Larry AltonAs the popularity of telecommuting rises and more businesses realize the benefits of working remotely, many companies have figured out that incorporating workflows friendly to remote work also opens the door to another workforce: freelancers. With industries moving faster than ever, startups and large businesses alike are feeling the pressure to keep up. Businesses making use of freelance work can rapidly scale teams up and down at will, as previously hard-to-find expertise becomes much more available, if you know where to look.
While we’ve recently covered best practices for finding freelancers for content marketing or becoming a freelance writer yourself, this market is far larger than just writers, as businesses are also learning that many of the world’s best programmers and other skilled workers are freelancers. Whether you’re looking for software engineers, designers, writers, or something else entirely, there are talented freelancers out there to meet the needs of nearly any type of team or freelance job, it’s just a matter of finding them. To help you get a head start your search, we’re covering the best freelance platforms currently on the web.
Here are the 10 best freelance job websites.
Unlike open marketplace platforms, Toptal pre-screens and custom-matches senior software engineers to projects. With an acceptance rate of around 3% of freelancers, it’s great for clients looking for top-notch engineering talent. Clients like Airbnb, IDEO, and J.P. Morgan flock to Toptal for its matching speed, no-risk trial period, and outstanding record of successful engagements.
Pros:
- Rigorous screening process ensures all Toptal developers are the very best.
- No-risk trial period of up to 2 weeks means it’s free until you find a satisfying developer.
- Custom matching process ensures a great fit between your project and the freelancer.
Cons:
- Can be pricier than other sites, but you get what you pay for, especially when it comes to freelance developers.
- It’s not applicable if you need help on things like hobby projects or a simple websites.
Guru’s Work Room allows you to easily stay on top of the progress of all your freelancers, establish milestones, and more. It’s membership program makes it an excellent choice for clients finding themselves constantly needing outside expertise but who are unwilling to permanently scale up their teams just yet.
Pros:
- Covers a wide range of freelance skills, from legal services to management and finance.
- Posting a job is completely free.
Cons:
- You’ll need a keen eye for talent, as there’s no vetting process.
- You may have to read through a higher number of bids before finding the right freelancer.
Formerly divided as oDesk and Elance, Upwork gives customers access to an incredible 9 million freelancers and is optimized for speed. Its chat interface is designed for customers to immediately chat with freelancers that are online at that very moment, ensuring that engagements can begin within minutes.
Pros:
- Chat interface allows you to start talking to candidate freelancers within seconds.
- Works for both hourly and fixed-price projects.
Cons:
- Risky for mission-critical projects, as quality can be very variable.
- You’ll need to take the time to vet candidates.
Unlike most other freelance platforms, Freelancer allows you to post projects as contests and quickly have plenty of proposals to review, only paying for the one you like most. With over 15 million freelancers, you’re sure to find someone suitable.
Pros:
- Posting projects as contests can show you solutions you may not have considered.
Cons:
- Like most other freelance platforms, you may need to sift through a large number of bids.
A Q&A forum where great technical people go to ask and answer tough questions in their fields. Not a typical freelance platform, but the quality and volume of talent is solid.
Pros:
- Top software engineers use this family of forums to stay up-to-date in their fields, so quality of talent is excellent.
Cons:
- They have a freelancing forum and job board, but the site is primarily a high-level Q&A forum, so it may take a bit of convincing to get experts to sign on.
A cheaper option that allows you to choose from millions of college students and recent graduates. Also a great way to evaluate potential future full-time additions to your company.
Pros:
- Perfect for simple jobs, and it’s a great way of finding talent amongst future members of the workforce.
Cons:
- Not great for projects requiring freelancers with a lot of experience.
Better-known as a general talent search platform, it’s also a great place to find quality freelancers. Polished profiles, skill endorsements, and colleague reviews aid with preliminary evaluations.
Pros:
- Finding freelancers here is facilitated through detailed profiles and reviews, and you can even view/contact references to make your assessments.
Cons:
- Not geared specifically towards freelancers & freelance job postings, so it’s lacking support structures seen on most freelance sites.
A specialized platform aimed at talented designers. Users can post a design contest to a huge community of designers and see ideas come to life in many different ways.
Pros:
- One of the only good freelance sites aimed created specifically for design projects.
Cons:
- You won’t find web developers, SEO experts, etc. here.
A platform with a distinct focus on freelancers with website building skills, including designers, web developers, SEO experts, and more.
Pros:
- A one stop shop for everything you need to build and grow a website.
Cons:
- Like some of the other sites here, the scope of talent types here is more limited.
Commonly thought of as a marketplace for miscellaneous things, but it’s also a great source of local freelance talent. An effective place to look if you need an on-site freelancer.
Pros:
- Jobs are categorized by location, so your have good odds of finding someone local.
Cons:
- Some people blast applications, so you might want to include special instructions in the listing.
Hiring freelancers isn’t just a way to bring in talented specialists. Working with freelancers gives you the unparalleled flexibility to stay ahead by scaling teams and minimizing wasted resources on an hour-to-hour basis. Use these best freelance job sites to get started today!
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