The best value freelancer job sites that actually pay well
More and more people are turning to freelance work after realising the benefits of working from home. It’s not difficult to see why as it does have a lot to offer. You are your own boss, you can work the hours and days you want, take holidays when you want and of course, you don’t have far to travel.
On the other hand, setting yourself up as a freelancer is far from easy. First, and most importantly, you have to secure work. So, how do you go about finding work? Luckily, there are sites you can join that can bring you together with those who have jobs to offer. In fact, there are so many sites out there deciding which to join can be overwhelming and confusing.
Almost all freelance job sites work on a fee basis. You generally don’t have to pay upfront to join, although some sites do offer a paid account with additional benefits.
Usually, the site takes a percentage of what you are paid, after you have completed the work and been paid through their system. We are going to help you get started as we have chosen some of the best that actually pay well.
Techlancer (of course! )
Techlancer is a relatively new freelance job site that is taking the industry by storm. It is quickly becoming one of the top Fiverr alternatives because of its network of highly talented UK native freelancers. Techlancer also has some of the cheapest fees around too. With just a 2.5% fee for sellers and 5% for buyers.
One of the biggest benefits of Techlancer over other platforms is that it encourages communication between freelancers and buyers. It even has a handy chat facility which freelancers can use to give bespoke quotes for specific jobs. Freelancers have to pass a thorough vetting process to be able to use the site, and all work receives full moderation to give everyone peace of mind.
Techlancer also has probably the lowest fee structure of any freelancer job site, charging just 5% for the freelancer.
YunoJuno
Second in our list for freelancers in the UK is YunoJuno. The site claims to connect the best freelancers out there with the best companies through their premium network.
How it works
Freelancers can join YunoJuno free of charge and the first step is to fill in your profile. This is your chance to highlight your skills and make sure you stand out above the crowd.
First, choose your skillset and there are many to choose from, including marketing, film and motion, designer, creative, photography and more.
Continue filling in the profile providing links to a personal website, social media, a brief intro to stand out, and your work history and business details.
Once you have done this you can check out the project briefs (jobs) and apply for them.
You work on the project using a timesheet system, which is signed off by the client when work is completed. YunoJuno then sends your invoice to the client and you are paid within 14 days.
Things to consider
- Payments are fast and you don’t have to invoice clients;
- Real-time support by real humans;
- Direct communication with potential hirers;
- NDA`s taken care of in-platform;
- The platform is continually updated.
How much does it cost?
It does not cost anything to make an account with YunoJuno. The reason we have put the freelance job site in first place is that they don’t charge you a percentage of your earnings.
The money you earn from the project you work on is yours to keep. Instead, YunoJuno adds their fee onto the invoice and the client pays it along with your fee.
Upwork
Upwork is one of the biggest freelancer job sites out there and one of the most popular. This means you will have access to a huge number of freelance jobs spread out over many different fields. On the downside, you will have to compete with millions of registered users.
How it works
Making an account with Upwork is free. As with most of the freelance websites, this means you fill in a profile highlighting your skill set, provide information about past work, websites etc.
To work on Upwork you are required to provide verification about who you are. This means you have to upload a government ID. The ID must have a photograph of you on it along with your name, date of birth, address and signature.
Once you have uploaded your ID you then have to take part in a video call.
When the verification process has been completed, you can then use the site to search for jobs in your area. The site covers a huge range of areas including web development, writing, video and film, illustration, accounting, IT, sales and more.
You can use the search feature to search for jobs within your own field or set it up to show only your field in jobs. There are generally many thousands of jobs from which to choose. You can even choose to look for jobs only from those hiring in the UK.
When you find a job, you apply for it by giving a quote or bid. It is not always the lowest bid that wins. Make yourself stand out by telling the client why they should choose you, then sit back, and wait to find out if your bid is chosen.
If you are chosen, you work on the project and mark it as finished and the buyer will look it over and pay the agreed sum of money into your Upwork account.
Things to consider
- You have access to many thousands of jobs;
- The site has an escrow in place so you know the money for the job is there when you have finished;
- The site has a good search feature so you can easily find jobs in your sector;
- You can choose to search for jobs only in the UK;
- Competition is high.
How much does it cost?
The downside to having access to many thousands of jobs is that the fees are high.
When you apply for a job, you will enter the amount you want to earn for the project and see how much you will actually get when Upwork takes their fee. The fee for freelancers is 20% up to the first $500 earned and then it drops to 10%.
Another downside is that payment is made in USD not GBP. Therefore, when bidding you have to consider the currency exchange to make sure you do not short change yourself.
People Per Hour
People Per Hour is another popular freelance job site that is oriented towards people living in the UK. The site caters for a wide range of skills including writing, editing, 3D modelling, translation and many more.
How it works
To become a freelancer on People Per Hour you have to fill in an application form and wait for someone to review it and approve or deny it. If your application is approved you join a gateway to a huge stream of clients around the world.
Start by filling in your profile and present yourself to potential clients by giving a brief introduction about yourself, define your skills and your experience, along with uploading your portfolio.
The AI system matches you with jobs on offer based on your profile, so always be honest. You can also search for jobs and be notified of new projects.
When you find a job, you send a proposal and tell the client why they should choose you. If chosen your fee remains in escrow while you work on the job, and when it is completed it is released into your holding account on the site.
Another aspect of this site is that freelancers can create tailored offers and post them. For instance, if you are a writer you can offer to write social media posts or blog posts for a set price. Someone looking for this type of work can purchase your offer this way without you even having to search.
Things to consider
- Great for people working freelance in the UK
- AI system matches you to jobs
- Get notified about new jobs
- 15 free job applications with the ability to purchase more
- Ability to offer jobs for a fixed price.
How much does it cost?
People Per Hour is free to join for a basic account and this gives you 15 free proposals per month. In other words, you can submit 15 job applications per month. If you want to bid on more jobs, you have to purchase additional credits.
Payment is released upon successful completion and it is made in GBP so you do not have to worry about currency exchange if working in the United Kingdom.
People Per Hour take their fee before releasing funds into your online account; this is up to 20% +VAT of the amount earned, so dont be suprised if you havent earnt as much as you thought!
UPDATE: People per hour now has a clearing period of up to 14 days before you can withdraw your funds!
Freelancer
Freelancer is another popular option for freelancers hosting a large number of jobs in sectors such as IT, software, writing, data entry, sales and many more.
How it works
You can join Freelancer free of charge with a basic account but you can only apply for eight jobs per month you have to pay for a premium account. The premium account costs £5.95 per month. For this, you can apply to 100 jobs per month and enjoy additional benefits.
Once you have filled in your profile, including specific skills, you then have to add a VAT number and enter information to build a trust score. This includes verifying a phone number, connecting to a Facebook account and authenticating a credit or debit card.
While you can choose to have your finances shown in GBP, the jobs you apply for are shown in USD so you do have to consider the currency exchange.
On your dashboard page, you can view jobs relating to your skills or search for particular jobs based on fixed or hourly rates.
When you find a job, you sell your skills to the buyer and place a bid on the project with a delivery date. You also set an escrow amount for the website to hold (a deposit) to ensure you are paid. If you don’t ask for this amount and the buyer decides not to pay you, you cannot get anything from Freelancer.
When you complete the work, you mark it as completed and the money in escrow is paid into your Freelancer account minus the fee.
Things to consider
- Free account is limited to just 8 jobs you can apply for each month;
- To get the most out of the service it costs £5.95 per month;
- Covers a wide range of different sectors;
- Bids are placed in USD so not ideal for UK freelancers.
How much does it cost?
While you can get a limited account without paying anything to join, to make the most of the site you have to pay £5.95 per month.
You also have to pay fees when you have completed each job, consider this a finders fee, and this is 10% of the amount you earn.
Fiverr
teis a good place to start for beginners to freelancing websites but do not expect to make a fortune from it. The fees are relatively high compared to other sites but it may provide a start if you are only looking to work part-time or as an additional site to use alongside one of the others.
How it works
Fiverr is one of the easiest ways to get started in freelancing. Just make an account and offer up your services.
The site differs in that it does not offer you jobs. Instead, you are the one offering to work and people looking for services like yours buy. To get started you have to complete a simple profile telling potential buyers who you are and why they should choose to hire you.
You then go on to upload what the site calls a “Gig”. You state that you will do a job within a certain period for $5, which is where the name originated. However, you are not limited to just a fiver, you can offer different packages. For instance, you might offer to write 500 words in one week for $5 but then offer a package for $10 where you will write that same article in one day. You can also add-on such as revisions, keywords, including diagrams and so on for extra cost.
You post that job and then wait for someone who wants your services to purchase the gig.
Once complete the money is paid into your Fiverr account and you can withdraw it.
Things to consider
- It is very easy to get started with Fiverr;
- You can customise your gigs and add-on extras;
- The fees are high
How much does it cost?
The fees on Fiverr are 20% so they are steep compared to other freelance sites. You also have to take into account that you are talking United States Dollars so there is currency exchange if you work in the UK and there could be PayPal fees for conversion or if you have a business account.
