Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer which is better for your work? The best guideline for you.

Online freelance websites and marketplaces are changing the way we work. We can work from anywhere, and choose how much we want to work and when we want to work. We don’t have to worry about waking up early to get ready for work or even to spend a long vacation with our family. In short, you are your boss!

In this post, we’re going to take a look at Fiver, Upwork, and Freelancer, all popular online platforms that connect freelancers with clients who need their services. Each of these platforms has strengths and weaknesses and is better suited for different categories of freelancers.

When it comes to making money from freelancing projects, it might be worth considering either Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer to find your first few clients. While they may not be the best place for freelancing in every way in the long run, they still can be a great way to get started if you have an idea of what kind of services you want to offer to businesses and buyers.

Below is a comparison of the 3 platforms – Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer:

What is Fiverr?

Fiverr is an online freelance marketplace that allows you to sell and buy services of your choice through their platform. There are about 500 categories where a seller can create an account known as a gig. The name Fiverr comes from $5 because that is the base selling price. Both sellers and buyers need to register themselves on Fiverr before using it. Sellers can find buyers through the buyer brief option or buyers approach sellers directly through the inbox.

How does Fiverr work?

Fiverr bridges the gap between service providers and buyers. Both types of users must first sign up on the platform to provide work or services. Fiverr gives you 80% of the project price. On this platform, you can even post a project for $5 and get it done. The platform is powered by millions of freelancers who can get your work done in no time.

Fiverr is like a market where gigs act as stalls and buyers can visit each gig and if they are impressed enough, place their project orders at the gig directly or can discuss project details with the sellers. Fiverr gigs usually have three types of pricing for buyers: basic, standard, and premium plus many other extra services.

Fiverr Pros and Cons

Fiverr is a popular and relatively simple freelance marketplace that allows freelancers to offer their services and clients can browse and purchase these gigs. Like any online platform, it has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Here are some Fiverr pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

• User-friendly interface: The platform has a very friendly interface, and both sellers and buyers can explore and work on the websites easily.
• Affordable pricing: Fiverr is known for its affordable prices, making it a popular choice for clients who need specific services at a lower cost.
• Flexible account approval process and wide range of services: Unlike Upwork, Fiverr has a relatively flexible moderate process for account approval. Fiverr also offers a wide range of services, including graphic design, writing, video editing, and more. Beginners can easily select a category, start work and gain experience on Fiverr.
• Quick turnaround times: Many Fiverr freelancers offer quick turnaround times, which can be great for clients who need projects completed quickly.
• Quality control: Fiverr offers a rating and feedback system, which helps to ensure that freelancers meet high-quality standards. Sellers who successfully receive multiple 5-star ratings in their first few projects are more likely to be considered and directly approached by other buyers.

Cons:

• More work but fewer earnings: Freelancers are likely to work much more than they earn. Since most of the projects demand a lot of work but pay less. Buyers are also more likely to prefer low-priced gigs over high-priced gigs.
• Fewer options for sellers: Fiverr almost always supports buyers in a project dispute even if the mistake was from the buyer.
• Communication barriers: As Fiverr freelancers are often located all over the world, communication barriers can sometimes arise due to language or time zone differences.
• High cut fees: Fiverr cuts 20% from each project you complete.
• Higher chances of gig de-ranking: Your gig ranking depends on; response rate, order completion, on-time delivery, and positive rating. If any of these categories have less than a 90% score or your overall rating is below 4.7 stars, Fiverr will de-rank your profile and your seller level.

What is UpWork?

UpWork is a platform that interfaces businesses and professionals all over the world. It is a marketplace where professional skilled freelancers can look for high-paying projects. While posting jobs on UpWork is free but it charges between 20% to 5% fees from freelancers depending on how much they earn from a specific project.

You can earn a lot on Upwork by applying to the posted jobs and securing high price projects. UpWork also tracks the work progress for hourly projects through its desktop tracer app.

What does Upwork work?

Upwork is a job board that connects freelancers with potential clients. Clients who want to hire freelancers can post jobs on the platform with a job description, budget, and type of job (hourly or fixed-priced). Freelancers then submit proposals to these job posts along with their charges and portfolio examples. Once recruited, Upwork aids both the freelancer and the buyer with contracts, invoicing, project management, and payments through their website and applications.

The number of job opportunities on the platform is high, thousands of jobs are posted every day, so there is no scarcity of work. An unofficial number puts the number of freelancers on the platform at around 20 million, so there are multiple options for clients as well. Also, features like installment protection and undertaking milestones, make it an extraordinary platform for freelancers and clients.

Upwork Pros and Cons

Upwork is one of the largest and most popular freelance marketplaces available today. Like any platform, it has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Here are some Upwork pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

• Flexible hiring options: You can choose both an hourly basis or fixed-priced projects.
• High-price projects: On Upwork, the prices of the projects are much higher than on Fiverr, and buyers are ready to pay extra if the service is exceptional.
• Secure payment options: Upwork offers secure payment options to ensure that freelancers are paid for their work and that clients receive high-quality deliverables.
• Project management tools: Upwork provides project management tools to help clients track progress and communicate with freelancers, making it easier to collaborate and ensure that projects are completed on time.
• Quality control: Upwork offers several measures to ensure that freelancers meet high-quality standards, including skills tests and feedback ratings.

Cons:

• High fees: Upwork charges fees for both clients and freelancers. Clients pay a 3% processing fee on all payments, and freelancers pay between 20% to 5% fee based on their earnings.
• Competitive marketplace: With so many freelancers on the platform, competition can be fierce, making it harder for some freelancers to get work.
• Time-consuming hiring process: To find the right freelancer, buyers need to review many proposals and interview candidates, which can be very time-consuming. Also, buyers may close the job without hiring anyone.
• Fake jobs on the platform: Since Upwork does not charge for posting a job and there are strict measures for posting jobs, there is a surge of fake jobs on the platform.
• Freelancers need Connects: On Upwork, you need to have Connects before you apply for any jobs. Each job requires spending a specific amount of Connects and you need to either earn them through working or buy them.

What is Freelancer.com?

Freelancer.com is a marketplace of freelance professionals with over 25 million users worldwide. It enables businesses and entrepreneurs to scout for workers from capable freelancers around the world. It provides a digital hub for employers to find talent for a variety of jobs including website design, data entry, social media marketing, and more.

The marketplace is wide and deep, and employers can rest assured that their information as a job poster is protected with security measures. Freelancer.com additionally permits business owners to screen individuals they recruit during the billable chance to guarantee they are staying true to their word. The platform also comes with messaging tools that provide a constant line of communication between employers and employees. This can be done through the web or on the go through Freelancer.com’s mobile application.

What does Freelancer.com work?

When a task is set up, the client will sit tight for offers, or find freelancers through their profiles and hire them for work directly. Once the rate is agreed upon, the work begins and the project is completed after the work is paid and confirmed by the client. Thus, it is very similar to other platforms except that you bid on the posted jobs plus Freelancer.com hold contests (posted by buyers) in which freelancers can participate, and the winner gets the cash prize preset by the buyer who initiated that contest.

It has a built-in time tracking application for managing hourly pay rates on jobs that work on all major operating systems, including mobile devices (for jobs where work is expected to be done through a mobile environment). This application permits Freelancer.com a reliable time-based compensation rate system to be set up by employers and will track time spent on long-term projects.

Freelancer.com Pros and Cons

Freelancer.com is a popular freelance marketplace that allows clients to post projects and hire freelancers to complete them. Like any platform, it has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Here are some Freelancer.com pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

• Easy to use: Freelancer.com is a user-friendly platform, making it easy to create job postings and hire freelancers.
• Project management tools: Freelancer.com provides project management tools to help clients track progress and communicate with freelancers, making it easier to collaborate and ensure that projects are completed on time.
• Projects available in multiple languages: Freelancer offers projects in English, Spanish, German, and French. It has a filter for searching projects in languages other than English.
• Offers both jobs and contests: One of Freelancer’s unique features is that buyers can either post a job or held a contest. Contests usually offer high prices than other regular projects posted on the platform.
• Secure payment options: Freelancer.com offers secure payment options to ensure that both clients and freelancers are protected.

Cons:

• High fees and cuts from earnings: Each time your bid on a project gets accepted, Freelancer will charge project introduction fee immediately even if the buyer later refuses you to pay the money and cancel the project. If buyers pay you more than the original bid price, cuts will also be made from the extra money you get. Freelancer charges 10% or $5.00 USD, (whichever is greater) for fixed-priced, and 10% for hourly projects.
• Saturated platform: It’s quite hard to get your first job on Freelancer without any reviews or testimonials. Certain categories of this platform are very saturated, and a large number of people bid on each newly posted job.
• Quality concerns: While Freelancer.com does have quality control measures in place, some clients have expressed concerns about the quality of work delivered by some freelancers on the platform.
• Tedious and lengthy identity verification: To verify your account as a seller, Freelancer demands a lot of document proofs. It takes your government issued ID card, confirms your address by asking you to send them two different copies of a recent utility bills (electric, gas, water or phone bills, or recent bank statements).
• Scams and fake jobs: A lot of jobs are either fake or lead to scams. Some buyers approach and hire sellers through Freelancer but than demand to contact or work for them through emails or other means.

Each of the platforms we mentioned (Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer) has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and which one is better certainly depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Fiverr is a platform where freelancers offer their services in a “gig” format, and clients can browse and purchase these gigs. The platform is known for its affordable prices and quick turnaround times, making it a popular choice for smaller projects.

Upwork, on the other hand, is a platform that connects clients with freelancers for a wide range of services. The platform offers more flexibility in terms of project size and scope, making it a good choice for larger, ongoing projects. However, Upwork can be more competitive, with freelancers often bidding against each other for projects.

Freelancer is similar to Upwork in that it offers a wide range of services and is good for larger projects. It also allows freelancers to bid on projects and compete with each other. Freelancer also offers features like contests and skills tests to help freelancers stand out.