Whether you’re just getting started with freelancing or an expert in your field, freelance job platforms can be excellent resources for advancing your career. Put simply, the best freelancing sites for beginners and professionals offer a simple and easy way to meet worthwhile clients and job prospects.
It can be challenging to sort through the different online freelance marketplaces available and choose the right one for you. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to any particular site, based on your specific freelancing requirements and preferences.
So, to make things easier for you, we have selected some of the best freelancing websites and provided detailed information on each, including pros and cons. Ready to find the best freelancing jobs online? Now let’s get started.
What is a Freelancing Website?
A freelancing website, also known as a freelance job site or a freelance job board, is an online platform that connects freelancers with clients looking for short-term, project-based work opportunities. Freelancers can showcase their abilities, experience, portfolios, and more on freelance websites to draw in potential clients. In the interim, employers can list job opportunities for independent contractors, go through candidate profiles, get in touch with potential hires, and eventually hire freelancers to finish tasks on a contract basis.
Best Freelancing Sites
If you’re new to freelancing, you might be unsure about which jobs are most suited to your skills. Even newcomers can find profitable internet gigs and jobs where they can work from home. These are some fantastic freelance work websites to check out if you’re not sure where to begin. Although finding good jobs can be expensive, the chance to get steady freelancing in your field of expertise can be a reward.
Upword
Upwork is the biggest freelance marketplace, with over three million tasks listed each year. It’s an excellent place to start looking for possibilities right now.
Upwork offers a wide variety of freelance opportunities, with the option to work for short- or long-term contracts at fixed or hourly pay.
You can submit a project profile on Upwork, and clients can post their own profiles detailing their experiences. The challenge is that there are more freelancers than projects; therefore, it is easier to find a successful project on your own if you wish to fulfill the need.
Pros:
- payment security.
- Prevents clients from requesting free work.
- Many options for both novices and specialists.
Cons:
- Highest service charges.
- Sending proposals requires connections.
- It takes time to establish your credibility.
Overall, because of its never-ending prospects and possibility for long-term customer work, Upwork is among the greatest freelancer websites for both beginners and professionals.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelance marketplace that links companies with independent contractors in several industries, such as marketing and graphic design.
With 3.42 million active clients as of 2021, they make it simple for independent contractors, both new and seasoned, to find jobs.
One thing to keep in mind is that Fiverr’s service costs are higher than others, at 20%, due to their extensive offerings and ease of use. Additionally, it can take longer to receive your payout—between seven and fourteen days—depending on your status on the website.
Because of their tremendous popularity (and for good reason), they are also one of the most competitive marketplaces. It may be difficult to charge the rates you wish to when there is greater competition and pressure to reduce your charges.
However, the site promotes you, and clients will keep coming to you after you get things going and obtain positive evaluations.
Pros:
- Website and app are suitable for beginners.
- It’s easy to package and price your services.
- Certificate courses.
Cons:
- A long delay for payment clearance.
- Expensive service fees.
It is noteworthy because Fiverr incorporates payment processing directly within the platform, eliminating the need for you to bill your clients or remind them to use PayPal. So, while some freelancers underestimate Fiverr because of its humble beginnings, it is one of the best independent contractor sites for novices as well as anyone ready to give a variety of rates for different jobs.
Toptal
Toptal is a freelance marketplace that connects clients with the top 3% of freelancers from around the world. This website is especially useful for experts in project management, business consulting, and software development. Toptal employs a rigorous five-step hiring procedure to find the top candidates in any industry. This makes their application screening procedure for freelancers lengthy and challenging, making it difficult to get accepted and undoubtedly not user-friendly for beginners.
However, once accepted, the effort is well worth it.
Pros:
- Opportunities with a high salary scale.
- There are no costs for independent contractors.
- Ideal for professionals.
Cons:
- Strict screening process.
- In every stage of your project, Toptal is directly involved.
However, they also adopt a hands-on approach, connecting their clients with freelancers from five main categories: developers, designers, finance specialists, project managers, and product managers.
Toptal distinguishes itself from other freelance marketplaces with an amazing feature: they don’t deduct any fees from the income of its freelancers.
Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com is another significant freelancing marketplace that offers a diverse range of possibilities.Freelancers can explore their comprehensive job boards and bid on projects. And once employed, you can quickly communicate with clients and track your progress.
The site also hosts contests for things like design work, which may help freelancers earn extra money, expand their portfolios, and establish a solid reputation on the platform.
Freelancer is completely free to use for freelancers. However, the site deducts 10% of your revenue for fixed tasks and contests, or $5.00, whichever is more, and 10% for hourly projects.
Pros:
- A team of consultants to assist you get recruited.
- Round-the-clock client assistance.
- Contests for higher profits.
Cons:
- False or spam jobs and clients
- Complex interface.
The site is an outstanding platform for professionals seeking jobs, such as web developers, social media experts, and marketing specialists.
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking website that is widely recognized as one of the best career resources available. You can set up a profile on the site to show off your experience, education, job history, previous projects, and talents to companies searching for new talent.
You can also publish and share posts to offer companies a sense of who you are and what interests you. LinkedIn offers a large number of freelance and full-time employment.
Pros:
- You may network with experts from a wide range of industries.
- The website has the most recent information on trends and news in your field.
Cons:
- Because so many individuals use LinkedIn, it might be difficult to get be distinguished.
- Constant updating is necessary to keep your LinkedIn profile professional and up to date.
Unlike most of the networks we’ve discussed, LinkedIn isn’t a specific freelance job site, but it does offer a variety of chances for independent professionals. LinkedIn can help freelance graphic designers, developers, copywriters, and other professionals get work.
Behance
Though Behance is actually owned by Adobe, it’s a creative-focused social media site with a big job board covering a variety of areas, including illustration, photography, and logo design.
The site’s social nature can also be very beneficial to freelancers. Behance is a great platform for networking and connecting with people, which may lead to new job prospects.
It’s also a terrific place to host and showcase your portfolio to its 10 million+ members.Their employment board allows you to effortlessly peruse through hundreds of open jobs or use their search option to enter a specific phrase, pick “freelance,” and specify a location and creative area.
Pros:
- Use it to apply for jobs at no cost.
- Exposure to a portfolio and networking.
- Job recommendations tailored to your specific needs.
Cons:
- Highly competitive online marketplace
- Problems with the compression and loading of images.
Professionals such as artists, photographers, animators, and digital designers can construct and distribute portfolios to a large audience. The website helps them in getting noticed by clients from all around the world.
Guru
Another well-known freelance marketplace, Guru, has 800,000 customers globally and a 99% customer satisfaction score.Guru also welcomes a wide variety of freelancers, including programmers, designers, authors, and more.One special advantage of Guru is its progress monitoring tool, which lets you work together and grow your freelance workforce.
Their free membership allows you to submit ten bids per month. And a 9% service fee is deducted from your reward. Free members, however, are not allowed to discuss jobs in advance with clients.Their premium membership begins at $11.95 per month, with lower service fees thereafter.
By improving their ratings and making their quotes stand out to clients, paid members can genuinely outperform their rivals.
Pros:
- 24/7 support.
- Lower fees.
- User-friendly website.
Cons:
- Monthly premium members receive more benefits than free members.
- Competitive environment.
Freelancers may easily build profiles on the website, market their expertise, look through job postings, and submit bids to prospective clients. The service will make employment suggestions based on your preferences, talents, and work history. You can apply for both short- and long-term projects on Guru.
Dribbble
Similar to Behance, Dribbble is a well-known international community where creatives can develop their portfolios, find inspiration, and establish connections with other designers and possible customers. It’s easy for freelance artists, designers, and other creatives to show off and market their work in order to get new clients.
Your work is also elevated above others’ portfolio “shots” in proportion to the number of individuals who enjoy them. They provide a fairly simple job board with helpful search filters to help you locate positions that fit your requirements.
This Freelance gigs sites offers a great feature where you can adjust your search results based on the project budget. This way, you can avoid wasting time on tasks that are below your rate.The drawback with this one is that users have to pay $5–$12 a month for Dribbble’s premium subscription in order to apply for freelance employment.
Pros:
- Networking and portfolio exposure.
- Quick access to high-paying jobs.
- User-friendly website.
Cons:
- Premium users only have access to the freelance job board.
Creatives can display their work brilliantly on the Dribbble platform. It serves both independent contractors and those seeking full-time work. To have access to contract work lists, freelancers must first sign up for the Pro plan.
We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely asserts its position as the world’s largest Remote work platforms.
The platform offers a contract job segment where freelancers can pursue a good selection of opportunities with top firms like Google and Amazon, even if its primary concentration is on remote employment (particularly programming jobs).
Their sophisticated search function is much more comprehensive than many other job boards, making it easier for you to locate and filter the top freelance jobs available online. Furthermore, you are free to browse around and apply to any positions that pique your interest.
Pros:
- Possibilities with top businesses.
- A portal for learning with tutors and coaches.
- Slack group alongside other participants.
Cons:
- Some categories’ freelance opportunities are updated less frequently than others.
- Not a platform; you can’t use them to arrange payments or get employed.
Although it offers options for freelancers, its primary target audience is individuals looking for remote jobs, either full-time or part-time. Some of the most popular job categories on the site are design, programming, and management.
99designs
99designs is a marketplace for graphic design that links independent designers in more than 90 design areas with global clients.
On 99designs, there are two methods to gain work: either you can compete with other designers in contests to win money and win new clients, or freelancers can work directly with clients on a 1-to-1 project with payment upfront.
The fact that 99designs promotes enduring relationships between independent contractors and designers is one of its advantages. You can easily continue working with the customer on the platform later, regardless of whether you worked on a project or took part in a contest.
But be aware of the expenses: in addition to sliding platform fees based on your “designer level,” which begin at 15%, there is an introduction fee of $100 that is applied to the client’s initial $500 charges.
Pros:
- Pricing structure that eliminates low-ball offers.
- Capability to collaborate.
- A faster payoff.
Cons:
- Complaints regarding stolen designs.
- Expensive service fees.
- Absence of live chat assistance.
You’ll receive a design level from 99designs after they’ve evaluated your work.So Professional designers have a higher chance of being noticed and recruited by companies. You can focus on particular project types and industries when searching for employment on the website.
DesignCrowd
Similar to 99designs, DesignCrowd is an online creative marketplace that connects graphic designers with clients for one-on-one assignments as well as crowdsourced design competitions. In essence, DesignCrowd is far more contest-focused and pays freelancers to participate in contests.
In response to a customer’s brief, designers from all over the world can compete by submitting samples of their work; the client chooses the winner based on their preference.
This might not be a viable alternative unless you want to showcase your skills, as design experts usually don’t need to concentrate on portfolio-building contests.
Pros:
- Payments for entering a contest.
- Excellent for newcomers to expand their portfolio.
- Safe and easy registration.
Cons:
- Reduced charges for freelance work.
- Highest competition.
However, it is an excellent choice for beginners with a competitive spirit. You can improve your talents, grow your portfolio, and, of course, make money in the process.
SolidGigs
Solidgigs is just another one of my favorite sites. They locate work for independent contractors and send the top 1% directly to your email.
So, instead of wasting hours looking through listings, you don’t have to lift a finger, and the chances come to you.Although using their service will cost you money, this is a fantastic choice for anyone who values saving time.
Pros:
- Saves time by delivering hand-picked job prospects directly to your mailbox.
- Courses and training.
- Superior prospects.
Cons:
- Subscription fees.
- No platform to make landing jobs and getting paid easier.
The training they offer to independent contractors is another excellent advantage of their business; they cover topics like rate-setting and effective pitching.
Designhill
Businesses looking for services like website, logo, and catalog design can reach out to freelance artists and designers through Designhill, one of the best Freelance project websites. The website is beneficial for independent contractors acquiring business management skills, in addition to providing a comprehensive list of design options.
Pros:
- You can make an online account for free with Designhill.
- The website offers a dependable live chat assistance crew.
- Freelancers are not subject to service costs.
Cons:
- Only designers can access Designhill.
- Clients can request revisions to logo designs within a seven-day period, which may cause a delay in acceptance and payment.
With the help of Designhill’s tools, independent contractors can launch their own online storefronts and attract customers from throughout the world. Freelancers can produce digital marketing materials, make business cards, and evaluate income with the use of its management tools.
SimplyHired
Although it isn’t designed just for freelancers, SimplyHired offers a large selection of freelance employment. Job seekers can uncover possibilities from across the internet with the site’s user-friendly layout. The website features jobs in a number of industries, including banking, marketing, SEO, and administration.
Pros:
- When new opportunities matching your criteria and experience are posted, the site will notify you via email.
- You can use the resources on the website to advance your career.
Cons:
- Companies can list positions for free on the website. Scammers could use the website to approach you with fictitious job openings.
- It can be difficult to be noticed on a major website like SimplyHired.
Applicants can tailor job searches to their preferred industry, location, and hobbies. You can examine firm pay scales and reviews by past or present employees on SimplyHired as well.
Codeable
Codeable is a freelancer platform dedicated to helping you find work as a WordPress developer. One of Codeable’s standout features is their commitment to avoiding the “race to the bottom” problem that certain freelancing marketplaces face.
It’s also intriguing to see how they manage this. Essentially, regardless of the number of freelancers that apply, they deploy a unique algorithm that eliminates both undercut and overpriced estimates, providing clients with only one pricing estimate.
Additionally, they provide reasonable, assured minimum hourly pay ranging from $70-120 USD. While their 10% fees are a drawback financially, it’s still better than other freelance platforms.
Pros:
- Networking with an educated, handpicked community.
- Fair minimums with professional rates.
- Coaching and support for professional development.
Cons:
- 45-day trial period and extensive screening procedure.
One of the best things about Codeable is that it ensures that independent contractors are adequately compensated for their labor by using a unique algorithm.
Benefits of the Best Freelancing Sites
Freelancing websites provide several benefits for both freelance workers and clients wishing to hire them.
For Freelancers
- Access to an abundance of freelance job possibilities in a variety of disciplines and businesses.
- Flexibility to work at their own speed and schedule.
- Capability to establish a profile and work portfolio to draw in clients.
- Tools to make working with clients easier in terms of payments, collaboration, and communication.
- Possibilities to make extra money, maybe even full-time.
For Clients
- Access to an extensive pool of competent freelancing talent
- The ability to accurately match jobs to freelancers with specific skill sets.
- There are no overhead expenses related to employing full-time workers.
- Ability to scale teams up or down as needed.
- Frequently less expensive than working with conventional creative firms or consultants.
Top Factors in Choosing Independent Contractor Sites
It can be difficult to choose the best freelancing sites from the hundreds available these days in order to obtain a profitable freelance job. The following are some of the most crucial elements to take into account while assessing the best freelance websites:
- Certain freelance websites focus on particular fields, such as technology, creative services, writing, administration, etc. Think of websites that complement your background in the workplace.
- Select websites that draw in credible customers and feature intricate, highly compensated projects.
- Analyze the earning possibilities by comparing different project kinds’ average hourly rates.
- Commissions are often charged on freelancing websites. You can keep more of your earnings when the proportion is lower.
- Success as a freelancer depends on having an easy-to-use interface that is full of features and free of bugs.
- Reputable websites with a large number of satisfied consumers indicate a reliable platform for freelancing.
Final Words
Hopefully, now you can find your best freelancing sites from our top selection. Finding freelance work to earn money online does not have to be difficult. The majority of Freelance work websites merely ask that you create an account and fill it out.
But before setting up an account, remember to verify again how each freelance website works. You have to consider the service fee, payment system, and withdrawal method.
Here are our best recommendations for freelance websites for anyone searching for administrative or technical jobs, such as social media managers, web developers, or finance consultants:
- Upwork
- Toptal
The best freelance websites to check out in the interim if you are looking for creative jobs, like those for writers, illustrators, or graphic designers, are as follows:
- Fiverr
- Dribbble
However, you always have the option of creating your own website or portfolio. All you need is a hosting package or a straightforward website creator to get your site online quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the advantages of being a freelancer?
Benefits for freelancers include the ability to run their own businesses and select their clients, flexible work schedules and locations, prospects for rapid professional growth, total control over their pricing, and the ability to work on a wide range of projects and subjects.
Is freelancing good for beginners?
Freelancing is an excellent choice for novices. It makes it possible to learn new skills, earn money, and develop a portfolio in addition to acquiring real-world experience. Newcomers can start their freelance career by taking advantage of the many employment opportunities that cater to different skill levels offered by freelancing platforms.
What skills are the best suited for freelancing?
Software development, graphic design, digital marketing, writing, administrative services, coaching, and consulting are among the most in-demand freelance skills right now. Niche specializations that pay well, such as scientific knowledge, web3 specialization, cybersecurity, animation, voiceovers, etc., are also quite profitable.
