Fiverr vs Upwork: Which Platform Is Better

By Eva Williams 15 days ago, Apps and Software

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Nowadays, there are plenty of opportunities to make money online. However, it might be challenging to find a reliable platform with a secure payment system where freelancers can offer their services. If you want to find a website that will suit you best, make sure to compare Fiverr vs Upwork to see what advantages and disadvantages they have.

Upwork is a well-known platform that was founded as the result of Elance’s merger with oDesk in 2015. It’s known for a huge database of professionals who offer their services to private entrepreneurs and businesses. User profiles look like CVs, where you can find rates, the history of completed projects and information about education. Upwork makes it easier for you to find a professional for your project. It awards badges to freelancers and has a secure payment system.

Fiverr was founded in 2010. This service quickly became a great option for budget-conscious companies and individual entrepreneurs who were looking for affordable services. The basic rate on this platform was just $5.

What Is Fiverr?

Fiverr is one of the best freelance services in the USA. It has millions of monthly visits. Besides, this popular website has about a million monthly transactions. It allows you to customize your search results, cut your expenses and get high-quality services that cost $5 per hour or higher.

A freelancer can create a profile and indicate their gigs. However, it doesn’t allow companies to post job offers. They can only browse through the catalog and select a person that can cope with their project.

On Fiverr, you can order video-editing, content writing, website development services. There are professionals that create video openers and unique designs. Fiverr is a huge online platform that allows companies to quickly find professionals in any field. Most freelancers provide website development, digital marketing, content writing services, however, some of them offer unique gigs as well.

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Fiverr: Strengths and Weaknesses

A variety of freelancer services. Whether you are interested in website development, graphic design or freelance photography, you can find any type of services on Fiverr. Some freelancers offer such gigs as dog walking or writing Amazon reviews. Marketing and advertising services are always in high demand.

Secure payments. The platform checks every client who posts their request. It ensures that freelancers will be paid in full for the services they offer.

No fees for employers, free membership. There is no need to pay for a subscription to use the platform. Even if you want to switch to Fiverr Pro and verify your account, you don’t need to pay a fee. Fiverr Pro orders have the same fee as the rest, so you don’t need to overpay for them.

Budget offers. While this platform has become popular thanks to its $5 gigs, not all of them come at this price now. Every freelancer can indicate their fixed price, and clients will need to pay it to order their services. There is no need to negotiate orders as you can always find a freelancer for your budget and needs.

Users can create gigs in different price categories. While other similar services allow employers to post offers, Fiverr makes it possible to create a freelancer portfolio and add a list of gigs. The prices for these gigs start at $5, however, the most complex gigs can cost thousands of dollars.

Mobile version. If you compare Upwork vs Fiverr, you will see that both platforms have easy-to-use apps that allow users to use them on the go and track project progress easily.

Secure chats allow employers and freelancers to discuss project details and share documents.

It might be difficult to find a certain type of service. You might not be able to find a user with the right skills straight away. It might take a long time to find a professional that can cope with your project.

Poor security options. Fiverr is sometimes criticized for low-quality services and poor security. Some companies fail to find reliable freelancers here. However, if there is an issue with your project, you can leave a review after working with a freelancer and select professionals based on the reviews that they received from other clients.

High fees for freelancers. Many freelancers complain that it takes too long to withdraw payments. Besides, you will need to pay a 20% fee for each of your gigs. Some people avoid this service since clients can easily cancel the project and be refunded even after it has been completed.

What Is Upwork?

If you compare Fiverr vs Upwork, you will notice that the latter prioritizes professional qualities, which is why the services here are more expensive. Both services allow you to hire specialists in a variety of fields, however, on Upwork, you won’t find many freelancers that are ready to work for a low fee. Upwork is similar to a job forum where you can find job offers for entry-level specialists and experts alike.

Upwork has a lot of freelancers that use a similar tiered packaging model as Fiverr users, however, here, you will hardly ever find prices starting from $5. Usually, freelancers charge starting from $50. Besides, you can see detailed information about what is included in the price.

Upwork: Strengths and Weaknesses

Long-term relationships between clients and freelancers. If a client finds a freelancer that can solve a task quickly and efficiently, they can hire them again in the future. Thanks to it, creative professionals can establish long-term relationships with their clients and spend less time discussing payments and various project-related issues.

Regular communication. Upwork allows users to exchange files in a fully secure environment. Clients can provide freelancers with valuable feedback via chat messages or videos. Besides, this platform allows you to keep track of all of your transactions and invoices. You can access them whenever you want.

Free account. You don’t need to pay anything to sing in and start monitoring Upwork careers. After signing up, you will receive 60 connects to bid for a job.

Fixed prices and safe payments. Clients can preview a finished project and release the payment only when they are sure that no further improvements are needed.

Hourly payment protection. Upwork has the work diary feature that makes it easier to track the progress of a project. Thanks to it, clients can be sure that they are paying for real work that has been done by a freelancer during an hour. The platform has a well-thought-out billable time system that allows clients to receive in-progress screenshots and see all the details of a project.

Mobile application. Whether you choose Fiverr or Upwork, both these services have easy-to-use mobile apps. However, the Upwork app allows its users to track the project’s progress and quickly accept offers. Thanks to it, freelancers can always keep in touch with clients, send them screenshots, search for new jobs and perform other tasks.

If a freelancer’s offer has been accepted or rejected, they receive a notification. Besides, the app enables clients to set milestones for jobs with a fixed price.

Large fees. Users should pay a fee to post their proposals. Besides, Upwork also charges a fee for each project. It depends on the total amount. For instance, you might need to pay from 5% to 20% for each order. It makes this service less convenient for small companies. Besides, it doesn’t make any sense to pay such fees for working with long-term employees.

It might take too long to find your first client. Since many professionals have created accounts on Upwork, it might be difficult to get hired when you don’t have any reviews. You might need to apply to over 50 projects to get interviewed 15 times and receive one order.

However, once you have got your first review, it will be easier for you to get hired again. Besides, your clients will see the total amount of your earnings and reviews left by other companies in your profile. It will make it much simpler to find a new order in the future.

Many clients have limited budgets. While this platform has high fees, you might still notice that most clients on Upwork have small budgets. This happens because most companies use Upwork to save money and hire a freelancer directly, without using HR agencies or consulting companies.

The website has a convoluted interface. It might take you a long time to get used to various categories and learn how to quickly find a project. The UI seems to be a bit outdated. While you can save your search results, use various filters, and get a verification badge, it might be difficult to find out how to do it at the beginning.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Price

The key advantage of Fiverr is that it allows users to sign up without paying a dime. However, freelancers receive only 80% of the total price after paying a 20% fee. This fee is charged at the moment of purchase and covers administration fees. Keep in mind that if the price of an order is less than $50, you will need to pay an extra $2 fee.

If you decide to register on Upwork as a client, you can select 4 pricing tiers. For instance, the Basic account allows you to find a professional that can cope with your project. You can also opt for paid plans with additional features that enable you to find freelancers more quickly.

The Upwork fee depends on the duration of billings with a client. If a freelancer works with one client for a long time, the fee becomes lower. Besides, you will be charged $0.15 per connect.

If you compare Upwork vs Fiverr, you will see that the former has a more convoluted payment system. At first, it might be difficult to find out which transaction fees and commission interest rates you should pay after completing orders that fall into different categories.

Fiverr vs Upwork – Who Wins?

If you still can’t decide which platform, Fiverr or Upwork, suits your needs better, take a closer look at their fees and services. This way, you can select a platform that will help you find the right professional for your project or a company that will order your services.

On both platforms, you will find a lot of experts that specialize in different areas, which makes these services popular among companies of various sizes. Both platforms are certified and trusted by their clients who regularly use their services.

Upwork is perfect for long-term cooperation with freelancers. The service has a flexible pricing policy that allows companies to either pay hourly rates or release payments after a certain stage of a project has been completed.

Fiverr has lower fees and allows you to quickly find a freelancer for a short-term project. It’s perfect for beginners who don’t have much experience and don’t know whether their services will be in demand.

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