12 Best Upwork Alternatives for Freelancers and Employers

Published on October 10, 2023 at 5:55 am by Afifa Mushtaque in Industries, Lists, News

In this article, we will look at the 12 best upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers. We have also discussed interesting insights related to the freelancing industry. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, head straight to the 5 Best Upwork Alternatives for Freelancers and Employers.

The global freelance platforms market has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, with commendable increases in both the number of freelancers and the utilization of freelance platforms. In 2022, the market was valued at $5.18 billion and is projected to reach $17.28 billion by 2030 with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.8% from 2023 to 2030.

This prodigious growth in freelancing activities can be attributed to the changing labor markets and trends. Notably, the number of freelancers has been on the rise, with the US freelancing market alone valued at $1.2 trillion in 2020 with approximately 36% of the total workforce, which equates to nearly 59 million individuals. This indicates the increasing attractiveness of flexible work arrangements and the digital transformation in jobs. To read more, do check out our article about the best work-from-home jobs for 2023.

Moreover, as the freelance economy matures, the complexity and scale of projects facilitated through freelance platforms have also expanded. High-skilled freelancers, specializing in areas like software development, data science, consulting, and web design, are in high demand, contributing to the growth of the market. This also explains why data science is one of the most in-demands jobs for the future. Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR) and Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK) are considered key players in the freelancing industry.

To shed light upon the highly demanded skills in freelancing in 2023, we have a few to share that can help anyone get hired on both Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR) and Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK).

First and foremost, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) remains a top priority for businesses that are trying to improve their online visibility. Then, social media marketing expertise has been equally crucial for businesses as companies recognize the need to connect with their audience effectively on different platforms.

Similarly, Web Development skills, spanning both front-end and back-end development, are essential for creating compelling online experiences. Graphic Design expertise is in constant demand for creating visually appealing content. Then there are copywriting skills that enable the crafting of persuasive content, which can drive conversions and engagement. At the end of day, freelancing is important for and needed by both the freelancer and the employers for businesses to function. Let’s now explore what the leading freelancing platforms have been doing and what makes them so popular.

Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR), with over 4.3 million active buyers across 160+ countries, has a global reach that provides freelancers access to a huge clientele. The simplicity of the platform makes it highly user-friendly and hence, allows freelancers to set up profiles easily and also secure gigs quickly, often within a week. However, Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR) charges a flat 20% commission on all projects, which can be beneficial for shorter-term tasks but might incentivize exploring other platforms for long-term projects. It primarily attracts smaller business owners and individuals looking for specific, one-off projects, with an average client budget of approximately $262.

In contrast, Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK) attracts CEOs, startup founders, and established companies, with an average client budget of $5000. Its service fees vary based on project prices, encouraging freelancers to build long-term client relationships. Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK) caters to users in over 180 countries as it provides different large-scale project opportunities. Furthermore, Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK) offers hourly payment protection to freelancers which ensures timely compensation even in case of payment disputes.

Ultimately, Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR) and Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK) cater to different preferences and professional goals within the freelance industry. Freelancers looking for quick, straightforward tasks often turn to Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR), while those pursuing higher-value, long-term projects may find Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK)’s client base and service-fee structure more appealing. Both platforms play essential roles in connecting freelancers with opportunities in the rapidly growing freelancing market.

In the second quarter of 2023, Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR)’s revenue reached $89.4 million with an increase of 5.1% year over year from $85.0 million in the same period of 2022. While active buyers remained consistent at 4.2 million between June 30, 2023, and 2022, the spend per buyer increased to $265 in 2023, a 2% rise from $259 in 2022. Fiverr International Ltd (NYSE:FVRR)’s take rate also showed improvement as it reached 30.7% in June 2023, up from 29.8% in June 2022. Moreover, gross margin increased to 84.2% in the second quarter of 2023. Net income increased to $20.0 million, translating to $0.53 basic net income per share and $0.49 diluted net income per share.

12 Best Upwork Alternatives for Freelancers and Employers

Methodology

To prepare the list of best Upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers, we conducted extensive research to find out the most popular freelancing platforms globally that have been highly active in contributing to helping out job seekers. As Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK) has the highest market share at 23.78%, we have ranked the alternatives based on their market share. We acquired the data on the market share of each platform from the 6sense.com.

Here is a list of the best Upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers:

12. WorkMarket

Market Share: 0.44%

WorkMarket is an NYC-based company founded in 2010 by Jeffrey Leventhal. It provides an online platform for businesses to manage contingent workers and IT freelancers. In 2018, it was acquired by ADP. The platform helps businesses find, verify, onboard, manage, pay, and rate freelancers and contractors. It also serves as a marketplace for workers to find assignments and build portfolios.

11. Guru.com

Market Share: 0.65%

With its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Guru.com is an important freelance platform that connects companies with freelance professionals. Employers post job descriptions with payment details, while freelancers demonstrate their skills and services through their profiles. Employers can invite specific freelancers to bid on jobs, after considering their profiles, feedback, and earnings statistics.

Guru.com also offers the WorkRoom feature for managing freelancers and a SafePay payment system for secure transactions. In 2020, the platform reported approximately three million users and nearly one million monthly site visits. It is one of the best freelancing websites to find work in 2023.

10. YunoJuno

Market Share: 0.74%

YunoJuno is a leading freelancer platform in the UK that achieved £500 million ($ 609.3 million) in freelancer bookings in December 2021 and thus, marked a 100% growth in the year. It serves as a trusted provider and management platform for professional freelancers, with notable clients like Google, BBC, and Deliveroo. YunoJuno is one of the best Upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers.

9. Truelancer

Market Share: 1.30%

Truelancer is a global online marketplace for freelancers and employers. Freelancers can create profiles and post their services, while employers can post projects and search for qualified freelancers. While Truelancer offers different services like web development, graphic design, writing, marketing, it also provides a variety of features to help freelancers and employers work together effectively, such as a secure payment system, collaboration tools, and dispute resolution.

Truelancer is a convenient and affordable platform for businesses to find qualified freelancers for their projects, and for freelancers to find new clients and grow their network.

8. Freelancer.com

Market Share: 1.65%

Freelancer.com has a user base of 69,088,193 individuals across 247 countries and is among the largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplaces in the world. It facilitates connections between employers and freelancers while offering different services like software development, writing, data entry, design, engineering, sciences, sales, marketing, accounting, and legal consultation. Freelancer.com is one of the best Upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers.

7. Dribbble

Market Share: 2.66%

Dribbble functions as a multifaceted platform that caters to digital designers. It operates as a self-promotion and social networking platform while providing services as a design portfolio, a job and recruitment hub, and a leading online platform for designers to showcase their creative projects. It is one of the Upwork Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK) alternatives for hiring freelance creatives.

6. Textbroker International, LLC

Market Share: 3.40%

Textbroker International LLC is an online platform headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, that connects customers looking for written content with freelance writers. It was founded in 2005 by Jan Becker-Fochler and since then, has served as a marketplace for over 200,000 writers and buyers of unique articles in nine different languages. It is one of the best alternatives to Upwork, Inc (NASDAQ:UPWK).

With the rise of ethical concerns related to using Ai, Textbroker International has introduced Transparent.ai as a web-based tool that differentiates between human-written and AI-generated content. This tool records the text creation process and is able to to certify which portions were human-authored and thus, can provide an independent quality seal for transparency.

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