Hello, ladies and gentlemen, in this article, I will tell you about existing alternatives to UpWork suitable for both clients and freelancers. Honestly, UpWork’s policies have become strict: workers can’t always get in, and the pricing policy for clients is quite expensive. So, it might be worth considering other options.
List of UpWork Alternatives
Regardless of whether you are a worker or a client, there are other options to replace UpWork, and I will tell you about them now.
Let’s make a quick note: many platforms do not work with Russian and Belarusian accounts. You will need foreign accounts and cards. You can, for example, get a bank card from Kazakhstan. If you are not a resident of Russia, Belarus, Iran, or North Korea, there are no issues; most exchanges work with almost all countries.
Fiverr
One of the most well-known UpWork alternatives. Its advantage is that neither workers nor clients need to pay.
The platform is very similar, with profiles for freelancers that clients can choose from.
Any freelancer can create a profile to earn money. On this platform, freelancers who know English, German, Italian, Spanish, and other popular languages can earn money. There are even Russian-speaking specialists, although residents of the Russian Federation currently cannot work or place orders on this service.
However, the platform’s interface supports only a few languages, but for most, this will be sufficient.
As you can see, almost all popular fields are available here, so both clients and specialists have plenty of opportunities. On Fiverr, you can:
- Order texts, video scripts, news publications, articles, and technical instructions.
- Order translations of texts from one language to another. A huge number of languages are available for translations.
- Get programming services, from minor website improvements to mobile app development.
- Order design-related work, such as for websites or printed materials like business cards.
And many more tasks are available, so everyone can find something they enjoy.
Fiverr can be considered a good alternative to UpWork. Registration for freelancers is free here; you can create a profile, and it is quite likely that you will get an order. The highest competition is in English, which is logical, but if you know other languages, you can adapt to clients from other countries.
Clients can also easily find workers using convenient filters.
Kwork.com
A freelance exchange that used to work only locally in the CIS but now operates worldwide. It is also free; you do not need to buy subscriptions to work on the service.
There are freelancers from both CIS countries and the rest of the world, such as Europe, Asia, and South America.
The platform is good for both workers and clients, with convenient filters for finding freelancers and reasonable rates.
Kwork is just starting on the global stage, but on the platform, you can already:
- Order website and app development, get qualified help from programmers.
- Order design-related work, such as for websites and apps.
- Order the design of printed materials, such as magazines and business cards.
- Get audio and video work.
- Order texts in different languages.
- You can also find SEO specialists and marketing specialists here.
Of course, there are many more opportunities here; if you don’t find something in the standard sections, you can simply use the service search.
You can work on the service completely for free; on Kwork, you do not need to pay for Pro subscriptions to access tasks.
The entry threshold is quite low, so there is a slight risk for clients. Accordingly, you need to pay attention to the freelancer ratings before assigning them a task.
Guru
Another fairly well-known freelance marketplace that can be considered an alternative to UpWork. The platform is very popular and is essentially very similar to UpWork. Each specialist can create a profile that reflects their professional skills, and clients can find a freelancer to complete their work.
Of course, there are slightly fewer freelancers here than on UpWork, but the rates are reasonable. However, it depends on the country. For example, the screenshot above clearly shows the difference between the hourly rates of specialists from the USA and Pakistan.
You can order various types of work here, from website and app development to creating architectural projects and even designing models for 3D printing.
So, almost anyone can find work here, and clients can find workers.
I recommend considering this service if UpWork doesn’t suit you for some reason.
Insolvo
Not the most well-known service, but you can find many freelancers from CIS countries who will do your work for reasonable rates. I recommend checking it out if you want to save money.
Tasks can be almost anything, as long as they can be done remotely. You can even assign tasks like “take a photo of such and such street.” I have used this service myself to place orders when I needed something photographed, such as Ala-Archa Park in the snow. And there were freelancers who completed the task.
There are many options here for both specialists and clients, you can even order a SIM card from another country with postal delivery.
If you have something more standard, like needing a text in a specific language or website development, there won’t be any issues.
One downside is that the platform is paid. You will have to pay $7 per month to work on it. For clients, the service is completely free.
Freelancer.com
A well-known and quite old freelance marketplace, it used to be the main competitor to UpWork. It has lost some ground now, but not enough to disregard it.
There are plenty of tasks for almost every profession here, but the competition is huge, as specialists from all over the world flock to this marketplace, just like on UpWork.
Prices here are generally slightly cheaper than on UpWork, making it attractive for clients, especially those looking to get work done for less.
However, for freelancers, this platform is not as promising due to high competition and the need to pay a monthly fee starting at $5. Secretly, I’ll tell you that you’ll need to pay more; a more reasonable plan, which includes 100 bids per month, will cost $9.
Of course, this is standard practice for many services, but it’s still discouraging, especially if you don’t have the money for an initial payment.
Flexjob
It’s hard to call this service a full-fledged UpWork alternative; it’s more of a comprehensive job aggregator, but there are often freelance vacancies here. So, I recommend checking it occasionally if there’s nothing on other platforms.
The main downside of this aggregator is that it is paid.
You can get a subscription for a couple of weeks, but once you find a job, don’t forget to cancel it, or the money will be charged again.
The advantages include the fact that there are vacancies for almost every profession, and employers from all over the world.
So, while it may not be the best UpWork alternative, you can use the site for free to search for a job, and if you find one, you can pay for a subscription and apply for vacancies.
Freelance.de
Suitable only for those who know German, as there are very few orders in other languages.
A good platform targeted at audiences from Germany and Austria. Orders from Belgium and Switzerland also appear.
The platform is quite large, with many orders, making it a good alternative to UpWork. If you have a high level of German, you might want to give it a try.
The free version gives you only 5 bids on projects. To get more bids, you’ll need to pay 20 euros per month. Unfortunately, the free amount is not enough to find work, so you’ll have to pay.
If you know German at a high level or can conduct business correspondence using ChatGPT and Deepl, you can work here. The competition is lower than on UpWork, and there are plenty of tasks.
Truelancer
A freelance marketplace that can also compete with UpWork. Clients will find it beneficial here as there are many freelancers, and you can pay less, but it’s not as favorable for freelancers.
This is an Indian freelance marketplace with strong competition among freelancers, and the primary language is English.
The service is paid. To have a chance to get work, you’ll need to spend money. You have a basic 5 proposals that you can use to respond to bids. If you want more proposals, you’ll need to pay $4 for 5 proposals.
The service is free for clients.
Other UpWork Alternatives
Of course, I haven’t listed all the services similar to UpWork. There are many other freelance marketplaces, but their popularity is significantly lower, meaning there are fewer clients and freelancers.
You can also work with local services tailored to specific countries instead of UpWork. These local platforms exist in almost every country. For example, there are very large freelance markets in China, India, Russia, and Germany.
However, you will need to know the languages of these countries and compete with local specialists. So, many local services are not considered competitors to UpWork.
I also recommend looking for work on LinkedIn, where freelance vacancies are often posted.
That’s all for now. I wish you success and all the best!
