There are lots of Fiverr alternatives that have great potential to earn money online. Fiverr is an overcrowded freelancing website where freelancers fight with each other to decrease their prices. So if you’re thinking to find a place to work with dignity, explore these alternatives to Fiverr that I listed below.
Of course, you don’t need to join all the freelancing websites. One or two would be enough.
You may already have past experience working on Fiverr and ended up with unhappiness. And probably this is the main reason to seek an alternative option.
There are plenty of reasons for not choosing Fiverr. Especially the cheap price, scamming, low-quality work, poor customer support, etc. I listed my reasons in this Fiverr review. So feel free to check this after.
Anyways, I have listed a lot of websites below that can be great alternatives to Fiverr. Some of them are niche-specific and general categories. You can click each link below to read more detail about them.
- Upwork
- PeoplePerHour
- Freelancer
- Toptal
- Flexjobs
- Guru
- 99designs (graphic)
- Behance (graphic)
- Dribbble (graphic)
- Designhill (graphic)
- DesignCrowd (graphic)
- Textbroker (content)
- iWriter (content)
- BKA Content (content)
- Crowd Content (content)
- Content Writers (content)
- Verblio (content)
The above list contains three types of freelancing websites. Upwork to Guru (1-6) are the general freelance marketplaces. The next 5 sites (7-11) are specific to graphic designers and the rest of them (12-17) are applicable to writers.
- 1 The best Fiverr alternatives for your freelance work
- 2 Frequently asked questions
- 3 Conclusion
The best Fiverr alternatives for your freelance work
There are lots of freelancing sites out there. And we don’t even know all their names. Not all sites are equal, nor do all of them pay well & quickly.
Some of them are easy to land jobs. Also, there are some other sites where a buyer can get a high-quality job done.
Let’s see some of the best Fiverr alternatives that anyone can use both as a buyer and freelancer.
1. Upwork
Upwork is the by far best alternative to Fiverr. They have hourly and fixed-price jobs. Nowadays, Upwork also allows freelancers to create gigs similar to Fiverr.
But the main workflow on Upwork is bidding. That means a buyer post a project/job and freelancers bid on it. The buyer checks all the proposals/bids and chats/talks to the freelancers before hiring someone. This is the main workflow. If you’re a freelancer & interested to join Upwork, see how to write a winning proposal on Upwork.
I had been top-rated & have had a great experience working on Upwork. Anytime you face a problem, their customer support has willing to help. They don’t send you copy-paste template answers like Fiverr.
So if you’re thinking to join a new freelancing platform or want to hire a quality freelancer, Upwork can be a great alternative to Fiverr.
You get 10 connects for free each month. If you wish to join their premium membership, it will cost you $14.99 each month. But you can cancel anytime.
By upgrading to a premium membership, you’ll get 80 connects each month instead of 10.
Connects are required to bid/apply for jobs on Upwork. It also prevents unwanted or random job applications. And only serious people intend to bid or apply.
Things I don’t like about Upwork
- Fixed-price projects are not protected by escrow and buyers can make chargebacks.
- Hard to calculate the JS (Job Success) score and no one knows the actual algorithm.
- It requires “Connects” to apply for jobs and sometimes you may have to buy them (if exhausted).
Website: upwork.com
2. PeoplePerHour
It’s UK based & privately held company, and one of the oldest freelance marketplaces founded in 2007.
Moderators on PeoplePerHour review each application manually. And once you’re approved, you’ll get access to hundreds of their international clients.
PeoplePerHour has anti-fraud protection and 24-hour customer support.
It has a very similar UI to Fiverr. But they are not focused on the low pricing model like Fiverr. So you can expect to work with dignity.
Things I don’t like about PeoplePerHour
- 14 days clearing period.
- High commission rate (20%) like Fiverr.
- Your application may be rejected by customer support.
- Lots of freelancers are using fake countries as their locations.
Website: peopleperhour.com
3. Freelancer
Freelancer.com slightly prioritizes quality over quantity which is different from Fiverr. However, Freelancer’s base price starts from $10 (USD).
It’s an Australia-based freelance marketplace. Founded by Matt Barrie in 2009. Its headquarter is in Sydney.
The website interface and work process are something similar to Fiverr. So Freelancer.com can be a substitute for Fiverr.
However, freelancers are not able to join randomly. You need a government-issued identity card.
Things I don’t like about Freelancer
- Monthly/yearly subscription fee.
- 15 days clearing period (fixed-price projects)
- High commission rate (20%).
Website: freelancer.com
4. Toptal
This is a great freelancing platform and can be a perfect replacement for Fiverr. However, joining Toptal is not easy as you may think.
Their statics shows that only 3% of freelancers get a chance to work on their website. In my personal experience, you may need 3/4 different interviews.
If you don’t know, they take interviews after you apply. If you fail, you have the option to brush up on your skill and sit for another interview.
Most importantly, Toptal does not charge any commission to freelancers. Also, your freelance career is secured on Toptal & you don’t have to worry about being fired which is totally opposite to Fiverr.
Things I don’t like about Toptal
- The interview process is very hard. And you have to go through general English to your subject matter.
- The booking schedule is long for each interview.
- They ask lots of questions before you join their platform.
Website: toptal.com
5. Flexjobs
It’s a legitimate freelance marketplace for remote jobs. Flexjobs is perfect for both part-time & full-time freelance work. If you’re looking for a place for a side hustle, Flexjobs can be the right choice.
Mostly their jobs are vetted. Also, their job filtering system works well than Fiverr & others. And you can find your desired jobs through their platform.
At least you will not see hundreds of spam job posts as you see on Fiverr.
So Flexjobs can be another Fiverr alternative for you. Also, this platform is easy to navigate. If you’re a total beginner, you can start with Flexjobs without any hesitation.
Things I don’t like about Flexjobs
- The location requirements are a big hassle for many freelancers which does not make sense for remote jobs.
- You may receive unwanted job notifications.
Website: flexjobs.com
6. Guru
Guru is one of the most underrated and overlooked freelancing platforms that has great potential. The attractive thing about Guru is the low commission for freelancers. Generally, the marketplace commission is 9% for freelancers. And this fee can be less depending on the membership level as follows:
- Basic 9%
- Basic+ 9%
- Professional 7%
- Business 6%
- Executive 5%
Most freelancing websites charge 20% commission from freelancers whereas Guru charges only 9%. It’s totally different than Fiverr & others.
So if you’re a freelancer then Guru is not only an alternative to Fiverr but also a great replacement.
From programming to legal, you will get a wide range of fields to work in. They have both fixed and hourly rates to work with.
Things I don’t like about Guru
- Their customer support is not so responsive.
- Some people have complained about their unwanted invoicing.
Website: guru.com
7-11. 99designs, Behance, Dribbble, Designhill, DesignCrowd
These 5 platforms are very specific to graphic design. That means these five sites are only applicable if you’re a graphic designer.
I wrote detail about these freelancing platforms in a different post. So without reinventing the wheel, click the button below to find more detail.
All the buyers on these websites are only looking for graphic designers which is a big advantage if you’re a designer.
Things I don’t like about these niche marketplaces
- These platforms are only related to graphic design and you can not work if you’re not a designer.
- The number of job posts is very lower than others.
12-17. Textbroker, iWriter, BKA Content, Crowd Content, Content Writers, Verblio
Like graphic design sites, these 7 freelancing websites are specific to content writers.
So if you’re a content writer, these could be the right choice for you. All the clients on these platforms only seek writers. So it would be an extra privilege for you.
As a result, you can cut the competition and think of them as the Fiverr alternative and a great source of earning some real cash.
On the other hand, these are also great places for buyers to hire content writers.
Things I don’t like about these niche marketplaces
- The Copyscape rules are pretty straightforward and a single honest mistake may lead to your account ban.
- You need to spend time on keyword research, and topic analysis yourself (for buyers).
- Sometimes you may need to try multiple writers to find the right one (for buyers).
Frequently asked questions
Still have questions, keep reading.
What app is better than Fiverr?
Among the above list, Upwork mobile app is way much better than Fiverr. You can use Fiverr mobile app to chat with clients (like Fiverr), video call, share files, see the progress of your orders, etc.
Is Fiverr better than Upwork?
Fiverr & Upwork charge a similar amount (20%) to their freelancers. Both these two have a similar amount of customers. And many of the customers have accounts both on these two platforms.
But there is a caveat. If the project price goes above $500, the commission or service fee will decrease on Upwork. That’s a great opportunity for freelancers. See their service fee in the table below.
| Project price | Commission |
|---|---|
| $1 – $500 | 20% |
| $500+ (up to $10,000) | 10% |
| $10,000+ | 5% |
There is a misconception about this commissioning model. Let’s say you completed a project for $12,000 (twelve thousand). Now some of you may think that the Upwork service fee will be $600 but this is not the case and it’s the misconception about their commission model. The service fee or commission for a $12,000 project will be as follows:
- 20% for the first $500 = $100
- 10% up to $10,000 (10,000 – 500) = $950 (commission for $9,500)
- 5% that goes above 10K = $100 (commission for the rest of the $2,000)
Now the actual commission or service for a $12,000 project will be (100 + 950 + 100) = $1,150
And you will receive $10,850 for the $12,000 project. But if it was on Fiverr, you would receive $9,600 for the exact same $12,000 project. It means a freelancer loses $1,250 on Fiverr compared to Upwork based on a 12,000 dollar project.
Other factors we need to consider before answering the actual question
However, in my personal experience & observation, I found that Upwork has a bigger number of high-paying customers than Fiverr.
Upwork is more transparent about past order prices. For example, if you see a freelancer’s profile, you will see the prices of past projects (if the freelancer does not make it private). And this is the same for client profiles. You can check the prices of a specific client ordered on Upwork.
But Fiverr doesn’t show the prices of past orders. So you can only see the number of reviews/orders completed by someone. But you don’t see their prices.
The next thing is the “Buyer Requests” (brief/match) or job posts. A new freelancer does not see sufficient buyer requests on Fiverr. Currently, it has been replaced by “Brief” but it’s the substitute for previous buyer requests. Moreover, they made it harder for new sellers to get a match/brief. On the other hand, Upwork is totally different than Fiverr. A new freelancer can browse lots of job posts and apply accordingly.
Also, you will find hundreds of spam buyer requests on Fiverr. However, on Upwork, spam job posts are less than on Fiverr. And you can flag or report any spam job post right on the spot.
Considering these key factors and service fees, Upwork is not only better than Fiverr but also one of the great Fiverr alternatives. If you’re aiming for big projects, Upwork can inspire & help you better than Fiverr.
Is Guru better than Fiverr?
Depending on the marketplace commission, Guru can be a better option than Fiverr. Because Fiverr charges a 20% commission from Freelancers. On the other hand, Guru charges 9% or less depending on membership level.
Also, Guru does not hold your earnings in the clearing period for 14 days like Fiverr.
Depending on the payment system, it’s not only one of the many alternatives to Fiverr but also Guru is better than Fiverr. However, depending on the client base or the volume of work Fiverr is better than Guru.
So, you can try both these two and focus on one platform that works the best for you.
Why are Fiverr prices so low?
The prices on Fiverr are low because of the unparallel competition, demography, geography, and the business policy of Fiverr. To learn more briefly, see why Fiverr is so cheap.
Conclusion
Fiverr is a freelancing website where anyone can expect a $100 service for $5 only. And most people are taking this advantage because it’s an overcrowded platform and also the freelancers are fighting with each other by decreasing their prices.
So if you want to work with dignity, this is the right time to find a couple of Fiverr alternatives and start working. In this post, I have introduced a lot of options and alternatives. If you found other alternatives to Fiverr that work well & legitimate, let me know.
