Quick Links
Quick Links
Because of all the websites for freelancers out there, all you need to make a decent living in today’s technologically advanced world is an internet connection and a passion. There are many websites that are similar to Upwork and Fiverr, you just have to take the time to find them!
More and more professionals are offering their talents and services from the comfort of their own homes through freelancing. The industry is rapidly evolving, and an increasing number of businesses are tapping into the freelancing pool as the gig economy expands and the quality of talent available increases.
The abundance of websites for freelancers has made it easier than ever to find freelance and contract-based gigs with a huge variety of companies. While there are plenty of websites for freelancers to choose from, knowing the best options currently available is critical to remaining ahead of the competition and securing the high paying projects.
As you browse through our list, also check out tips on landing high paying, part time remote jobs put together by Mike and Oshin at Hobo With a Laptop.
Without further ado, here are over 30 sites where you can land your next gig:
FreeUp is an up and coming digital talent platform for freelancers that has generated great reviews because they thoroughly pre-vet all remote workers to ensure they have skilled and reliable people to choose from.
Customers gain unlimited access to the freelancers offering their services through FreeUp’s network and can request a new worker in as little as 30 seconds. FreeUp is one of the only websites for freelancers that provides a freelancer referral program, meaning that freelancer can refer other qualified freelancers and get paid for the hours those freelancers bill to clients.
Freelancers have the ability to land projects and long-term work with reputable companies and increase their skill sets through new positions. Freelancers on FreUp offer services for thousands of online businesses with a concentration on the eCommerce sector and is quickly approaching 2,000 freelancers on the platform. FreeUp has become a major player in the freelancing industry, especially for virtual assistants.
Toptal. If you pass their strict screening process, you will be happy with the compensation as they do pay well for quality work. This site is well worth it if you are an experienced freelance developer or designer. You can set your own hourly rates and do not have to worry about low bid contests. If you are just starting out in your freelancing career, Toptal is probably not for you just yet, however.
Fiverr.com is a website where people can buy or sell services at a rate of $5. The categories range from writing and creating videos all the way to crafting unique gifts and a whole lot more.
Freelancers simply create an account and list a small service they are willing to sell for “a fiver” ($5). After someone orders their work, Fiverr will deposit $4 into their account. The main drawback to Fiverr is that $4 is not much money, and you likely will not become a millionaire through this site. However, many freelancers have built up a long-term relationship with regular clients through the website, which means a steady income stream.
Upwork is an international freelancing platform offering freelancers a ton of opportunities doing anything that can be done on a computer (or even a mobile!) ranging from blog posts to web design and everything in between.
Over 9 million freelancers are competing for projects on Upwork, which can lead to lower rates, especially for new freelancers trying to build their portfolios and reputation. However, this site has a good reputation and is well known, so the work will keep streaming in if you know how to make a good pitch.
Freelancer.com has over 8 million projects in numerous categories posted on the site making them one of the biggest websites for freelancers. There is a wide variety of options to choose from when you sign up to find work. There is a free version all the way up to a premium version. The membership type you choose will affect how much money you pay to Freelancer when you find work through their site and how many bids per month you are allowed. Having options is great for freelance workers because freelancing definitely isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” kind of project.
Hubstaff Talent is a newer freelance directory that sets itself apart from the rest by being 100% free – no fees, no markups. On the platform you can find work in a variety of areas: web development, marketing and sales, design and multimedia, writing and content, and business consulting, among many others.
Hubstaff wanted to change the way freelancers find new clients by eliminating the fees associated with so many of the online hiring platforms. The platform allows clients to reach out directly to freelancer profiles they are interested in and freelancers can view projects that are available as well. With a growing number of users, this emerging platform is a great place to display your profile and meet new potential clients.
iFreelance is one of only a few websites for freelancers that does not take a commission from their earnings. They charge a low monthly membership, and freelancers are able to create personalized profiles and bid on projects. Companies or individuals can log into iFreelance and post projects free of charge which is great news for freelancers looking for paid work.
There is a lot of work available but not much protection for either buyer or seller. Any work that is agreed upon is communicated between the freelancer and the client, removing any liability from iFreelance. Proceed at your own risk!
Craigslist is not a dedicated freelance site by any means, but the sheer size of the site means that there will always be options available to freelancers.
It is completely free for both seller and buyer, which is both a good and a bad thing. It is great because there will never be a shortage of posts. It can be a bad thing though because the projects posted have no guarantee to either party.
Postings on Craigslist can be a good source of income but always use extra caution if you decide to accept work from this site.
We Work Remotely is a community of over 2,500,000 freelancers and business owners. Visitors must pay to post projects, of which there have been over 87,000 to date. They provide a template that can be filled out to describe the details of a project for easy posting to the feed. This feed is also categorized, so it’s easier to find what you’re looking for.
Guru prides itself in pooling only the experts, and currently has over 3 million freelance users from all around the world. It’s free to post a project on the site, so there’s plenty to go around. Clients can pay per milestone, per task or by the hour, so you can set up flexible terms depending on how you like to work.
goLance is the site for you if your target is to become a member of a stellar group of freelancers. It offers business owners top talent from all over the world that have been hand-selected and professionally tested. There are no fees to make a hire, which is attractive to business owners. Moreover, freelancers pay only a flat fee of 7.95% from their earnings.
You can find work fast on indeed with their convenient search bar right at the top of their website. Just make sure to include “freelance” or “remote” as a keyword to find freelance work. You can also upload your resume to help clients find you, or browse for work by the type of work you are looking for.
Simplyhired is another site with a great search feature and millions of posts to apply to. Their network extends to over a hundred boards, so you can be seen by more clients looking for your skills.
They also have a neat resume builder that can help you put together a nice list of your experience and qualifications. If you don’t know what you want to charge for your services, you can use their salary estimator to get an idea of how much companies pay for different types of work.
LocalSolo has recently joined forces with Communo to create a stronger platform that caters to freelancers and agencies. They don’t charge any commissions and have really nice looking profiles. It’s not just a place to find work but a community, too, so you can benefit from their partner network.
Locallancers is another site where you will not pay commissions on work and where clients can search for freelancers based on location, skill, language and price range. This makes it easier for them to find you.
WritingBunny (formerly ArticleBunny) provides freelance work for writers. It is based on a simple idea. Customers let them know what they need written, and they will tell the customer how long it will take and how much money it will cost. ArticleBunny is very strict about who writes for them. Writers must pass English proficiency, grammar, and writing tests to make sure only high-quality content is generated for their clients. A big perk for freelancers working for this site is that they pay for revisions. They also have VoiceBunny and TranslationBunny freelance sites to offer other services. The company is relatively new but growing at a steady rate so while the number of available projects isn’t as high as other sites, it is a great time to get in early and build your reputation and portfolio before it gets too big.
dotWriter connects talented freelancers with clients seeking premium content writing and marketing services. You can search for writing gigs in over 30 categories and enjoy secure payment on this site. If you find a client that you like working with, you can even get a chance to work with them exclusively. With the option to put up pieces that you’ve already written for sale, you don’t have to wait for someone to order content.
This branch of Contently only works with top-notch writers and the high pay reflects that. While there is a long list of writers waiting to get in, freelancers can build a profile for free and use it as a marketing portfolio to other potential clients while they are waiting to get accepted. Meanwhile, the talent team at Contently will review all of the portfolios and match writers with new and existing projects. There really is nothing to lose by creating a profile and maintaining it through time. Even if you don’t ever get chosen by Contently, you still have a great way to showcase your work to other clients for free.
ClearVoice is a content-on-demand site where you can write or do content marketing for brands and agencies. They focus on streamlined workflows and clear communication as well as easy integrations with blogging platforms. You will be vetted before you can join ClearVoice, but can find secure work since it works with companies on an annual commitment basis.
PayPerContent is another place where you can go to find writing gigs, whether it’s articles, blogs, or copywriting that you do best. They accept writers with skill, versatility and creativity, and there are no membership fees to join. PPC offers competitive rates with secure and convenient payments bi-monthly. They also run periodic incentive and bonus programs. The mentorship program is an added bonus for newbies with editors sending out writing tips to help them improve.
The Content Authority looks for professional writers, but whether you are a beginner who does basic content or an expert in a specific niche, you can find work here. They accept projects for blogging, copywriting, eBook ghostwriter/”>ghostwriting and press releases as well as article marketing and social engagement. You can apply to write for them by filling out the form at the bottom of their home page.
Constant Content is already home to over 100,000 expert writers producing unique, engaging, SEO friendly content for businesses. They specialize in custom website content and articles for blogs and other purposes. You can get gigs for content requests, or submit ready-made content that gets put up for sale. If you have subject matter expertise and can deliver content fast, this is the site for you.
eZida specializes in content and analytics for eCommerce platforms like Amazon and Walmart. They offer optimized content, so if your specialty is copywriting with SEO that helps business owners increase sales, this is the site for you to start looking for your next project. More than just content, however, you can also find work on eZida if your area is in eCommerce data analytics.
Peopleperhour.com is a platform focused on web projects. If your freelance specialty is designing, web developing, or SEO specializing, this is definitely worth your time to check out. This site allows both businesses and workers to register for free and only takes a small fee from workers when they successfully book a project. This site isn’t the best website for freelancers and buyers are typically looking for cheap work, but it has portfolio building potential if you are just starting off.
At 99designs, you can find all kinds of design-related projects from books covers and social media graphics to logos and websites. This site is famous for offering clients customs designs from global creatives on the platform.
AngelList is not just for freelancers, but you can find great web design and development gigs there. They have a lot of remote friendly companies as clients. Like other freelance sites, you get to speak directly to clients since recruiters are not permitted on the platform.
Webflow Experts offers freelancers and agencies to business owners who need expert web services. You can search postings and bid on them to win projects. They can also search for you and invite you to an interview. It’s a full service site, so you can find work designing, building, migrating or marketing websites.
WordPress has a page specifically dedicated to postings for clients looking to hire designers and developers. There are a lot of full time positions, but you can also find projects there that you can work freelance. In addition to web design and development, there are offers for other website-related tasks like migration, performance, plugins, themes and writing.
Behance is best known as a portfolio site, but they also have a page for posting opportunities. It’s available for internships and full-time positions, so look carefully to spot the neat gigs. It’s a place for creatives, so you’ll see things like video creation and art direction alongside posts for logo design and UX design.
Like the above, Dribble has a page where you can find a variety of creative projects to apply for. Most of them do focus on design and development, though.
DesignCrowd has pooled over 676,000 freelancers to date working on projects from $25 to over $100. The key factors that make this site special are that they specialize in custom designs of various types and offer a money-back guarantee. Clients love that, so there are a lot of opportunities available.
Outsourcing is a trend that is growing by the day. Companies are embracing the idea of remote freelancers as technology is growing and allowing easy ways to monitor work progress and quality. This is making the freelance life a reality for millions of people all over the world.
Websites for freelancers like the ones listed above help companies find the workers they need and offer attractive compensation to independent contractors trying to live their dreams. But you can also step outside the box and look for work on other platforms besides freelance gig websites. Here are a few options to consider:
Join Meetup groups in your niche to grab opportunities voiced there. It’s a great way to expand your network, whether for work or to get sound advice from more experienced freelancers. In turn, these contacts can also connect you with potential gigs as you help them find projects as well that are great but just not in your wheelhouse.
If you like to travel, as many freelancers do, then Couchsurfing is a great place to network, too. You may not find specific groups that are targeted to your area of expertise, but you get to connect with a ton of people from all over.
You can find work through any social network that you’re on. LinkedIn is, of course, a major player, but you’ll actually find many more freelance gigs on Twitter, Facebook, and similar networks. Give it a shot!
There are so many websites for freelancers being built out these days because of the rise of the gig economy. You can find postings for work on any one of them, but not every one of them is going to be the best place for you to find work.
Make sure that as you look around, you take in the different styles of the sites and take note of what factors appeal to you and what aspects concern you. Choose the ones that will give you the greatest benefits and are not likely to cause you headaches. You want to be comfortable with the platform you work through, so take your time so you can have the best experience on whichever you decide on.
For more topics like these check out the FreeUp Youtube channel, the FreeUp Outsourcing and Scaling show on Itunes, and the FreeUp Facebook page.
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It’s a great list for many freelancers who might be looking for some legit places to find work. I knew about many of them, but 3 are new to me. Thanks for sharing these sites.
Heyy, happy to hear that you learned about some new platforms through our article. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Hi Connor,
Thank you for including the link to my Virtual Assistant article. I believe readers seeking information about virtual assistants will find it helpful.
Janice
Hey Janice, glad that you enjoyed the article. Let us know if you have any other questions.
There’s another platform, a Google narrowed down to creatives and freelancers, that was featured on DesignerNews couple days ago: http://www.creativelist.io. It might be worth following. I love their very simple user experience.
As for Craigslist – I found it to be rather out of date. Is anyone still using it today?
I’ve had some poor experiences with Fiverr, but then again it’s a fiver, so use at your own risk i guess lol
Thanks for sharing, a cool resource for freelancers like me 🙂