Businesses both big and small seek out freelancers for any number of reasons: whether you need to hire a copywriter to help bring a great website to life, a graphic designer to refresh your logo design, an IT specialist to help with coding or security, or a temporary expert to support a marketing campaign, finding the right freelancer can help you reach your professional goals. It can also be less expensive than hiring someone in-house.
For freelancers looking to earn money for their services (and set the hourly rate they feel they deserve), work with top companies (but still work remotely), and choose clients with the potential to turn into long-term partnerships, freelance websites are one of the best ways to find work.
Unsure where to look? Read on for a guide to the many freelancing sites that can support your search.
What is a freelancing site?
A freelance site is a job marketplace and networking platform that connects freelancers with prospective clients.
Though the posting process differs slightly by platform, most sites allow freelancers to create profiles where they can post their services, portfolio, and starting rates, which talent seekers can then peruse and contact directly. Alternatively, businesses in need of a freelancer can post available jobs, and interested freelancers can browse jobs and bid on projects. Some websites do the sorting for you—matching clients and freelancers by project or budget.
What to look for in a freelancing site
While some freelance platforms function like job boards or portfolio sites, others resemble community networking platforms or shared workspaces.
Here’s what to consider when evaluating freelance job sites for your business.
Communication tools
Depending on your needs or preferences, it’s important to consider how you communicate through the platform, either as a client or a as freelancer. Aim to get a sense for how different platforms support client-freelancer communication through features like direct messaging and on-site collaboration spaces.
User fees
User fees include charges for posting job opportunities, processing payments, or brokering partnerships. Some platforms do this per job posting, by contract, or on a monthly basis, like a subscription model. In most cases, freelancers can create an account for free but pay service fees for processing client payments. This is important for freelancers, because understanding how much a platform charges can impact how they set their rates.
Scope of offerings
Diversity in this case can refer to variety in experience levels, locations, or disciplines. The breadth of offerings on a given site—or its intentionally narrow focus—should fit what you’re looking for as a talent seeker or offering as a freelancer. For example, if you’re a copywriter who also does brand development and creative direction, or a photographer with extensive experience as a video producer, you’ll want a platform that allows you to find equally complex projects or post gigs in different disciplines.
Payment security
Prompt and secure payment is critical for freelancers. Some freelance platforms hold client payments in escrow once a project is accepted, ensuring no delays once it’s completed, while others provide secure methods for clients and freelancers to exchange money on an agreed-upon timeline.
In general, look for security badges and other signs of compliance, like a padlock in the URL field signifying a secure connection. You should ensure the platform facilitates all payments and does not rely on external communications such as WhatsApp or text.
Trustworthiness
As in any public marketplace, it’s important to be aware of spam job listings and fake reviews. Check external review sites for any platform you’re considering so you can learn about the quality and trustworthiness of the listings.
Whether you’re considering hiring a freelancer or answering a job listing, stay alert for suspicious messages or requests, unrealistic pay, unverified payment methods, and vague job descriptions or freelancer profiles.
7 best freelance marketplaces
The beauty of freelance marketplaces is that they allow independent professionals to find jobs directly and build careers on their own terms, and help companies to fill a need of any scope without the commitment of traditional employment.
These project-based businesses are a force in their own right: the freelance platforms market is projected to grow to $16.76 billion by 2029, per The Business Research Company. Here are a few of the marketplaces fueling that growth:
Fiverr
On Fiverr, there are sellers (job seekers), buyers (companies), and gigs, which range from one-off services to ongoing partnerships that support full-time freelancers and side hustlers. Fiverr is known as a generalist site and represents a wide variety of professionals, from freelance writers, graphic designers, and digital marketing pros to voiceover artists, accountants, software programmers, and more.
Costs: Fiverr is free to join and to post to, but sellers pay a 20% commission fee to the platform, and buyers pay a service fee, typically around 5.5%, for each transaction.
Pros: Low-cost and low barrier to entry allow for quick gigs and easy project setups, plus continued education for freelancers looking to hone or expand their skill set.
Cons: A large user base can make it harder for clients to find qualified talent and for freelancers to make their services stand out in the crowd. The high commission charges may impact a freelancer’s ability to profit from their work.
Toptal
Toptal bills itself as a premium marketplace for the most qualified freelancers in a handful of industries, most notably in web development, project management, and business consulting. The site connects developers, designers, product and project managers, and marketing experts with top-tier companies. It also allows freelancers to offer broader consulting services on subjects like artificial intelligence, information security, and data analytics for longer-term hires.
Costs: Businesses pay a one-time $300 fee to post job openings, and hourly rates are anywhere from $45 per hour to $200 per hour.
Pros: Notably, Toptal features a comprehensive screening process for freelancers, meaning any of the talent found on the platform has completed a three- to eight-week assessment that includes an English language test, skill review, live interview, and test project—guaranteeing the “top” level of talent in each specialty and quality work that’s worth the extra money.
Cons: Freelancers on the site typically require higher hourly rates than most other platforms, with fewer options for budget-conscious clients or smaller projects. The high bar to entry may discourage skilled freelancers with more affordable rates from joining the platform.
Upwork
Upwork defines its focus as “anything people generally do on a computer,” with web, mobile, and software development, design work, and copywriting among the most popular freelance services.
Costs: Upwork offers two plans for businesses: a basic package that features a 5% fee and access to the greater marketplace, and a Business Plus plan that comes with a higher fee of 10%, but also unlocks access to vetted talent, $500 in site credit for every $1,000 spent on projects, direct messaging, advanced support, and more. Freelancers likewise choose between a free Basic account and a Plus account at $19.99 per month, which increases the number of monthly “connects” (the platform’s virtual currency that freelancers use to apply for jobs or boost their services) you have access to. Freelancers pay a service fee of up to 15% per contract.
Pros: There’s a sliding commission scale that rewards continuous work, along with a large global community of both experienced freelancers and companies offering a wide variety of projects and budgets.
Cons: The site is so vast that it can be hard to separate quality freelancers from the many freelancers competing for jobs and visibility.
99designs
99designs is, as the name suggests, a site dedicated to freelance designers. Talent seekers fill out a simple brief that outlines the project they’re looking for help with; after that, they can leave it to 99designs to curate a list of potential freelancers, or start a “contest,” which allows the entire community to submit ideas for selection.
Costs: Freelancers pay an “introduction fee” of $100 anytime they’re matched with a client, and a platform listing fee ranging from 5% to 15%, depending on their level of experience, both fees are typically included in the overall project cost. Clients pay a 5% fee that covers payment processing and customer support. Platform fees are automatically included in quotes and invoices.
Pros: Client-designer matching by the 99designs team helps narrow down and clarify the talent search, and the site features a wide range of design categories and styles from a worldwide community.
Cons: The specificity and details included in your brief will determine the caliber of results you receive; if your project is more early-stage or vague, it may be hard to find what you’re looking for or get overwhelmed by choice.
TaskRabbit
Sometimes what small businesses need most is a pair of extra hands, and that’s where TaskRabbit, a freelancing site for in-person tasks, comes in handy. The platform sorts freelancers by categories like installation and repair, delivery, personal assistant tasks, cleaning, and office services like assembling furniture or catering pick-ups. Some brands even use Taskers as a freelance merchandising team, checking on displays and inventory in stores far away from headquarters.
Costs: Hourly rates are set by individual Taskers, and invoices also include a service fee (15%) and, in some states, an additional trust and support fee of 7.5%.
Pros: TaskRabbit provides access to temporary manual labor and delivery help, merchandising support, and other in-person needs not often covered by most other virtual-first platforms.
Cons: Tasker expertise and skill levels can vary, so results may be mixed, depending on the specific job.
Creative Circle
While not exclusively dedicated to freelancers, Creative Circle acts as a talent agency for clients looking for help in areas like brand strategy, content writing, and web design. Freelancers, contract workers, or those looking for full-time creative work all use the site to find leads.
Costs: While it’s free for freelancers to join, clients pay a service fee per project that varies by type of engagement. In the case that a freelance project turns into full-time employment, clients pay a one-time percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary.
Pros: There’s a smooth hiring process where freelancers are paid by Creative Circle, not by individual clients. The platform acts as an intermediary for any placements and handles all payments and administrative details, and facilitates communication between parties.
Cons: There is less independence and discretionary freedom to set your own rates, bid, and pace projects as a freelancer.
Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com boasts 2,700 different categories on its wide-reaching platform, covering everything from translation services to animation, digital marketing, legal services, and more.
Costs: Free to sign up and to post, but clients pay a service fee once a project has been accepted (3% of the total project cost), and freelancers pay 10% commission back to the platform on every completed project.
Pros: Broad categories and a large user base mean talent seekers can easily find a freelancer for any number of projects with varying degrees of complexity.
Cons: Users mention weaker security screening than other sites, and a crowded field that results in a race to the bottom for rates.
Best freelancing sites FAQ
What is the #1 freelance website?
Based on the number of users and the range of represented disciplines, Upwork offers variety and reliability for both businesses and the freelancers they’re looking to hire. However, the best option depends on your needs and qualifications: Toptal is an expensive but highly selective marketplace with a thorough vetting process, 99designs is geared toward jobs in the design world, and TaskRabbit targets in-person rather than virtual gigs.
Which freelancing platform is best for beginners?
For new freelancers looking to build out a portfolio and find clients, Fiverr is generally considered a good starting point. Unlike other contest-based platforms, which typically require written proposals in order to win jobs, Fiverr allows freelancers to create simple service offerings for purchase.
How can I start freelancing?
A freelance business starts the way any other business venture does: you need to identify your niche and offerings, craft a business plan that allows you to map out your financial needs and projections, build a portfolio website—alongside profiles on select freelance websites—and market your services to potential clients.
