The top 12 Upwork alternatives for Freelancers and Employers

As of late, the worldwide freelance platform market has encountered noteworthy development, set apart by a critical ascent in the number of specialists and the use of independent stages. In 2022, the market was esteemed at $5.18 billion, and it is normal to reach $17.28 billion by 2030, showing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.8% from 2023 to 2030.

The huge expansion in outsourcing is a direct result of changes in how individuals work. An ever increasing number of individuals are becoming consultants. In the US, for instance, there were around 59 million specialists in 2020, which is around 36% of all laborers. This shows that more people like flexible work and jobs on the internet.

As additional individuals work as freelancers, the jobs they do are getting more and more convoluted. Individuals who are great at things like making PC programs, working with information, offering guidance, or it are sought after to plan sites. This is why jobs like data science are becoming really popular. Companies like Fiverr and Upwork are important in the freelancing world.

You may also like: How to Find Freelance Work without Upwork and Fiverr

Here are The top 12 Upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers

The top 12 Upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers

1. WorkMarket

WorkMarket is an online platform that specializes in workforce management and the organization of freelance labour. It gives a scope of devices and highlights intended to assist businesses with productively dealing with their independent labor force.

It is a New York City-based organization laid out in 2010 by Jeffrey Leventhal. The company offers an online platform that allows businesses to effectively handle temporary workers and freelance IT professionals. Notably, in 2018, WorkMarket was acquired by ADP.

Key features of WorkMarket include the ability to find and hire freelancers, manage work orders and projects, handle payment processes, and track and report on work performance. It also offers options for compliance and workforce analytics.

Market Share: 0.44%

2. Guru.com

Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Guru.com is a significant freelance platform that bridges the gap between businesses and freelance professionals. Employers post job descriptions along with payment details, while freelancers showcase their skills and services in their profiles.

Employers can selectively invite freelancers to bid on jobs after reviewing their profiles, feedback, and earnings records.

It also provides helpful features like WorkRoom for freelancer management and a secure payment system called SafePay for transactions. In 2020, the platform boasted approximately three million users and nearly one million monthly site visits. It continues to be one of the top freelancing websites to discover job opportunities in 2023.

Market Share: 0.65%

3. Truelancer

Truelancer is a worldwide online marketplace catering to freelancers and employers. Freelancers can create profiles and showcase their services, while employers can list their projects and seek out proficient freelancers.

It offers a different scope of services, including web improvement, graphic design, writing, and marketing. It likewise furnishes freelancers and businesses with a few significant instruments, like a protected installment framework, cooperative elements, and compromise components, to upgrade their work collaborations.

Truelancer stands as a user-friendly and cost-effective platform that enables businesses to discover skilled freelancers for their projects and, likewise, empowers freelancers to connect with new clients and expand their professional network.

Market Share: 1.30%

4. YunoJuno

YunoJuno is a prominent freelance platform in the United Kingdom that reached £500 million (approximately $609.3 million) in freelancer bookings in December 2021, reflecting a remarkable 100% growth for the year.

It serves as a trusted hub and management platform for skilled freelancers, boasting notable clients such as Google, BBC, and Deliveroo. YunoJuno stands out as one of the top alternatives to Upwork for both freelancers and employers.

Market Share: 0.74%

5. Freelancer.com

With 69,088,193 clients scattered across 247 countries, Freelancer.com has established a solid reputation as one of the largest outsourcing and openly supported business hubs in the world.

It functions as a platform for bridging relationships between managers and experts, providing a distinct set of services covering programming development, writing, information management, planning, designing, sciences, transactions, showcasing, bookkeeping, and legal advice.

Unlike Upwork, Freelancer.com is still a popular choice for both workers and freelancers.

Market Share: 1.65%

6. Dribbble

Dribbble is a versatile platform tailored for digital designers. It serves as a self-promotion and social networking platform, offering features such as a design portfolio, a job and recruitment centre, and a prominent online showcase for designers to display their creative works.

It ranks among the alternatives to Upwork Inc (NASDAQ: UPWK) for recruiting freelance creatives.

Market Share: 2.66%

7. Textbroker International, LLC

Textbroker International LLC is an online platform headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, connecting customers in need of written content with freelance writers. Established in 2005 by Jan Becker-Fochler, it has since operated as a marketplace for over 200,000 writers and buyers of unique articles across nine different languages. It stands out as one of the prime alternatives to Upwork, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPWK).

Amid growing ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI, Textbroker International has introduced Transparent.ai, a web-based tool that distinguishes between human-written and AI-generated content.

This tool meticulously records the text creation process, certifying the portions that are human-authored, thus providing an independent quality seal for transparency.

Market Share: 3.40%

8. Amazon Mechanical Turk

Amazon Mechanical Turk, often called MTurk, is an online platform that’s part of Amazon Web Services. It helps businesses get help with tasks they can’t easily have computers do. Employers, who are called requesters, put up these tasks known as “Human Intelligence Tasks” or HITs. These tasks can be anything from finding things in pictures to writing product descriptions or doing surveys.

People who do these tasks are sometimes called Turkers or crowdworkers. They look at the available jobs and pick the ones they want to do, and they get paid for it. As of April 2019, requesters could come from 49 different countries, so MTurk is a worldwide platform for remote work. It’s a good option for both freelancers and employers, similar to Upwork.

Market Share: 3.91%

9. Outsource.com

Outsource.com is an online marketplace that acts as a link between businesses, organizations, and individuals seeking professional freelancers. With a pool of over 2,000 carefully screened and highly skilled freelancers, it streamlines the process of finding the right talent for both short and long-term roles and project-based opportunities.

Outsource.com ensures top-notch service by thoroughly evaluating freelancers and even providing a refund option.

For freelancers, this platform offers a chance to display their skills and grow their careers. It’s a mutually beneficial platform that connects freelancers with job opportunities across various industries.

Market Share: 6.71%

10. Fiverr

Fiverr has gained its appeal to both employers and freelancers thanks to its affordability, accessibility, and quality. Due to the large variety of economically priced freelancing services available to employers, it is an affordable answer for many different business needs.

On the other hand, freelancers value the platform’s simple entry, which makes it possible for almost anybody to offer their talents and services thanks to its user-friendly layout. Fiverr also places a premium on client happiness by offering a money-back guarantee.

It stands as one of the most dependable alternatives to Upwork for freelancers.

Market Share: 11.38%

11. People Per Hour

PeoplePerHour is an online platform based in the UK that links businesses with freelance professionals. The platform offers various services, spanning technology, programming, writing, translation, design, music editing, and social media management.

Initially, freelancers are charged a 20% service fee, which drops to 7.5% after they’ve billed £250 ($303). Once freelancers exceed the £5000 ($6060) milestone, the service fee decreases further to 3.5%.

PeoplePerHour is a great option for freelancers looking for a wide range of job opportunities, especially in the UK.

Market Share: 12.81%

12. Onsite

OnSite is dedicated to serving London’s specific areas, offering businesses access to a local talent pool. They maintain a rigorous and, at times, ‘challenging’ candidate assessment process, accepting fewer than 5% of applicants to ensure top-tier freelancers and top-notch work quality.

Additionally, their transparent pricing, featuring a flat £100 ($121) fee with no commission on payments to freelancers, appeals to budget-conscious companies.

Although their reach is limited to London, OnSite’s policies have allowed them to guarantee the quality of work, resulting in an impressive 96% user satisfaction rating. For freelancers and employers, OnSite stands out as the top alternative to Upwork.

Market Share: $13.82%

These are the best Upwork alternatives for freelancers and employers to start their career. But before starting your career make sure you have a proper skillset and portfolio to apply for jobs on these platforms.