Want to be a freelance writer, designer, or virtual assistant? Whether you’re an entrepreneur or just looking for some money on the side, these platforms are full of opportunities for freelance jobs.
Flexibility has become a strong commodity, sought by clients and workers alike. Freelance work is an innovative way to meet the demands of a progressively changing marketplace.
Advantages to Freelancer Jobs
- You get to showcase your talents.
- Work your own hours and terms.
- No travel is required.
- You can choose projects to suit you.
- Build confidence in your abilities.
- Decrease stress by improving work-life balance.
- Grow your talents using various skill sets.
Why Do Employers Seek Freelancers?
To lower overhead costs, reduce hiring full-time staff, and eliminate training. They can choose from a wide range of experts, for as long as necessary. By building relationships, they can seek more services in the future whenever required. It saves a lot of time that most employers don’t have.
Top 10 Platforms for Freelancer Jobs
Here’s a helpful list of sites you can explore (terms and pricing as of January 2019):
1. Fiverr
Based in the USA, open to anyone.
fiverr.com boasts the world’s largest marketplace for digital services. From graphic design to videography, music, writing, and programming, there’s something for everyone. It’s completely flexible, allowing almost any service, so long as it’s legal.
They recommend bundling your services into packages and up-selling. Depending on your activity on the site, there are different levels to help with promotional listings. There are also online courses to improve your skills.
Fiverr have over a hundred categories, many suitable for the professional business person. Also, check out the fun and lifestyle category, you’ll be amazed at what services people offer!
Fees and payment:
Free to join. Freelancers can charge anything from $5 – $995. Fiverr charge 20% commission. Money is transferred into your bank account upon task completion.
2. OneSpace
Based in the USA, open to anyone.
onespace.com is ideal for designers, writers, transcribers, editors, and other freelancers. Once you open an account, you’ll need to take tests to qualify for work. The job search will match you to clients and you can pick and choose from a list of tasks (the system will break down big projects).
Fees and payment:
Free to join. Freelancers quote a fee that the client agrees to pay upon completion. The client also pays a fee to Onespace. Freelancers are paid immediately via PayPal.
3. Upwork
Open to USA, UK, Canada, and Australia (a comprehensive profile is essential to get approved).
upwork.com covers a wide range of jobs such as web development, admin support, accounting, marketing, engineering, customer service, and more. They’ll highlight ideal jobs for you, and offer features like desktop message notifications, and rising talent programs to expose your status.
Fees and payment:
Free to join. There are hourly contracts and fixed contracts. Fees are charged as 20% for the first $500 billed, 10% for billing between $500.01-$10,000, and 5% for billing exceeding $10,000. Payment via PayPal, Payoneer, wire transfer, or direct to the bank (transfer fees may apply).
4. 99designs
Based in Australia, open to anyone.
99designs.com.au is a global community of professional designers, whether it be for advertising, web, books, illustration, or merchandise. Freelancers can work on individual projects or enter contests to win jobs. The contests have three levels based on expertise, design quality, and overall professionalism.
Fees and payments:
Free to join. Prices can vary, depending on freelancer and client. The freelancer must pay a 10% fee for project-based work. Payment via PayPal or Payoneer, 3 business days after task completion.
5. ifreelance
Open to anyone.
ifreelance.com encourages freelancers to showcase their work, promote their website and generate leads. You can post multiple profiles for each of your services to increase visibility. Like other sites, you can bid on open projects or be contacted directly. Jobs cover a lot of design and admin roles, with about 13 professional categories and various subcategories.
Fees and payments:
Basic, Silver, and Gold Membership fees start from $6.25 per month. Clients can use any payment method/currency that’s agreed with the freelancer (usually PayPal, check or money order). There are NO commission or transaction fees.
For an additional fee, freelancers can upgrade their profile to a featured listing on the home page and in the search and directory.
6. Freelancer
Based in Australia, open to anyone.
freelancer.com is a popular site that hosts experts from technical, professional, and creative industries worldwide. You need to apply and create a profile. They have contests available that are free to enter (though a 10% fee applies if you win).
Fees and payments:
Free to join–there are options to upgrade for added benefits, starting from $0.99USD. Fixed price project fee is 11% or $5.50AUD. Hourly project fee is 11%. This site has a secure ‘milestone payment system’ to transfer funds.
7. PeoplePerHour
Based in the UK, open to anyone.
PeoplePerHour.com is ideal for freelancers interested in digital/web/video-based projects. It has 15 categories, ranging from software development to marketing and design. You need to complete an application that is reviewed and approved accordingly. Their system will match you to the most suitable projects, based on your profile (you can also search for jobs manually).
Fees and payments:
Free to join. Payments are held in a secure Escrow account, invoices are automated, and money is released upon task completion. A 10% service fee applies. Various payment methods are available, including PayPal and credit/debit cards.
8. Airtasker
Open to anyone over 18 with Australian working rights.
airtasker.com is another great site for connecting freelancers (Taskers) with clients (Posters). It has 50 categories, ranging anywhere from office work and design to handyman, deliveries, and removals–there’s even a ‘quirky’ category!
Fees and payments:
Free to join. Once the offer is accepted, the money is held securely by Airtasker. A 15% service fee is charged. Upon task completion, the money is transferred to your bank account.
9. Simply Hired
Open to anyone.
simplyhired.com.au is actually a global job directory with a huge network of job boards (including Indeed, Job.com). It also includes a wide range of freelance jobs, which can be filtered by country and region.
Fees and payments:
As advertised/or negotiated between client and freelancer. The site includes a Salary Estimator tool, so clients can calculate the salary of candidates.
10. Guru
Based in the USA, open to anyone.
guru.com has over 1500 job opportunities, mostly focused on programming, art, and design, marketing, writing, and translation skills. Freelancers can submit quotes to any open jobs. Skills tests are available for a small fee (or free under certain memberships).
Fees and payments:
Free to join. There are options to upgrade to a paid membership for bid incentives, lower fees, discounts, etc. Starting from $8.95 per month.
Pay by task, by the hour, or by milestones. Using ‘SafePay’, freelancers can see when the job is funded. Money is released upon final review. A transaction fee applies (between 4.95%-8.95% depending on their membership level).
What to Be Wary Of
Freelance platforms suit many people’s needs, but they can be quite competitive. Here’s some common advice I came across:
- Maintain the value you’re worth – don’t lower your price dramatically to compete in ‘bid wars.’
- Be wary of clients offering low rates, avoiding contracts, and delaying payments.
- There are common complaints about certain sites (e.g. Clickworker, Mechanical Turk) that lack decent rates, assignments, support, and suspend accounts unexpectedly.
Working online always runs the risk of scams. Check out these smart ways to avoid scams online!
Other Options
You can focus on websites more specifically to your niche:
- Problogger – writing blogs
- Copify – copywriting
- Dribble – designers showcasing portfolios
- Transcribe.com – transcription and editing work opportunities
- Assistant Match – training and clients for virtual assistants
- Australian Writer’s Marketplace– writing competitions, agents and publisher listings
No matter what your goal, there are plenty of platforms out there to choose from. It’s a great way to network and start testing your marketing and negotiation skills.
As an online writer, I work on fiverr and I can tell you that it is very lucrative especially if you get good ratings on jobs that you do because more people would want to give you more jobs. I have been enjoying it. I didn’t know though that there are more platforms online where one can actually work as a freelancer. I think I should try up work as well. Seems really cool. Nice post you got.
I’m glad you found this helpful, Henderson. Fiverr has a great reputation and Upwork is very popular for freelancing too. It doesn’t hurt to advertise your skills on several platforms. Best of luck with it! Thanks for reading and sharing your experience.
Freelancing is a very lucrative job. Perhaps, the most tasking aspect of it is finding the right platform to offer your skills and services. I have worked as a freelancer for several years and I can say that it definitely have a lot of it’s perks. Firstly, being able to sit at my study desk at home with a cup of coffee in hand gives me the comfort and calmness I need to dive right into my freelance project. Additionally, I love the facts I am able to choose the jobs I want to do and then work at my own hours.
Hi Amanda, I totally agree, freelancing is a great option. There’s a real sense of independence and freedom, being able to work your own hours and projects. No more commuting to work and stuffy meetings! There are definitely a lot of platforms out there, this list can narrow down the search for people. Thanks for reading and sharing your experience!
Wow, this is a very good post honestly and it is also very nice that you could share this post on the top ten sites to do freelancing jobs. My friend wants to start a designer job online as a freelancer. These ideas will be of very good help to her. I will forward your post to her as well. I would like for you to do a post on the kinds of jobs that one can offer as a freelancer. I could have a skill myself that i can leverage on.
Thanks for reading John, I hope your friend finds it helpful too. I have posted a new article you may find interesting, about the types of freelance jobs available: Work From Home – 20 Freelance jobs to Get Started. Hopefully you’ll find something that suits you!