Today, we have a list of ten places for freelancers to find work online. This will benefit you whether you’re a freelance writer, a translator, or something in between!
I belong to several writers’ groups on Facebook, and one topic of discussion recently was how much help members should be giving one another. Honestly, it was weird – the whole point of these groups is to help fellow writers out, provide educational resources and information, post jobs and gigs, etc. It was almost as if the group had taken on a competitive nature, and the members didn’t want to help one another for fear of losing out on a gig to a fellow writer.
I get being competitive, but when you’re first starting out, that type of in-fighting can be off-putting and frankly, depressing. Luckily, there are plenty of educational resources out there for those who are just getting started, folks who are mid-level in their career, or even old veterans of the industry.
Our top 10 websites for freelancers – whether you’re a writer, translator, or any other kind of contract worker – to find jobs online are below:
10 Places For Freelancers To Find Jobs Online
#1 – Upwork
As a freelance writer, Upwork is not a platform I often use anymore, but it’s definitely one I utilized when I was first starting out as a writer. Clients can reach out to you for their projects, and it can be nearly anything – not just writing opportunities.
Formerly Elance/oDesk, Upwork now has gigs posted for: writing, design, mobile development, admin support, customer service, marketing, accounting, web development, IT, engineering, architecture, and so much more.
Until you can “build up a regular working relationship with a client,” Upwork does take a 20% cut of your pay, so make sure to price around that.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the website boasts 12 million freelancers worldwide – that’s some stiff competition!
Nailing down a specific niche is always a good idea; for example, if you’re a resume writer, are you great at writing medical resumes, because you worked as a nurse during the first phase of your career? Are you a graphic designer who loves 2D animation? Find what works best for you – and sell the heck out of it.
Go here to sign up at Upwork, or read our Upwork review first.
#2 – Guru
One of the highlights of being featured on Guru is that it’s, well, easy to show off your skillset! Guru has significantly less “experts” than Upwork to (by about 9 million), so the website has less competition as well.
But don’t let that make you think that freelancers don’t get paid pretty well on Guru – over $250,000,000 has been doled out to gig-masters over the years! Even lawyers and business and financial pros have gotten in on the Guru game.
Free applications are rationed annually, and the commission they take hovers around 9%.
Freelancers can charge by the task, hour, or via recurring payments. Plus, you get to be known as a “guru” in something – pretty dang cool!
#3 – ProBlogger
ProBlogger is for the wunderkind of words, a purveyor of prose, a wizard of waxing philosophic…and I’m out. But you pick up what I’m putting down! ProBlogger is a website for writers. Searching the website’s Jobs page reveals many gigs you can apply for. There doesn’t seem to be a limit, either, on how many jobs you can submit for, either – and it seems like you can submit without signing up for anything on the website. That’s a bonus, in my book!
However, be wary of low-paying gigs – there were a few on the website that looked suspicious ($15 per 1,000 words to be a romance novelist? No, thank you). This goes for any website, of course – the owners can’t vet everything that gets through, though I’m sure that they do try their best, if they’re a legitimate website – which of course, all of the ones listed here are legitimate!
It’s always best to remember that scammers are constantly evolving their methodologies – be smart about where you apply.
Go here to see what jobs are listed on ProBlogger.
#4 – Gengo
Gengo is a freelancing website purely for translators. Their client list is impressive: Facebook, Amazon, Air BnB, Alibaba.com, SONY, Bloomberg, and more.
You do have to take a test before being accepted as a freelancer.
Some downsides: the amount of languages that the website needs translation for is somewhat limited, and some of the languages listed (for example, French to English) don’t need new translators. It may be tough getting an open spot, especially if you’re not a polyglot.
But if you CAN find an open position, it can be quite lucrative. According to ZipRecruiter, an hourly wage for a translator can be as high as $100/hour.
Go here to sign up at Gengo, or read our Gengo review first.
#5 – Freelance Writing Gigs
As a writer, this is one of my favorite websites to find gigs.
Here’s an insider tip: the other writers who frequent this website know when the new gigs get posted (it’s basically a one-stop shop for all your writing gigs needs, so you don’t need to wade through Indeed, Craigslist, LinkedIn, etc.). Jobs are posted Monday – Friday, usually in the mornings (around 10am EST has been my experience in the past, but that may have changed recently).
Jobs range in terms of rate and many of them do come from Craigslist, so you kind of take what you can get.
Go here to check out Freelance Writing Gigs.
#6 – FlexJobs
FlexJobs is one of those websites that is often touted by freelancers as being fantastic. The same could be said for Fiverr (see below), Upwork (see above), or any other similar website designed for freelancers to find gigs.
But FlexJobs does have the marketing backing of some big-name players, like The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NBC, and Time Magazine.
A bonus to using FlexJobs is that, out of all of the similar websites to it, it seems to have the most varied industries represented. You have your usual suspects on there, like gigs for writers and graphic designers; but you can also find gigs for behavioral health case managers, hotel sales prospectors, and compliance specialists.
Keep in mind FlexJobs is not a free site. They proudly guarantee no scams (which many sites won’t do), and they don’t have any ads on the site (something else you won’t find with most other sites). So, this is why they charge a fee for membership and access to their listings.
Go here to sign up at FlexJobs (be sure to use promo code AFFILPROMO to get 30 percent off your monthly membership). The fee is small — just $14.95 a month without the promo code. So, this is not an expensive site to join.
#7 – Fiverr
I’ve only done one job on Fiverr several years ago, when I was truly hustling for gigs (the hustle has died a little now, thankfully). It was a fun experience – I could post my Fiverr services for truly anything. I offered to write folks funny Facebook statuses, and I even had a few takers!
Fiverr is very much the same, except when I used it when it first came into existence, the concept was based around attempting to charge only $5 for your services. But of course, you can start much higher.
This is a platform that’s geared towards more entry-level service providers, but it’s also one of those websites that you can make a decent living on.
Go here to sign up on Fiverr, or read our Fiverr review first.
#8 – BloggingPro
BloggingPro is another excellent website that I used back in the day, when I was first trying to figure out how to earn a living as a freelance writer.
It’s a wonderful site, chock full of great gigs and jobs for writers. Nearly all of the jobs posted are for freelancers, which is a bonus – sometimes on such websites, you have to wade through the on-site jobs to get to the remote work.
Many jobs posted don’t require a degree either – some postings, even remote, freelance ones, do, so it’s good to know which ones don’t.
Go here to see the freelance work listed on BloggingPro.
#9 – Behance
Behance is a website only geared towards creative freelancers; these freelancers come from a variety of backgrounds, including: writers, designers, project coordinators, retouchers, UX/UI designers, storyboarders, and so much more.
You also have the opportunity to work as a mentor with young folks just coming up through the trenches.
Like most of these websites, Behance also offers postings on internships, which is super valuable for any Gen Z college kid.
Go here to check out Behance.
#10 – Mandy
This website is purely for freelance professionals in the film industry. As someone who has a background that’s heavy on the entertainment side, this website seems like a dream come true!
However, keep in mind that you’re competing with thousands just like you (though the same can be said for any industry), so you’ll need to make sure that your portfolio is polished and current.
Keep abreast of the latest trends in your industry – in this case, the film industry – and see if you can incorporate those trends into your portfolio and the work you do, even if you take on a gig that’s for a lesser rate. If it’s mainly used as a collaboration or portfolio piece that will eventually get you that $10k/month gig, it’s totally worth it!
Go here to check out Mandy.
What other websites do you use for your freelancing endeavors? Let us know in the comments – we love your feedback!
