With its low entry barrier and many clients looking for services, Fiverr remains a top platform for freelancers to find work and for businesses to hire the best talent.
But not without its fair share of problems. Fiverr’s popularity makes it one of the most competitive marketplaces, and freelancers often have to lower their rates to land clients. And while low rates can be attractive for employers, they can also lead to poor quality work.
If you’re facing any of these problems and looking for alternatives to Fiverr, you’re in luck because many great options are available.
This article will explore some of the best Fiverr alternatives that freelancers and employers can benefit from. Let’s get started!
16 Best Fiverr Alternatives You Should Check Out
1. Markethire
Markethire is one of the best hiring platforms that matches and connects companies with marketing experts after thoroughly understanding their requirements. Its marketers are pre-vetted, with many having experience working with brands like Netflix, KissMetrics, and Dollar Shave Club.
Pros
- Rigorous and multi-step vetting process for freelancers.
- Great personal support—after employers fill the intake form, Markethire sets a consultation call with them and helps them find the right freelancer(s).
- It also schedules introduction calls between employers and freelancers and helps while onboarding and during the project.
- Marketers don’t compete for projects—project forms are not made public, and Markethire hand selects freelancers for clients.
- Freelancers get to keep 100% of their earnings.
Cons
- It looks for 5+ years of marketing experience in freelancers.
- Focuses more on freelancers from North America.
- Given their expertise and experience, Markethire freelancers are expensive (for instance, hourly rates are $80-$160+).
- Companies have to pay a soft commitment of $1500/month.
- Employers can’t search, choose, and hire freelancers themselves. Only Markethire can match them to a freelancer.
Best suited for: Marketing experts, agencies, enterprises, and big companies.
2. Upwork
Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, having over 12 million freelancers. What makes it different from Fiverr is its bidding model—companies post about their requirements on the site, and freelancers send their proposals, bidding on the project with their rates.
Pros
- Freelancers can also create and sell packages/projects to clients through the “Project Catalog.”
- Payments go through escrow—clients pay when the project starts, but amounts are released only when they mark the job as “done.”
- Freelancers can send invoices and track payments from the platform itself.
- Upwork takes random screenshots of freelancers’ screens for hourly contracts, so clients can track time and pay accordingly.
- It has a mobile app and offers features like video and voice calls.
Cons
- Charges freelancers a high service fee—it’s 20%, 10%, or 5%, depending on the total amount billed with a client.
- Charges clients a 3% fee on all payments they make.
- No screening process for freelancers.
- The low entry barrier leads to high competition.
- Not the best customer support.
Best suited for: New freelancers in any field and companies with one-off projects.
3. Twine
Twine is a marketplace that connects companies with quality creative freelancers working in writing, web development, graphic design, animation, and marketing. It started as a platform for freelancers in the audio-visual sectors but has slowly expanded to include more than 100 services.
Pros
- Companies get a “Client Success Manager” who helps them prepare a brief and find and onboard freelancers.
- Twine handpicks and contacts freelancers who match a client’s requirements.
- It manually reviews all proposals sent to a client and filters out low-quality ones.
- Sends freelancers emails explaining why their pitch was rejected.
- Has a messaging system for smooth communication between clients and freelancers
- Clients have to make an upfront Vault payment, which is only released when the project has been completed.
Cons
- Free accounts can send only 15 pitches per month.
- It charges companies a commission fee over the project price.
- Payment processing can take time.
Best suited for: New and experienced creative freelancers, and businesses looking for creative work.
4. Refrens.com
The gig economy survives on two things – sheer talent and, well, gigs!
While freelancing has its own benefits, it also has its fair share of drudgery when it comes to finding the right gig, generating invoices, and getting your payments on time.
However, it doesn’t have to be. Not in this economy.
Refrens is a global marketplace that does the boring tasks for you and leaves the cool stuff of generating great content to you! A platform ergonomically designed to suit the needs of freelancers and agencies, Refrens has a way of getting things done.
Pros
- It is equipped with multiple easy-to-use templates like invoice generator, quotation generator, and purchase order template, among others.
- It eases the process of accepting international payments.
- Your data is backed with SSL and highly secured!
- It has an easy interface that lets you manage multiple clients in one go.
- With an around-the-clock live chat support system, Refrens has excellent customer support at its disposal.
Cons
- It’s free. For the most part. You have to pay an amount while accepting payments via Refrens or upgrade to a Premium plan.
- It lacks a dispute management system.
- Employers cannot search for and hire freelancers by themselves. The Refrens team reaches out to employers who then eventually match your company to a freelancer on your behalf.
- The platform tends to face bugs at times.
5. 1840 & Company
1840 & Company is a global marketplace that helps companies scale their workforce by connecting them with vetted experts in a number of industries. The marketplace has a large network of freelance talent in over 150 different countries and can be used to find freelancers to perform virtually any type of remote work. Different from Fiverr, this marketplace serves as an extension of a company’s HR ecosystem and allows businesses to scale and accelerate their growth quickly.
Pros
- All clients who sign up with 1840 & Company are assigned a dedicated account manager
- The marketplace has an exclusive network of pre-vetted experts ready for hire
- Your dedicated account manager will find the right talent for you – so need to post jobs or browse through listings of hundreds of freelancer applications
- You can hire freelancers part-time or full-time to meet your needs as you go
- The marketplace offers a managed approach – saving you time and effort
- The marketplace is global and has onshore and offshore freelancers fluent in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and other languages.
- There are no minimum requirements to the number or amount of freelancers you need to hire.
- The platform offers its clients additional benefits via the 1840 Founder’s Club with access to travel and business discounts, marketing resources, investors, competitor intelligence and more.
Cons:
- The freelancers are not openly available to the public and you must signup first to get matched with them
- There’s no messaging platform or dashboard to communicate directly with your freelancer
- The platform offers mid-range to high-end prices and cannot beat Fiverr’s pricing
6. Konker
Konker is a platform where freelancers (sellers) create and sell gigs or packages around digital marketing services. Companies (buyers) can easily browse these packages and purchase those that suit their needs.
Pros
- Sellers have a lot of flexibility in how they want to create and price their packages.
- It charges freelancers only a 5% fee on their package—which is comparatively lower than other platforms like Upwork.
- Buyers get to choose between various services and price points.
- Ensures buyer protection by automatic refunds for non-delivered orders.
- The quality assurance team works towards banning sellers who receive poor reviews.
Cons
- No vetting process for freelancers, which increases competition and the number of gigs available.
- Some packages may appear to be questionable.
- Buyers have to go through gigs to find suitable ones all by themselves.
- Poor support—users claim that it provides no email, phone, or chat support. There’s only a Facebook group you have to ask to join.
- The platform can be buggy sometimes.
Best suited for: Digital marketers, agencies, and businesses.
7. 99Designs
A design platform by Vistaprint, 99Design connects brands with creative experts from around the world. After understanding their design needs, it helps companies find the right graphic designers to kick off their projects. Or, companies can even start a contest and select their favorite designer(s) from those who apply.
Pros
- The designers are pre-vetted, and the team ranks them based on their skill level and experience.
- Portfolio-based profiles make it easy for clients to review and hire freelancers.
- Clients pay up front, but the payment is only released after the successful completion of the project.
- It takes care of payments for freelancers staying outside of the U.S—clients don’t have to pay a higher fee for this.
- Quick payout and active support over mail and call.
Cons
- Charges a $100 introduction fee to “cover” the cost of matching freelancers and clients.
- Additionally, it charges freelancers a 5-15% and clients a 3% platform fee.
- Doesn’t offer live chat support.
- All types of freelancers can’t find opportunities here.
Best suited for: Designers of all levels, agencies, and brands.
8. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is a UK-based company connecting clients with freelancers working across content writing, graphic design, and website development. It allows businesses to either post a project or buy offers or bundles created by freelancers.
Pros
- The freelancers are approved and vetted.
- Bundles offer clients great flexibility in choosing between different services and pricing.
- When clients post a project, PPH’s artificial intelligence system matches and contacts the best-suited freelancers.
- Clients and freelancers can communicate, exchange files, and manage invoices within the platform.
- Provides an escrow system—clients have to pay a deposit which is released after freelancers complete the project.
- It has an active support team that resolves disputes along with a mobile app for easy use.
Cons
- Freelancers get only 15 free proposals per month.
- It charges them a 20% service fee—but the greater the project value, the lesser the percentage charged.
- It also charges a small fee for every invoice sent.
- Processing payments can take time.
- Buyers face a fee of more than 10%. There are additional fees for marking projects “Urgent” or adding a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
- No time-tracking app for hourly projects.
Best suited for: All types of freelancers, businesses, and agencies.
9. Guru
Guru is another popular freelancing platform that helps clients find and hire expert freelancers from around the world. From programming and legal to design and writing—it has freelancers specializing in a range of services.
Pros
- It verifies freelancers and displays their feedback scores and all-time transaction history, helping clients make better choices.
- “WorkRooms” feature helps clients communicate with freelancers and track work progress.
- Has a time-tracking software to easily manage hourly projects.
- Employers can deposit the project fee in SafePay, and rest assured that it will only be released after they’re satisfied with the freelance job.
- It has a user-friendly website with a clean dashboard showing existing contracts, pending invoices, and interactions.
Cons
- Charges freelancers a 9% service fee on every invoice—the fee reduces if they buy paid plans.
- Charges employers a 2.9% fee on every invoice they pay.
- The free membership gives freelancers only ten bids per month.
- It gives a boost to paid members in terms of placement in the search results.
- It doesn’t vet the proposals clients get—they have to sift through and review profiles themselves.
Best suited for: Freelancers, agencies, small businesses, and enterprise companies.
10. Toptal
Short for “top talent,” Toptal is an exclusive network of expert freelancers having experience working with companies like Airbnb and Shopify. It started small, with only freelance software developers, but slowly expanded to include freelancers from verticals like development, product management, and design.
Pros
- Freelancers are highly vetted and have to pass a five-step screening process.
- Toptal’s team personally reviews client briefs and finds and contacts the best-fitting freelancers.
- It matches them with freelancers within 24-48 hours.
- Clients also get a short trial period with freelancers to see if they meet their needs.
- Ensures good quality work given its selection and matching process along with freelancers’ expertise.
- Doesn’t take a cut from freelancers’ earnings.
Cons
- Employers have to pay Toptal an initial deposit of $500.
- Although it doesn’t charge a service or platform fee, it adds a high profit above its freelancer’s prices.
- Services are expensive.
- Not beginner-friendly.
Best suited for: Experienced freelancers, medium to big companies looking for expert talent.
11. Gigbucks
Gigbucks is a micro job marketplace where users can create, sell, and buy service packages. Posting is free; sellers can post as many gigs as they want to and price them anywhere between $5 and $50. As for buyers, they can choose from various services like writing, photography, advertising, and graphic designing.
Pros
- The Gigbucks team tries to ensure that all gigs meet its Quality Guidelines.
- Charges buyers in advance and holds the payment in escrow.
- The buyer gets a full refund if the seller fails to deliver the order on time.
- Besides a review system, it also has a level system for freelancers. The higher their level, the more they can charge for their services.
- Freelancers have the freedom to set their own prices—but as per their Gigbucks level.
Cons
- Despite quality checks, the website gets flooded with offers that go against Gigbucks’ Terms and Conditions.
- Charges a 20% fee on all transactions.
- Doesn’t take any responsibility for the quality of work delivered.
- Payment processing takes time.
- No proper dispute arbitration system.
- Poorly maintained and updated website.
Best suited for: New freelancers, businesses with short-term projects.
12. SEOClerks
SEOClerks is a freelance marketplace where sellers can list and sell packages or offers. And as its name suggests, these offers revolve around SEO, including services like link-building, content creation, copywriting, website design, and website traffic.
Pros
- Free to join and post services.
- Buyers can put out job postings if they don’t find the service they need.
- Maintains transparency about the fees it charges—they are clearly mentioned on the website.
- Buyers pay as soon as they buy a service, but the platform holds the money and only pays the seller after the finished work has been accepted.
- It has a level system for sellers. Higher levels come with perks like decreased time for payment clearance and higher prices for services.
Cons
- Guidelines on seller listings can seem vague.
- Despite guidelines and the SEOClerk team’s best efforts, some offers can seem shady and of poor quality.
- Charges a 10% fee on the total sale amount—this fee is non-refundable even if sellers don’t complete the order.
- Buyers can only seek refunds for non-completed orders.
- No proper dispute management system.
Best suited for: Beginner freelancers, SEO freelancers, companies with a small budget.
13. Truelancer
Although a new kid on the block, Truelancer has created a name for itself fast. The freelance website has over 1 million freelancers specializing in services like website and mobile app development, writing, virtual assistance, designing, and more, making it easy for employers to find and hire professionals.
Pros
- Convenient system for employers—they post a project, and Truelancer will match them with suitable freelancers.
- Clients and freelancers can chat, collaborate, and exchange files on the platform itself.
- It holds the money employers pay to freelancers under a Safe Deposit until the successful completion of work.
- Doesn’t charge buyers/employers any fee.
- Has a mobile app.
- Under Truelancer Prime, its team personally chooses and screens freelancers for employers, besides allotting them, project managers.
Cons
- Charges sellers/freelancers an 8-10% fee depending on their membership plan.
- Freelancers get only 20 free proposals per month.
- Charges both clients and freelancers $50 or 5% of the project value if the project is refunded 30 days after its start.
- If the project is refunded due to non-delivery by the freelancer, it charges them a 10% fee.
- Project refunds also put freelancers’ profiles at risk.
Best suited for: All types of freelancers, entrepreneurs, and businesses.
14. Freelancer
Freelancer.com is one of the most popular freelance platforms by the number of users and projects. It helps employers connect with freelancers across fields like writing, graphic designing, web development, data entry, and more. Employers post a project or contest mentioning their budget. They then get bids and can hire the best freelancers.
Pros
- Recruiters can post jobs for free.
- With the Freelance Milestone Payments system, clients’ payments are only released when they are satisfied with the work.
- Qualified freelancers can apply for the “Preferred Freelancer” program to get benefits like a badge on their profile and high-paying job opportunities.
- Offers a live chat feature for easy communication between clients and freelancers
- Has a time-tracker and a mobile app.
- Active customer support team that can resolve disputes between clients and freelancers.
Cons
- No screening process for freelancers.
- Free plan gives only six bids a month.
- Charges freelancers a 10% fee and recruiters a 3% fee on fixed and hourly projects.
- Recruiters have to pay additional fees if they mark a project “Urgent” or “Featured.”
- There’s a $5 or 5% fee for dispute settlements.
Best suited for: Freelancers and companies of all sizes.
15. Microworkers
Microworkers is a platform where employers looking for help with small tasks or “micro-jobs” can reach and hire workers. Short and easy to complete, these tasks include data mining, transcription, surveys, research, voiceovers, application testing, and article writing.
Pros
- Employers can easily create and run campaigns—it also offers pre-made templates for this.
- The Microworkers team reviews and approves each campaign before releasing it to workers.
- To ensure the quality of services, workers on the platform undergo “Qualification Tests.”
- Workers can check the success rate of a job to see if it’s feasible and legit.
- Employers don’t have to pay any fees for tasks they rate “Not Satisfied.”
Cons
- Some jobs can be of questionable quality and nature, which can lead to a scam while some can be low-paying.
- Workers can’t withdraw their earnings until they reach a minimum balance.
- The process of transferring income into your PayPal account can be long-drawn.
- The website is not very well-developed.
- Inactive support.
Best suited for: Students (on or above 18), freelancers, professionals who want to make money online.
16. Outsourcely
Outsourcely is an online job board helping companies and entrepreneurs find and hire remote workers and freelancers. The platform has workers from over 180 countries specializing in fields like writing, web design, video editing, programming, and software development.
Pros
- Recruiters can search for workers using specific filters or post about job openings.
- Outsourcely notifies the best-matching profiles about openings, so clients get qualified applicants.
- Workers get to keep 100% of their earnings.
- Employers don’t have to pay any commission or extra fee for hiring—they hire and pay their workers directly.
- Offers messaging and video/voice calling features for smooth communication.
- Workers can pay a small fee to get a featured account, which will give them a better placement in search results.
Cons
- The free plan doesn’t allow recruiters to chat with or hire workers. They ultimately have to shift to a paid plan, which starts at $79/month.
- Doesn’t offer any time-tracking tools.
- The platform focuses more on long-term work than one-off projects.
- Some jobs can be low-paying.
Best suited for: Startups with small or remote teams, entry-level freelancers, and workers.
Which Fiverr alternative did you like most?
Fiverr is a fantastic platform for freelancers to kickstart their careers and for employers to get quality work done on a budget.
But if you find the high competition, cheap rates, and enormous fees off-putting, be sure to check out these Fiverr alternatives. Who knows, you might find a platform that’s suitable for you and turn your career around with high-quality opportunities or impact your business for the good with talented freelancers!