Which freelance service is the best for creators and online business owners?

Today, we will be looking at two of these services, Fiverr and Toptal.

These days, freelance work is one of the most popular online careers you can have, and one of the easiest ways for online business owners to get quality work without having to hire employees. If you have a long or short term project but have nobody to get the job down in-house, a freelancer might be the perfect answer.

Back in the day, freelancers had a difficult time finding work due to there not being a lot of services available to help bring buyers and sellers together. But now, there are multiple online tools and websites that connect freelancers to people looking to buy these digital services.

Fiverr

Fiverr is one of the most popular ways to connect online creators from all different fields to those looking to purchase online services. Fiverr has categories for nearly every service imaginable – from website building to  songwriting or relationship advice. 

Fiverr was started in 2010 as a freelance service meant specifically for graphic design, video editing, and programming. As the title of the website suggests, originally services started for as low as $5. These days, services can go for hundreds of even thousands of dollars as the quality and quantity of online creators have continued to grow.

How does Fiverr for sellers work?

Once you create a Fiverr account, you can easily switch between buying and selling, which means just because you sell your graphic design talents, doesn’t mean you can’t purchase services from a website builder as well. 

While setting up your account to sell, you will let Fiverr know what types of services you will be providing. 

Once you fill out basic demographic information, such as where you are based, languages spoken, and more detailed information of the service you will be providing, you can start posting gigs!

Gigs are what Fiverr calls the type of services you will be providing.  Your gig dashboard will look a little like this. 

Here’s where you can access drafts, pending, denied, and paused projects.

You can also see your analytics, such as selling price, orders completed, total monthly sales, and total earnings to date.

When posting your gig, make sure to include positive keywords and make a great first impression. Unlike typical job searching websites, such as Indeed or LinkedIn, your potential employers will be asking you to provide a service, rather than you asking an employer to provide a service. 

Having a catchy title, correctly tagging and pricing your services, and providing extra information such as photos and videos of the completed project can help potential buyers know if they will want to purchase your service.

Once you post your gig, you’re ready to accept orders! It’s important to note that Fiver will take up to 20% of total profits after completion of your gig.

Fiverr also has a system for sellers, labeling you as New Seller, Level 1, Level 2, and Top Rated Seller. You automatically start as a New Seller, and move up as you continue to make sales.

Once you move up to a Level 1 seller, you have been a seller for at least 60 days, have earned $400 or more, have maintained 4.7 star reviews, amongst other requirements. The higher your rank, the more features you unlock, such as being able to create more gigs, receive priority customer support, and access your earnings quicker.

How does Fiverr work as a buyer?

As mentioned above, you can easily switch between platforms as a purchaser and creator on the site. 

Browse through hundreds of services and even search for something specific you have in mind.

If you don’t see any projects that fit your bill, you can post a request for freelancers to see.

This allows freelancers to browse through specific tasks, and for both parties to work together on a proposal, including price, deadlines, etc.

There is a 5.5% fee for all buyers, and an extra $2 charge if the payment is $50 or under.

Once you submit your request, you will have to wait to hear back from the seller to see if they accepted your request. If so, wait the allotted time for your project, and don’t forget to review the product when you receive it. Reviews help these creators grow and can help them level up through the site.

Fiverr will also organize all your orders for you so you have easy access to what services you have completed. You can also see what has been rejected, and what orders are pending.

Toptal

Topotal is a freelance site that helps connect software developers, designers, project managers, and other talents to those needing those services. This company claims to host the top 3% of freelancers, in industries such as financial services, communications and media, and healthcare and life sciences.

How does Toptal work as a freelancer?

There is an intensive screening process to become a freelancer at this site, including an English comprehension interview, an in-depth skill review, live screening, and test projects. Only 3% of applicants make it to the end of the process, and have to also maintain a high record with clients.

While this can seem intimidating, if you do make it to the end of this process, you can rest easy that you have some of the top skills in your field.

You will also have the opportunity to work with some of the world’s top brands, such as previous clients Duolingo, Heinz, Kraft, Bridgestone, amongst others.

You can set your own rate, will receive guaranteed hours, and have much more freedom than typical jobs. Once you are in the Toptal network, you are guaranteed work 

Toptal does not take a cut from your profits, unlike many freelance services. 

How does Toptal work as a buyer?

Toptal promises clients that you can find a freelancer in 0-3 weeks. As you have read above, the screening process is intensive, but that means you have access to the best of the best freelancers and can guarantee quality work.

Once you sign up, you will tell Toptal exactly the type of service you’re looking for by submitting a job description, such as long you’ll need the freelancer for, and your budget. Next, they will use expert match-making to match you with a freelancer, which usually takes only a few days.

You have the final say to sign off for a freelancer, and can even enter a risk-free trial run where you can see if this is a good match. If not, you don’t have to make any payments and Toptal will start the process over.

You can read case studies from top brands on why they have chosen freelancers with Toptal here.

Be aware that Toptal takes a 20% cut of what you pay your freelancer. They will also require an upfront fee of $500 that will be applied as credit for your first hire.

Toptal handles all finances, so you don’t have to worry about invoicing or billing your freelancers.

Which site is the best?

If you are a buyer with a higher budget and don’t want to wade through a sea of freelancers, Toptal may be your best bet. The same goes for experienced freelancers. But if you’re a freelancer with less experience, or a buyer with a lower budget, Fiverr may be the best fit for you.