Platforms for freelancing have become relevant for numerous reasons. Reports from the International Labor Organization show that approximately 47 percent of the global workforce is self-employed. Freelancing platforms have contributed immensely to this data. As a freelancer, finding a job which was before now an uphill task, has now become relatively easy. But you must be very good at what you do, offer value, and know the best freelancing platforms to market your skills and services. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, the freelance market is ready to accommodate you.
Here are some of the best freelance platforms to sell your services in 2023.
Platform for Freelancing
We have itemized these platforms, and they are discussed subsequently below.
- Upwork
- Toptal
- Fiverr
- Dribble
- Freelancer.com
Upwork
Formed in 2013, Upwork has rapidly become one of the best freelancing platforms. In March 2022, this platform was named on the Times List as one of TIME100 most prominent companies.
There are more than 18 million skilled freelancers with approximately 5 million clients registered on Upwork. Its reported revenue as of the end of 2022 was estimated at 618 million dollars with accumulated jobs worth over 1 billion dollars over the years.
To hire a freelancer on Upwork, a client will need to create a client account:
- Post the details of the job they want to get done;
- Set the category for the job;
- Set job Duration (Long term or short-term);
- Add the list of skills you require to get the job done;
- Select the location you want your freelancers from;
- Define the price for the project;
- Wait for proposals;
- Conduct an interview and hire the best hands.
For the freelancer, the process of registration is quite easy. You complete a registration phase that would require you to set a service offering, skills, price per hour, or project-based, take a skill and English test, and start applying to jobs by submitting proposals.
Freelance jobs on Upwork are Web development, Graphic design, Freelance writing, Transcription service, Voice Over, etc.
Upwork offers job feed update features to get the latest jobs and you also have the capabilities to filter the jobs you want to apply for. The payment system is Escrow which offers protection and makes it impossible for clients to cheat you after negotiations or for a freelancer to submit below per job and run away with your money
For the networking services provided and for other maintenance purposes, Upwork charges 10% from your earnings for each job you get whether billed hourly or per project
If you want to improve your earnings as a freelancer in 2024, you are advised to market your skills on Upwork. For clients, Upwork is your go-to platform to hire freelancing talents.
Toptal
Toptal is the next platform for freelancing you must consider. Founded by Taso Du Val and Breanden Beneschott in 2010, they deal with big projects and conduct meticulous screening before offering a job to a freelancer which sets them miles apart from other freelancing platforms. Though Toptal receives countless applications yearly from potential freelancers, it only accepts the top 3% of applicants, which accounts for the quality of jobs produced by its freelancers.
What are the jobs available?
- UX/UI design
- Project management
- Product management
- Finance experts
- Software engineering
Some big companies like Motorola and Shopify have used Toptal to hire freelancers for their projects. Though Toptal charges low to no service fees from freelancers. However, clients may pay more than $150 per hour to hire a freelancer.
Fiverr
Fiverr is another reliable platform for freelancing and one of the biggest freelancing platforms. Commencing business operation in 2010 but has already had over a billion dollars in payments, Fiverr has recorded over a billion dollars in revenue. This shows the high patronage level due to the numerous job opportunities on the platform.
Jobs offerings include Video and Audio editing, Copywriting, Website Design, Proofreading, SEO Services, Social Media Management, Transcription, etc. Banking on innovation, Fiverr launched a Logo Maker in 2020 and a program to assist large companies with effective workflow management.
To offer your services and talents on Fiverr, registration is free, and you are allowed to offer more than one gig at a time and choose a price starting from $5 and above.
One of the disadvantages of Fiverr is the 20% commission fee on all freelancer payments, with a waiting processing period of 14 days before freelancers are permitted to withdraw their funds. While this may look disadvantageous to the freelancer, it guarantees clients are fully satisfied with the service they paid for, before funds are released to the freelancer.
Though it may come as surprising to you, the reason LinkedIn is among the list of Freelancing platforms is because many talents have reported getting freelance jobs on it in recent times.
Designed for professional networking and Industry experts in various fields, LinkedIn is a Professional Platform where top talents can have a profile that is updated with all the jobs they have held in their lives, share industry insights, and thought leadership, and even source polls of talents for organizational needs.
Since its inception in 2002, LinkedIn has helped both people and organizations to hire experts for several job openings across the world. Many have reported getting their dream jobs, changing careers, and migrating to other places of the world to showcase their expertise. Where there are professional short-term jobs, the platform has empowered young people to get freelancing roles.
Aside from professional jobs, other common jobs in this space are Writing, Translation and Graphic designing, SEO Technical writing, Website design, etc. As of April 2023, LinkedIn has an enormous 930 million users with 21,000 employees. LinkedIn is also a great medium to get the latest trends and updates about job offers. Consistency and up-to-date profile is the currency needed to become a professional on this network.
Dribble
Are you an artist or a Designer? Dribble is the right platform to show your creative talents. Dribble is a social networking platform created specifically for digital designers and artists. This platform helps talented designers and artists build their portfolios, upgrade their brands, and get freelancing gigs.
There are over 6 million registered users on Dribble and an estimated 3.5 million active users per month. To become a member, you can create a basic or premium account.
A basic account has no registration fee but comes with limited features, and you do not have access to message clients. Where the premium account allows users to create profiles with build shots and unrestricted access to message project owners. The sign-up fee for the Premium account is $12 per month and $60 annually. If you are a freelancer looking to show your talents and get freelancing projects on Dribble, getting a Premium account is the recommendation.
Freelancer.com
Web developers, Marketers (SEO Experts and Copywriters), and Designers can use this platform to get jobs. As the name suggests, Freelancer.com was created exclusively for freelancers and has garnered trust from big companies like IBM and Amazon due to its elementary sailing.
With over 50 million global users, freelancer.com translates gigs into multiple languages for fast and easy accessibility. A notable disadvantage is that there are many spammy posts and freelance job scam alerts on the platform. Another downside to using freelancer.com is that the website is not user-friendly, and you might struggle to navigate around before you get what you need. Despite these issues, Freelancer.com has accounted for the absorption of freelancers on the job markets.
Conclusion
A good freelancing website is one reliable way for freelancers to secure a freelancing gig. There are, however, numerous freelancing platforms, and knowing which to market your talent in 2023 can be the jackpot for beginner freelancers, as well as those already at the apex point in freelancing. We have carefully selected and analyzed the best freelance platforms we think would help your career growth in 2024. The next step required is to set up a profile in whichever you have selected above and start getting in that desired stream of income.