Freelance work is all the rage these days. With the ability to work from the comfort of your home, flexible hours, and the range of companies you can work for, it’s no wonder why more and more people are choosing freelance. And from an employer’s perspective, hiring freelancers can be a lot more economical than hiring in-staff employees.

Before the rise of freelance work, it could be difficult to find work as a freelancer, or to find a freelancer to hire. But now, there are many services that connect freelancers and employers looking to purchase services. 

Today, we will be taking a look at two of these online platforms, Fiverr and Hubstaff Talent.

Fiverr

What is Fiverr?

Fiver is an online two-way marketplace designed to help connect freelancers to clients looking to purchase those services. Founded in 2010 in Israel, the platform is by far one of the most popular freelance services and is now a multi-billion dollar global company.

Although you can find a wide range of services on the platform, the highest paying services are social media management, proofreading and copywriting, website design, and resume writing.

How does Fiverr work for freelancers?

Fiverr is a free service, which means you can sign up and start making money without having to pay for any sort of subscription fee. (Though there is the option to sign up for Fiverr Pro, only 1% of applicants make the cut for the program)

Once you sign up, you can start posting gigs. Gigs are what Fiverr calls their job advertisements. Unlike typical job boards, such as LinkedIn or Indeed, freelancers are in control. 

Clients will order directly from your gig, so you want to make sure you include all important details, such as timelines, rate, your experience, and positive testimonials from satisfied customers. This will encourage potential clients to purchase your services.

Below is an example of a high rated seller’s gig posting.

As you can see, this seller has included why the client should choose them over other freelancers, positive keywords, and included information about packages.

Packages are another feature Fiverr offers. For different pricing tiers, you can create basic, standard, and premium packages. Oftentimes, the premium package will cost the highest amount, and the client will receive more content, quicker delivery time, and the option to revise the finished product if they are not satisfied.

Below is an example of the different packages you can include.

Another important part of how Fiverr works for freelancers is the ranking system. All sellers automatically start off as New Sellers. You can level up to Level 1, Level 2, and Top Rated Seller. 

As a new seller, you can post seven active gigs, add 2 extra services per gig, and withdraw your money after 14 days. 

Once you have been an active seller for at least 60 days, completed at least 10 orders, earned $400 or more, maintained a 4.7-star rating over 60 days, delivered a 90% response rate score over 60 days, scored a 90% order completion rate over 60 day, achieved a 90% on-time delivery score over 60 days, and received no warnings over 30 days, you can level up to Level 1. This will allow you to post 10 gigs and add 4 extra services. 

The higher your ranking, the more likely clients are to purchase your service from you. 

Below is how you can make it to Level 2 and become a Top Rated Seller.

Note: Although Fiverr is completely free to use, the platform takes a 20% cut from all your earnings, meaning you walk home with 80% of your total sales.

How does Fiverr work for clients?

Instead of posting a job opening, as a client you will search through the categories of freelancers and submit a request to order. 

You can message a seller directly to ask for more details, or to confirm prices and deadlines before submitting an order. 

You will be charged once you submit your order, but the payment won’t go through to the seller until you have confirmed you are happy with your final product. Make sure to handle all payments through the Fiverr website in order to stay protected. 

Fiverr will charge a 5.5% fee on all your order totals, as well as charge an extra $2 if the order is under $5.

HubStaff Talent

What is HubStaff Talent?

Hubstaff talent is a 100% free platform designed to connect employers to remote workers and freelancers. Hubstaff Talent’s parent company is Hubstaff, which is a remote worker platform to help with time tracking, scheduling, and reporting for online work.

Some popular services on Hubstaff Talent are web development, social media marketing, and graphic design, very similar to the highest paying jobs on Fiverr.

There are over 150,000 profiles on the site and over 600 current active jobs. 

How does Hubstaff Talent work for freelancers?

Hubstaff Talent is free to sign up for freelancers. Once you make your account, you are able to start applying for jobs directly on the site.

There is no bidding at Hubstaff Talent, which is a popular freelance site tactic that is often not in favor of freelancers who will have to waste time and money bidding on projects they might not ever get. Instead, companies will come directly to you if they see your profile and want to work with you.

Unlike Fiverr, though, the purpose of Hubstaff Talent is not about finding short gigs. Instead, the idea is that you will find consistent, long term freelance and remote work on the platform.

Below are some jobs that Hubstaff Talent is currently promoting. 

No money goes through Hubstaff, so you don’t have to worry about the site taking fees or a cut from your pay.

If your client is using Hubstaff for the remote work services, you can get paid via PayPal or other wire-transfer sites.

How does Hubstaff Talent work for Employers and Agencies?

Both individual employers and agencies use Hubstaff Talent to hire freelancers and remote workers. 

It is free to post jobs and hire workers through Hubstaff Talent. The site is able to stay free due to the hope that you will use their other tracking services, such as Hubstaff Tasks.

It is one of the only completely free resources to find remote work that also won’t take any fees.

You can both post job openings and reply directly to freelancers who reply to your post, or browse through profiles to find a remote worker you want to work with.

Job postings remain active for 60 days before the site will remove them to make sure only currently-hiring jobs are on the site.

Which freelance platform is best?

Both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of work you are looking to do or buy. For shorter term gigs and more opportunities, Fiverr may be your best bet, though the fees the site charges are high. But if you are interested in longform freelance work, and a completely free directory to find or hire work, Hubstaff Talent may be the site for you. Considering the fact that there are much more freelancers on the site than active jobs, this site may be better suited for agencies and business owners looking to hire work rather than freelancers trying to find work.

Which freelance site will you use? Let us know down below.