12/01/2021
Looking to freelance? These 7 freelance Sites will help you tto work from home
With the digital nomad culture on the rise, more and more people are becoming their own bosses. You don’t need to have a billion-dollar idea and trillion-dollar funding to do that; all you need is the right skillset. A freelancing opportunity will help you find and do the rest. The freelancing industry is so robust that it is expected that freelancers will comprise about 50 percent of India’s workforce by 2020. If you have a skill, chances are, you are more likely to survive and thrive better on your own than working under someone. But you don’t just need to possess the right skill set; you also need to have a good profile to back you up. In fact, landing a freelance IT gig has become tougher today than it was a mere three years ago. Getting a freelancing gig While freelancing can be done in any profession, the IT sector is one of the most popular yet tough to land a freelance job in. Projects for web design, content writing, SEO, graphic designing, coding, app development, book-keeping, etc., are getting harder to land day by day. A lot of websites offer freelance opportunities for professions other than the IT sector, be it carpentry, dance, art, masonry etc., but these are mostly categorised in end-to-end freelance sites. They do not have specialised websites as such. Irrespective of the kind of job, as I have mentioned earlier, the first and foremost challenge a freelancer faces is to getting accepted by these websites. I will focus on how you can build such a profile at the end of this article, but let us first take a closer look at the top freelance websites in various domains along with their pros and cons.
With the digital nomad culture on the rise, more and more people are becoming their own bosses. You don’t need to have a billion-dollar idea and trillion-dollar funding to do that; all you need is the right skillset. A freelancing opportunity will help you find and do the rest. The freelancing industry is so robust that it is expected that freelancers will comprise about 50 percent of India’s workforce by 2020. If you have a skill, chances are, you are more likely to survive and thrive better on your own than working under someone. But you don’t just need to possess the right skill set; you also need to have a good profile to back you up. In fact, landing a freelance IT gig has become tougher today than it was a mere three years ago. Getting a freelancing gig While freelancing can be done in any profession, the IT sector is one of the most popular yet tough to land a freelance job in. Projects for web design, content writing, SEO, graphic designing, coding, app development, book-keeping, etc., are getting harder to land day by day. A lot of websites offer freelance opportunities for professions other than the IT sector, be it carpentry, dance, art, masonry etc., but these are mostly categorised in end-to-end freelance sites. They do not have specialised websites as such. Irrespective of the kind of job, as I have mentioned earlier, the first and foremost challenge a freelancer faces is to getting accepted by these websites. I will focus on how you can build such a profile at the end of this article, but let us first take a closer look at the top freelance websites in various domains along with their pros and cons.
1. Upwork is one of the top-rated websites in the world when it comes to freelancing and freelance jobs. It has about 50 lakh registered businesses and 1.2 crore registered freelancers for more than 30 domains. The jobs range from writing, designing, marketing, sales, customer support, ethical hacking, accounting, and much more.
Upwork is one of the top-rated websites in the world when it comes to freelancing and freelance jobs. It has about 50 lakh registered businesses and 1.2 crore registered freelancers for more than 30 domains. The jobs range from writing, designing, marketing, sales, customer support, ethical hacking, accounting, and much more.
Upwork charges about 20 percent of the total fee you would be charging for your services for the first five jobs, after which it charges about 5 percent of the fee. While a few argue that there are hidden charges, there are hardly any valid Indian stories to back this claim. Upwork is mostly for top-rated professionals and getting a profile approved can be daunting. The key to getting approval is being genuine in your application. I shall get more into detail about this at the end of the article. Pros: A vast number of jobs across various domains Trusted by millions of Transparent payment methods High profile value Cons: High commission charges Profile approval is not instantaneous 2. Fiverr was founded in 2010 on the concept of buying and selling of freelance services globally, starting at just $5. The prices would go up depending on the complexity, skill, demand, and duration of the job. It soon grew in popularity and is now actively used by millions of users to offer and use freelance services in more than 30 different domains. Fiverr has a “gig” culture where you, as a client, post a gig for a certain requirement. A freelancer with a relevant skill set can bid for this and “get the Gig”. It works extremely well for beginners of different and vocational skill sets to start searching for gigs in domains such as writing, dancing, editing, painting, and coding, among various other niches. Though simple and easy to use, Fiverr has always been controversial due to its low pay rates and professionals globally complaining about the quality of the work being delivered. Be sure to bid well and deliver quality work while you’re at it. Pros: Simple to use and get started Has a wide range of niches and domains Ideal for beginners too Cons: Low rates
Upwork charges about 20 percent of the total fee you would be charging for your services for the first five jobs, after which it charges about 5 percent of the fee. While a few argue that there are hidden charges, there are hardly any valid Indian stories to back this claim.
Upwork is mostly for top-rated professionals and getting a profile approved can be daunting. The key to getting approval is being genuine in your application. I shall get more into detail about this at the end of the article. Pros: A vast number of jobs across various domains Trusted by millions Transparent payment methods High profile value Cons: High commission charges Profile approval is not instantaneous
2. Fiverr
Fiverr was founded in 2010 on the concept of buying and selling freelance services globally, starting at just $5. The prices would go up depending on the complexity, skill, demand, and duration of the job. It soon grew in popularity and is now actively used by millions of users to offer and use freelance services in more than 30 different domains. Fiverr has a “gig” culture where you, as a client, post a gig for a certain requirement. A freelancer with a relevant skill set can bid for this and “get the Gig”. It works extremely well for beginners of different and vocational skill sets to start searching for gigs in domains such as writing, dancing, editing, painting, and coding, among various other niches. Though simple and easy to use, Fiverr has always been controversial due to its low pay rates and professionals globally complaining about the quality of the work being delivered. Be sure to bid well and deliver quality work while you’re at it. Pros: Simple to use and get started Has a wide range of niches and domains Ideal for beginners too Cons: Low rates
3. Freelancer.com
Freelancer, as the name suggests, is most straightforward and is used by a lot of IT freelancers, majorly in India, the UK, the US, and Pakistan. It has a presence in about 247 countries, and a total user base of 24 million. One can find a wide range of freelance jobs on this site: coding, web development, graphics, accounting, data entry, writing, sales, and marketing. From time to time, Freelancer hosts a range of bid competitions apart from the usual gig bidding. There are substantial cash prizes for winning these competitions. While jobs on this site are genuine and up to the mark, Freelancer has a history of getting into legal trouble over how it handles personal data. Pros: A vast number of jobs and easy to find Easy profile registration Great for IT sector Competitions for cash prizes Cons: Bid wars Issues over sharing sensitive information on bidding zones
4. Guru.om
Guru.com is one of the oldest freelance platforms on this list. It was founded in 1999 as eMoonlighter.com and then rebranded as Guru. This platform allows users to get paid not just by the hour or by the tasks but also based on milestones and recurring payments. While it is still among the top websites, the competition has certainly made headway in recent times. This, actually, is good news if you are a freelancer as it means that you have comparatively lesser competition when compared to giants such as Upwork or Fiverr. However, there is one major drawback – how the website handles client accounts and user funds. There have been reports of account suspensions, and it’s important that you proceed with proper caution. Pros: Less competition Can get paid by four different parameters (recurring, by tasks, by the hour, by the milestone) Cons: Account management
5. PeoplePerHour
As the name suggests, People per Hour is an online marketplace for hiring talent on a per-hour basis. It also has a unique collaborative feature. Collaborative streaming of projects allows freelancers to pool in human resources and work as a virtual team to finish their goals. This not only helps freelancers do a better job but also helps them grow their network. People Per Hour, apart from helping create a peer network, helps you build good client relations that may help you secure future jobs. Like Fiverr, this site does not deal in localized currency. While Fiverr deals in dollars, People Per Hour deals in pounds and pays out in the same currency. This might be a minor inconvenience for freelancers taking up international projects. Pros: Good pricing Great networking opportunity Portfolio management Team collaborations Cons: Payment is usually done in pounds (or euros)
6. UrbanPro
UrbanPro is an online tutorial portal, which has registered and verified teachers in every domain possible. Here, one can learn anything from basic mathematics to playing the cello. If you are talented and capable of teaching people of any age group, you could sign up and start teaching them online or offline too. All you need to do is create your profile, bid for the best, have a conversation with your would-be student, and start your classes. Pros: Good reputation of having high-quality trainers Premium plans to give freelancers more visibility and branding Cons: Customer care service
7. Broxer.com
Broxer is the perfect way for beginners to start their freelancing careers. One can start offering services such as writing, graphic designing, coding, etc., for as low as Rs 250 per hour. Signing up and getting this experience can also help you build a better profile for high-end freelancer sites. Pros: Low commission rate Free registration for job seekers and employers Cons: Less popular than other websites
