The outsourcing market has expanded rapidly in recent years. Today, more and more businesses have decided to outsource parts of their operations to sites like Fiverr because it costs significantly less than hiring an in-house employee. From a financial standpoint, outsourcing is an excellent idea because you don’t have to worry about investing in office space, computer equipment, and supplies. This makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint since outsourcing allows you to tap into a huge talent pool around the globe.
If you are a business owner working around the clock, you may want to consider outsourcing some of your work. Of course, one of the most popular outsourcing platforms is Fiverr. The site enables you to get in touch with top talent from all over the world and you can get almost anything done for as little as $5. Whatever the task, whether it’s writing, web design, transcription, digital marketing, SEO, or programming, you can use Fiverr to find someone who can do the job.
If you place an order on Fiverr, you will pay a processing fee of $2 on orders up to $40 and 5% on purchases above $40. Fiverr also takes a 20% cut from a remote worker for every job completed.
However, the quality of work can vary drastically from person to person. So, you need to vet them carefully and assess their qualifications, feedbacks, and ratings before you can find the best-suited candidate for the task you have in mind. Also, you will likely have to spend more than $5 if you want to get a good piece of work.
Of course, Fiverr isn’t the be-all and end-all of online job marketplaces. There are other sites like Fiverr that do project-based work as well. If you want to get things done as quickly as possible, Fiverr is the place for you. However, if it’s for a long-term ongoing role, Fiverr may not be the best platform for you to use.
There are a handful of sites like Fiverr, and these competitors may help you find the remote worker you’re looking for.
Formed from the merger between oDesk and Elance, Upwork is one of the world’s largest freelancing marketplace with tens of millions of independent professionals working on the platform.
Similar to Fiverr, freelancers can post their skills, capabilities, experience, and rates on Upwork. The site also has its own time tracking tool, so you don’t have to use any third-party app for this. All invoices and payments happen through Upwork as well.
Instead of sifting through dozens of resumes to find the best potential hires, Upwork gives you the option to post jobs to attract freelancers. This way, freelancers bid on jobs, enabling business owners to choose potential candidates based on their proposed bids and experience. Of course, you can still look through freelancer profiles if you prefer to recruit that way, and Upwork’s algorithms can help you narrow down the search for the best candidates.
While there’s no charge to sign up on Upwork, you will have to pay a 3% processing fee on all payments to freelancers. The site holds funds in escrow accounts for safe transactions. They also charge freelancers a sliding fee of 20% to 5% per transaction.
Freelancer.com is a nice job site like Fiverr with millions of freelancers. The process of posting a job and selecting bidders is about the same as Upwork, and you can reach out to freelancers with attractive portfolios as well in your search for the best person for the job.
Since some employers prefer hourly contracts, Freelancer.com gives you the option to set milestones that have to be reached before your freelancer receives his payments. It can be frustrating to hire someone who can’t fulfill their promises, so this is a good way for employers to make sure their freelancers are providing satisfactory work at all times.
Posting a job on Freelancer.com is free, and rates depend on the job type or size. For fixed-price projects, a fee of $3 or 3%, whichever is greater, is charged on each payment you make to the freelancer you hired. For hourly projects, a fee of 3% is charged.
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As the most popular freelance marketplace in the UK, PeoplePerHour is another site like Fiverr you should definitely check out.
Like several other outsourcing platforms out there, employers post jobs on PeoplePerHour, and potential workers can respond with their bids. What separates PeoplePerHour from its competitors is its location-based targeting feature that allows employers to target independent professionals from a specific area. The same goes for freelancers, as they have the option to search for jobs based on location.
An advantage PeoplePerHour has over other sites is their workstream feature, which allows you to manage and track the progress of your projects. With its two-way messaging feature, PeoplePerHour encourages direct communication between the employer and the contractor, and you don’t have to leave the platform to exchange documents thanks to its file-sharing system.
Another selling point is that PeoplePerHour provides an escrow account where funds can be held, so your money is secured until the job is complete.
While posting jobs on PeoplePerHour is free, employers are charged a fee of £0.6 ($0.7) + 5% from the total amount paid to the freelancers. A service fee of 5% is charged for credit card, debit card, or electronic payment gateway transactions.
With over 3 million freelancers in its pool, Guru.com is yet another site like Fiverr that is worth a look.
With its comprehensive dashboard, you can share files, communicate with the freelancers you hired, and view the status and progress of projects. Aside from tracking time while your remote worker does his job, Guru.com’s free time tracker software also takes random screenshots of their screen.
Signing up and posting on Guru.com is free. However, employers are charged a 2.9% handling fee for each invoice they pay. The good news is that a 3% cashback is given if a client uses check, e-check or wire transfer as their chosen payment method. Keep in mind that there is a 3.5% withdrawal fee if you remove any unused funds from the site.
Toptal is a unique job marketplace that only accepts the top 3% of freelancers in their respected fields. You can find the best freelance designers, software developers, and financial experts on this site and ask them to join your team on a full-time, part-time, or hourly basis.
With hourly rates starting as high as $90, TopTal focuses on the high-end part of the outsourcing market. As you can see, the site is usually not suitable for minor projects. However, if you want something technical done, TopTal is an excellent platform to use since their freelancers are renowned for providing high-end quality services.
To hire a freelancer on Toptal, an initial deposit of $500 is required. However, you will get a two-week trial period with your freelancer. If you find that he is a good fit, you can hire him, and the $500 will be added as a credit to your account. On the other hand, you will receive a refund in full if you don’t think he’s the right person for the job.
The answer to that question depends on what you need done. If you want to get a job done quickly and at an affordable price, then Fiverr is a great place to find freelancers who can do that for you. While there are exceptional freelancers on Fiverr, it is relatively easier to find highly skilled technical professionals on the other sites mentioned in this article.
Do you think there are other sites like Fiverr that should be on the list as well? Share in the comments below!
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