Need Freelancers? Here are the 13 Best Websites to Hire Them

As the world evolves, so do the ways of hiring. In the year 2023, the online world has opened up endless possibilities for those who are looking to hire a freelancer. From a small one-time job to long-term commitments, these platforms have made it easier to find the right person for the job. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right platform for your specific needs. However, we have done the research for you and have put together a list of the best websites to hire freelancers. Whether you need a niche skill or a broad range of expertise, these platforms cater to all kinds of projects and budgets.

So, let’s dive in and explore the different platforms that we will be covering in this article.

Upwork

Freelancing is on the rise, and Upwork is one of the best platforms for finding and hiring solo professionals or entire teams for a wide range of services. From development and IT to finance and accounting, or from writing and translation to legal services, Upwork has got you covered. You can choose from three ways to hire on Upwork: post a job and hire freelancers from the Talent Marketplace, browse the Project Catalog, or use Talent Scout to take a recruiter’s help to find the right professional or team.

Upwork boasts millions of active profiles, and you can easily find your next favorite freelancer by posting a job or browsing through thousands of gigs. With endless filters, you can narrow your search and even filter results based on freelancers’ Job Success Score. Millions of freelancers are available to be hired, and Upwork makes it easy to connect with them. You can initiate chats, schedule video meetings, exchange files, and even monitor work by keeping an eye on work diaries.

Each hiring method on Upwork has its own cost structure. To hire freelancers under the Talent Scout plan, you pay only the hourly rate of each professional and nothing more. In the Talent Marketplace, you can access verified freelancers after viewing their work history and reviews, pay them safely and be covered by a payment protection plan for free. Additionally, there’s the Plus program which entitles you to a dedicated account manager at $49.99/mo + admin fee of 3% of all payments to freelancers.

It currently has 12 million registered freelancers and over 5 million clients. Upwork’s Payment Protection plan adds an extra layer of security, and since payment isn’t released until clients approve the work, freelancers are encouraged to deliver precisely what they’ve promised.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a popular freelance platform with thousands of freelancers in over 400 categories of digital services, such as programming and graphic design. It offers Fiverr Business, which gives businesses access to a verified catalog of top talent, collaboration tools, and a Business Success Manager. Fiverr is known for its affordable prices, with projects paid by the job, starting as low as $5. Freelancers can set their own prices and packages, and payments are built into the platform.

Fiverr Pro narrows down your search to the top freelancers in their field, vetted for their experience, education, reviews, and portfolio. Fiverr ranked well in job posting features and functionality, but it has a 5.5% transaction rate and more complaints about scams and customer support than others on the list. Fiverr Business is free for the first year and $149 annually after that. Overall, Fiverr is a great freelance website for beginners and anyone willing to offer different rates for various work.

FlexJobs

FlexJobs is a comprehensive platform for finding remote work opportunities. The website features jobs ranging from web design to animal behaviorist. Employers can geo-target candidates and integrate with partner Applicant Tracking Systems. Employers get a dedicated customer support, customized employer profile and can submit a job feed from 20+ ATS. Expert consultation, virtual job fairs, premium placements, and targeted emails are attractive upgrade options.

The platform offers filters that center around flexibility, allowing job seekers to filter by remote/hybrid/onsite, work schedule, travel requirements, etc. Pricing plans start at $399/mo, $859/quarter and $2,999/year, with a 50% discount for nonprofits. FlexJobs is an excellent resource for finding flexible remote work opportunities for job seekers and a platform for employers to find freelancers for regular and experimental jobs.

Dribbble

Dribbble is a platform that allows creatives to showcase their skills and find job opportunities. Employers visit the site to hire designers for both full-time and freelance roles. Dribbble offers features such as powerful search and filtering, unlimited messaging, and bookmarking designers for future projects. A paid subscription is required for access to advanced filtering and direct messaging.

Dribbble is also a great platform for freelancers to find design work, and having a high-quality profile is crucial for showcasing your capabilities. With a pro-level subscription, designers can access an exclusive freelance design job board. Dribbble Hiring offers two pricing options: designer search or job postings starting at $299/month, or access to both services for $499/month.

Behance

Behance, an online creative community supported by Adobe, provides a platform for artists to showcase their profiles and projects. Behance also has a Jobs List section, which offers full-time or part-time jobs as well as internships. While artists can apply for free, employers pay a fee to post job ads.

Employers looking to hire freelancers can save candidates, receive applications and recommendations from Behance. Additionally, Behance is one of the best sites for freelancers in creative fields, offering a social media network to connect with other designers. Behance also offers a jobs section with high-quality freelance work leads. A high-quality Behance profile with great project samples can put your work in front of an audience of like-minded creatives, and the coveted spot of a featured project can bring positive exposure.

Behance pricing starts at $399/job/mo, but during the pandemic, Behance is offering job postings for free. Employers can also post jobs on Behance if they subscribe to Adobe packages, like Creative Cloud Teams or Creative Cloud Enterprise.

People Per Hour

PeoplePerHour is a platform with over 3 million freelancers across 8,000+ skills, with filters for location, rates, and details. Clients can post a project, and the site matches them with relevant freelancers who then respond with proposals. Alternatively, clients can browse offers from freelancers and pick suitable ones. Project streams help communicate ideas and track progress.

With the help of AI, PeoplePerHour brings freelancers and clients together in a streamlined, precise way. Clients submit the project scope, and AI analyzes the details and matches the project with qualified freelancers. PeoplePerHour curates the freelancers’ proposals, which clients choose from. The platform also builds payments into the system to protect both parties from messy payment disagreements.

The site offers a free plan, but some users report hidden fees at checkout.

TaskRabbit

Need a reliable handyman for odd jobs around the house? Look no further than TaskRabbit. This platform connects customers with local freelance workers, known as “Taskers,” who are available to help with a range of tasks from cleaning to furniture assembly. With the Tasker app, you can easily find and book a Tasker on-the-go. TaskRabbit is available in many cities across the US and in select European countries. Businesses can also use TaskRabbit to build teams of local background-checked workers for any purpose.

Customers can compare reviews, ratings, and prices before booking and save favorites for repeat jobs. TaskRabbit also offers virtual services in addition to local freelance jobs. Pricing includes contracted service charges paid to Taskers, a service fee (about 15%) of contracted charges, support fees (about 7.5%), and any reimbursements, all of which are clearly displayed on invoices. TaskRabbit is perfect for anyone who wants to take on occasional freelance gigs in their area.

Codeable

For those seeking experts to solve any WordPress issue, Codeable is a popular freelancer platform. Their team of professionals offers a wide range of services related to building and maintaining WordPress sites. Codeable’s vetting process is comprehensive and ensures that only the best WordPress experts are available to solve your problems. These freelancers have six or more years of experience in WordPress development.

Codeable offers a free estimate to those who post a job, with no obligation to hire. This feature is perfect for businesses, agencies, and individuals looking for short-term, recurring, or full-time WordPress work. Codeable boasts over 20,000 businesses that rely on their experts to provide WordPress solutions. The platform offers individual fixed-price estimates based on the total scope, complexity, and urgency of each project. Codeable’s recommended rates range from $70 to $120 per hour, along with a service fee.

Moreover, Codeable’s experts offer several WordPress services, including theme customization, website optimization, plugin customization, website maintenance, and custom development. Codeable is an excellent platform for anyone looking for top-notch WordPress solutions.

Freelancer.com

The world of freelancing has been growing at an unprecedented pace, and one of the websites leading the charge is Freelancer.com. This platform has a vast number of freelancers from almost 250 countries, making it one of the largest online freelance marketplaces. Freelancer.com covers an array of freelancing services, ranging from graphic and logo design to marketing work like SEO and copywriting jobs. Moreover, you can even find freelance gigs in different languages, including Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese, among others.

Unlike other freelance websites, Freelancer.com is relatively easier to navigate, and its intuitive interface makes it easier to use. You can create a project or search for freelancers effortlessly. What makes Freelancer.com unique is its contest format, where you can post a job in one of three formats, including contests.

While Freelancer.com is not as cost-effective as other freelancing platforms like Fiverr or Upwork, it’s still a reliable option to find top talent. However, there are fees you must pay for add-on features like featuring your project, making it private, hiring a recruiter, or requiring an NDA. These fees stack up fast, so it’s essential to consider them beforehand.

With over 21 million gig workers worldwide, Freelancer.com has the broadest reach when it comes to finding freelancers globally. The website also allows job seekers to filter jobs by categories such as fixed-price projects, hourly rate projects, skills, languages, and contests, and every job listing displays the average bid along with the current number of bidders.

Toptal

Toptal is a platform that prides itself on being a global network of elite freelancers. With over 100,000 applicants annually, only 3% are accepted to join Toptal’s community of designers, developers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers. Each category is further divided, and the skills directory alone lists over 200 types of developers. Toptal’s rigorous five-step screening process ensures that only the best are accepted, making it a desirable platform for small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

Despite the lower score for pricing, Toptal is a great platform for finding high-end work from qualified freelancers. Additionally, Toptal’s exclusivity sets it apart from other job sites, making it an ideal place for top talent to be noticed by notable companies such as Airbnb, Duolingo, and Shopify. Every time you start working with a new freelancer, Toptal gives you a trial period of up to two weeks to ensure a successful match.

DesignCrowd

Finding the perfect designer for your project is made easy with DesignCrowd, boasting a community of over 750,000 designers. This freelance marketplace offers a variety of design types, from business cards to web design, and is perfect for small businesses with occasional design needs due to its affordable prices.

The process is simple: select a package, post a brief for three to 10 days, and review submissions from multiple designers. While the process may not be as in-depth as others, such as 99designs, the affordability is a worthy trade-off. DesignCrowd is also unique in that clients can work one-on-one with a designer or run a contest and review submitted designs. Once a favorite design is chosen, clients can provide feedback and request free unlimited revisions. Freelancers will compete with others on each project, but the platform offers a comprehensive marketplace for connecting freelance designers with clients worldwide.

99designs

Looking for a designer for your next project? Look no further than 99designs, a comprehensive freelance marketplace that offers two options for finding the right designer: hiring one directly or launching a contest. When you launch a contest, you’ll receive a variety of design entries from top designers in the field, giving you more options to choose from. While 99designs may not be the cheapest option out there, the quality of the designers is guaranteed. Plus, the site’s user-friendly platform makes it easy to set up a contest and communicate with designers.

Once you’ve selected your designer, you pay for the project upfront and receive all the rights to your design. If you have any issues, 99designs’ support team is responsive and eager to help.

For designers, 99designs is a great place to find freelance work online. You can specify your design styles and industries of interest, but it’s worth noting that there is a $100 introduction fee for matching you with clients, as well as platform and payment fees. Overall, whether you’re a client or a designer, 99designs offers a variety of features and benefits that make it a great choice for your next design project.

Guru

Guru is a freelancing platform that provides access to higher-quality and experienced freelancers, despite having higher fees than other platforms. The site’s interface is easy to navigate, with feedback scores and rates readily available on freelancer profiles. You can get quotes from individual freelancers with a click of a button, and the Work Room feature allows you to add multiple freelancers to a project, assign roles, and manage everything in one place. Top categories for freelancers include design and art, writing and translation, and programming and development.

In addition to offering transparency and valuing trust, Guru has a built-in vetting process for freelancers that simplifies the hiring process and proves their credibility to potential clients. Job postings on Guru communicate project details clearly, making it easier for freelancers to determine if a project is a good fit. Invoicing for work is also made simple with multiple payment terms and secure payments integrated into the site.