Freelancing is emerging to become the fastest job trends globally. The growth projections are showing a steady increase of 3.5% each year and it is expected that by the end of the year 2027, the majority of the workforce will be freelancers.

Not only this, but advancement in technology is also shifting the ways businesses operated. It has become increasingly simple for businesses to hire and manage contract talent. Freelancers too can easily find their dream jobs, thanks to freelance platforms like UpWork, Fiverr and Freelancer to name a few. These freelancing websites bring together companies and freelance professionals on a common platform to mutually benefit and get jobs done.

Sounds easy, right? But ever wondered how to choose the most befitting platform from the plethora of choices available? Most of the people think that registering on multiple platforms can fetch them more work and money. Sorry to disappoint you, but freelancing is not the same as fishing. Having multiple accounts on different freelancing websites doesn’t get you more projects, rather you end up tired and frustrated, bidding(baiting) on these sites.

Upwork and Freelancer are ruling the freelancing marketplace. Both these platforms work on their own set of features and policies that help freelancers to make some good money. But the real question is, in Upwork vs Freelancer, which one of these should you be bidding for in 2020? Wondering where you can earn the most?

This post will definitely help you unlock the mystery and make a better choice between Upwork vs Freelancer. Here it goes!

Upwork.com

Upwork has emerged to be one of the biggest freelancing giant formed with the merger of Elance and oDesk. It serves as a hub for freelancers and companies around the world to communicate collaborate and achieve. Upwork is undoubtedly a popular platform for those seeking freelancing jobs that have been operational for over a decade. Read on to learn about Upwork right here:

POPULARITY

Upwork is undeniably a global freelancing giant that allows freelancers and contractors to meet and work remotely. As claimed by them Upwork has over 9 million freelancers and 4 million clients registered with them across the globe. As a registered freelancer membership on Upwork, you can search from over 3 million job postings on their website that is worth over $1 billion every year. In the coming future, the figures are only expected to double.

USABILITY

Upwork’s user interface is more interactive and user-friendly. The navigation options on the website are easy-to-use with a centralized notification system. As a freelancer, the job posting tab at Upwork gives you easy access to client information such as rating, reviews, open jobs, average hourly rate etc. On the other hand, as a client, getting job posting is easy and there is also a job posting assistance to help you every step of the way.

MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTION FEE

Upwork offers both free and paid freelancer membership plans. The basic plan (free membership plan) gives you 60 points or ‘Connects’ every month. The ‘Connects’ on Upwork are used as the currency and it gets exhausted from your account every time you apply for a job posting. Additionally Upwork also charges 10% of the amount the client pays to get the job accomplished. The skill tests here can be availed absolutely free.

AVAILABILITY OF JOBS

At Upwork as a registered freelancer, you have access to diversified contract jobs that can be categorized as hourly or fixed price ones. Comparing Upwork vs Freelancer based on the experiences of freelancers, hourly job postings on Upwork are much better than those on Freelancer. Here it is also easier to find suitable and better-paying jobs, thanks to friendly tools, as mention earlier.

SUPPORT & ASSISTANCE

You can easily find the long list of the support system on the Upwork website. For any queries or doubts, you can use their phone line, live chat, FAQs or ticket request system. The support system is very responsive and here they believe in rendering 100% client satisfaction.

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Freelancer.com

Freelancer is another popular freelancing website incepted in the year 2009. The website offers millions of freelancing jobs for professionals to show off their talents. At Freelancer, besides offering varied projects, here they allow freelancers to compete in contests and prove their skills. Freelancers also receive a fair amount of prize money as a reward. A global crowdsourcing marketplace website, Freelancer connects employers and freelancers more than 247 countries, territories, and regions. Here are the features that set it apart from the rest:

POPULARITY

When it comes to popularity, Freelancer is surely ahead of the race. The company claims to have more than 15 million registered freelancers who have access to over 7.4 million work projects. These jobs posting on Freelancer are worth over an astonishing $2.2 billion each year. This huge turnover is accountable owing to several subsidiaries of Freelancer, namely, SydStart, Escrow.com, Freelancer.com and Warrior Forum to name a few.

USABILITY

The user interface on Freelancer is little congested with a long array of categories and subcategories. There are also several unnecessary features on the website like promotional widgets and paid plans that only add to the confusion. The project listing page uses the same font for all the job titles, unlike Upwork that uses bigger fonts for project headlines. Also, the ‘filtering system’ in Freelancer is slower than Upwork.

MEMBERSHIP & SUBSCRIPTION FEE

Freelancer too has paid and free membership plans. The paid membership plan goes up to a maximum of $199.95 every month. The website also charges a fixed percentile of your earnings as per the subscription plan. On a Freelancer, you need to pay an additional $5 for every skill test taken.

AVAILABILITY OF JOBS

Freelancer too offers a broad range of jobs and skillsets available online. Yet finding your dream job is not a layman’s job here. At Freelancer, you might end up wasting your time, energy and money bidding on projects that eventually turn out to be a scam. It has happened quite a time with many freelancers and the whole experience is disturbing.

SUPPORT & ASSISTANCE

Freelancer too has good support and assistant service. Here too you will find FAQs, email support and live chat sessions. However, at Freelancer, there is no direct phone helpline.

Upwork vs Freelancer – there are no winners or losers here. Some of the features are better on Upwork while some are better on Freelancer. In the end, everything boils down to what you like and which platform you are most comfortable with.

Here’s something more worth a read for you:

How To Create An Upwork Profile That Will Surely Get Approved

Freelancers, Find Your Next Client. Here’s How

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