Fiverr vs Upwork vs OnlineJobs: Which Freelance Marketplace Is Best For You?
Updated:
July 13, 2021
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When it comes to hiring, there are multiple different freelance platforms out there from which to choose. So, when it’s time to make a decision, how do you know which one will be best for you?
Determining the best freelancer platform for you will come down to your business needs. One simple defining characteristic might be quality vs. quantity.
While some platforms are better at handling higher volumes, they might not provide the highest level of quality available. On the other end of that spectrum, you might find a platform that produces top of the line quality but cannot handle higher volumes.
In this article, you will learn more about three of the most popular freelance marketplaces available and be able to decide which fits your business needs best.
Keep reading to learn more about Fiverr vs. Upwork vs. OnlineJobs.
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When you are looking at statistics alone, there are 659,000 new businesses in the United States opening annually, of which 99.7% are small businesses. You can break it down even further and see that there are over 179,000 startups as of 2020.
Startups and small businesses alike are typically tight on funding, making sourcing quality work from freelancing an ideal way to help minimize costs.
Even with your options narrowed down to three (Upwork, Fiverr, and OnlineJobs.ph), it can be hard to pick the right one for hiring freelancers.
Upwork is debatably the most widely known freelancing platform out there. The company is the result of a merger between Elance and oDesk in 2013. They are known for maintaining quality by being proactive in removing scams and inactive users.
Because Upwork is commonly known, there are a lot of freelancers that utilize the platform. If it comes down to a game of numbers, the more freelancers available, the more quickly you will find the right one for your work.
The platform for Upwork is user friendly, making it simple to find entry-level freelance work at your fingertips.
Upwork is always quick to flag and remove scams and inactive users, making sure the platform stays fluid and active at all times.
Although you might find freelancers quickly, it does not necessarily guarantee the quality of work through Upwork.
While there is a rating system in Upwork, it isn’t the most effective. With a one through five star rating, a one-star can quickly drop an all five-star average.
Upwork is excellent at catching scams and filtering inactive users, but they can also be a bit trigger happy at times. As a result, contracts might terminate prematurely or before completion.
A user-friendly interfacing and straightforward filtering system are quick and easy to find quality work through Upwork. While it is great to trust the freelancers you hire, Upwork might tend to flag spam a little too quickly, causing difficulties in some of your contracts.
Fiver is known for providing top freelancers at low rates. Besides, they offer a wide range of options for freelancers and businesses looking to hire remote workers.
Fiverr’s interfacing makes hiring quick and easy, offering a highly sophisticated filtering system.
Fiverr offers multiple filters, including specific services, service options, seller qualifications or details, delivery time, budget, pro services, and who is online now. You can find freelance services for SEO, graphic design, copywriting, social media marketing, data science, and more.
Although you can hire someone quickly, Fiverr has gotten a reputation for lower quality work. But, with the launch of Fiverr Pro, you can filter out to find higher quality freelancers.
Because of the low rates, finding a quality freelancer not listed as a Fiverr Pro is slimmer than other platforms.
Sometimes, the work you get back from freelancers off Fiverr might require more work from you to edit it to be usable.
Some freelancers on Fiverr resell copyrighted work, use spammy tools, or even create unusable codes. Any of which can complicate things further for you.
Fiverr has a straightforward payment system if you are looking to get mindless work done quickly. If you are looking for something of higher quality, they do have FiverrPro available as an option. Unless you seek out this option, you might find difficulty in sourcing usable freelance work.
Unique to OnlineJobs.ph, they offer overseas freelancers from the Philippines at the click of a button.
Search for the freelancer you need through OnlineJobs.ph’s filter system based on skill set and level. You will have to do some vetting, but it is a simple process to find relevant freelancers.
OnlineJobs.ph offers a rating of 1-100 through ID Proof to verify that the freelancer you are hiring is real and reliable.
There are no added fees or cuts taken out of your payment to freelancers through OnlineJobs.ph, unlike the other platforms.
While there are no added fees or cuts, this removes the mediation element between your business and the freelancer you hire.
The skills ratings on OnlineJobs.ph is done through self-reporting, meaning there are no skills tests or proper vetting systems for freelancers on this site.
Because you are working with Filipino workers, they typically prefer to see their payments processed in pesos.
Hiring Flipino workers through OnlineJobs will often cost you pennies to the dollar from other platforms. While you might face some challenges with paying out in pesos, there are simple ways of alleviating that issue.
Upwork, Fiverr, and OnlineJobs all offer similarly varying types of freelance work between the three platforms. There isn’t one clear winner in terms of available work, which is a good thing considering the more options, the better.
Upwork’s scope includes a wide range of freelancers:
Fiverr marketplace options include:
OnlineJobs.ph selections include the following options:
OnlineJobs.ph is the leader in terms of customer support. Unlike Fiverr and Upwork, OnlineJobs does not charge additional fees or take cuts to cover this support level. Instead, you have access to an extensive library of resources as well as quick-responding customer service support, regardless of your payment package.
Upwork customer service offers a database of Help topics that you can easily search or sort through. However, their “Contact Us” page turns back an error result, and the only way to dive deeper is to log in to your Upwork account.
Fiverr support is strictly online but has an extensive library of resources available:
OnlineJobs.ph customer service has a library online as well as a quick response messaging system:
Similar to customer service, OnlineJobs takes the cake for dispute resolution as well.
While Upwork offers multiple communication channels, both buyers and sellers on these platforms have had issues with coming to necessary resolutions when needed.
As you can see, Fiverr makes it tricky to find customer support even on their landing page. Getting in touch with someone for resolutions can be even more problematic.
In terms of pricing, it is essential to look at all of the elements of your freelance service and not just the upfront costs. When considering everything, OnlineJobs is the leader in terms of pricing models.
While Fiverr is the least costly upfront, you seriously compromise in the level of quality and customer service you will be receiving.
Upwork has comparable packages to OnlineJobs at lower costs, but you lose the higher customer service level.
Upwork pricing starts with free access and ranges up to an Enterprise plan.
While there is no cost as a buyer to join Fiverr or Fiverr Pro, Fiverr service fees can vary from free to nearly a hundred bucks per month.
OnlineJobs.ph pricing has three tiers to choose from, ranging from free to around 100 USD each month.
When considering all things, the winner between Fiverr vs. Upwork vs. OnlineJobs is clear. OnlineJobs is currently the best freelance marketplace platform.
OnlineJobs offers a wide range of services and a multi-tiered pricing component to match. Depending on your needs, you can pay for the subscription that is best suited to you. While you do lose out on a liaison between you and your freelancers, you’ll find that you can find quality work at minimal costs while keeping your freelancers happy without cuts.
As a runner up, Fiverr is not far behind OnlineJobs in terms of price value. You want to keep an eye out for quality. If this is a primary concern for you, it is recommended you look elsewhere.
And last but not least, you have Upwork as a third and final option. Although Upwork is the most popular and widely known, it falls below the others just because it is known for high fees and cuts, trigger-happy spam blocking, and lacking customer service.
In the end, if you are looking for quality work at a fraction of a cost, consider looking to source your work to the Philippines through OnlineJobs. You can quickly filter through to find exactly what you are looking for, and find that freelancers tend to develop relationships quicker with you with access through Skype directly through the site.
