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Sites Like Upwork: 10 Best Upwork Competitors to Consider in 2020

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Freelance sites like Upwork are in large abundance on the internet. You can easily find Upwork alternatives for hiring freelancers or getting hired by clients for services you render.

However, not all the freelance companies similar to Upwork are worth your time—considering the fact that we’ve seen several freelance sites evaporate from the web in recent times.

Some Upwork competitors are copycats that may disappear as quickly as they appeared—because they are trying too hard to mimic Upwork instead of providing something a little bit different.

Upwork is like the oldest freelance company in the world—Logically, though. Elance and oDesk (trace as far back as 1999) were merged and re-branded to Upwork in 2015.

So it’ll not be easy for any competitor to quickly match its prowess in the Freelance marketplace. Nonetheless, we’ve been able to compile a list of the very best 10 websites like upwork to consider in 2020.

Why get an Upwork alternative?

Fine, Upwork is huge and boasts of millions of customers worldwide. Its huge size has also created a huge limitation to Clients and new freelancers.

New freelancers find it difficult to get jobs because they have no reviews and recommendations on their profiles. Furthermore, they have to compete for the slightest of job postings with other freelancers who are willing to go lower than 2000 Meters below sea level.

Clients, on the other hand, get tons of applications to the smallest of job postings—which makes separating quality from quantity a complicated task.

Also, creating an account with many freelance sites increases your chances of getting more freelance jobs or hiring freelancers to get urgent jobs done.

Here are 10 freelance sites Like Upwork for freelancers and buyers:

1. Fiverr

Fiverr as an Upwork alternative

Fiverr is the biggest direct Upwork competitor out there. It is also large and boasts of millions of customers too.

It’s safe to consider Fiverr as one of the best alternatives to Upwork for freelancers looking to work short-term on quick gigs without stress or having to write application for job postings.

Upwork and Fiverr have a lot of similarities and differences in their setup. (see also, Fiverr vs Upwork).

Similarities between Fiverr and Upwork:

  • While some freelance websites like 99designs and iwriter limit you to just a particular category, Upwork and Fiverr allow you to render or hire virtually any professional service possible.
  • Upwork and Fiverr are the most popular freelance marketplaces in the world—according to Alexa traffic stats.
  • Both platforms have been slated on several reviews for the lackluster performance of their support teams; which is pretty much typical of most platforms with such large number of customers.
  • Freelancers can list their services free of charge.

How’s Fiverr different from Upwork?

  • No subscription plans needed for buyers to access the best freelancers. You can easily access and hire the top rated sellers and Fiverr pro sellers as long as they are ready to work with you. Expect them to charge you higher, though.
  • Top sellers are usually featured—which makes outsourcing a bit more easier for buyers.
  • Sellers offer specific Gigs, which makes it easy for buyers to find exact services without posting a buyer request.
  • Fiverr has a more user-friendly platform and a more active forum.

Want to sign up with Fiverr? Click here to do that now!

2. PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour homepage

PeoplePerHour is a UK-based freelance company that has been around since 2007. PeoplePerHour boasts of freelancers who have undergone thorough quality-check—which reduces the complications involved in outsourcing.

Although not as large, I find PPH an ideal alternative to Upwork because it has continued to experience massive growth, and is quickly becoming one of the most popular freelance marketplaces out there.

How is PeoplePerHour a site like Upwork?

  • PPH also allows freelancers to provide services in a wide range of categories—which includes graphics design, content creation and promotion, software & web development, etc.
  • Just like Upwork, you can post a job and allow freelancers in the community to find and bid for it.
  • Freelancers do not need to pay a dime before they start selling.

How’s PeoplePerHour different from Upwork?

  • Completely free to create an account and hire any freelancer of your choice. This is unlike Upwork where buyers need to subscribe to a pro account to get access to the very best freelancers.
  • On PeoplePerHour, all freelancers have undergone a quality-check before they are allowed to sell. Upwork, on the other hand, allows freelancers to post jobs without taking Upwork tests. This makes outsourcing more difficult on Upwork than PPH.
  • It’s easier to browse through the profile of freelancers to find the one suitable for your job.
  • Posting a job is free but getting your job featured, however, requires that you pay some fees.

3. Freelancer

Freelancer homepage view

Freelancer is another popular freelance site like Upwork. It is literally the only popular freelance site that bears the exact domain name with the service it provides.

Freelancer boasts of nearly 20 million customers worldwide and the figure keeps increasing.

Its platform is highly user-friendly; and as a web designer, I’d have to admit that I admire the interface Freelancer provides.

How is Freelancer a website like Upwork?

  • It’s free to post jobs for freelancers to bid on.
  • Both platforms boast of millions of freelancers and buyers
  • Both platforms allow freelancers to render their services in a long list of categories, which makes it possible to hire freelancers to perform virtually any professional job.

How’s Freelancer different from Upwork?

  • Depending on the membership plan you’re subscribed to, buyers will be charged a fee of 3% or $3 for accepted job offers.
  • You can get freelancers to enter a contest for your job and present samples for your project. The freelancers with the work most appealing to you will be declared winner of that contest; and you get to pay just the winner of that contest.
  • Access to hire project managers to monitor your project if you’re not willing to go through the hassle. However, it will come at an extra cost.

4. Guru

Homepage of Guru.com

On guru.com you can easily browse through over 3 million services rendered by over 1.5 million freelancers on the platform. Although it is a relatively smaller Upwork alternative in terms of size, it is very similar to Upwork in many other aspects.

Monitoring freelancers’ report and work-time is very easy from your dashboard. Additionally, you can collaborate with your Guru team for a long-term project via your work-room—so you won’t have to start searching for a freelancer each time you have a job. This is also good for freelancers, as the chances of working long term and always getting jobs will be hugely increased.

What makes Guru similar to Upwork?

  • On both platforms you can establish a long term partnership with buyers you trust.
  • Freelancers do not have to pay any dime to start selling.

How does Guru differ from Upwork?

  • Buyers have to pay $29.95 to create a featured job and get gurus to bid on, which is in contrast with the way Upwork is setup.
  • Restructure project management through a comprehensive dashboard.

5. TopTal

Homepage of TopTal offical website

TopTal is like the best platform to hire pre-vetted freelancers. It’s not so easy for a freelancer to get signed up with TopTal, as the vetting process is extremely rigorous.

According to TopTal, only 3% of the applicants trying to get a freelance account end up successful. Which is a huge disappointment to the remaining 97%.

What is bad for freelance applicants is, however, good for buyers. Freelance outsourcing is extremely easy on TopTal because you’re bound to hire a freelancer among the top 3% talent in the world.

How TopTal is a site like Upwork:

  • You can provide professional services in a wide range of categories or hire freelancers to complete jobs in fields under developing, design, and marketing & finance expert.

How’s this Upwork alternative different?

  • Some applicants get dropped deliberately even if they are qualified—since TopTal aims at keeping only the top 3%—which is unlike Upwork.
  • All freelancers are fluent in English Language. It is a criteria for passing the screening process.
  • A no cost access to the best freelancers for two weeks. During that two weeks, the only fees you pay are what freelancers charge.
  • Expect to get jobs done at a higher fee compared to Upwork.

6. Microworkers

Homepage of Microworker.com

Microworker is an freelance marketplace that connects clients with freelancers worldwide. I will not call it a direct Upwork competitor right now, though—as it is by far a much smaller platform. But with the Uniqueness of its platform, Upwork has got to watch for this site especially in the areas it offers services.

The tasks assigned to Workers by clients are easy and can be completed quickly, and that’s where it gets its name from “microworkers”.

How’s Microworkers a site like Upwork?

  • Freelancers are not limited to specific categories. They can render services in areas that include data mining, data matching, transcription, research studies, application testing and so much more.
  • Uses a rating system that can allow you to easily fish out the best freelancers based on previous jobs and recommendations.

in what areas is this Upwork alternative different?

  • While there are a wide range of services you can hire freelancers on, you’re limited to mostly micro jobs that should get completed within hours.
  • Microworkers provide templates from previous projects that can be replicated easily without having start from scratch. This makes it easy for people looking to get urgent jobs done.
  • It is a much more smaller freelance site boasting of over 600,000 freelancers which is in huge contrast to Upwork that boasts of over 30 million.

7. Outsourcely

Homepage of outsourcely.com

Outsourcely is a freelance marketplace that connects clients with remote workers from around the world—who offer their services in several areas, including: Design & Multimedia, Web Development, Content writing, Admin support, etc.

You can browse through the remote workers by categories or post a remote job for workers to apply for.

Outsourcely provides something very similar to what Upwork does, but with a slight twist.

How does Outsourcely rival Upwork?

  • According to Alexa stats, Outsourcely is very popular in the US; which happens to be Upwork’s thriving ground.
  • Remote workers at Outsourcely are pre-vetted, so you can rest assured knowing you’ll be hiring someone with quality.
  • Buyers needn’t pay any commission fees for hiring freelancers.
  • Comprehensive tools for easy communication with remote workers and dashboard for monitoring project.
  • Opportunity to work long-term with remote workers at no extra-cost.

8. Fivesquid

Homepage of Fivesquid.com

Fivesquid has been around for a long time and keeps growing. It is a British-based freelance marketplace for providing services starting at £5 (British currency).

Fivesquid is more like a direct Fiverr competitor as it brings about almost the same concept as Fiverr. But whatever competes with Fiverr also competes with Upwork—which makes it suitable for my list of Upwork competitors.

How’s Fivesquid an Upwork competitor?

  • First of, Alexa stat shows that it is very popular in the EU and Asia (India and Pakistan Especially). This reduces the Asian-based freelance workforce that should have been at Upwork.
  • Fivesquid allows freelancers to render virtually any professional services too.
  • It’s easier to hire the best freelancers on Fivesquid. Right from the Homepage, the best freelancers are featured.

9. Witmart

Homepage of witmart.com

Witmart is a popular Chinese-based freelance marketplace for hiring freelancers and getting hired for jobs involving designs, copyrighting, app & software development, event planning, and many more.

How’s Witmart and Upwork competitor?

Although Witmart is Chinese-based with over 80% of its visitors coming from China, it has been investing much into gaining global recognition lately.

Witmart provides services similar to Upwork in several categories, and also allows buyers to post jobs free of charge for freelancers to bid on.

10. TaskRabbit

Homepage of taskrabbit.com

TaskRabbit is an online marketplace that matches freelance workers with local demands for everyday tasks—involving cleaning, handyman work, repairs, etc.

An Upwork research has it that over 40 million Americans work as freelancers full-time or part-time. This figure is projected to increase drastically in the next decade.

TaskRabbit has played its role in contributing to the American freelance workforce—as it serves over 50 cities in the United States and United Kingdom.

Why is TaskRabbit an Upwork Competitor?

  • TaskRabbit has been around since 2008 and, just like Upwork, has its headquarters located in California.
  • If Upwork ever thought of venturing more into providing services for everyday task, then it’ll have to face stern competition from the current big guy in the game ‘TaskRabbit’.

Which of the Upwork competitors should you choose?

The problem with having such a long list of websites like Upwork is that it tends to stir confusion. Choosing and starting afresh with another freelance website is never easy. You’re never certain how the experience would turn out to be.

The list you see up there are some of the very best freelance companies for rendering or getting general services. So any of them is worth your time—depending on your location, needs and spending power.

There are several other big-time freelance sites targeted at specific services, but I chose to leave them out—since the target of this post was to point out websites like Upwork. In other words, I don’t consider websites that provide specific services a perfect fit for a list of websites similar to Upwork.

If you feel like there’s a website in this list not deserving of its spot, please do let me know.

If you enjoyed this guide, then please connect with us on Facebook and YouTube to get access to our tips faster than anyone else.

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