Best Freelance Platforms

Upwork, formally known as oDesk, was started in 2003 by Odysseas Tsatalos and Stratis Karamanlakis. Stratis and Odysseas created a digital platform that would allow them to work together remotely (Stratis lived in Greece at the time). Through the last decade over 4.5 million freelancers have joined Upwork, formerly known as oDesk, and over 1.5 million jobs have been posted. Upwork is the largest online freelance platform and is consistently ranked #1 by annual freelancer earnings. In most recent news, Upwork and Elance reached a deal in December of 2013 to merge the two companies which will consist of 8 million freelancers and 2 million businesses.

Toptal was founded in 2010 by Taso Du Val and Breanden Beneschott, both experienced software developers, engineers, and designers. Toptal's mission is to create a network of "elite" software engineers from around the globe to work on custom software design projects. To join the network, each member is vetted via a screening process – fewer than 3% pass. As a client, Toptal's team of industry experts works with clients to understand their needs and find the right individual or team for a project. Engagements can be part-time, full-time, or hourly, and each start with a no-risk trial period – pay only if satisfied.

PeoplePerHour (PPH) is a purpose-driven business. Everything they do comes back to their purpose, which is to help people start and build their own businesses and live their dream of being independent. More than the what they do, and what they make... What defines them is the impact it has, why it matters to the world, and how it makes a difference. PPH  makes getting work done easy, even if you aren't sure how to do the work yourself.  In most cases hiring off of PPH could help you complete the busy work you just have no idea how to complete yourself in business. 

Fieldnation.com, founded in 2008, isn't your typical freelancing site. While it does have the capability of creating a standard user profile, searching and applying for jobs, and receiving payment, it has other features that set it apart.

For example, companies can design and complete entire projects through Field Nation. Here's how it works. A company will come to Field Nation with a project that they would like to outsource to freelancers. They give a thorough description of the objectives of the project, describe how they would like it be done, provide a deadline, and allocate a budget. Fieldstone helps find freelancers from their pool of users, collaborates plans to ensure efficient completion of the project, and ensures that they don't go over the budget. Freelancers are encouraged to give real time updates on their task lists. There's even a mobile site they can pull up on their cell phones where they can check off individual tasks they've completed in real time. Freelancers have an incentive to be great because they can receive better ratings fromField Nation which will lead to more opportunities in the future. Once the project is completed,Field Nation reports back to the company and returns any unused budget money back to them-and if their advertisements are accurate, they often go under budget. In exchange for this service,Field Nation receives 10% of the money dedicated toward the project.

This service is free for freelancers. Joining is simple, and like many other freelancing sites, new users can create a profile highlighting their skills. They can apply for jobs and also be sought out for employment opportunities.

Outsource.com is a brand new (March 2014) site that brings together freelancers and clients. It charges a relatively high membership fee for freelancers (anywhere from $100-$160 for 6 months) in an effort to provide high quality workers for clients.

Joining the site is simple enough. Upon creation of a username and password, you have the ability to make a detailed profile outlining your work experience, skills, availability, etc. Once your profile is complete, the site will match you up with clients and work opportunities. The membership fee gives you credits that can be used to send quotes to potential employers. A quote will include the price you would charge for the task, as well as a personalized message to describe why you are well qualified for the job. The amount you pay for your membership determines how many credits you have. To give a range, the lowest membership allows you to purchase 20 credits per month, while the highest allows for around 40 credits. To send a quote, you must use 3-9 credits credits, meaning you would be able to contact 6 employers a month with 20 credits. Any unused credits will be carried over to the next month. The site guarantees that your quote will be read within 5 days, or you'll get your credits back.

Outsource.com guarantees that if you're not hired within 6 months, you can have another 6 months of membership for free. Clients can pay freelancers directly through the site using PayPal, eChecks (only certain countries), paper checks, wire transfers, and direct deposit. Payments can be set up to be fixed or hourly.

Freelancer.com is the world's largest freelancing, outsourcing, and crowdsourcing marketplace for small business. With over 10 million users, you can hire a freelancer to do your contract work at a fraction of the cost. Whether you need PHP developers, web designers, or content writers, you can outsource jobs within minutes. Browse through hundreds of skills including copywriting, data entry, and graphic design or more technical areas like coding HTML, programming MySQL, and designing CSS. 

Craigslist has become a household name across the United States, connecting buyers and sellers of practically all kinds of merchandise easily and quickly. However, some may not know that, as online demand for content has increased, Craigslist has also become a source for freelance work and writing jobs. Many clients and writers post their needs and services online every day, making it a great source for those looking to earn money as a freelancer.

Because Craigslist is a global company on a large scale, the details of freelance work via Craigslist will vary by area. This means that knowing whether using Craigslist is worth your time or not will require some localized research. However, we've compiled some core features to help writers decide if Craigslist is a worthy source to turn to for freelance writing opportunities. Take a look!

LinkedIn is not specifically for freelancers, but there are lots of freelance job opportunities on the site. LinkedIn's mission is to provide a place for professionals to network, look for employment, and find employees. The company was launched in 2003 and claims to have 380 million members across the globe, including executives from all the Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn provides a job search feature that allows its members to search for jobs by keyword, company, and location. Members can apply for some jobs via LinkedIn. For other jobs, members may have to go to the companies' websites to apply. LinkedIn does not handle payroll, track assignments, or resolve disputes for freelancers.

SimplyHired.com is one or the largest sites for jobs searches on the web. The site is owned and operated by Simply Hired, a privately-owned company that was founded in 2004. You can search jobs for free on the site without becoming a member, or you can register for a free membership that allows you to upload your resume and customize your job searches and alerts.

Businesses can choose to have SimplyHired.com's full-service package where they pay only if someone clicks on their ad or use self-service and design and post their own ad for as low as $99 for 30 days. Businesses cannot search members' resumes that are posted on the site. SimplyHired.com provides a searchable list of jobs on its web site, through its app, and on its partner's sites, which include ABC News, Computerworld, Fox Business, and The Washington Post. In addition to posting its advertisers' jobs, SimplyHired.com includes listings of available jobs from job boards, company web sites, newspapers, and government web sites.

More and more workers with expertise in media are looking to work as freelancers in some capacity. However, a common problem with most freelance work is finding a source for steady work within the worker's niche field. Enter, Mediabistro.

Mediabistro is a service provided by Mecklermedia. Since 1994, Mecklermedia has provided tools and resources for professionals working within the media industry. As a part of Mecklermedia, Mediabistro offers freelancers and clients a marketplace to buy and sell medial content online. In other words, that source of steady work as a freelancer in media is a simple website.

How does Mediabistro fund this service? Mediabistro profits from both sides of the client-freelancer relationship. Mediabistro offers freelancers subscriptions to their available job opportunities. At the same time, clients can pay to have their available jobs posted on the website. This creates a space where clients and freelancers can find and meet one another's needs. While some freelancers may find the subscription method financially bothersome, Mediabistro delivers, with hundreds of jobs posted at virtually any given time.

But don't rely on our words alone-we've compiled a list of key features that any freelancer should know about their service. Here's what we've come up with to help you figure out if Mediabistro is right for you: