Upwork Alternatives And Competitors

 

Upwork is one of the most popular Toptal alternative platforms to hire freelance developers. Startups and entrepreneurs have been using Upwork to locate talent to fill all manners of job roles, from simple data entry work to virtual assistants, and even locate programmers and designers to develop tech projects at affordable rates.

 

While it can be a lot cheaper to outsource services from a freelancer platform like Upwork, this Toptal alternative may not be the most viable option for your startup as it is yet another generic platform similar to Fiverr that does not conduct screening and vetting of talent. It may take a long time to locate the right talent and you need to be familiar with technical knowledge in order to interview potential candidates yourself.

 

Talent Location: Worldwide 

 

Pricing: Upwork rates are set by its talents and they may charge by the hour or per project. The charges can range immensely based on the talent’s skill sets and expertise. The average developer rates on Upwork range from $8-$15/hr and go up to $200+/hr based on seniority and skill set. 

 

Skills Offered: Development and IT, Design and creative, Sales and Marketing, Writing and Translation, Admin and Customer Support, Finance and Accounting and Engineering, Architecture and Legal Consultancy related services.

 

Hiring Process: Sign up on Upwork and create your profile. Create a job description that illustrates all your requirements from project start and end dates to budget, deliverables, and payment terms. Freelancers will reach out to you with their portfolios and offerings. Shortlist the freelancers that are most suited for your requirements. You may conduct a pre-screening call prior to hiring to ensure the freelancer has good communication skills and if their character is suitable for your project. If you’re looking for more long-term commitments you may onboard the freelancer with a signed contract to ensure all requirements are understood by both parties.  

 

Cancellation Policy: if the clients cancel the project within 24 hours of purchasing it, they can claim a full refund. If the client cancels the project after 24 hours have passed, Upwork automatically initiates an escrow refund request which may or may not be accepted by the freelancer hence it does not guarantee your money back. 

 

Recommended For: Short-term, low-level skilled work

 

So Why Should You Look At Upwork Alternatives to Fill Your Freelancer Hiring Requirements?

  • Hiring through Upwork can consume a lot of time to find the most suitable talent as you need to reach out to each individual freelancer, discuss the project necessities, identify if they have the right skillsets and expertise you require and perhaps even do a smaller task with them first to ensure they possess the work ethic you require.
  • Hiring from Upwork has no assurance on the quality of work as Upwork does not vet and screen their talent. Especially when hiring highly skilled workers like programmers and software engineers, you woud need to vet the talent yourself.
  • Majority of the global freelance talent pool at Upwork are from Asia and aren’t fully proficient in English language, hence you would need to conduct some screening on their language skills to ensure smooth communication processes.
  • Due to it’s global talent base, you may find it difficult to locate aa freelancer from your own time zone if thats a requirement for your project.

 

Here Are The Top 10 Upwork Alternatives to Hire Freelancers in 2022:

1. CloudDevs

CloudDevs logo
CloudDevs screenshot

2. Unicorn.Dev

Unicorn.Dev logo
Unicorn.Dev screenshot

3. People per hour

People per hour logo
People per hour screenshot

4. DesignBro

DesignBro logo
DesignBro screenshot

5. freelancer.com

freelancer.com logo
freelancer.com screenshot

6. Hubstaff Talent

Hubstaff Talent logo
Hubstaff Talent screenshot

7. Guru

Guru logo
Guru screenshot

8. Uplers

Uplers logo
Uplers screenshot

9. Fiverr

Fiverr logo
Fiverr screenshot

10. Workhoppers

Workhoppers logo
Workhoppers screenshot

11. LaborX

LaborX logo
LaborX screenshot