What are the best freelancing sites?

Are you one of the many millions that are looking to try out freelancing? During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of UK workers were furloughed, and many started to find freelance work online. According to one study of 1,300 freelancers, 74% said they were happy they made the switch. 

If you’re ready to set up an online portfolio and get yourself a freelance role, this guide is for you. We talk about the following freelance websites to help you get started:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Toptal
• Guru
• Freelancer
• 99designs
• People Per Hour
• YunoJuno

Upwork is one of the most well-known freelancing sites online. With a wide range of jobs in countless niches, you are sure to find a freelance job that is suited to you. Some of the most popular categories include; sales, digital marketing, writing, graphic design and website design. 

Clients and freelancers can connect easily. Clients can search for profiles tailored to their job description and ask the freelancer to submit an application for the job. Or else the freelancers can search the job board to see if any gigs available match up with their skills. They can then submit an application for the gig.  

Upwork’s platform makes communication between clients and freelancers simple and efficient. There’s always a variety of credible clients looking for freelancers and payment protection to prevent anyone from being taken advantage of. Upwork’s main downside is it has a very high commission rate, meaning you will be charged 20% of your first £500. Although, the commission rate does get lower the more you earn. 

Fiverr is another well-known freelancing website, especially for beginners looking to get their first few clients. Fiverr has a wide range of freelancing services available. Some of the most popular ones include graphic design, content creation, website design and voiceovers. 

This platform is also one of the most efficient freelancing websites because of its process. Business owners can search for the services they need and browse through an almost never-ending list of freelancers. The business owners can then purchase the service, give the freelancer all of the project details and expect a quick turnaround, usually within a working week. 

Fiverr is a great platform for freelancers to display their work and begin getting freelance clients. One big disadvantage of Fiverr is that you might have to wait up to two weeks to receive your payment. They also take quite a large 20% cut of the price you offer your services at.

Toptal is a platform for highly qualified industry experts to connect with companies. The main roles include financial consulting, project management, software development and design. TopTal has an extremely intensive screening process, and the gigs available are only big projects. 

If you have the expertise and experience, this is one of the best freelancing sites to become a member of. You will have access to top-tier clients along with free invoicing and payments. 

Guru is another great platform to connect with companies that are looking to get some extra help on their projects. Simply fill out your profile, and Guru will automatically recommend jobs suitable for you and your skillset. Most clients on Guru look for highly skilled freelancers in programming, graphic design, translation and marketing, just to name a few. 

Guru is one of the best freelance sites for receiving payments quickly and also offers free membership. But you can upgrade to unlock more premium features. 

Freelancer is a website with freelance jobs available in over 1,800 categories. To sign up as a freelancer, you will need to fill out a detailed form on your skillset, work experience and education.  

In addition to projects, they also run contests where freelancers can submit their work. The contests are usually aimed at designers and visual artists who can earn money and good reviews if they win. 

With Freelancer, you will receive full payment after every completed job or project. However, they do take 10% of your overall earnings for contests and prizes. 

If you’re looking to find some freelance graphic design jobs, then 99designs is for you. 99designs is great to connect with business owners that need help with design-focused projects. 

With 99designs, you can either work one-on-one with a client or submit your work to design concept contests where you can earn a lot of money. 99designs is one of the best freelancing sites because it’s a great platform that has also built a community for designers, so you can network, feel supported, and get referrals for more projects.  

99designs is another great freelancing website that allows designers to connect with businesses around the world. From finding opportunities to joining a community of designers, 99designs makes you feel supported as a freelancer.

People Per Hour is for business owners that want to hire a professional freelancer by the hour. You can join the millions of freelancers on the platform and find a job in various sectors, including marketing, PR, and journalism. 

You can set up your profile for free. When you have your profile set up, it will have to be approved by a moderator. Once you’re approved, you can start applying for different roles. You can then set your price per project or hourly rate depending on the project. Unfortunately, there is a commission fee of 20% on earnings up to £350, but it does get lower as you earn more. 

Lastly, we have the UK-based YunoJuno. Their mission is to pioneer the “future of work” for the most innovative and exciting companies. YunoJuno has a fully curated list of potential companies to work with and a fully curated community to grow and network with. 

They pay all invoices in fourteen days and have great support for freelancers using their platform. To get started with YunoJuno, you will need to talk about your core skills, submit three portfolio pieces and two references to be considered. 

When you start freelancing, it’s important to treat it like a business. One of the first steps for any freelancer is to set up a business account to separate your personal and business expenses and to set up professional invoices. 

With the Countingup app, you can create and send an unlimited amount of professional invoices for free and receive alerts when you’ve been paid. Learn more about setting up your business account with Countingup here.