Most experienced freelancers will likely tell you not to rely on freelancing marketplaces to find work.
It’s good advice because those sites, like UpWork, pressure you to compete with other freelancers and lower your chances of landing high-paying jobs.
But, the truth is, we all have to start somewhere and the chances are even the most experienced freelancers have used a freelancing site at some point in their career to score a project or two.
The first freelancing site I used was Elance (now UpWork). I didn’t get many jobs on this platform, but I used it to connect with clients and build long-term partnerships. At the time, there wasn’t too much competition on Elance so landing a job was easier than it is today.
If you’re new to freelancing, sites like UpWork, PeoplePerHour, Fiverr, or Freelancer.com won’t do you any good. It’s best to look for a site with less competition to improve your chances of making money early on in your career.
I’ve handpicked a few of the best new freelancing sites that might help you get started in freelancing more easily. These recently launched sites have low competition and will allow you to build your reputation without having to compete for low prices.
Periodix
Periodix is a new freelance job board that curates jobs from various other marketplaces. It features remote job listings from many different fields, including graphic design, marketing, coding, and even customer support. This site gets updated with new jobs daily and it’s worth keeping bookmarked if you want to keep track of the latest jobs in your niche in one place.
1840 & Company
1840 & Company is a freelance agency that helps clients build top-tier remote teams with their handpicked and vetted freelance professionals. The agency is always looking for new talent to join the team. You can apply to join them as a freelance expert on their website. If you have experience and skills, joining a freelance agency is a great way to get a steady stream of work and a reliable paycheck.
Crackerjack
Crackerjack is a game-changing online service marketplace, serving the US market with precision. It connects individuals and businesses with local freelancers, offering a diverse array of services across various categories. What makes Crackerjack stand out is its commission-based business model, allowing service providers to earn income while delivering top-notch services.
Moreover, Crackerjack takes the lead with its incredibly low fees, making it the most cost-effective choice in the industry. Whether you need assistance or want to showcase your skills, Crackerjack provides a seamless platform for all, redefining the way people connect and collaborate in the digital era.
99DollarSocial
99DollarSocial is a unique site that provides social media management services to businesses. The platform provides high-quality social media posts and management to keep business pages on social channels up-to-date. You can join this site as a creator to provide content for these business social pages. It’s easy work. Check out the link for details.
SproutGigs
SproutGigs is a new freelancing site that allows you to both accept projects posted by clients and offers your services as gigs at the same time. It’s like a Fiverr alternative with a more friendly attitude toward freelancers. This site charges a $0.65 job approval fee and a 7% of completion fee for your orders, which is much lower compared to other marketplaces.
Worksome
Worksome is a new and reputable freelancing marketplace that only accepts a few select number of skilled freelancers. It also heavily promotes local freelancers in the UK. The platform only has a little over 6,000 freelancers at the moment.
SkipTheDrive
SkipTheDrive is another lesser-known freelancing site that works as a job board for various industries. Whether you’re a freelancer in the finance industry, project management, or programming, there are plenty of jobs to choose from in this freelance marketplace.
VirtualVocations
VirtualVocations is a freelance job board that features a regularly updated list of freelance jobs and remote position openings at reputable companies. This site includes many different categories to search for the ideal job to match your skills.
Rev
Rev is a platform that provides transcription and caption services to podcasters and YouTubers. The platform accepts transcribers to the platform. If you’re good at listening to audio speech and converting them into text, this platform is a great starting point for getting into transcription services.
Microlancer
Microlancer is a unique freelancing platform that rewards freelancers with Bitcoin instead of money. The platform constantly gets updated with new tasks and jobs that once completed pays with Bitcoin. This may not be a suitable platform for all freelancers. If you’re interested in investing on Bitcoin, this may give you a chance to earn Bitcoin in an easier way.
Zeerk
Zeerk is a 5-year-old freelancing site, slowly growing with new freelancers every day. The site features a system that allows you to price your services from $5 to $500. You can register and start selling for free, but Zeerk will collect an 8% to 20% commission from each of your sale.
Twine
Twine is a fresh and a rising freelance platform with over 175,000 freelancers working in design, music, and film industries. The platform is best for creative professionals offering services such as graphic design, illustration, music, film, game design, etc. Twine is completely free to use and it doesn’t charge any kind of a fee from freelancers.
GlassDoor
GlassDoor is not a freelance platform, it’s a job board that connects employers with freelancers. The site allows you to find jobs related to your industry near your local area and apply for the jobs. GlassDoor has a massive directory that will guarantee a freelancing gig for you.
The Freelancer Club
This UK based website offers two options for freelancers: A Free account with limited features or a £11.99 per month premium plan which allows users to bid on an unlimited number of projects, rank higher on the charts, access to business directories, and more.
Throttl
Throttl is a platform that has a curated selection of freelancers. Getting accepted into this platform won’t be easy and you’ll have to prove your skills but it will be worth it. Throttl is a fairly new platform and offers jobs that are in the digital marketing industry. The platform fees for Throttl are not disclosed on the website (or I was unable to find them). Reach out to them via email for more info.
Robert Half Talent Solutions
Robert Half Talent Solutions (previously Creative Group) is a creative staffing agency that connects freelancers with marketing, advertising, and public relations agencies. If you’re a freelancer from the US, you can submit your CV through the site and get access to their offers. Or you can start looking for jobs using its remote job search tool.
Work N Hire
Work N Hire is yet another freelancing site from India, which uses a credit system for applying for jobs. You get 20 free proposals every month. Adding an additional 5 credits will cost you 50 INR.
Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with any of these freelancing sites and I haven’t tested out their services. So, proceed with caution. Some of these sites are completely new and they might even disappear at any time without a warning. Read each site’s terms, conditions, and privacy statements. Choose wisely.
Zeerk is the best unlimited jobs reasonable fees, good support, try them they awesome by the way when i try to load workster got error
Hi Frank, thanks for your feedback on Zeerk and pointing out the error. It seems like the site has been shut down. Like I said you’ll never know when these sites will disappear 🙂
well that is true also another point on that with Zeerk, they already as you you mentioned yourself 5 years, so more trustful, i went over a few of the others they full of grammar and bugs, not really professional in my opinion, i am member of Zeerk for i think 3-4 months only but against another platform that i do not want to mention here they are far better, i looked very closely to Zeerk options and i did not see any other with the same, anyway in the few months got some nice big jobs, the problem is with Zeerk and many others seems other people do not give them a try they stay hanging with…the so ‘famous’ platform that have bad support, asking high fees and even ask fees to the buyers…yep Zeerk for me should be on 1 in the list only 1 reason because they already there for 5 years so they won’t shutdown as fast as all others (i hope they don’t shut down at all) Zeerk like you mentioned is getting slowly bigger is true and more upgrades, more options where peopel can buy with and withdrawal just look at there FB page for updates! thanks anyway for this post that i found because ZEERK shared it
I agree. Some of the sites don’t come close to even the web standards. But, like you said, the main idea behind this post was to give freelancers alternatives options to those popular, high-competitive sites. Folks at Zeerk were kind enough to share the link so as a thank you I bumped their site to the top of the list. BTW thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Hi Roshan,
I found FlexiPort as good website as well. Although it is not a well know one like Work n Hire but I keep getting quality reliable projects from it.
URL: http://www.theflexiport.com/
Hi Shaket,
Flexiport seems like a good site. Thanks for mentioning it.
Jobz done is now migrated to http://www.freelancerejobs.com. They are still developing their website
I can see workster as working. Should I go for it ?
Yeah it seems to be back online. Check it out and let us know how it goes.
Be sure to check out Network-Freelance.co.uk in about 3 weeks when they come out of BETA – Its got a few speed issues at the moment but looks very promising.
hi roshan freelancing needs experience as clients are very irritating people they pay you for results, i cant say much about the lists as all are good, the lists above mentioned are for seeking clients so yes they are Important However main Thing is your skills, you work and delivery thanks for good article.
Thanks for the detailed article! You should have a look to http://www.aog.jobs – online IT marketplace. Find jobs and hire workers at a click.
Hi Roshan,
This list is awesome and informative.
Thank you so much for this.
There is a website I would like to recomend to add in this list:
https://www.toogit.com/
Thanks Roshan! Never heard of cloudpeeps, giving this a try.
Thanks for this great post. Just to add to the list, there is Talent Hubstaff.
Completely free. I personally think they are going to be the next big thing. Unfortunately for now, don’t expect lots of projects from there due to the low numbers. But you can actually take your clients over and save lots of money in commission fees.
You’ve been very helpful, Roshan. Though this post was written 2 years ago, I still find it insanely helpful. Twine, for example. I love it. Thank you.
Any portal specific for Australian freelancers/client?
Try the Freelance Collective – https://thefreelancecollective.com.au/
Hi Roshan, just discovered your site. You’ve put up a detailed list. Thanks for this. I have a question though. I am from India. Have been doing content writing for a few months now. Can you suggest a good freelancing writing site specifically? Where there is a daily flow of opportunities from Indian clients. I don’t want to pay 20 %plus taxes as commission. You know it hurts when about 38 to 40 % is deducted. What would your advice be for to new content writer? Where can I find steady work flow plus where there is less competition? I know this has been a long comment but I need some good direction as I start my content writing journey. Thank you again.
Truelancer is the only site I know of that’s based in India – https://www.truelancer.com/ BTW, you should always include taxes in your prices.
Very informative article. My experience with Truelancer is very bad. I completed a project but did not get paid even though the client had deposited the money.
Thanks for this, there are loads of options in here that I never imagined existed, all very different to each other. It should keep me busy for a while
Dear Roshan,
Thank you for your detailed information about the freelancing sites for the freshers in this field. Could you please let me know, the less competitive sites which provides jobs for data entry , such as simple typing works in MS word, making excel sheets etc., i.e, for the people who are not aware of other computer jobs?
Awesome content brother. Well done ..
Great list. I’m been freelancing as a Graphic Designer for over 8 years and I’ve used most of the sites you’ve listed. Glassdoor and Twine used to be good sources of work but they’ve gone downhill.
Freelancer Club has begun branching out to Graphic Designers and I really like that they are a members club with a community. I tap into their virtual events, business advice and resources as well as jobs.
Worksome’s UX is cool and lists decent opportunities from time to time too.
Thank you Bro
There are two main advantages of smaller, lesser-known platforms: low competition and specificity. Getting hired on the largest platforms is already difficult for novice freelancers, but there are smaller, more targeted platforms where they are able to get their foot in the door.
Is there any freelancing website for beginners in mechanical engineering design in creo?
That’s a very specific niche. I’m not sure if there are sites for that type of work. But you could try searching on job boards.