The Best Freelancing Websites to Kick-Start Your Online Career

Becoming a freelancer is an exciting endeavor. With about 4.7 million jobs today, you sure are spoilt for choice. The best thing is you can choose the clients you want to work with. Some jobs even give you the flexibility to choose your own hours.

Also, you can work from anywhere – in the comfort of your own home or in a safe place somewhere.

The bad news is that there are so many freelance websites out there, it can be hard to know which one to choose. How do you ensure you get the best clients and make a good income?

We’ve put together a list of some of the best freelancing websites – based on our own experiences and those of other freelancers.

Below are some of the best freelance websites today. These work-from-home sites will kick-start your freelance career. To those who have already started, feel free to browse through more sites you can utilize to win more jobs.

One of the best freelancing websites and with over 4 million clients, Upwork is by far the largest platform for freelancers today. It has over 80 job categories you can choose from including web content writing, web development, translation, marketing, legal, IT, etc.

Each user can select up to 10 categories and you have the option to change these. You are given 60 available Connects that you can use for applying to Available Jobs in your feed.

You can apply for either short-term or long-term jobs and you can work by project or by the hour. To succeed with Upwork, complete your profile including a detailed description of your work experiences. When applying, ensure to highlight relevant experiences to increase chances of acceptance.

Upwork pays its freelancers through Paypal, Payoneer, wire transfer, and direct to banks.

The best part is that Upwork offers a wide range of features to its freelancers, including:

• A platform to showcase your skills and get rated by clients
• Access to a wide range of jobs
• 24/hr support
• Free, unlimited access to expert advice on freelancing best practices through Upwork’s blog, forums, and courses

Pros:

• Can apply to jobs for free (at least 30)
• Thousands of available jobs for freelancers
• User-friendly
• A good place for a beginner
• You can set your own rates
• Loads of clients requiring different experiences (from beginner, intermediate, advanced)

Cons:

• You get a 20% cut in your earnings
• You could get suspended if you never get hired (and it’s difficult to contact Customer Support for suspended accounts)
• Not all freelancers are approved

PPH is a UK-based freelancing website. It’s not as huge as Upwork but they do have thousands of jobs available for freelancers. They have work available for marketers, engineers, designers, SEO specialists, writers, and more. Most jobs are offered for a fixed price but hourly jobs are also available.

Each user is given 15 credits for applying to jobs. Additional 5 credits are for $9. Like most freelancing websites, you will need to bid for jobs. PPH offers remote and on-site work for its users.

The best part is that People Per Hour offers a wide range of features to its freelancers, including:

• A profile to showcase your skills and work experiences
• Hourly jobs
• Jobs for a fixed price
• The ability to set up an online shop
• PPH Academy – where you can learn new skills or improve the ones you have
• A community of freelancers to network with

Pros:

• Signing up is free
• You can offer a specific service to clients for a fixed price
• Payment is safe as they have an Escrow to hold payment until work is completed
• You can have both a buyer and seller account

Cons:

• You need to get hired once 2 months after signing up. Otherwise, you will lose the free credits.
• High platform fees
• You will need to submit credentials such as a Diploma or you may not get approved
• You will be competing with a lot of freelancers

Freelancer has been in the market for several years and is one of the oldest. Similar to Upwork and People Per Hour, users need to complete their profile by adding relevant experiences to attract more clients. To get more work, you can prove your skills by taking online exams.

Apart from applying to jobs, you can also join contests to earn more. If you’re good with design, a variety of contests are available for you. They also offer non-remote jobs such as pick-up and delivery, grocery shopping, handing out flyers, and flower delivery.

Freelancer isn’t free. The Intro plan is for $0.99 which will give you 15 bids per month. They have a Basic Plan, Plus, Professional, and Premier which gives you monthly bids of 50, 100, 300, and 1500 respectively. If you want to try your luck with Freelancer, consider their free trial for a month which gives you 100 bids. Click here to see a list of all their plan features.

The best part is that Freelancer offers features to its freelancers, including:

• A personal profile
• The ability to offer services and set your own rates
• Jobs for a fixed price or by the hour
• Freelancer Academy – where you can learn new skills or improve the ones you have
• The ability to take online exams to prove your skillset

Pros:

• Can apply to both Clients and Recruiters
• Offers contests for more earnings
• Local jobs are available

Cons:

• A membership fee of at least $0.99 to get started
• Competition is tough
• $99 payment to get fully verified

It can be pretty overwhelming browsing through thousands of job openings on a freelancing platform. If you prefer a not-so-crowded platform, consider trying your luck with Guru. Like Freelancer, they have 5 plans available but Guru offers a free basic plan with 120 bids per year.

Most job openings are in Programming and Development. Hundreds of jobs are also available for writing, design, administrative, and sales.

While you can apply to jobs with a basic account, some jobs (especially when an employer has a verified payment method) would require you to have a paid membership.

Guru offers features to its freelancers, including:

• A personal profile
• The ability to offer services and set your own rates
• Hourly jobs or a fixed price for work done
• Jobs are open to everyone, not just Guru members
• A blog that you can use to showcase your skills and knowledge

Pros:

• Membership is free
• The site is very easy to navigate
• They only take 9% of your earnings – definitely lower than Upwork and even lower for paid subscriptions
• Uses an Escrow system to hold client payments

Cons:

• Not a lot of jobs for beginners
• Some jobs offer very low rates
• Paid subscriptions are higher than other freelance sites

LinkedIn is a social media for professionals. Almost all of the established companies globally are also on LinkedIn. If you still do not have a profile, now’s the time to create one. And it’s free.

Utilize LinkedIn’s job postings to search for jobs either remotely or on-site. You can apply to it directly or through a 3rd party site. If you upgrade to Pro, you can also send out an InMail directly to the client or the recruiter.

To get hired on LinkedIn, complete your profile and ask for more recommendations from previous employers and coworkers. Do take advantage of keywords and make sure they are on your profile to make it easier for clients to find you.

LinkedIn offers features to its freelancers, including:

• A personal profile
• The ability to offer services and set your own rates
• Hourly jobs or a fixed price for work done
• Jobs are open to everyone, not just LinkedIn members
• Free or paid subscriptions are available

Pros:

• Sign up is free
• Very established
• Home to big corporations globally
• Great networking opportunities
• You can establish personal credibility through recommendations and testimonials from clients

Cons:

• Upgrades are expensive
• It may take time as you need to build your connections and connect with client

If you are starting out as a freelancer, Fiverr is the place to be. With over two million services available on their site, it’s no wonder that this has become one of the most popular freelance websites online.

Offer your services for a fixed price of $US five or more and get started. As your gig gains popularity, you can raise the price.

Fiverr also has an Escrow system to ensure that payments are released only after both parties have agreed on the work done.

Fiverr offers features to its freelancers, including:

• A personal profile
• The ability to offer services and set your own rates
• Hourly jobs are not available
• Jobs are open to everyone, not just Fiverr members
• Fiverr takes a 20% commission on every job you complete

Pros:

• It’s free to sign up and start offering services
• You can start offering services for as low as $US five
• Has an Escrow system to ensure that payments are released only after both parties have agreed on the work done

Cons:

• Fiverr takes a 20% commission on every job you complete, which is higher than other freelance sites
• Only offers fixed-price jobs

So there you have it – a list of the best freelance websites to help you get started on your online career. Do check out their features and see which one will work best for you. And always remember to market yourself well, showcase your skills, and build a strong network!

The internet has a lot of useful (and not so useful) resources for freelancers today. You will come across guides, how-to articles and even ebooks on how to get started with freelancing. We can save you hundreds of hours and painful lessons through our School for Freelancers. We’ll walk you through the entire process of becoming a freelancer and how to sustain your career. Get in touch with us today!