1. Upwork


Upwork is a remote work marketplace that connects businesses with skilled independent professionals from around the world. Whether you’re an accounting expert, developer, web designer, copywriter, customer service worker, or any other type of skilled freelance professional, you’ll find projects that match your skill set on Upwork.
As a freelancer, you can get started by going to upwork.com and clicking the “Sign Up” button to create your Upwork profile. Enhance your profile by adding a work portfolio, introduction video, educational background, certifications, licenses, and more to showcase your skills, abilities, personality, and experience.

Pros:
Upwork attracts clients from around the world, offering freelancers a variety of projects at competitive hourly rates.
The most popular freelancing professions (including writers, designers, developers and marketers) can earn from $30 to $50 per hour.
The platform offers payment protection on both hourly and fixed-price projects to make sure you get paid for the work you do‍
Uma™, Upwork’s Mindful AI, is built into your everyday workflow. All freelancers have access to Uma. Get help writing your proposals so you can win more jobs and earn more. ‍
Upgrade to Freelancer Plus for full access to Uma to help you brainstorm, review, analyze, write, code, and more for your projects on Upwork.
Freelancers can get paid in a variety of ways, such as PayPal or direct transfer.

Cons:
Upwork’s talent marketplace can be competitive. New freelancers may find it challenging at first as they find their feet and build up their portfolio.

Costs:
Signing up for Upwork is free. Its freelancer service fee is a flat 10% fee on most contracts—with some exceptions for direct, BYO or payroll contracts. For independent professionals looking for more, Upwork’s Freelancer Plus plan can be beneficial. For $20 a month, freelancers receive perks such as extra Connects (100 total, per month), a customized profile URL, and full access to Uma. Think of Uma as a powerful work companion to help you get work done faster than ever for your projects on Upwork.
Interested in seeing how Upwork can help propel your freelance career forward? Sign up today.

2. Workcroft


Through Workcroft businesses get more done, connecting with freelancers to work on projects and assignments from machine learning, AI, generative AI, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, AR, Virtual Reality, VR, big data, data mining, data ETL, analytics, financial analysis, research, web and mobile app development to SEO, social media marketing, content writing, graphic design, admin help and thousands of other projects. Workcroft makes it fast, simple, and cost-effective to find, hire, work with, and pay the best professionals anywhere, any time.

Pros:’
On Workcroft, you'll find a range of top talent, from programmers to designers, writers, data scientists, data engineers, analysts, researchers, and more.
Invite candidates to submit bids, then interview and hire your choice.
Each project includes a standalone workspace of your choice by your team and your freelancer
Pay your freelancer by the hour, or a fixed price for the entire project or for each milestone, or a fixed cost on a project-to-project basis.
Workcroft is a great place to find more clients and to run and grow your own freelance business.

Cons:
Can be more competitive to get started.

Costs:

All projects include any payment method of your choice or client’s choice - helping ensure that you get paid for all work successfully completed through any payment method you or your client prefer.
Workcroft charges freelancers a sliding fee based on the freelancer's lifetime billings with a specific client. In other words, the more business a freelancer has done with a client, the more they’ll earn. Sign up today

3. Toptal

‍Toptal helps a variety of highly qualified freelancers find work. Professionals specializing in software development, project management, and business consulting can particularly benefit from this site. However, note that Toptal has a rigorous five-step selection process for identifying the best workers in any field.
The intense process begins with an English test and project assessment. Only the top 3% of freelancers are accepted on the platform. Those who make it through can apply for job posts from well-known businesses like Airbnb. Freelancers who fail the test have to wait several months before taking it again.

Pros:
The site has premium job posts from well-known businesses.
Only top-tier professionals can get through the site’s screening process.
The platform has free tools for time-tracking, invoicing, and receiving payments.

Cons:
Freelancers have to go through an intensive and exclusive screening procedure to use Toptal. Very few freelancers make the cut.
Toptal is great for businesses looking to complete large-scale projects, like developing and maintaining huge software applications. Freelancers who perform smaller tasks like updating landing pages may have difficulty finding work on the site.

Costs:
Toptal doesn’t take any fees from freelancers, but companies can easily spend over $200 per hour to hire a freelancer on the site.

4. Fiverr

Fiverr makes it simple for digital freelancers to find people looking for their services. There are many project listings on Fiverr, from content creation and video production to app design to almost any other type of project you can imagine.
Fiverr has a very simple model: Sellers (freelancers) can create free profiles listing the gigs (services) they offer without sending bids or pitching prospects. Buyers (businesses) can simply purchase the services that work best for them.

Pros:
Fiverr has a large selection of service categories.
Registration is free for freelancers.
The platform offers online courses to help freelancers learn skills.

Cons:
Fiverr charges freelancers a large fee on commissions.
It can take some time for freelancers to get paid.

Costs:
After a seller finishes a gig, Fiverr takes 20% of their commission. It can take a few weeks for a seller to be able to withdraw payments from the site as well.

5. Designhill


Designhill connects freelance artists and designers with businesses seeking things like website, logo, and catalog design. In addition to offering a large list of design opportunities, the site is helpful for freelancers learning to manage their businesses.
Designhill has resources that allow freelancers to open their own stores to clients all over the globe. Its management tools can also help freelancers measure profits, make business cards, and create digital marketing materials.

Pros:
Designhill lets you create a free online store.
The site has a reliable live chat support team.
There are no service fees for freelancers.

Cons:
Designhill is exclusive to designers.
It has a seven-day window for clients to request changes to logo designs, which might delay acceptance and payment.

Costs:
Designhill is free to use for freelancers.

6. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals and is one of the most reputable career resources around. You can create a profile on the site to showcase your experience, education, work history, past projects, and skills to businesses looking for new talent.
You can also create and share posts to give companies a glimpse into who you are and what interests you. LinkedIn has a huge list of freelance and full-time opportunities.
Unlike most of the platforms we’re discussing, LinkedIn isn’t a dedicated job site for freelancers, but it features a range of opportunities for independent professionals. Freelance graphic designers, developers, copywriters, and more can look for work using LinkedIn.

Pros:
LinkedIn helps you network with professionals from a wide variety of industries.
The site can expose you to the most current news and trends about your industry.

Cons:
Because so many professionals use LinkedIn, standing out can be difficult.
Maintaining a current and professional LinkedIn page requires continuous updates.

Costs:
Freelancers can use basic LinkedIn features for free. For $39.99 a month, a Premium account offers learning courses, allows users to track employers who view their profile, and increases the number of connections users can make.

7. SimplyHired

SimplyHired features a wide range of freelance jobs, though it isn’t specifically for freelancers. The site has an easy-to-use interface that helps job seekers find opportunities from all over the web. Some job fields featured on the site include finance, SEO, marketing, and administration.
Applicants can customize job searches based on factors like their preferred industry, location, and interests. SimplyHired also lets you view company pay scales and reviews written by former or current workers.

Pros:
The site will send you email alerts when new jobs that meet your experience and criteria become available.
The site has resources you can use to help your professional development.

Cons:

Businesses can post jobs on the site for free. Scammers may use the site to create fake job openings and contact you.
It can be hard to get noticed on a large site like SimplyHired.

Costs:
Freelancers can apply for jobs and create profiles on SimplyHired for free.

8. Dribbble

Dribbble is mainly for designers, artists, and marketing professionals. Creative professionals can make portfolios of their past work on the site to increase their odds of landing contracts.
The Dribbble platform is great for creatives to showcase their work. It caters to people looking for full-time employment as well as freelancers. However, freelancers have to sign up for the Pro plan to access contract job lists.

Pros:
The site has a large network of employers and professionals from around the world.
It has an assortment of portfolios from inspiring artists and creators.

Cons:
Freelance jobs are only offered to users with a Pro account.
You have to apply for a designer account on Dribbble.
Beginning designers may have difficulty getting accepted to use the site.

Costs:
A Dribbble Pro account costs $8 a month (billed annually) for freelancers. Pro members also get a boost in the search results for hiring managers.

9. Guru

Guru caters to freelancers worldwide who are experts in things like programming, graphic design, and project management.
The site makes it simple for freelancers to create profiles, advertise their skills, peruse job listings, and send bids to potential clients. The service will propose job opportunities that match your work experience, skills, and preferences. Guru features both long- and short-term projects that you can apply for.

Pros:
The site has SafePay protection to make sure you’re compensated for your work in a timely manner.
Guru customizes job listings based on specifications.

Cons:
Fake businesses might approach you on the site looking to scam you.
The website’s interface isn’t very user-friendly, making its huge library of job posts difficult to navigate.

Costs:
A Guru basic membership is free for freelancers. However, based on your membership type, the site takes a fee between 5% and 9% for completed freelance invoices. Paid plans can cost as much as $50 a month and give freelancers access to various tools to expand their businesses.

10. Freelancer.com

As the name suggests, Freelancer is a job site exclusively for freelancers. The site is a great space for professionals like web developers, social media experts, and marketing specialists to find work.
The site also features contests for things like design work that can help freelancers earn extra cash, add to their portfolios, and build a positive reputation on the site.

Pros:
The site has a progress tracker that shows your growth as a freelancer.
24/7 customer support and live chat help you navigate the site.

Cons:
The interface is less intuitive than many other sites.
You’ll need to watch out for scam businesses that may contact you.

Costs:
Freelancer is free to use for freelancers. However, the site takes 10% of your earnings for fixed projects and contests or $5.00, whichever is greater, and 10% for hourly projects.

11. Flexjobs


Flexjobs is a subscription service that connects job seekers with flexible work. This includes freelance jobs, part-time and full-time seasonal work, jobs with alternative schedules, and temporary work.
The Flexjobs site caters to an assortment of professionals with skills like content marketing, copywriting, administration, and transcription. Flexjobs verifies that every job on the site is trustworthy and comes from a reliable source. You also won’t find any ads.

Pros:
Every job post on the site is guaranteed to be legitimate.
The site offers a helpful, reliable customer support team.
The site offers things like skills testing and career advice to help catapult your career.

Cons:
The site is more expensive for freelancers than many other options.
Some job opportunities listed aren’t exclusive to the job site. You might even be able to find some of them on free sites.

Costs:
Flexjobs is a subscription site, so you’ll have to sign up for a paid account to use it. FlexJobs starts at $2.95 for a 14-day trial.