Currently, there are a large number of freelance sites where you can search for work, but if you are a freelancer that is just starting your career, you may feel overwhelmed by the number of websites out there and all that they offer.
It is difficult to know which one is best for you, but it all depends on the objectives and purposes you have.
On the other hand, there are also freelance websites focused on a specific niche of freelancers, so you should also take into account what is the area in which you work or in which you want to specialize.
Here you will find which are the most recommended options for you and what are their advantages and disadvantages. This will help you to make the best decision for your professional career.
General Platforms
1. Upwork
- It has thousands of job offers aimed at different niches
- It is a reliable platform
- It is free
- There are many users and therefore a lot of competition
- In the beginning, you must pay a fee of 20% for each payment you receive
Upwork is one of the most used platforms in the freelance world. In fact, it is the one that today has more income than any other, exceeding one billion dollars a year. It is one of the platforms for freelancers with more opportunity – but also competition – in the market today.
One of the many where most begin their freelance life. If you still have doubts about how to achieve this, read about how to become an online freelancer.
On Upwork, you can create your portfolio to show your work and as you carry out projects, you will earn a reputation that will make you stand out among other freelancers on the platform.
Besides, if you make sure you put together a good profile and portfolio, it is also likely that clients will be in charge of contacting you on their own instead of you approaching them.
Here, you must create your profile, fill it with all your data and work or academic experience. Remember that the more specific you are, the more likely you are to attract the attention of potential clients.
There you can also create a portfolio to show your work and you can even create more than one portfolio. As you complete jobs, you will gain a reputation on the platform.
2. Fiverr
- Buyers can find a large number of services at very varied prices
- The platform can be used for free, without having to pay for registration
- Sellers can offer their services easily
- Only top-level sellers can withdraw their earnings within 14 days of being paid (It is a security measure, but it can be a problem for some)
- Commissions can be perceived as very high if a cheap service is offered
On Fiverr, freelancers have to create their profiles and explain the type of services they offer along with samples of their work.
Hirers are simply looking for the freelancers that best suit their needs and they can visit the profiles of freelancers and transparently view their profiles, work samples, and reviews of previous collaborators making the decision easier.
Because any digital product or service can start selling for $5, it is a great place for a freelancer to start their career. The reason is that the promotion of your services can be as creative as you want while the prices among the competition are usually similar.
The good thing about the millions of users on Fiverr is that there will always be someone interested in what you offer, and when you make sales you will receive a rating that will make you level up, the more levels you go up, the more sales you can make successfully.
3. Freelancer
- They have free membership
- Users can have two profiles, one as a worker and one as an employer
- You can participate in contests.
- There is great competition within the platform
- It is common to come across dubious or false offers
Being part of Freelancer.com is very simple, you just have to sign in with your Facebook or Gmail account and that is it. By joining the page you will immediately have a free membership that will allow you to search for work and apply or create offers, it depends on the profile you have on the page.
While not all the clients you will find on Freelancer.com have a professional reputation, there are a lot of people looking to hire someone with your skills.
When you are starting your career as a freelancer it can be difficult to get your first freelance project, because you do not have much experience (or zero experience). However, this platform is an excellent place to find your first clients.
On Freelancer.com you have the right to charge anything you want in relation to your services as long as they remain within the range established by the client.
Although it is possible to agree on higher prices, when you submit your application, you have a better chance of being selected if you stay within the prices proposed by the client.
4. PeoplePerHour
- You can upload files to the platform or incorporate links to blogs, a YouTube channel, etc
- You do not have to pay subscriptions
- As you get jobs your reputation will improve
- In the beginning, you must pay a fee of 20% for each payment you receive
- You must pay to acquire proposals
PeoplePerHour mixes the famous project model (client applies, freelance applies) similar to the Upwork platform, with the gigs model (pre-packaged services) such as Fiverr.
The concept comes from the idea that the activities to be carried out usually take little time and that they could be done in a few hours.
Areas such as graphic design, web development, and audiovisual media such as photography or video are the niches that are most demanded on this platform.
However, there are also many other diverse areas where clients seek freelancers to work on their projects.
Here you will find versatile offers of all kinds. You will have access from opportunities to carry out specific projects to working long-term in remote teams.
When a project is completed, you can receive a rating from your client (it’s always good to ask). The better your score and comments, the more likely you are to opt for other projects.
Even if your experience is little, what matters is the quality, since that will motivate clients to hire you.
5. Guru
- The platform allows you to create your own invoices
- There is less competition than on other popular platforms
- You can contact clients on your own
- The free plan charges you a 9% fee for each payment you receive
- The interface looks a bit dated compared to other platforms
To be able to use Guru, all you have to do is sign up. Upon entering you must create your profile and it is recommended that you complete each section and create an attractive profile to attract the attention of employers.
Basically, that is a rule for any freelance website you use, but if you want more advice on this you can read about how to apply for freelance jobs.
You can also pay for a subscription to the platform that will give you many benefits that you will not have if you use the free membership. There are four types of membership with different benefits but the basic plan costs $11.95 per month.
Although it is a platform that has fewer members than Upwork or Freelancer.com, you will also find many job offers about different niches. On this platform where there are hundreds of freelancers and job openings, it can be tedious to keep up with all the job offers.
Fortunately, Guru allows you to activate notifications so that you know when a new offer related to an engineering area is published, so you can stay focused only on those offers that may be relevant to you.
Freelance Websites for Graphic Artists
1. 99 Designs
- You do not have to worry about finding clients, the platform will do it.
- You can compete in contests
- It has an excellent support service
- You must go through a selection process
- In the beginning, the platform will charge you 15% commission for each job you do
99Designs is a platform that houses a large number of designers and illustrators from around the world, who compete with each other to win projects stipulated by the client and, of course, earn money.
The dynamic is as follows: if a client needs an illustration for their company, they will publish the necessary characteristics for it in 99Designs and these will be sent to the freelancers registered on the platform, who will compete among themselves to win the project.
To be part of this community, you must go through a selection process where the 99 Designs team will evaluate your skills.
If you are a graphic designer with great qualities but just entering the freelance world, this platform is one of the best options available.
The main idea is to become a good illustrator focused on a category since throughout your career, while you are winning projects among your competitors, you will be moving up in positions and with that your services will be better paid.
2. Smashing Magazine
- It is free
- You do not have to pay commission fees to the website
- All jobs are requested directly from the client
- The page is only responsible for publishing offers, it is not responsible for any of them
- Payments are not made through the platform
Smashing Magazine is a basic resource for graphic artists. This digital information product, a mix of a magazine, tutorial, newsletter, and editorial, also has a job board where you will find freelance job offers related to graphic design, illustration, and others.
Smashing Magazine is a very broad community that helps freelancers find unique job opportunities with highly relevant companies in the market.
In each job offer, they specify what requirements must be met and which skillsets are a must-have, along with a brief description of the position.
To apply, you are redirected to the website of the client that published the offer so that you can better know what they need and the company that published the vacancy.
This website has a membership system to guarantee its long-term operation, you can pay $3 or $5 per month.
However, it is not necessary to pay the subscription to access the job board offers and you do not have to go through an admission process to look for work on this page.
3. Behance
- If you have an Adobe Creative Cloud account (Adobe ID), you can automatically access it with the same password and login user
- Can create a portfolio
- It is free
- The process of uploading images is tedious
- It is widely used by professionals so there can be a lot of competition
Behance is one of the largest platforms to publish portfolios of visual projects (architecture, photography, illustration, etc.), and self-promote your talent so that it is known around the world.
Especially in front of companies or other users that belong to professional sectors of the creative universe and are looking for inspiration.
Apart from being a community or “social network” for people with a creative professional profile, it is also a space where you can network with companies and people with a high presence in the architectural world.
You can even access a job board and professional opportunities of all kinds that you can apply to as long as they fit your most demonstrable professional skills.
Here you can not only show your finished works but also the process of creating your projects. That allows clients to see how you work and how professional you are.
This platform is an excellent space to make yourself known and connect with potential clients.
Freelance Websites for Writers
4. Blogging Pro
- The platform connects you with job offers that may interest you
- The minimum payment is $ 15 per hour or 500 words
- Offers are widely available for different types of writers
- Not all job offers are remote
- The platform looks dated
Here you will find many job proposals related to writing and online content, editing, blogging, publishing, and copywriting so no matter what your niche is, you surely will find good job opportunities in this place.
The offers you will find on this place can be freelance but also part and full time and the platform is in charge of showing you the offers that best suit your profile.
Blogging Pro also makes sure that all the proposals that are published on the page are reliable and true, so you can trust this platform.
The minimum payment you can receive on this page is $15 per hour or for 500 words, which is pretty good to start your freelance career.
If you are a freelancer who is undoubtedly good at what you do, here you will find very good job opportunities for you.
5. Writer Access
- Excellent support service
- Wide variety of job offers
- You can apply for free
- You have to go through an admissions process
- Freelancers only earn 70% of the client’s payment
WriterAccess is a platform specialized in offering jobs related to different types of writing.
To be part of this page you must apply, which is completely free. They will review your profile, your portfolio, skills and according to that, they will decide if to approve you.
It is simple and easy to use and has more than 280K users worldwide. This is a platform that also gives you the opportunity to grow professionally.
As you work and receive positive ratings, your reputation on the platform will improve and so you will be able to opt for better paying jobs.
On this website, you will also receive personalized attention as it has an excellent support service, which means that you will have someone to help or support you in case you have a problem with a client.
This is ideal especially if you are a beginning writer, since at the beginning you may not know how to deal with clients and what things you should avoid. Having someone to advocate for you is very important and valuable.
Freelance Websites for Engineers
1. Field Engineer
- You will find work fast
- You can discuss the payment with the clients to reach an agreement
- You can keep in touch with the customer in real-time
- Not all offers are remote
- They charge a 10% commission for each payment you receive
Field Engineer is a platform specifically created for engineers to find freelance jobs. No matter what type of engineering you work in, on this platform you will find a large number of categories where you will surely find a job that is compatible with your skills.
In the app of this platform, all you have to do is create your profile, search the marketplace and see all the available offers. In each offer, you will find a description and the payment they offer.
To successfully search for a job that matches your skills, you can sort and filter jobs by distance, skills, date, and payment. Once you get a job, the platform allows you to stay in constant contact with the client so that everything goes well.
Other positive aspects of this platform are that it guarantees that you will find work quickly and also transfer your earnings to your bank account quickly without any major complications.
Engineer Field is a very good option to start working from home and grow your network.
2. Cad Crowd
- Includes a wide variety of engineering jobs among its categories
- Run contests
- It is free to join and there are no membership fees
- No direct contact information can be shared with the client
- The fees for private projects depend on the quotation
Cad Crowd is a website where you will find job offers related to industrial services and similar areas and an excellent way to integrate into the freelance labor market.
Here you will find job offers from famous and well-known companies such as Tupperware, Tiffany & Co, and Yale University, you can see the profiles they are looking for and work to develop those skills.
What you should do to find a job on this platform is to create your profile and make it as attractive as possible. Make it clear what your work and academic experience are and what you are passionate about.
Here you will find specific job offers for different types of engineers such as engineering design, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, automotive & aerospace, geotechnical, structural engineering, and many more.
3. Simply Hired
- Shows you the annual earnings
- Has remote vacancies
- Job descriptions are very detailed
- The job offers are independent of the platform
- Not all offers are remote
Simply Hired is a job search portal that has a large number of openings available for engineers of all types and is very easy to use.
To create your profile, just log in using your Facebook or Gmail account and that will be enough to get started. Here you will not only find job offers that can be done freelance but there are also full-time and part-time offers.
Each job offer includes a detailed description of the profile they are looking for and what your tasks would be if you were selected.
In their search engine, you can filter in great detail the type of job offer you want to find.
You can filter it according to the location, whether you want it to be remote, setting the minimum wage, among many other possibilities. The best part is that each offer includes an estimate of the annual earnings that you would generate from that job.
You can also create job alerts for Simply Hired to notify you when someone posts an offer that meets your needs.
Freelance Websites for Architects
1. FlexJobs (general platform)
- They guarantee that all vacancies are real
- You will find vacancies of recognized and important companies
- Jobs are discussed directly with companies
- You must pay a monthly subscription
- The offers do not usually mention the salary
Flexjobs has become known for helping its users find the best part-time or full-time jobs as quickly as possible. Besides, it also offers online courses and seminars and anyone can use this website.
To access the list of 30,000 secure freelance job offers offered by this platform, you must register and pay a subscription of $14.95 per month. You can also pay for a 3-month subscription for $29.95, which will save you 65% or you can even pay for a year in advance for just $49.95, which would save you 87%.
Flexjobs offers its users information about thousands of companies that have remote jobs, organizing them by category and location. It has a team that is always attentive and available, to clarify your doubts or problems.
Unlike most freelance job platforms, at FlexJobs you must pay a monthly subscription to access job offers.
However, it is a very well invested money since on this platform you will find unique job offers that you will hardly see on other websites.
By using FlexJobs, you can access the catalog of job offers of the most recognized companies being just a beginner, since you will not have to go through long selection processes.
2. Houzz
- You can create an account for free
- If you subscribe to Houzz Pro you can get a professional website for your business
- You can create and send quotes in minutes with platform templates
- The app may occasionally have functional problems
- To access advanced options you must subscribe to a plan
Houzz is a decoration app that, in addition to offering a multitude of ideas to decorate in the form of photos, allows users to put objects virtually in their homes.
Houzz is an excellent way to start your freelance career as an architect since your work experience is not essential here, but it is about demonstrating your creative potential through proposals and decorative and design ideas.
This platform enables architects to grow professionally, have business opportunities, and not just locally.
What the creators of this platform recommend to professionals who want to work here is that they consider who their potential client is, who they want to reach and that they show them as they are.
To be successful on this platform, you must be an active user and open to dialogue and even criticism.
Thanks to this platform, professionals can develop their businesses, expose and manage their projects online, and collaborate with clients and professionals from all over the world.
Your Houzz profile shows your business as a whole and provides information about your experience and work style through your portfolio of photos, customer reviews, and interactions with the community. Apart from that, with Houzz you can build your brand.
3. Hireable
- It is free
- Easy and simple to use
- You can carry out detailed searches
- The offers are independent of the platform
- Not all offers are remote
Hireable is a great search engine for job offers where you will also find many opportunities related to architecture. To review the available offers you only have to enter the job title or keywords and the geographical area you want.
The platform is like a directory and each offer will direct you to the original link where it was published. In general, each offer will show you a description of what it is about and an estimate of the annual salary.
On this website you can connect with emerging and recognized companies, there is a great variety of types of proposals and for different levels of experience.
When you click on any of the proposals, it is likely that you can also access to see the overlook of the company that offers the job.
To keep track of the offers that interest you, you can save the vacancies that you like, set job alerts according to what you need and you will also receive recommendations. Here you will find face-to-face but also remote offers.
Using Hireable is completely free and ideal for freelancers who need job opportunities, part-time, full-time, or remote within the United States.
Evaluate Your Decision
Choosing which freelance website you will use is a decision that you must evaluate very well since according to your choice, it will depend on the impulse and growth of your professional career.
Some of the things that you should take into account are the availability of offers related to your niche and the amount of commission they charge you for each payment you receive.
When you find the freelance website that best suits your needs, you should invest time in creating your profile and making yourself known within the platform.
All the options on this list are excellent means to start your freelance career, but remember that the most important thing is to be constant and patient. That way you will get excellent results.