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Being a business owner is not easy. Sometimes it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.
So, where do you find the time to scale your business? Hiring a freelancer is a way to take some weight off your shoulders, allowing you to grow your business and keep your sanity.
Freelancer is one of the most popular freelancing sites on the internet. But is it the best option for your business?
In this post, you’ll learn about the top for business owners. Remember to keep your goals and budget in mind when reviewing these freelancing sites.
By the end of the post, you’ll know which Freelancer competitors are the perfect fit for your business.
Freelancing websites typically work one of three ways:
The way the site is structured will usually affect its pricing plan. Some sites like Freelancer and Fiverr offer free job postings and collect a percentage. Other sites like Toptal and DesignHill require a one-time payment to post.
Also, some companies like Freelancer and Upwork are general freelancing sites that offer a broad range of freelance job categories. On the flip side, websites like 99Designs and Dribbble focus entirely on freelance designers.
When comparing Freelancer alternatives, consider your budget, project duration, and which skill set you need to hire for.
Upwork is a leading freelance website that’s trusted by over 5 million businesses across the globe. It’s free to make an Upwork profile both as a freelancer and business owner. However, if you hire a freelancer on their platform, they take a 2.75% processing fee of the total transaction.
Both Freelancer and Upwork have a problem with its freelancer-to-project ratio, meaning it has far more job seekers than job posters. As a result, freelancers may offer low rates to increase their chances of getting hired.
With these low rates, you’re less likely to find high-quality freelancers on these platforms. But if you’re looking to hire someone for quick gigs that don’t require much technical skill, you may find some luck on the platform.
Fiverr is one of the most unique freelancing sites on the list. On Fiverr, freelancers sell their services to you. You can scroll through endless amounts of services that can help scale your business.
The best part of hiring on Fiverr? They start at just $5. But of course, larger projects will cost you more.
The platform has a stellar reputation and is extremely trustworthy. Freelancers have real customer reviews from people who have previously used their services, protecting you from scammers.
However, with Fiverr and Freelancer you should know that you’re the one who has to do all the vetting. Anyone can make a Fiverr seller profile in under 30 minutes, and their approval process isn’t very comprehensive.
Luckily the Fiverr community is vast, and almost all the highly-skilled freelancers have hundreds, if not thousands of positive reviews. Furthermore, they vet some freelancers with their Fiverr Pro program.
Fiverr is more transparent than Freelancer. You can thoroughly read through people’s offers to see who would be the best fit for your project. For that reason alone, Fiverr is probably a better choice to hire than Freelancer.
99Designs is one of the leading freelance design platforms on the web. They connect business owners directly with first-class designers. Whether you need a logo or an app, they’ve got a designer for you.
The platform is full of international designers who post their work and establish a network of clients and build their portfolios. As a business owner, you can host a design challenge and handpick your favorite out of dozens of designs.
99Designs is more suitable for business owners who are looking to hire long-term freelance designers. Freelancer also has a wide selection of fantastic designers, but the quality is inconsistent.
With that in mind, 99Designs limits you to design projects. If you need something non-design related, you’re better off heading over to one of the other Freelance alternatives.
Comparing Freelancer to Toptal is comparing apples to oranges. Yes, they are indeed both freelance marketplaces, but they are structured much differently.
For starters, Toptal has a one-time payment structure where Freelancer is free to post. Second, Freelancer is a general freelancing site where Toptal focuses more on design and software development.
Toptal also goes the recruiter route to set you up with a representative who matches you with workers who best fit your company. Freelancer is a job board style site where you post gigs and freelancers bid their most competitive offer.
So which one is right for you? It depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re after a high-class freelancer to hire on a more full-time basis, Toptal is the way to go. For short term inexpensive gigs, use sites similar to Freelancer.
Lemon connects business owners with top-notch developers from Eastern Europe. You provide them the idea, and Lemon matches you with the right developer for the job.
Lemon's concept is to work with professional-grade developers without you needing to absorb the high employment costs of hiring someone full-time.
The only issue with Lemon is that it primarily focuses on developers and engineers. Freelancer is a more general freelancing site with a wide range of job categories.
So if you're looking for a more versatile platform, Freelancer is the way to go. But if you're after sophisticated developers, you'll find them at Lemon.
DesignBro is all about quality over quantity when it comes to hiring designers. They have a rigorous vetting process that only allows the top 5% of applicants to work on their platform. With this, you can bet the quality of their freelancers is outstanding.
To find a designer, simply create a design brief watch the magic happen. Designers will reach out to you with a sample, and you’ll be able to choose the one you like most.
DesignBro is a leading platform to hire freelance designers, but it’s not the best for general freelance work. If you need freelancers with multiple talents, you’re better off choosing another site like Freelancer.
OnlineJobs.ph is a freelance marketplace with talent exclusively from the Philippines. It’s fantastic to find hard-working affordable freelancers to help you with almost all tasks, big or small.
The considerable advantage of hiring freelancers from the Philippines is the affordability. Most Filipinos are well-educated, fluent in English, and inexpensive to hire. That’s because the cost of living in the Philippines is much lower than in the United States.
What’s the catch?
Since your freelancer will be in the Philippines, there is a considerable time difference. Further, the language and culture gap can be difficult to overcome. But paying freelancers at a fraction of the price can save you a lot of money.
Just like Freelancer, Guru is a general freelancing site. They offer a wide range of categories, and their freelancers are affordable.
As a business owner, you can post jobs for free, which is a huge plus if you’re just testing the waters. If you do choose to hire someone from their platform, they protect all transactions with SafePay.
Both platforms have a built-in time tracker, which is useful when managing multiple freelancers on a single project.
One area Guru reigns supreme is its customer service. Its resolution center is efficient and can handle all sorts of challenges. However, Guru has had a tough time with quality assurance over the last few years.
While both platforms are great for business owners on a tight budget, websites like Freelancer are better overall, mostly because it has a more extensive network of high-quality freelancers.
Gun.io is a crowdsourcing platform that allows you to hire software engineers. They are relatively new to the freelance marketplace but are developing a strong reputation among business owners.
Setting up a project on Gun.io is super simple. All you need to do is submit a project brief, and one of their representatives will match you with the best freelancer for the job. They also have a rigorous vetting process to guarantee excellent quality.
The only catch is Gun.io is limited to software engineers. If you're looking for a platform with more diversity, Freelancer is your best bet. They have a wide range of categories and affordable freelancers to choose from.
DesignCrowd is an Australian company that hosts a network of elite freelance designers.
Since its launch in 2007, the platform has gathered over 852,874 designers who have been hired by thousands of businesses worldwide. Big brands like Yahoo, Tech Crunch, and Mashable also use the platform.
Over at DesignCrowd, you’ll find a vast range of job categories to choose from. They offer landing page design, WordPress design, app design, and product design, to name a few.
If you have a large budget, DesignCrowd is better than Freelancer if you’re looking to hire a top-notch designer.
Choosing the right freelancing site can make or break your experience with outsourcing. The whole process should be exciting, not daunting. If you’re a business owner managing a small team, hiring a freelancer is the most effective and affordable way to scale your business.
You can always learn more by checking out the Freelancer Reddit reviews. You’ll find a community of entrepreneurs and freelancers who are more than happy to share their experience with their platform.
Reaching out and asking freelancers is a great way to learn which platforms are the best. That’s because all the high-quality freelancers are going to flock to the most reliable and trustworthy sites.
With all the Freelancer alternatives above, you’ll be well on your way to hiring your next digital teammate.