Freelance work is one of the most lucrative careers at the moment. With flexible hours, the ability to work from home, and the multitude of different companies you can work for, more and more writers, programmers, and artists are becoming freelancers.

Today, we will be looking at two of these platforms, Fiverr and 99 Designs.

And from a company’s perspective, it can be a lot easier to hire freelancers for work rather than hiring full employees. A lot of the time, it’s a win-win. 

Back in the day, it could be difficult for freelancers to find work without already being established, but with the rise of work from home options after the pandemic, many sites have appeared to help connect freelancers to those looking to purchase those services.

Fiverr

What is Fiverr?

Fiverr is a two-way marketplace designed to help connect freelancers and clients. Fiverr is by far the most popular of these services and has been the recipient of heavy media attention in the past few years. 

Founded in 2010, the site has since helped connect millions of people for a range of different services, from website design to relationship advice. Originally, services started at just $5, hence the namesake. But as the quality of work has increased, as well as the quantity of freelancers and clients, many services can cost upwords of hundreds to thousands of dollars per service.

How does Fiverr work for freelancers?

Fiverr is free to use and to make an account. Once you sign up, you can start posting ‘Gigs’ – this is what Fiverr calls their job postings. As a freelancer, you will advertise your service in this gig, and clients can scroll through categories of freelancers to find your services.

When making your gig post, you want to make sure you use positive keywords, discuss deadlines, budgets, positive reviews from previous satisfied customers, and show finished products of your service. Talk about your experience and what qualifies you to provide this service.

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

As your account grows, you can offer packages, which can range from basic, standard, and premium. These packages can offer more content, quicker deadlines, or the ability for the client to ask for multiple revisions if they are not satisfied with the finished product. Below is an example of these packages.

What are Fiverr’s levels?

You may notice that on your account, Fiverr lists you as a New Seller. 

This is part of Fiverr’s ranking system. All sellers start as a New Seller, and can move to a Level 1 Seller, a Level 2 Seller, or a Top Rated seller. The more gigs you sell, reviews you receive, and money you make, you can move up to these levels. The higher your level, the more attention your profile will get from potential clients, as well as receiving key features. 

These features include being able to post more gigs, add extra services to your gigs, and the ability to withdraw your funds quicker.

Note – Fiverr takes a 20% cut from all your earnings, which means you will take home 80% of your total pay.

How does Fiverr work for clients?

You can easily switch between being a freelancer and a client on Fiverr, so you only have to make one account. Once your account is made, you can start browsing the categories of services and message a freelancer you want to work with. Remember, they can deny your request at any point.

If you are looking for help on a specific project and can’t find any gig that meets your goals, you can try making a request post.

The request template looks something like this –

From here, once you describe the project you need, as well as deadlines and the budget you can work with, Fiverr will match you with freelancers that can then message you directly. You can speak with different freelancers until you find one you want to work with, and you can agree on payment and deadlines together.

Fiverr is a free platform to use for both freelancers and clients, but charges a 5.5% fee on orders. There will be an extra $2 fee when the order total is under $50.

99 Designs

What is 99 Designs?

99 Designs is a freelance designer company designed specifically to connect graphic designers with clients. The company was founded in Australia by Matt Mickiewicz and Mark Harbottle, and has since opened a US office due to the majorty of the designers being from North America. The site is now run by Vista, a design and marketing platform to support small businesses across the world.

99 Deisgns has been praised by publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, amongst others, and has over a million active users.

How does 99 Designs work for clients?

As a client, you will create a brief to let the program know what type of design you’re looking for. From logos, branding, websites, book covers, your options are nearly endless.

Once your brief is finished, you can start getting connected with designers. 

You can do this in one of two ways – hire a designer directly, or have designers bid on your brief in what 99 Designs calls a contest.

When you hire a designer directly, you can get quotes from multiple designers and review portfolios that 99 Designs will offer you.

When you start a contest, your brief will be opened to the thousands of designers working for the platform and they will submit ideas directly to you. 

Once you finalize your design, you can always keep working on a next project with your designer, or keep looking for other artists.

How much will this cost?

Prices vary depending on the type of service. Logos, for example, cost much less than website designing.

Below is an approximate pricing scale for logo design, though each freelancer’s pricing will vary. 

Prices will also vary depending on if you hire a designer directly or if you take the contest route. 99 Designs offers fixed prices for the content designs, so you can guarantee the price you’re paying. This may be a more affordable option for many.

How does 99 Deisgns work for designers?

Unlike Fiverr, you have to apply to work for the platform directly. This is because they are promising only the best freelance designers to potential clients.

Although it is free to sign up and apply, you need appropriate designer experience, as well as 6-12 samples of your work to continue on the site.

Below are a few of the standards that 99 Designs will be looking at.

You can apply to 99 Designs up to two times before your application is permanently declined. Due to the acceptance rate being very competitive, if you are denied your first round, you will have to wait 12 months before applying again.

Which platform is best?

For serious graphic designers looking to make serious cash, 99 Designs may be your best bet. However, with strict guidelines to join the site and high prices, it is not best for beginner freelancers or those looking to purchase more simple services. With Fiverr, anyone can join the site and the affordable prices are perfect for those not looking to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars. However, there are still high quality freelancers on both sites. 

Which platform will you use? Do you use another alternative? Let us know below.