Freelance Site Comparison

by Jorge Gasca

One of the most common questions I get from my clients, and friends in general, is where to find good people to outsource some of our non-essential activities.

Whether you’re thinking about going out on your own to sell your talents, or are the one looking to do the hiring, here are the six best freelance sites available online.

 

1. Elance (Now Upwork)

While this platform features no-membership fees, it takes a 8.75% cut of the project cost from both the freelancer and the employer; a 17.5% total cut.

Though it can get pricey if you have multiple contractors or a long term project, Elance is well-known for being extremely user-friendly, with a simple interface and straightforward rating/feedback system.

As of right now, there are approximately 2 million members using Elance and the services available for hire include web design, writing, sales, marketing, coding, etc. Employers can pay their employees using a variety of methods including: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and PayPal.

https://www.upwork.com/

2. Fiverr

Fiverr is another free freelancing site. Want to post a project? Every $5 Gig you successfully complete will net $4 back into your account. On a scale of one to ten, where ten is the highest, Fiverr has a 9.5 rating for user-friendliness.

Clients pay the freelancers through PayPal, with a Payoneer option for sellers with a level 2 rating or higher.   Technical, design, writing, and art projects are available, as are additional types of work, with all being posted on the site directly. Clients contact the freelancers via the Fiverr messaging system.

 

3. Freelancer

Freelancer is another popular site and it ranges in user-cost from free to $3 to 3% of the awarded job’s value. With more than 10 million users, Freelancer is one of the most popular tools out there. Payment to freelancers can be made through a variety of mediums including credit card, PayPal, Skyrill, WetMoney and escrow. A variety of projects are posted on the site and freelancers are evaluated via a public review system.

 

4. Rat Race Rebellion

Rat Race Rebellion has no membership fee. The site is considered to be somewhat user-friendly (5/10 stars), particularly among first-timers. The method of payment is usually left up to the company hiring and paying for the freelancer. The projects posted on this website are usually in the form of advertisements. Share Rat Race Rebellion via Facebook and Twitter.

 

5. Guru.com

Unlike other sites, Guru.com requires users to sign up for a paid membership. Depending upon the type of membership selected, a monthly fee ranging from $11.95 to $49.95 is assessed. If you are the one posting the project, a percentage of the freelancer’s total paid sum will be collected as a fee, and the size of the fee depends upon the type of membership purchased. In terms of user-friendliness, Guru.com is considered to be one of the easiest platforms to use. It has approximately 900,000 freelancers from a variety of backgrounds and professions. All contact is kept on an internal communication system and employers typically pay freelancers via SafePay or escrow. Post-project rating and written feedback are encouraged on Guru.com.

 

6. PeoplePerHour

Last but not least is PeoplePerHour, a freelancing site that requires no membership or signup fee. Freelancers are charged a service fee of 15% for the first $280 of their earnings. After the first $280, the charged drops to 3.5% of earnings.

Known as user-friendly service for both freelancers and employers, PeoplePerHour has quickly built a quality following with over 180,000 freelancers and 70,000 clients. Payments are generally made through credit or debit card, PayPal, GiroPay, CashU and TrustPay. Most of the projects posted on PeoplePerHour are technical, creative or design-related jobs. Employers can can contact freelancers directly through an internal messaging system and reviews are available on the customer feedback page.

Personally, I think Upwork is the best.

It’s trusted by freelancers as well as employers and has a relatively simple interface.

Now, what you can do to make this an even better experience is to track time and screenshot your freelance work. For this, you can use systems like TimeDoctor or Hubstaff.

Time tracking instantly improves employee’s focus and productivity and I strongly suggest you try it out.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant instead?

Hiring a freelancer involves a lot of time and hands-on work with the added risk of hiring someone unreliable or inexperienced resulting in you having to go through the process again.

This is because the talent pool on freelancer websites can sometimes be a mixed bag. Whereas Outsourcing Angel has developed a talent pool of trusted and experienced VAs from over 10 years of being in the industry. All VAs must also successfully complete a Panel Interview with Subject Matter Experts and pass their technology, and personality tests before they are presented to clients as potential candidates.

If you want the security of hiring a Virtual Assistant through an agency like Outsourcing Angel, you’ll be able to concentrate on your business while a specialised team finds you a vetted and dedicated Virtual Assistant. If for any reason you’re unhappy with their work, they also offer fast and free replacement and disruption cover too.

Outsourcing Angel

Outsourcing Angel is an Australian based agency that specialises in outsourcing to offshore Virtual Assistants, mainly based in the Philippines.

 

Clients that are time-poor and looking for a long-term solution can really benefit from working with an agency like Outsourcing Angel because they look after everything from the recruitment to even allocating a Team Leader to oversee the quality of your Virtual Assistant’s work in the initial few months with you.

 

The cost for hiring a Virtual Assistant can start from around $12 AUD per hour depending on the type of VA required for the role (e.g Executive, Advanced or Technical) and the number of hours the VA is needed per week (e.g 10, 20, or 40 hrs per week).

 

Freelance Site Comparison Chart

FreelanceSiteComparison

Jorge Gasca

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About the Author

Marketing strategist and automation specialist with the mission of impacting lives one business at a time this by helping aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners clarify their vision and strategically automate their actions to attract high-paying, long-lasting clients.

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