Upwork Vs Fiverr: Which One Is Best?
If you work for yourself or for an organization that is in need of the services of a freelancer, then you have probably heard of Upwork and Fiverr. These are two of the top platforms for outsourcing work to freelancers.
Whether you are looking for a big pool of freelancers, high-quality work or an easy and reliable working experience, then you are considering the right freelancing platforms.
That still may leave you with a pile of unanswered questions like: How do I know the freelancer is any good? Which one is cheaper? What happens if I am unhappy with the finished work?
To answer all these questions and more I’ve created an in-depth Upwork vs Fiverr comparison and in each round you will discover their differences. Let’s dive in!
Upwork vs Fiverr Summary
Upwork is a freelancing platform that connects individuals and businesses with talented freelancers from around the globe. It currently has over 10 million freelancers who are ready to work. Its categories Graphics & Design, Video & Animation, Music & Audio and much more. It is a platform that focuses on building strong and long-term relationships between clients and freelancers. It is normally suited to a business or organization who has a project and is looking to work with a freelance for a longer period of time.
Fiverr is one of the most popular freelancing platforms out there, with an intuitive platform interface and filter system to help you find the right freelancer for your job proposal. Fiverr offers a wide range of categories from Graphics & Design, Digital Marketing, Writing & Translation and much. It is a freelancing platform that offers its services a little cheaper than average, so if you are looking for a one-off project, it might be the best option. Fiverr normally appeals to a small team or individual freelancer who is looking for help with a small project.
Round 1: Which One Is More Popular?
I know we can’t base our decisions in this life on what’s most popular. But by comparing the platforms on Google Trends it does give us an indication as to which one more people are searching for.
Upwork vs Fiverr popularity on Google Trends
We compared Upwork and Fiverr worldwide over the last 12 months, and it’s quite clear to see that Fiverr has the advantage. There is a clear peak at the beginning of January 2022, and I am sure this is due to the effects of the global pandemic and then both platforms gradually rise together.
Winner: Fiverr
We kick things off with Fiverr taking the lead at 0 – 1.
Round 2: Getting Started & Platform Interface
First impressions are important, right? That means getting yourself registered with ease on either Upwork or Fiverr is key to your working relationship on the platform.
Upwork How to get started
Registration
The Upwork platform can be used for clients, freelancers or both. When you first land on its homepage you can click on Sign Up, and you will be asked if you are joining as a client or freelancer. In the case of this comparison, we will be joining as a client.
Upwork Client or Freelancer
The registration process is free and really straightforward. You can join by adding your Name, Email, Password and the Country you are located in or if you prefer you can join with your Apple or Google account.
Like Upwork the Fiverr platform is for clients (buyers) and freelancers (sellers). To get started you click on Join in the top-right corner of the landing page, and you just need to add your email address, or you can continue with either Facebook, Google or Apple.
Fiverr Registration
Getting Started
At Upwork you begin by creating a headline for your job post, in this case I am looking for a new logo design for Upskillwise, so I typed in ‘Logo Design’. Then you are taken through to give more details of the job post like Skills, Scope (size of the project) and finally Budget. The platform’s interface is really intuitive and the steps for posting a job are simple with many examples of what and how to write the post.
Upwork Job Post
There is an option to add your billing method to your job posting either with a payment card or via PayPal as apparently this increases your chances as a client of a freelancer being attracted to your job posting. You can easily skip this, and it’s important to remind you here that there is no cost until you hire someone.
Upwork Add a billing method
Then, once you have completed the job posting, all you will need to do is verify the posting via your email, and you are set to go. You can begin to browse potential talent (as Upwork likes to call its freelancers) or reach out directly to freelancers.
Upwork Congratulations Job Posting
At Fiverr, you can either start searching directly looking at different categories like Digital Marketing and Business or you can post a request which is a brief description of your job posting. If you prefer to create a job posting you will need to answer a few simple questions to help find you the right match.
Fiverr Post a Request
In my case, I am looking for a Logo Design, so I began searching under that category (see image below). There are multiple filters you can select to help narrow down your search, like Logo Options, Budget and Delivery Time. There is even an option for Logo maker, which is customized pre-made logos. This isn’t what I was looking for, but it does add another offering to Fiverr’s services.
Fiverr Filters
The Fiverr interface is much busier than the Upwork one, and it definitely feels more like a freelance marketplace offering a bunch more services. After spending time on both freelance platforms, the obvious difference is Upwork is looking for you to invest in it more, in the sense that you find a freelancer you would like to work with on a long-term basis. Whereas Fiverr offers a wider and more detailed variety of services focusing on one time projects.
Winner: Upwork
Upwork has caught Fiverr up with the score at 1 – 1
Round 3: Finding the right Freelancer
Finding the right freelancer for the job isn’t always easy. I myself haven’t always had the most positive experience working with freelancers. Whether it’s miscommunication, missing deadlines or poor quality results, I’ve had it all. So, I know the importance of finding the right person for the job.
Discover Talent
At Upwork, there are a few different ways to find and discover talent (freelancers). Once your job is posted, and you’re keen to start looking for a freelancer you can click on the subheading ‘Talent’ and then click on ‘Discover’, which will show you a pool of freelancers who all have skills in the area you are looking for, in my case ‘Logo Design’. If anyone piques your interest you can click on their profile, read their blurb and other important factors like hourly rate, work history, portfolio, skills, certifications and employment history.
Upwork Discover Talent
Upwork has a nice feature where you can save the talent of someone who is the right fit for your current or upcoming project (see image above). As when you start searching for potential freelancers it’s a little overwhelming, and you may not be able to decide on the spot if they are the right fit.
Fiverr Sellers
At Fiverr, after choosing the category that you are searching for you can select in more detail the seller (freelancer) that you are looking for. You can choose either Pro services, Local sellers or Online sellers.
Fiverr Pro services
In case you are a larger team or business and looking for a more customized experience, then using Fiverr Business may meet your needs. It offers management tools to enable the team or business to work with freelancers more efficiently.
Fiverr Business
Quality
Upwork has a much thorough application process for accepting freelancers, like having a certain level of expertise and experience. Whereas Fiverr is much more open and flexible to anyone who is keen to join the freelance platform and offer their services are welcome. Saying that Fiverr does offer Fiverr Pro services, which naturally come at a much higher price.
Fiverr Pro services are vetted professionals that are verified for quality and service. The vetting process is pretty detailed and freelancers are asked about their professional background, education, portfolio and examples of notable projects they’ve created for clients outside of Fiverr and only 1% of applicants earn pro status.
Upwork Save Talent
Proposals
As well as looking for freelancers yourself, freelancers themselves can send you proposals at Upwork. In my case, I got over 30 proposals in just over a week, which I wasn’t expecting and quite a nice surprise. Honestly, though, it felt a little overwhelming going through each proposal, but luckily, there is a handy filter system (see image below) where you can select features like Hourly Rate and Job Success to help you find your right match.
Upwork Proposals Filter
At Fiverr, a seller (freelancer) is unable to contact a buyer (client) with any sort of proposal. That therefore means it’s all in the hands of the buyer to reach out to potential sellers.
Upwork | Fiverr | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How to find freelancers |
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| 2 | Types of Freelancers |
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| 3 |
Hiring Freelancers
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The finding and hiring process of freelancers is defiantly quicker with Fiverr, that is if you know what you are looking for, and they are offering the package that meets your needs.
Winner: Fiverr
Fiverr is taking the lead at 1 – 2.
Round 4: Pricing & Fees
We are finally talking about pricing and fees, which I know is what most of us are eager to know about, which is understandable.
Upwork is free to sign up to when you create a client account. Then you can freely begin looking for freelancers and decide on who would be most suitable for your work proposal. Once you begin browsing freelancers, you will notice that most work on an hourly rate starting around $15 an hour and going up to around $100.
Upwork Hourly Fee
Another option that many freelancers offer is the fixed priced package. This can be a great alternative if you aren’t sure how long your work proposal may take. As a client, Upwork charges a 5% fee on fixed prices and hourly rates. So to give you an example, if your payment is $100, you’ll pay an additional $5 to Upwork.
Fiverr Hourly Fee
Fiverr offers its services a little cheaper than Upwork, with some of its work gigs starting at just $10. I will be honest with you here, I myself asked for a logo design years ago and paid only $15. I wasn’t happy with the result, but then I figured it was only $5, so I didn’t dispute it, but in hindsight I should have said something. It got me thinking that maybe some freelancers have low prices for this reason, it’s just a thought.
Its starting price is around $10 and can go up to $200+, as Fiverr really does offer a wider variety of services and details. Fiverr charges a little higher service free than Upwork at 5.5% of the purchase amount. And if anything is under $50, then an additional $2 small order fee will be applied. I just want to add here that the prices I am discussing are that of a logo design, other categories will vary in its price range.
Billing & Payments
Upwork Billing Method
At Upwork, you can pay for its services with Visa, Discover, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club and PayPal (see image above). There is the option to add multiple billing methods, in case a transaction fails.
At Fiverr, you can use the following payment methods from Credit/Debit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover), PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Wire Transfer, iDEAL, GiroPay, Sofot, Boleto, OXXO and your Fiverr Balance.
Winner: Fiverr
Fiverr is still out in front at 1 – 3.
Round 5: Quality of Work & Job Success
We all like to read a good review, right? It’s important, especially when you haven’t used a service before, to have the opinion of previous users.
As a client of Upwork, you will have a 14-day window to leave feedback which will open once the contract has ended. This review will be public once the client and the talent have left feedback. This feedback can be really help clients before deciding on a freelancer. Top freelancers and agencies that have a score of 90% or higher is a reflection that they have exceeded client’s work expectations. Any score of 79% or below is an indication that the freelancer or agency is struggling to meet clients expectations.
Upwork Top-Rated Talent
Fiverr offers a couple of different ways to leave feedback. You can Rate the Experience once your order is complete with a couple of simple questions like ‘Communication with Seller’ and ‘Buy Again or Recommend’. As well as rating your experience, you can leave public and private feedback once you have approved delivery (within 10 days) and leave a written comment.
It is in a freelancer’s best interest to get good ratings and have satisfied customers, but if you are in the situation where you aren’t happy with the work of a freelancer, both Upwork and Fiverr have areas on the site for handling disputes that include late delivery or dissatisfaction with the final piece of work or service.
At Upwork, this will involve a dispute specialist that will provide mediation assistance to both parties to try and resolve it, which won’t exceed 30 days. If you and your freelancer are unable to reach an agreement, the final option is to proceed to arbitration, which will cost $875 (split between client, freelancer and Upwork). At Fiverr, this will mean someone looking over your dispute request and deciding whether you deserve a full or partial refund.
Winner: Upwork
Fiverr is still out in front, but Upwork is catching up at 2 – 3.
Round 6: Categories & Offerings
This round will be short, I promise. Let’s get into it!
Upwork offers a wide variety of categories that include: Accounting and Consulting, Admin Support, Customer Service, Data Science and Analysis, Design and Creative, Engineering and Architecture, IT & Networking, Legal, Sales and Marketing, Translation, Web, Mobile, & Software Development and Writing.
After choosing the category related to your job post, in this case it’s Design & Creative (see image below) you can start browsing potential freelancers and there is also an option to have a consultation with them that can cost anything from $15-$100.
Upwork Categories
The Upwork platform is only available in the English language, so if you are looking for the platform to be localized into another language, for now, that service isn’t available.
Fiverr Categories
Fiverr offers the following categories: Graphics & Design, Digital Marketing, Writing & Translation, Video & Animation, Music & Audio, Programming & Tech, Data, Business and Lifestyle. Each of these categories have multiple sub categories for you to pick from.
The Fiverr platform is localized in multiple languages including German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch, making it a platform that is accessible for users far wider than just English speakers.
Winner: Fiverr
Fiverr is still out in front leaving the score at 2 – 4.
Round 7: Freelancer Perspective
We are going to spin the tables here and have a look-out how each of these platforms compare when looking from the perspective of a freelancer. If you are a freelancer or looking to work as one, this is the round for you.
Create Profile
After registering with Upwork, you just need to verify your email address which is immediate, and then you can begin building your profile. After answering a few simple questions you can add as little or as much detail as you want in Experience, Education etc.
Upwork Freelancer Get Started
If you are anything like me, I always find one of the hardest things to do is describe myself and in this case my profession. Why is that? Well, Upwork does a good job of giving you an example to use, plus they suggest using paragraphs and bullet points (see image below) to help keep you create a succinct bio. Finally, you’ll need to add your hourly rate, plus a photo and location are needed.
Upwork bio
Upwork Freelancer Plus
At Upwork, when you first sign up as a freelancer you’ll have the default plan the Freelancer Basic. Or you have the option to upgrade to Freelancer Plus for $14.99 a month, and the following perks are included:
- Visible: Your profile will be active, even if you take a break
- Insight: See the bids your competitors are making on a posted job.
- Engage: You’ll get 80 connects (ability to apply for jobs) per month
- Stand out: A customized profile, so clients remember you.
- Private: You can keep your earnings private with Freelancer Plus
Fiverr Public Profile
To create your profile with Fiverr is free. All you need to do is start by adding your personal information with a description of at least 150 words, then you go through to professional information. The information needed for setting up your Fiverr account is much more thorough than the Upwork account. Plus, before completing your account and setting up your first gig, you must have your profile 65% completed.
I know this comparison is about comparing Upwork and Fiverr, but in case any freelancers are reading this and looking for a platform that focuses on Freelancers then SolidGigs is a platform to consider. Freelancers can sign up, offering their services and get matched with clients. It works a little like a subscription plan which you can sign up to monthly or yearly and the time and stress is taken away from looking for clients, saving you time on scrolling through job postings.
Round 8: Upwork & Fiverr – Finding Freelance Work
Now you all know the saying, “It takes two to tango”. That is the only way a freelancer and client relationship is going to work. For many beginner freelancers, getting your first gig can give you the boost of confidence you need to start the domino effect. I remember getting my first freelance gig, and it was a real confidence boost to get me started.
How to Get Clients
When you sign up to Upwork as a freelancer, there are a couple of ways to find clients either through searching for jobs or submitting proposals to clients. Then if the client likes your proposal you will begin working for them, and you will be paid and be left feedback.
Upwork Jobs you might like
Upwork will list jobs that are best suited to the skills you have mentioned in your profile. You can easily find Best matches, Most Recent and Saved Jobs. If there is a job that you like the sound of, you can submit a proposal to the client.
Upwork Find Work
At Fiverr, it’s pretty straightforward to become a seller. So, once you have decided which creative service to offer, if you do need help deciding you can check out its 200 categories for inspiration. You then create a gig and offer your work and are notified when a buyer responds to your request.
Fiverr How it works
I want to add here that some freelancers are reluctant to use Fiverr because the buyer is able to cancel the project and get a refund even after the work has been completed, which seems pretty unfair.
How to Get Paid
As a freelancer at Upwork, the way you’re paid is based on the amount you earn over the time you are working with Upwork, as your earnings go up, the service fee goes down. Here is an example of how it works:
- $0-$500 in earnings from a client – 20% service fee
- $500.01-$10,000 in earnings from a client – 10% service fee
- $10,000.01+ in earnings from a client – 5% service fee
At Fiverr, you can make customized offers to clients, this custom offer is particularly helpful if a client has a more unusual or complex job request. Plus, all they need to do is click and accept the offer, making the transaction seamless. As a freelancer, you will keep 80% of each successfully completed job, and you will receive the payment within 48 hours.
Both Upwork and Fiverr have an app for sellers which can make working more convenient when you are on the go. The difference is Upwork has an app specially for freelancers and I have noticed the Fiverr isn’t quite as intuitive and gets a little confusing when switching between the buyer and seller mode, some other users have complained about this.
Winner: Upwork
So, that leaves us with Fiverr being crowned the winner of this comparison, with the final score at 3 – 5.
Overall Winner: Well done Fiverr!
Upwork & Fiverr Alternatives
If you made it this far, firstly, thank you. It isn’t easy to summarize all the differences between these two freelancing platforms. If you have got to the end of this comparison and realized that neither Upwork nor Fiverr is right for you. I have put together some alternative freelancing platforms for you to consider, some are more like an agency. Whereas others have a more intuitive platform connecting workers and clients.
99designs
99designs by Vistaprint is a freelancing platform that focuses only on graphic design. It may not be as cheap as some of Fiverr’s low-priced hourly rates, but the quality of its work makes up for it.
99designs an alternative to Upwork or Fiverr
You can sign up to 99designs for free and can choose from one of its global designers to work with, so if you are an individual or a small business, there is something for everyone. Each design category has flexible pricing and logo designs start at $200+.
Toptal
Toptal is another freelancing platform that hires the top 3% of freelance talent. Its network of freelances include software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers and project managers.
Toptal an alternative to Upwork or Fiverr
Once signed up to Toptal an expert will work with you to understand your goals and needs, then within days you will be matched with the right talent for your project. A trial basis is offered, and you will only pay if satisfied.
Codeable
Codeable is the only WordPress freelancing platform. It is a freelancing platform that matches customers with the best WordPress experts. As well as helping customers solve any WordPress problems.
Toptal an alternative to Upwork or Fiverr
Codeable has 700+ hand-picked WordPress developers for you to work with, and each project is custom priced. Its rates range from $80-$120 per hour, and you are entitles to a free estimate when you post your project with no obligation to hire.
SolidGigs
SolidGigs is a platform to help freelancers find clients to work with. The platform curates a list of jobs for each freelancer who signs up to its monthly or annual membership. This way of working is more productive for freelancers as it takes away the scrolling through job postings looking for clients.
SolidGigs an alternative to Upwork or Fiverr
Its subscription plan includes the costs of SolidGigs finding and sending you potential clients, the annual fee costs $252 (working out at $21 a month) and the monthly fee costs $35. A 7-day free trial is included when freelancers first sign up and if they change their mind in the first week they won’t be charged anything.
Freelancer
Freelancer is the largest freelancing platform and has connected more than 60K employers and freelancers globally. It is a marketplace where you can hire freelancers in topics like software development, writing, data entry, design, engineering, sciences and more.
Freelancer an alternative to Upwork or Fiverr
Freelancer gives you the possibility to do a project of any size from small one-off tasks to large multi-stage projects. There are flexible payment options, either you can pay your freelancer a fixed price or by the hour.
Outsourcely
Outsourcely is a freelancing platform that connects employers (businesses) with remote workers (freelancers) on a wide variety of topics from Web Development, Writing & Content, Business Services and much more. It focuses on introducing businesses with freelancers to work together on a long-term basis.
Outsourcely an alternative to Upwork or Fiverr
As an employer, you can browse remote workers profiles and post a job for free. Then you can choose for Outsourcely’s pricing plans either the Small Business plan ($79) or the Professional ($229) which is designed for larger businesses.
Final thoughts: Upwork vs Fiverr
Firstly, if you made it this far, then congratulations as it has been a pretty long and detailed comparison. I hope now you have a clear idea about which freelancing platform will be best for you. To quickly sum up, Upwork and Fiverr. I put together its pros and cons for you to take-away before you finally decide which might be the right platform for you.
Upwork Pros & Cons
- Ease of Use: It has a really intuitive platform that makes it really easy to navigate and find what you are looking for.
- Wide Range: Upwork offers a big pool of categories and services to choose from.
- Payment Protection: A payment protection is in place, in the case you aren’t happy with the outcome.
- Long Term: If you are looking to work with a freelancer on multiple occasions or for a long-term project then Upwork is geared towards this.
- Inexperienced: It isn’t guaranteed that your freelancer is as qualified and inexperienced as you hoped, due to the fact Upwork doesn’t have a vetting policy.
- Poor Customer Service: If you have an issue, it may be hard to contact someone from Upwork to help you resolve it.
Fiverr Pros & Cons
- Budget Friendly: Fiverr freelancers offer their services at a really low price, so if you are on a tight budget it maybe worth considering
- Categories: Fiverr is one of the biggest freelancing platforms offering categories and subcategories, so plenty to choose from.
- One-off Projects: If you are looking for a quick turn around, then Fiverr is most renowned for its one off projects
- Fiverr Pro: It offers a premium service of top freelancers that are hand-vetted top, in case you want to upgrade.
- Lack of Quality: Since some jobs have such a quick turn around, the quality maybe affected, it’s something to keep in mind.
- Scammed: There have been some cases of previous clients being scammed or work not being delivered as expected, so please do your due diligence before choose a freelancer.
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a freelancing platform, so if you still have some questions, please leave a comment below, and I’ll do my best to help you.
FAQ
Is Upwork cheaper than Fiverr?
Upwork is more expensive than Fiverr, as it’s a freelancing platform that offers a wider range of services on more topics. typically clients use Upwork for long-term projects and Fiverr is for a one-off cheaper job.
Is Upwork good for beginners?
Upwork can be a great way to kick-start your freelancing career as it offers such a wide range of categories for all skill levels. Upwork also offers a variety of tools and resources to help freelancers manage the way they work from tracking, invoicing and communication tools. It may take some time to build a good reputation among clients, but if you stay patient and persistent you will start to build a good portfolio with positive reviews.
Last Updates:
08/02/23 – Upwork vs Fiverr: Finding the Right Freelancer Table
06/02/23 – Upwork vs Fiverr: Outsourcely Alternative
02/02/23 – Fiverr Business Added
28/01/23 – FAQ – Is Upwork good for beginners?
27/01/23 – Upwork Freelancer Plus
25/01/23 – Upwork and Fiverr Pros & Cons
23/01/23 – Upwork vs Fiverr Alternatives: SolidGigs
22/01/23 – Round 3: Finding the Right Freelancer (Quality)
19/01/23 – Round 7: Freelancer Perspective (SolidGigs)
16/01/23 – Bonus Round: Upwork vs Fiverr – Finding Freelancing Work Expanded
09/01/23 – Bonus Round: Upwork vs Fiverr – Finding Freelancing Work
23/12/22 – FAQ – Is Upwork cheaper than Fiverr?
19/12/22 – Added Freelancer Alternative
12/12/22 – Added Codeable Alternative
09/12/22 – Added Toptal Alternative
23/11/22 – Upwork vs Fiverr Summary Updated
18/11/22 – Upwork Categories & Offerings
16/11/22 – Upwork How to get started
18/10/22 – Added 99designs by Vistaprint
17/10/22 – Upwork vs Fiverr Summary
16/10/22 – Upwork vs Fiverr Article Uploaded
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