7 Best Websites for Freelancers in 2020

As its name suggests, a freelancer has complete freedom to choose what and when to work. But, it has some serious drawbacks if done wrong. If you are someone who can efficiently manage work and life balance then freelancing can be a game-changer for you.

Today, I’m here to talk about the best websites from where you can start your freelancing career.

Before getting started, you need to understand the basic idea behind freelancing. It’s very important because it helps you find out whether you can be an online freelancer or not.

Freelancing requires you to have a skill that you offer to clients and earn money in exchange. If you have a skill then you can be hired for specific tasks. Now, it depends on the task whether it requires physical presence or can be done remotely.

For example, freelancing jobs for Handyman, Home Cleaning, Gardening, or Furniture Assembly requires physical presence. Whereas there are many digital skills (e.g. App Development, Graphic Designing, Content Writing, etc.) that can be offered from home.

The websites I mentioned below are for those who want to work from home. Because it’s easier to provide digital services online and scale your business. So, without any further ado let’s have a look at my recommended freelancing job sites.

Full disclaimer: I’m not a freelancer myself, though I have many friends freelancing. The sites here collected are recommendations from people with more experience than me on the field, I simply compiled them and presented them into the blog. I also have, at the moment of writing, no affiliations to any of the websites here listed.

Additionally, the list is in no particular order, they are all great resources filling different needs and markets.

1- Fiverr

Fiverr introduced the service based freelance marketplace instead of the traditional project and bids mechanism. You can think of it as a market where people open their shops and provide services.

Let’s suppose you are a graphic designer who wants to offer services on Fiverr. Now, you can create services like logo design, infographics, social media post design, etc.

An interesting thing about Fiverr is that they call services as Gig. So, you will be creating gigs to get freelance jobs.

Fiverr also offers many benefits to high-performing freelancers using their level system. You start with a basic seller account and then gain different badges as you complete more orders.

Fiverr started as a platform where people would post gigs for usd $5, however now how evolved and you can find there, services ranging all levels of pricing and experience.

2- Upwork

Upwork was founded as a result of the Elance and oDesk merger. Both of them were freelance marketplaces and were quite popular at that time. In turn, it helped Upwork gain initial adoption by the freelancers as well as the employers.

It works on a project and bids model. Meaning that a client post a job with all of his requirements and then freelancers apply on that job with their proposal. Now, the client has to decide which freelancer is more suitable for his work.

A few years back, the bidding on projects was completely free. Every month we get 60 connects to apply on jobs. A connect is just like a token that is used to restrict freelancers to only apply to a handful of jobs. It helps reduce spam and improve the overall quality of the platform.

Since May 2019, Upwork has added a small fee of $0.15 per connect. It further enhances the platform because now everyone has to submit applications more carefully.

3- Toptal

Hiring a remote workforce has many benefits for startups and enterprise-level companies. It enables them to scale their business in no time. But, most of these companies can’t rely on freelancers with just a beginner level skillset.

That’s why Toptal has placed a very tough mechanism to only pick the top 3% of freelance talent. It means only the best of the best freelancers can join this platform.

Once you get the approval, then you’ll have way better chances to receive a higher hourly rate than other freelancing platforms.

Toptal is an exclusive community, and it certainly has my respect for the interview process and challenges they create to make sure they connect customers to the best of the best.

They also offer some great hiring guides, you can check them out here:

• Hiring Guide for Python
• Hiring Guide for JavaScript

4- Codementor

Learning a programming language or framework is not an easy task especially if you haven’t coded before. Even professional developers are sometimes stuck on challenges that they can’t handle themselves. In those situations, it’s better to take help from a mentor.

Codementor has introduced a different perspective of freelancing. Here, you can guide someone about programming/development and can earn a handsome amount of money every month.

5- Arc

Arc is specifically designed for companies to hire the best developers who can work remotely. It saves their heavy expenses while providing the highest level of quality work.

If you think you have the right programming skills to fulfill the client requirements then apply for a developer account. Arc will then examine your skills through a recruiting process. If all goes well then you will be able to apply on high-paying jobs.

6- Constant Content

As a programmer, you are not limited to just development related jobs. If you also have good English writing skills then why not become a technical content writer?

Many startups or big tech giants are actively looking for content writers to expand their organic reach. But, before getting started, it’s better if you have your own blog. It will work as a portfolio to get freelance work quickly.

Constant Content is a platform that connects freelance content writers with businesses. You can offer custom content or even ready-made articles at a higher rate than others.

7- DesignCrowd

Graphic Designing is one of the most popular categories for freelance work. It receives tons of orders every single day on freelancing platforms.

DesignCrowd has mixed the concepts of crowdsourcing in the freelance graphic designing world.

Here, an employer has to briefly explain his requirements and wait for the community of freelancers to submit their designs. He can then approve the design he likes. In turn, the DesignCrowd platform will release the payment to the right freelancer.

Conclusion

These are not the only market places for freelancers, but there are sites that offer tremendous opportunities for developers, engineers, designers, and others to connect to potential customers from all over the world. Some of these platforms also act as intermediate/brokers, guaranteeing the quality of services and contractors.

I hope this guide helped you and introduced you to new opportunities.

PS: check out my guides on the best programming blogs and best data science / AI blogs for 2020.

Thanks for reading!

Juan Cruz Martinez

Juan has made it his mission to help aspiring developers unlock their full potential. With over two decades of hands-on programming experience, he understands the challenges and rewards of learning to code. By providing accessible and engaging educational content, Juan has cultivated a community of learners who share their passion for coding. Leveraging his expertise and empathetic teaching approach, Juan has successfully guided countless students on their journey to becoming skilled developers, transforming lives through the power of technology.