Freelancing has grown at an unprecedented rate in the last 5 years. In America, alone almost 57 million people worked as Freelancers in 2019 - a 4 Million increase from 2014.
With the increase in the number of freelancers, there has also been an increase in the number of the freelancing websites / platforms which have come to meet the demand.
However not all platforms are the same, some offer projects and direct access to clients while some operate similar to job portals where you can find freelancing gigs and apply for them. Listed below are the top 10 Freelancing Websites for Beginners:
#1 - FlexJobs
Founded in 2007, FlexJobs is a membership based website that offers flexible and part time job positions for telecommuters. FlexJobs is different from other freelancing websites as it works more like a job portal but for telecommuting and freelancing jobs. The jobs listed on the portal specialize in flexible work options, seasonal work and alternate scheduling. The company partners with Industry leaders that offer telecommute jobs on a regular basis. The list of top 100 employers as of 2020 can found here.
Is FlexJobs a scam?
Definitely not! - The website is legit with an A+ score from Better Business Bureau. The company also prides on the legitimacy of its job listings which are individually verified by its employees.
Ease of Work
Working is easy - Upon submission, your application is reviewed by FlexJobs, and once approved you apply for open job positions on the portal. The team also makes sure you get notified for relevant jobs which cater to your skillset. .
FlexJobs provides tons of resources to beginners and people who are looking for jobs. Some of them are listed below:
Expert Career Advice:
The Company provides access to expert career services and career coaches who can help you build a flexible freelancing career
170+ Expert Skill tests -
These tests help provide provide employers with marketable evidence of your expertise
Free Resources:
Free Downloadable materials and Guides to help you understand the Job market and remote work options.
FlexJobs is ideal if you are looking for flexible jobs and want to eliminate all chances of scams and redundancy. The portal provides legitimate jobs both with long term and short term commitments. Though a membership is required to view all open positions, the satisfaction guarantee has you covered in case you do not find it useful.
Pricing
Portal Fee - A membership fee of $14.95 is required to access exclusive jobs. Beginners can try the platform at $6.95 for a week.
Client billing - Freelancers can request clients to make a deposit or pay based on milestones.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Similar to FlexJobs, SolidGigs is among the top 10 Freelancing Websites for beginners. The SolidGigs team reviews and analyzes hundreds of job portals for freelance job listings and handpicks the top 1%-2% of the jobs suitable to your skillset. This list is shared on a weekly basis. While the job listing is small, it is curated to show only relevant jobs based on your skillset and cuts out the redundancy.
The kind of work offered on SolidGigs:
- Guest Blogger.
- Media Consultant.
- Product Designer.
- WordPress Plugin Freelancer.
- Theme Developer.
- Salesforce Administrator.
- Management Analyst.
- Marketing Designer.
- Affiliate Marketer.
- SEO Copywriter.
- App Designer.
- Social Graphic Designer.
Ease of Work
Starting is Easy - You create your profile, add your skillset and start getting job notifications directly in your inbox.
SolidGigs comes with good customer support to help out in case of any technical or client related glitches.
The company also provides free resources which can help you gain more insight into the job market and learn from experts.
100+ Free Lessons:
These lessons are curated by Industry experts and can help you educate yourself to be more marketable to get more clients
Expert Interviews:
Hear from Freelancers who are thriving and learn from their experience.
Tools and Resources:
Collection of tried and tested templates, scripts, ebooks and spreadsheets which you can use to your advantage
The site also provides resources to make your profile stand out such as preferable rankings (at a price) to showcase your work.
Pricing
Portal - SoliGigs is a membership-based service. You can try the first month for $2. The regular membership fee is $19 per month for all services.
Client - Freelancers can send invoices during contract-signing to clients for safe and secure payments.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
FreeUp is a good place to look for freelance jobs for both beginners and experienced freelancers. The platform boasts of a large number of projects in different categories, ranging from app development to copywriting. The screening process of freelancers is one of the best amongst all platforms, hence only 1% of the qualified talent make it through. FreeUp is also known for utmost client satisfaction, by matching freelancers to clients in less than 24 hours and providing concierge level support and service.
Listed below are the popular jobs in FreeUp:
- Web Development (WordPress, Full Stack, PHP, Shopify, Javascript, etc. etc.)
- Amazon PPC, FBA, and Amazon Virtual Assistants freelancers
- ECommerce freelancers
- Graphic Design freelancers
- UX/UI and Web Design freelancers
- Remote Sales, Appointment-Setting and Telemarketing freelancers
- Customer Service freelancers
- Digital Marketing freelancers
- Lead Funnel Expert freelancers
- SEO freelancers
- PPC freelancers
- Bookkeeping freelancers
- Social Media Management freelancers
- Social Media Paid Ads freelancers
- Email Marketing freelancers
- Copywriting freelancers
- Virtual and Executive Assistant freelancers
- And many more!! (You can check out the hire page
here!)
Ease of Work
The application is reviewed by the FreeUp team. If accepted, a Zoom interview is setup to discuss the application further. Freelancers can apply in three categories- entry-level, mid-level, and expert.
The review process for mid-level and expert is more strict and sometimes calls for prior experience or educational background. FreeUp also provides good options to beginners with no experience. Beginners can sign up as an entry-level freelancer and get access to assured projects. The platform also provides customer support and resources to lend a helping hand.
The extra screening process for mid and expert level freelancers also means they earn more. A snapshot of expected rates are as below:
Pricing
Freelancers can decide their own hourly rates or fixed rate for projects. FreeUp takes 15% of the amount billed to client.
There is no recurring membership fees.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Guru is another option for both the freelancers starting their careers or looking for experienced gig. As one of the largest freelancing platforms, Guru hires talent from around the world and boasts of a 800,000 strong employer base with a 99% satisfaction rate.
The range of freelancing work varies on the project. Clients can either hire freelancers based on location or skills. Freelancers are rated by their feedback scores which are displayed publicly for clients to see and consider while hiring.
Guru lets clients pay through different methods. Freelancers can bid on jobs that pay hourly, weekly, monthly, or on a project basis. Clients can create milestones and deposit funds to be released once a freelancer completes a task.
Ease of Work
The platform offers countless remote projects for people with varying skill sets. Freelancers can get access to engineering, architectural, writing, legal, and more projects. The site is also preferred by clients for its ease of use and freelancer hiring process.
Hiring:
Freelancers can create their profile where they can highlight their skills and competencies. Once the profile is listed, the clients can contact them directly or freelancers can starting bidding for projects.
WorkRooms:
Guru provides "Workrooms' to effectively manage work, collaborate with team members and communicate with clients. Through workrooms freelancers can invite more team members to work on shared projects. Workroom also enhances productivity by enabling file share, communication and invoice generation all in one place.
Time Tracker:
The time Tracker tool comes in handy for tracking time for hourly payments to keep track of time and generate invoice.
Payment Safety
Guru offers Safepay payment protection for safeguarding any payment issues. The platform also offers Flexible payment terms and agreements customizable between clients and freelancers (e.g milestone based payment release). There is also 24/7 dedicated phone or email support available when needed.
Pricing
Guru has a number of membership options. The basic membership is free and gives you 120 bids per year. The platform takes 9% from your invoices.
Next is the Basic+ plan at $11.95 per month with 600 bids per year. You also have the Professional, Business, and Executive plans that cost more but provide better benefits such as more bids, premium quotes, search boost and option to add a link to your own personal website. The fees are also less @ 6% of your bills. See complete payment option here
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Founded in 2007, PeoplePerHour is the longest running freelance service in the UK. The easy of operation, availability of freelancers and clients make it one of our top 10 freelancing websites for beginners (and experienced) alike. The platform offers a range of freelance projects that pay by the hour or on a project basis and jobs exist in almost all freelancing categories.
Freelancers get to create their own profile, highlighting their achievements and reviews. Sellers create their own profile as well and post jobs to be matched with freelancers based on their requirement. The company offers 24/7 customer service and a dedicated workstream to help initiate chat between client and freelancer on the project undertaken.
Ease of Work
The platform requires freelancers to apply online and go through an evaluation process. This is to ensure only legit freelancers can access the projects on the platform. Beginners can use PeoplePerHour for its simplicity.
The platform offers many features which can help freelancers in client communication, ensure safety of payments and also get access to tools to constantly upgrade their skillsets.
Choose your own Price & Safeguard Payment with Escrow:
PPH let's Freelancers choose their own price, be it per hour or on a project basis. The Freelancers can negotiate the price with their client and even arrange for a milestone based payment. Once the price is agreed, the client makes a secure deposit which is kept in an Escrow account till the project is complete and an invoice is generated.
Use 'Project Stream'
Freelancers and clients can both use 'Project Stream' to collaborate, communicate, share assets and feedback as the project develops along. 'Project Stream' keeps all interactions confidential and ultimately helps both the client and freelancer reach to their project goal.
Use PeoplePerHour Academy:
Freelancers can use PPH Academy to constantly stay tuned to the latest developments in the freelancing market. The academy provides tools and resources as well as the latest trend in freelancing market which can be of immense value for future growth.
Pricing
The pricing of PeoplePerHour is in tiers.
Freelancers need to pay around 20% of revenue if the client bill is less than $350. For higher bills, the fees decrease in steps to reach 7.5%.
The lowest possible fee is 3.5%, but only for bills of $7,000 and above.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Founded in 2012, by Hubstaff, a time tracking software company, HubStaff Talent is a 100% free freelancing platform that connects the clients of HubStaff with freelancing resources around the world.
Hubstaff Talent's pool resource is not as big as other freelancing platforms, however given the clientele list is very specific and ever expanding, there is no shortage of work. As of the day of this article the company has over 110,000 freelancers on its roster, from 205 different countries and about 1,100 open freelancing jobs available.
The one thing which differentiates HubStaff talent from other freelancing websites is the cost. HubStaff talent is 100% free and has no hidden costs. Whatever a freelancer makes is 100% kept by them and they owe no commission or membership fee to the portal. This makes HST a great platform for beginners who can start their freelancing journey here and gain experience without sacrificing anything financially.
Ease of Work
The platform works similar to another freelancing websites - Freelancers create a profile online and showcase their skills. The profile is reviewed by the HST staff for credibility and legitimacy. Freelancers also have the option to sign up as an agency and offer services. For example, they can create an agency with a team of web designers for more job opportunities.
The sellers each have their profile already created (migrated from Hubstaff) and they can post their job needs on the website.
Once a job is posted, the companies would contact freelancers directly for getting a quote and discussing the terms and conditions. Once the terms and conditions are decided work can commence. Alternatively, Freelancers can also search for jobs and apply for them.
Note - The rates per hour or per project are listed on the job. There are some jobs with very low rates ($2 - $3 per hour). These jobs are from bottom tier companies and can be avoided.
Pricing
HubStaff Talent is free. There is no commission, hidden charges or membership requirement. Clients pay freelancers directly, and there is no escrow. This makes it one of our favorite freelancing platform for beginners who can gain experience and earn money without paying any fees.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
If you are a freelancer looking for long term work, Outsourcely is one of the best freelancing websites to consider. Founded in 2014, the platform already has close to 400,000 freelancers working from 180+ countries and currently serves 50,000+ startups currently. Similar to Hubstaff - Outsourcely charges 0 fees or membership charges which makes it ideal for both beginners and experienced freelancers who get to keep their entire earnings from the client.
How is Outsourcely different from other freelancing platforms?
The one distinguishing factor between Outsourcely and other freelancing platforms is that Outsourcely promotes long term relations between client and freelancers. The platform specializes in long term and almost full time work though part time freelancing gigs are also available.
The second distinguishing factor is no fees.
Kind of work available on Outsourcely.
The platform has almost all kinds of freelance gigs available. The prominent ones are as below:
- Design & Multimedia
- Web Development
- Programming & IT
- Software Development
- Web Host & Server Management
- Mobile Applications
- Writing & Content
- Administrative Support
- Customer Services
- Sales & Marketing
- Business Services
- Finance & Management
- Engineering, Manufacturing & Science
- Translation & Languages
The above are only Primary categories. The subcategory would list further segregation as shown in the Sales & Marketing example below
- Social Media Marketing
- Sales & Lead Generation
- SEO
- Telemarketing
- Sales
- Facebook Marketing
Ease of Work
Outsourcely monitors are jobs and freelancers profile to eliminate any scam listings. For work, Freelancers need to begin by creating a profile online highlighting their skills. The profile is reviewed by the Outsourcely staff and after a brief interview, approved for work. Once approved, companies can contact freelancers directly based on skills or freelancers can apply for listed job openings. The Price is negotiated between client and freelancers and Outsourcely does not take a cut.
The company offers tools and resources to facilitate communication between clients and freelancers such as
- Instant Private chat - Chat with your client confidentially
- Live Video and Voice Interviewing - To have some FaceTime with your client for better understanding and trust
- Video and Voice messaging - Freelancers can share video message explaining their skills better
- Direct email - Employers can directly contact you for job requirements from the Outsourcely portal through emails
Pricing
Outsourcely is free for freelancers. The platform doesn't take any cut from Freelancers and Clients pay freelancers directly in chosen payment methods that work for both.
For Small Businesses and Professional packages, the platform charges $79 and $229 per month respectively. Charges can be found here.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
#8 - Upwork:
Upwork is one of the oldest and largest freelance platforms in the world. The company was founded in 2015 by the merger of 2 of the largest freelancing networks - ODesk and Elance.com.
Upwork boasts of an impressive pool of 18 million freelancers, 5 million registered clients and posts job worth $1 Bn every year.
With such a wide pool of talent - the company offers freelancing services for :
- Complex Projects - Specialized freelancers and agencies for large and complex projects
- Long term contracts - Hire long term contractors to help clients expand their virtual team
- Short term contracts - Help clients build a pool of diverse resources for short term and one off tasks
The major advantage of Upwork is the list of clientele which ranges from startups to Fortune 500 clients such as Microsoft, Airbnb and GE.
The company offers secure payment network and 24/7 customer service for both clients and freelancers to help solve the issues at hand. There is also a virtual chatbot which helps out with minor glitches such as Password Resets, billing details etc.
Ease of Work
Upwork provides both the platform and resources for both beginners and experienced freelancers to excel. The registering process is the same as in other freelancing websites, Freelancers register by creating an account and getting vetted. Once Vetted, Freelancers can apply for open projects and begin work.
Freelancers can work per their convenience on hourly, monthly, or per-project rates. The platform comes with an app to manage orders and communicate with clients over a secure chat.
Beginners can start by providing competitive rates and quality deliverables to clients to build reputation. The clients can then consider them in the future for other projects before opening the bid for other freelancers to apply.
Freelancers are rated by clients and the rate and review are displayed publicly for clients to see and judge the resources for hire.
Pricing
Upwork is not free. Freelancers pay fee based on tiering level as below:
- 20% of revenue for the first billed $500.
- 10% for bills that range between $500.01 and $10,000.
- For bills over $10,000, the charges drop to 5%.
All payments take place through Upwork's secure payment gateway and can be linked to PayPal or credit cards. Freelancers can also take advantage of Upwork Payment Protection and escrow for assured payments. There is also a strong customer support team to oversee any payment issues.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Founded in 2010 and based out of Israel, Fiverr is a freelance services platform that operates as a marketplace for creative and professional services. The website lists over 3 million gigs across 100 different categories and is represented by people from 200+ countries. Based on traffic engagement, Fiverr's website ranks amongst the top 200 websites in the world according to Alexa.com.
Why is Fiverr.com so popular?
Listed below are some of the reasons:
- Abundance of Gigs - There are millions of jobs and freelancers available making job exchange easy
- Global presence - Fiverr has truly globalized freelancing, with many freelancers being represented from developing and third world countries like India, Pakistan and Philippines
- Competitive Pricing - Freelancers on Fiverr compete on rates and there are highly competitive rates available, some starting as low as $5.
- Ease to Use and safe platform - Fiverr offers a dedicated and easy to platform which is safe and secure to exchange confidential information between Client and Freelancers. The platform also offers seamless and secure money exchange.
- Beginner Friendly - Fiverr provides platform and resources to beginners to help them showcase their talent and build credibility.
Fiverr is also known for its comprehensive job search filters which lets clients add filtering criteria to ensure they can target freelancers which specialize to their requirement. An example is shown below for a SEO Content writer:
Ease of Work
Fiverr's platform is easy to use for both the beginners and experienced freelancers. Freelancers create a profile, get vetted and can then apply for job postings from clients or be approached by clients based on their profile and rating.
There are 4 levels of freelancers available on Fiverr:
- New Seller - These are beginners. They have less experience and make less money
- Level 1 Seller - This is the first badge which is provided once a seller completes 10 gigs, within 60 days, with a high satisfaction rating
- Level 2 Seller - This is the second and more prestigious badge attained after 50 successful gigs, within 120 days, with a high satisfaction rating
- Top Rated Seller - This is the highest badge available signifying top rated seller. the badge is provided after the seller has earned a minimum of 20,000 USD, has been on Fiverr for atleast 180 days and has delivered over 100 orders.
The earnings for freelancers also depend upon the badges. New Sellers get paid the least while top rated sellers demand higher price.
Pricing
Fiverr takes a straight 20% commissions from revenues. Freelancers don't need to pay any other fees.
Clients - Payments from clients are deposited in an escrow the moment the order is placed at the beginning of the task. Once client accepts the deliverable, the payment is released to the freelancer.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Founded in 2009 by an Australian professor and ex-Stamford Alumni , Freelancer is the worlds largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by number of users and projects. The platform connects over 49 Millions employers and freelancers from over 247 different countries.
How is Freelancer different from Other Freelancing Platforms?
The primary difference between Freelancer and other Freelancing websites is that Freelancer promotes healthy competition between freelancers by allowing bidding on projects. Once a client posts a project, freelancers can bid on the project and get the deal.
Also the platform allows clients to hold competitions / Contests.
Contests are generally used when a client has a series of deliverables or a large deliverable and wants to hire people who meet certain criteria and standards. Contest is a healthy way to eliminate the crowd and focus only on the people who meet the requirements.
Ease of Work
Freelancers platform is similar to Fiverr and Upwork. Freelancers create a profile and add the necessary skills needed. Once profile is created, they can start bidding on projects or initiate talks for fixed price projects.
Similar to Fiverr, Freelancer also provides badges to distinguish the top performers from the rest. The badges also help decide the rates.
Freelancer's dedicated mobile app and desktop platform help freelancers maintain contact with clients and share progress while maintaining the confidentiality.
The secure payment system and option of Milestone based payments assure freelancers of no payment hassles.
Pricing
The Freelancer pricing is as below:
- 10% commission for all hourly projects
- 10% commission or $5 (whichever is greater) for ll fixed price projects.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Summary - The Top 10 Freelancing Websites for Beginners:
Freelancing is growing at an astronomical rate. With more and more people looking to skip the traditional 09 to 05 jobs and follow entrepreneurial streaks, or make money online while on travel, the market is only going to grow in the future. Then there are also people who want to generate passive income while on full time jobs. With the growth in the market there has also been a growth in the Freelancing platforms. Freelancers now have the option to choose from not 1 but many platforms and decide which suits them. Many freelancers register on multiple platforms to get steady gigs.
Our View - None of the platforms listed above are perfect. Some have huge talent pool and clientele lists but charge monthly fees. Some have niche clients and are free. It is unto Freelancers to decide what platform suits them and their requirements.
