Best Platforms to Hire a Freelancer (Discounts Included)

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In today’s internet age, many startups and corporations are hunting for expertise in digital marketing, content strategy, social media management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. If you are hiring locally, there is a chance of missing a talented pool worldwide. So today, we will review and compare the best platforms to hire a freelancer. 

best platforms to hire freelancers

Why Hire Freelancers? 

Many of the highly sought-after experts have embraced the freedom of freelancing. While there are numerous benefits for companies to hire freelancers:

  • More flexibility in human resources management
  • Hiring freelancers to work on new projects to see the results before committing to hiring full-time staff
  • Expand their team as needed with experienced freelancers 

For entrepreneurs, hiring freelancers help you spare more time to focus on high-level tasks to expand and grow your business. 

If you struggle to keep up with too many tasks, it’s time to outsource some of the work. 

What are some Common Types of Outsourced Jobs? 

outsourcing

Besides the above, there are many services that you can find freelancers for. Browse the categories on any freelance platform like Fiverr, and you’ll see more types of work that you can outsource. 

What are Freelance Platforms?

Freelance platforms allow independent professionals to create profiles, share portfolios, and offer their work scope to potential employers.

Companies source freelancers on the platforms for projects or jobs that do not necessarily require full-time employees.   

What are the Best Platforms to Hire a Freelancer? 

We’ll discuss in more detail the following platforms:

  • Fiverr – a comprehensive platform
  • Toptal – top 3% talents only 
  • Crowdspring – for creative needs 
  • FreeUp – top talents and budget-friendly

Fiverr – a Comprehensive platform 

Fiverr homepage

Fiverr is a comprehensive freelance platform that covers a wide variety of services. You can find jobs ranging from content writing to game development. 

It was launched in 2010 with the concept of services starting at $5. This is why it’s called Fiverr.

Service prices can go up to thousands of dollars, depending on the seller’s experience and job scope.

Each job offered is called a ‘gig’ on the platform. 

You can start using Fiverr here!

Hire a Freelancer on Fiverr

We have hired freelancers from Fiverr. The hiring and communication process is smooth, and the platform offers excellent buyer protection. 

Fiverr Marketplace to Hire Freelancers

Freelancers on the platform generally list three to four packages for you to choose from. Many sellers offer a minimum of one revision and up to unlimited revisions.

You can also request sellers to send you a custom offer.

use fiverr to hire a freelancer
a fiverr freelancer offering video animation making

If anything bad happens, you can request a refund from the seller. Usually, a refund occurs when you find out the delivery involves plagiarism or the seller failed to deliver what was promised. 

If the seller refuses, you can ask for help from a Fiverr representative. 

Using Fiverr Pro

Our best advice is to avoid cheap sellers. After all, you get what you pay for.

If you have a limited budget, spend more time on sourcing sellers.

fiverr pro

If you have a budget, check out Fiverr Pro. Sellers in Fiverr Pro are verified for exceptional quality and service. 

What is Fiverr Business?

Fiverr Business is a new initiative that emphasizes collaboration. It offers a business tool that allows you to organize and manage your projects, communication, deliveries, and budgeting in one place.

It is used by Loreal, Unilever, ByteDance, and more. 

fiverr business

Freelancers on Fiverr Business are exclusively business-relevant and top-tier. You will also have access to executive assistants to help match you with the best talent. 

Given its premium services, Fiverr Business charges $149 annually. But right now, you can use it for FREE for one year. Create a Free account here with no credit card required

fiverr business offering one year free trial

Toptal – Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Talent 

toptal a platform to hire top freelancers

If you are looking for top freelance talent, Toptal is the place. They have a rigorous process for screening candidates that takes two to five weeks to measure candidates’ subject matter expertise, professionalism, and communication skills. 

Every month, they only accept fewer than 3% of the thousands of applications. 

toptal screening process

Toptal is trusted by over 3,500 customers, including Airbnb, Google, Walt Disney, HP Enterprise, JPMorgan Chase, Pfizer, and Zendesk.

The expertise of Toptal freelancers

  • Toptal Project Managers and Product Managers:
    • Scrum Masters
    • Agile Project Managers
    • Digital Project Managers
    • Product Framework & Transformation
    • Product Launch
    • Research & Ideation
  • Toptal Developers:
    • Comprehensive development needs in any stack
    • Machine Learning/AI
    • Blockchain
  • Toptal Designers:
    • Product Management
    • UIUX
    • Branding/Logo creation
  • Toptal Finance Experts:
    • Finance Backlog
    • Interim CFO/Controllers
    • Fundraising Efforts

According to Toptal, their most in-demand talents are:

  • iOS Developers
  • Front-End Developers
  • UX Designers
  • UI Designers
  • Financial Modeling Consultants
  • Interim CFOs
  • Digital Project Managers 
expertise of toptal freelancers

Hire a freelancer on Toptal

To hire a freelancer on Toptal, you must fill out a form that asks about your requirements.

Filling in the form only takes a few minutes. Afterward, a representative will contact you to help you find an ideal match.

How much does it cost to hire a freelancer on Toptal? 

The hourly rates range from $60 to $210. Pricing varies depending on the freelancer’s profession, location, and whether you need them hourly, part-time, or full-time. 

We’ve got in touch with Toptal to get more details. Here’s what they say:

Because we have freelancers all over the world, we have a lot of flexibility here. Thus, the short answer is: we will work with you to find a price that works for you.

Toptal

Typically, their engagements fall into the following ranges:

  • Project and Product Managers, Developers and Designer Rates:
    • Full-time: 40+ hours per week (Average rates between $60-$120/hr+)
    • Part-time: 20+ hours per week(Average rates between $60-$120/hr+)
    • Hourly: Self-Explanatory (Average rates between $70-$150/hr+)
  • Finance Expert Rates:
    • Full-time: 40+ hours per week (Average rates between $100-$200/hr)
    • Part-time: 20+ hours per week (Average rates between $100-$200/hr)
    • Hourly: Self-Explanatory (Average rates between $125-$200/hr)

Crowdspring – for creative needs 

crowdspring a platform to hire top designers

Crowdspring prides itself as the world’s #1 marketplace for logo design, graphic design, company naming, and product design. 

It is very focused on satisfying your creative needs. It offers 33 categories in design work, and you can get a free design consultation if none of those suit your needs. 

crowdspring design packages

Make sure to check out their website for work categories. It offers different packages to fill your business needs.

For example, a logo & identity bundle includes a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope. 

crowdspring logo and design package example

What are the Crowdspring packages?

Here’s an overview of their main categories:

  • Logo & Identity
  • Naming & Branding
  • Product & Packaging
  • Web & Mobile Design
  • Business & Advertising
  • Art & Illustration
  • Clothing & Merchandise
  • Book & Magazine

The design consultation is free. Work 1-1 starts from $200. 

Hire a freelancer on Crowdspring

You can start by posting a project by selecting one of the packages. Then, you’ll answer some simple questions to create a brief for designers. It is for designers to understand your tastes and provide them with the information to design. 

Check out Crowdspring with our link to receive $25 discount and Advanced promotion (included) when you post your project.

hiring process on crowdspring

Afterward, multiple designers submit dozens of concepts for you to choose from. You can review and give feedback. In the end, you’ll pick the design you love. There would not be any extra costs involve and you’ll always only pay one price. 

work with crowdspring talents

After picking the winning design, you’ll finalize the project by reviewing design proofs and making refinements. You will receive full rights to the work you purchased. 

why choose crowdspring

We highly recommend using Crowdspring for design work. There are over 200,000 talented designers on the platform. On average, a project receives 100 entries. It is a very powerful platform to hire designers. 

FreeUp – Top talents and budget-friendly

freeup homepage

Similar to Toptal, FreeUp focuses on top talents only. It connects you with the top 1% of freelancers worldwide, shortcutting the hiring process and helping you grow your business. 

FreeUp is trusted by 20,000+ businesses, such as Payability, SellerLabs, and Charfen. 

Hire a freelancer on FreeUp

After creating a free account on FreeUp, you can submit your first job request. Then, the platform will pair you up with a qualified candidate within 24 hours.  

There are three levels of freelancers available and their respective hourly rate as follows:

  • Entry Level: $5 to $10 per hour
  • Mid Level: $10 to $30 per hour
  • Expert Level: $25 to $75+ per hour 
freeup freelancer pay differs across levels

You can find freelancers either located in the US or from other countries. 

Like Fiverr, it covers a wide range of services, such as virtual assistant, social media, SEO, email marketing, web design, and podcast editing. 

Over to You!

What are the types of jobs you plan to outsource? Which do you think are the best platforms to hire freelancers? Did we miss anything? Comment to let us know!

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