting up an account. Fees for fixed-price projects are 10% or $5, whichever is greater, and 10% for hourly projects.
- Maintenance Fee: Accounts inactive for six months incur a maintenance fee of up to $14 per month.
PeoplePerHour
This English platform, founded in 2007, has 1 million companies and 3 million freelancers. The first step to using PeoplePerHour as a freelancer is to complete your application to join their community. Once your profile has been validated, you can access a multitude of projects from different countries.
Each month, users can place free bids on up to 15 projects. They can buy more credit if they want to place more bids. Based on your skills and profile, the platform’s artificial intelligence system matches you with projects that best fit your needs. To be informed of new projects, you can, however, also save automatic searches or do manual searches for projects.
You have to complete a proposal and send it to the client when a project grabs your attention. When the project is finished, the same system creates automatically generated invoices, notifies the client right away, and transfers funds from the project’s secured escrow account to your PeoplePerHour account once they approve the payment. There are additional currency conversion fees when withdrawing money.
Key Features:
- Bidding System: Free bids on 15 projects per month; additional bids can be purchased.
- AI Matching: Uses AI to match freelancers with suitable projects.
- Payment System: Funds are transferred to freelancer’s accounts from a protected Escrow account once a project is completed.
Toptal
As the name Toptal is a combination of the words “top talent” it is among the most exclusive freelancer networks in this ranking. It gives access to the top independent contractors, such as software developers, designers, finance specialists, product managers, and project managers, and places more emphasis on quality than quantity. Less than 3% of registration requests are accepted by Toptal.
To register on the platform, one must go through a registration and skills validation process, which can take 2 to 5 weeks, all to ensure that only the best freelance professionals are admitted.
It is no surprise that some of the freelancers on Toptal have experience with some of the world’s most valuable companies such as Apple, Google, and Facebook, have been founders of successful startups, or are renowned authors and researchers. The prices paid per project completed are generally much higher than those on other platforms due to the high caliber of the participating freelancers and companies.
Key Features:
- Very Thorough and Strict Registration: Freelancers undergo a thorough screening process that can take 2 to 5 weeks.
- High-Profile Clients: Toptal freelancers have worked with companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook.
- Premium Rates: Due to the high quality freelancers, the platform commands higher project rates.
Conclusion
Choosing the right freelancer platform can significantly impact your success as a freelancer. Each platform has its unique features, fees, and user base. Whether you’re looking for high-quality projects on Toptal, a wide variety of job categories on Freelancer, or a user-friendly experience on Fiverr, there’s a platform to suit your needs. By understanding the details of each platform, you can make an informed decision and take your freelancing career to new heights.