freelance Platforms

Connecting Freelancer With Potential Clients

The gig economy has made it easier than ever to work on a freelance basis. Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr enable you to find work quite easily, while some platforms like Toptal focus highly skilled and eperienced freelancer. Here's a short list of freelance platforms that I used in the past. With a short personal note at the end of each of them. Let's get to it!

Upwork

Upwork is an international freelancing company that boasts more than 12 million registered freelancers and 5 million registered clients. Whether you’re a small business owner or the head of a Fortune 500, chances are you have or will use Upwork to find talent for your projects. That’s because Upwork can be used for everything from hiring freelancers for one-time jobs to bringing on full-time employees and independent contractors.

This is possible thanks to the online platform’s vast pool of skilled workers who offer services like writing and translation, administrative support, design, video production, customer service, sales and marketing, and accounting. And because the best candidates bid on each job listing—with hourly rates ranging from $5 to over $50 per hour—you know that no matter who you hire on Upwork they’ll be delivering work at a professional standard (and generally speaking probably better than what you would expect).

Personally, for me upwork is still the best platform out there. They “helped” me get started; this is the place - for quite a long time - where I got 95% of my clients. So I definitely recommend you to check out Upwork and give it a try. Head’s up. As with every platform, commissions can be a bitch. And if you’re VAT liable pay extra attention to correct invoicing. I ended up paying VAT receivable more than once out of my own pocket.

Freelancer

Freelancer.com is one of the oldest and largest freelancing platforms out there, with over 19 million users and over 8 million jobs posted since they started in 2009. Freelancer.com has had a long-standing reputation as one of the most stable and reliable marketplaces for freelancers to find work. Plus, their model isn't simply an auction site where you bid for projects; instead, higher paying projects are given to freelancers according to skills and experience level, on top of a bidding process that is also in place.

While Freelancer's security has been called into question before, it remains one of the most popular sites - especially if you're just starting off as a newbie freelancer - purely based on its size: Over $3 billion has been paid out to freelancers through Freelancer.com alone! That said, I'd recommend clients exercise due caution when sending any funds through the platform, even though the site does take several measures to protect both parties (such as escrow).

Personally, I do not like freelancer too much. There is a lot of weird stuff and annoying messaging going on. For me, Upwork is more professional. That being said. My very first freelancing gigs have been made possible via this platform. So it is worth checking out. But. Don’t be too trustworthy, though. Some clients are… Well, I did not only have positive experiences there. If you would like to know more drop me a message or comment; I am happy to share more if you would like me to.

Fiverr

At first glance, Fiverr looks like a website where people sell their services by the hour. Well, it’s not that simple. Think of it more like a marketplace for micro-tasks (each service is referred to as a “gig”), starting at $5.00 and going up from there. The name Fiverr comes from the fact that services were originally priced at $5.00, though there was no minimum price and some services were priced higher than that. The flat $5 fee made people think they could get things done cheaply and quickly (because how much can you really get done in 5 bucks?), and these days most gigs are still very affordable but some are priced higher.

Personally, I never had a gig on fiverr. Or peopleperhour for that matter. The rates are too low for me. At least now, as I progressed a bit and have more experience and social proof. However, in the beginning, it makes sense to set your rate low. On every platform. Because people don’t know you. And without reviews (which are the gold standard) it can be difficult to get high-paying gigs.

Guru

Guru is one of the most popular freelance platforms on the web. It claims to have more than 1.5 million freelancers and over 3 million registered users around the globe. Freelancers who use Guru can specialize in a variety of categories that range from business consulting to website design and everything in between. In fact, there are over 700 categories you can choose from.

Freelancers can work on hourly or project-based jobs and get paid through Guru's payment system (which involves a deposit into escrow). The platform also has its own time-tracking tool called Workroom for freelancers using it for an hourly gig.

Personally, I think guru is a better than freelancer. But. Well. I never really got into it. Once I got accepted into Upwork I put most of my energy and focus there. That being said, guru is definitely worth checking out.

Toptal

Toptal is a freelancing platform which is aimed at professional freelancers. Toptal is one of the most popular freelancing platforms but it also has one of the strictest application processes. As long as you are able to pass the application process, Toptal can be a good platform for experienced freelancers who want to take on high paying freelance jobs.

Toptal is a network that connects clients with freelance developers, which can help you establish a higher rate of pay than what you might otherwise get on other platforms. However, Toptal is only available to those with at least three years of experience in their field and those seeking to pay top industry rates. As such, many freelancers may not be able to join Toptal.

Personally, I still do not have any experience with toptal. In the beginning of my freelancing career I applied. And got rejected. Never applied again. They really focus on highly experienced and well-versed freelancers. Not suitable for beginners. Instead of using toptal I am using linkedin. Which is a very powerful platform. If you would like to know more about linkedin and how to use it to enhance your freelancing career drop a message or leave a comment below; I am happy to share more about this if you would like me to.