Whether you are looking for a side hustle, are between jobs, or are looking to grow your freelance business, there are a host of websites that can help you find freelance work. Some focus on a specific niche, and at least one charges a fee to use, however most of them are free or have free options. I have listed them in order of my personal experience. I have not used them all, but the ones I have used, I listed first.
UpWork (formerly eLance)– A solid website for finding work in marketing, writing, IT, law, admin, customer service, sales, accounting, translation, design, engineering, and other areas. Companies create projects and registered users can submit proposals on these jobs and if selected, payment is handled by Upwork which collects a fee to facilitate the arrangement. There is a free option and a paid option with some advanced featured for just $10 per month.
FlexJobs – A great site for finding freelance jobs as well as part time and remote job opportunities. This is one of the few sites where you have to pay for membership, however unlike many other sites, they do not take any portion of the money you earn, but rather you would apply directly with the hiring company and be paid directly by them. You can use this link along with the Coupon Code FRIEND30 to get a discount off of the membership fee. I recommend the annual plan (at $45 with the coupon) or the 3 month plan at a minimum, because a month goes by quickly and it can be hard to learn the ropes of the system and find a solid gig within in a few weeks.
ProBlogger – One of the leading sites online that teaches people how to become bloggers. Given the focus of the website, it is no coincidence that the site features a job board with writing opportunities.
Task Rabbit – This site offers manual labor opportunities including moving, grocery shipping, handyman services, personal home services, and furniture assembly. The site was so successful that it caught the attention of IKEA, who acquired the site. Lastly, although they serve many major metropolitan areas across the US, they may not be active in every city.
Gig Walk – Using this app, users can find “gigs†that pay anywhere from $3 to $100. I downloaded the app and did not find many gigs in my area (Phoenix) and when I looked at the “gig map†it seemed to favor the East Coast, and the North East in particular. If you live in any of those areas, you might give this one a try. If you are one of those folks that thrive on side hustling while you travel, then this also might be the app for you. The gigs are as simple as taking pictures for documentations, auditing in store displays, or ordering food and documenting the process.
Steady – If you are looking for a side hustle / freelance job aggregator, then this is the app for you. I first learned of this company at FinCon18 and I eventually downloaded it to check it out. They start by asking questions about your side income goals and then ask to connect to your bank account, which I wasn’t thrilled about (and thankfully it is optional). Many of the listings lead to known side hustles (i.e. Lyft, UberEats, Rover, etc.) and also some listings link to some of the sites listed here such as Upwork. I like that you can use either the mobile app or the website whereas some apps do not function on a laptop.
Guru – Similar to Upwork, this is a site where a freelancer can register (for free) and find work in Programming, Digital Marketing, Creative Services and much more.
99 Designs – If you are a graphic designer, you can join design contests at this site and if the customer chooses your design, you get paid. It’s a great way to make some money while building your portfolio. The downside it that you can do work and not get paid for it.
Freelance Writing Gigs – Another site for writers and content developers, however this site features many trusted companies seeking help and also seems to offer some of the higher paying writing gigs.
There are two other (low end) sites that I will mention, but I don’t really recommend (Fiverr and Craigslist). I never want to see anyone sell themselves short, so I highly recommend starting with the sites above. With Fiverr, you have to start out offering your service for $5, and then you can scale from there, offering higher priced services through the site. With Craigslist, you might get some reputable companies making a legit offer, but be cautious as there are so many “work from home†offers that find their way onto Craigslist and are often not what they appear.
If anyone asks you for money to register to do freelance work for them (that is not the same as registering for a site like FlexJobs to find work), as a rule that is a bad sign. This can happen on any website, so always be on your guard as you are marketing yourself as a freelancer.
If you know of another site or you have found work on a site and you want to share it, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy Freelancing!