While Fiverr is the most famous and established online freelancer marketplace, it’s not the only one. With so many options with different features and designs, it can feel overwhelming to choose one platform. We’ve created this guide to introduce you to the best sites similar to Fiverr and help you make an informed decision.
What is a freelance marketplace?
A freelance marketplace is an online platform on which freelancers offer their services. It connects businesses and service providers looking for work. Each platform has its functioning and way of working. So, for businesses, finding the right one depends on their needs and what is most important.
There can be a lot of different aspects to consider. Transaction fees, invoicing, the order process, the quality of customer service, transparency, and other factors all play a part in the decisions companies or businesses have to make when choosing a platform.
The best sites similar to Fiverr
ComeUp
One of the platforms with the most similar functioning to Fiverr. ComeUp separates itself in different ways. The France-based platform has existed for over ten years, and over one million orders have been completed on the website.
A trusted third-party
With ComeUp, all transactions are safe and secure. Freelancers have been vetted and have had to submit their identification documents before registering as sellers. This works differently than for some larger platforms that accept everyone and only check their ID later once a few orders are completed. In addition, Sellers (the freelancers hired on ComeUp) are paid once they have delivered their work and clients approve it. This ensures buyers get what they ordered.
Human help through every step
It’s essential to have access to human customer service whenever needed. With ComeUp, you can contact the customer service team at any time and will be engaging directly with a human being who is ready to help you. They will do their best to answer quickly and help as much as possible. In case of a dispute, you can also engage with a human moderator who will carefully review the case to help you.
ComeUp’s customer service is rated 4.3 stars out of five on Trustpilot (as of July 2024). With such a high rating, you know you can trust the customer service team.
Fully transparent pricing
ComeUp acts as a trusted third party. As such, there’s a responsibility to be transparent and clear to both parties. Freelancers know how much the buyer pays for their order, and buyers know how much the freelancer earns. All costs are broken down into billing documents shared with both parties.
Discover freelancing professionals for all your projects
On ComeUp, you’ll find top freelancing professionals with service offers in eight categories. Graphic design, writing, audiovisual, web development, social media, business, coaching, and everyday life. All these categories have many sub-categories. For instance, you can discover web design services in the graphic design category. There are plenty of services offered by freelancers with all kinds of experience. Each freelancer sets their own rate based on the criteria they choose. So, employers can buy all the service offers they need to complete their project regardless of the rate they can afford.
Toptal
A platform that has been gaining popularity these last few years, Toptal prides itself on offering the top 3% of freelance talent available. The company is a solid alternative for large businesses with a significant budget. With highly skilled freelancers, they can complete all kinds of projects.
For small to medium-sized businesses though, it’s complicated to afford the services offered by Toptal since the rates are so high. The company is not transparent about how much the freelancer earns and what businesses pay. Previous users have reported that the rates Toptal charges are double what the freelancers are paid. This might make Toptal one of the services with the highest commission in the market, and businesses have to pay for it.
Peopleperhour
Launched in 2007, Peopleperhour has a database of over two million freelancers. It’s another alternative to Fiverr for businesses looking to hire freelancers. Peopleperhour works differently from Fiverr because businesses post the projects they need help to complete. Freelancers then contact them and bid for the opportunity to complete these projects.
The only downside of Peopleperhour is the high fees. The service fees are 10% of the order plus an additional £0.60. This fee can become costly for expensive orders or longer projects. In addition, Peopleperhour also takes a costly 20% (excl. VAT) commission from freelancers. So, both parties have to cover the costs of using such a platform.
Guru
One of the largest marketplaces online, Guru is a solid Fiverr alternative as a platform for companies to hire freelance workers. They can post jobs on the website or view the profiles of thousands of freelancers and contact them. Once a company posts a job, freelancers bid on the job, and the company can ask them some questions before hiring them or someone else.
The service fees on the platform are very reasonable, as a business hiring has to pay a 2.9% handling fee. This makes it a great candidate for employers who need help to complete projects.
The one downside of Guru is that there have been many issues with clients unsatisfied with the results they got from freelancers. The platform is rated 1.9 on Trustpilot. People who have had negative experiences have also had issues with Guru’s customer support. This can make it complicated to trust them, as support and security are essential for all freelance marketplaces.
Truelancer
Very similar to Guru, Truelancer has the same way of working. Companies can either discover freelancers or post their projects for freelancers to bid on. The fees are reasonable and vary depending on the buyer’s payment method. Truelancer also allows companies to host a contest to have freelancers compete to win work. For example, if you’re looking for a logo for your business. You can host a contest. Freelancers will compete and you will be able to pick the winner. Then you only need to pay the winner. Nonetheless, the winning work will often be the more expensive one.
Truelancer has a 3.3-star rating out of five on Trustpilot which is close to Fiverr which has a 3.1 rating. There seem to be multiple reasons for that. Freelancers are unhappy with how the platform distributes work and feel they need to make a lot of effort to get an opportunity. On the other hand, businesses are also dissatisfied for various reasons including the quality of the work completed by freelancers and the fact that Truelancer’s customer service is not helpful. This can be an issue as trust is paramount on freelance marketplaces.
Dribble
Are you a business looking for designers? Dribble is the perfect alternative to Fiverr. It only offers design independents. This focus on design means it’s the ideal place to buy quality design offers. To find an independent, a business visits a few designs before choosing the designer they want to work with to complete their design.
The main downside of Dribble is that the platform is highly focused on graphic design professionals. Iif you’re looking for offers in different areas, you’ll have to use a different alternative to Fiverr.
Upwork
This is one of the most famous alternatives to Fiverr. Upwork has millions of freelancers available to help you complete your project, as it’s been around for over a decade (2013). The platform has many features for businesses of all sizes. There are also many visits on the site, so freelancing experts have plenty of opportunities.
Many great features
The fees on Upwork are pretty standard, as clients have to pay a 5% marketplace fee on all payments. The site works similarly to other competitors like Truelancer and Guru. Either clients post a project and hire a freelancing worker, or they can discover a freelancer who offers a service on the website directly. This flexibility makes Upwork one of the best Fiverr alternatives if you are looking for a platform with a different way of functioning.
The downsides
While Upwork is one of the best Fiverr alternatives and has an entirely different way of working, one issue persists on both platforms. Both companies are renowned and are the largest freelance marketplaces. Scams happen often on Upwork. Many problems have been reported with freelancers, and companies also have difficulties fixing those issues because Upwork’s customer service is unhelpful. Upwork has also had problems with their Trustpilot profile page being withdrawn. Currently, their score is low for only a handful of reviews. A company of that size should have more reviews. In addition, they have many visits, but some freelancers accept orders and then bounce, leaving clients with nothing but lost time. This bounce can be hurtful for clients in a rush to complete their jobs.
Why use a freelance marketplace?
Knowing the best Fiverr alternatives may not be enough to understand the benefits of freelancing marketplaces. There are many benefits that these websites provide both for freelancers and for clients. The principal function of these sites is to connect both parties. This requires a lot of trust and mechanisms to ensure safe transactions. A freelancing site acts as a trusted third party. When a client orders, they make the payment for it directly. But the freelancer only gets paid once the order is delivered. That way, both parties are sure they’ll get what they want.
Beyond being a trusted third party, a freelance website gives a business access to talent in many areas of expertise. Not only does a business save time by using this site, but it also has the chance to access multiple professionals with talent and knowledge to complete complex projects. It’s the alternative to full-time hiring as a freelancer is hired for a specific project. They can deliver the best results.
A new expert can be hired for the next project if it requires different skills. Hiring managers and employers have more flexibility and can get more jobs done that way. For example, someone who wants to create a website for their business can hire freelance web designers to design the website designs and logo designs before hiring a web developer to turn the site design into a fully functional website. Especially since they don’t have to pay for all the benefits and other costs of hiring full time staff.
Other options than sites similar to Fiverr
Freelance marketplaces like Fiverr or sites similar to Fiverr are great platforms for finding freelancers. But, they’re not the only resource at your disposal to discover skilled freelancers to complete your project. Here are a few other alternatives you can use if you’d like to.
Leverage job boards and social media
You can post the role you need to complete your project on a job board or your company’s social media for thousands of people to see. It’s a great way to get candidates to apply online and start hiring. Plus many of these job boards are free. Posting a position on social media is also free and you’re sure to get people interested in your brand to apply because they actively follow you and engage with your posts.
You may even get more visits to your job board posts because they can appear on platforms like Outsourcely or Solidgigs. Outsourcely is another work outsourcing site while Solidgigs gathers relevant job posts to share with qualified freelancers looking for work (Nonetheless, there have been a lot of reviews suggesting that there are many scams on Outsourcely). The best part about Solidgigs is that clients don’t need to do anything. Once the job is posted on the job board, they can share the post with qualified freelancers in the Solidgigs database.
There are downsides to using job boards and social media to discover people to take care of your freelancing jobs. The biggest one is safety. When you use free methods to hire, you lose the top features of marketplaces. If there’s a payment issue, you have to take care of it. Even worse, if the worker decides to bounce after you’ve completed the payment, you have to take care of it. Part of a freelancing platform’s utility is building trust, guaranteeing payment, and work is completed. Fiverr and its alternatives all have safety mechanisms to ensure transactions go as smoothly as possible. If it doesn’t go smoothly, the website’s design ensures you are protected too.
Use your connections
Another way to hire workers for different jobs is to leverage your connections. As an entrepreneur, you certainly have contacts who know people. Use them to find your next freelancer. You can discover talented graphic designers, developers, and other roles by asking around. One of the top ways to do this is to ask someone whose web design you enjoy what designers they use. An answer will point you to skilled designers who can complete quality designs.
The downsides remain the same as for our previous point. Using connections to find talent is free, but it can lead to issues because it’s less safe. Also, by using your connections, you may be limiting your options and passing on top talent.
Conclusion: Find the sites similar to Fiverr that works for you
Now that you know the top sites similar to Fiverr, it’s your turn to find the one that’s right for you. We recommend making visits to multiple sites and spending some time making your decision. Use review services like Trustpilot to guide you. More importantly, try several platforms to choose the one with the right design and features. Bounce around and make a decision based on your visits and experiences.
Factors like the rate of the worker also play a part. Check out offers from different companies. That way, you’ll locate a worker with the correct rate.
Many employers choose ComeUp because they trust the company and its seller’s quality. The sellers have talent and are professional. They can complete your project in no time. It’s the best alternative to Fiverr. Try ComeUp today to get the results!
