Thinking of freelancing or a remote job? Check my top 3 freelancing platforms.

The pandemic of Covid-19 radically changes our professional activity. More than a year has passed since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 as a pandemic. The future seems uncertain. We are still not sure when society returns to normal life and whether they return at all.

Hundreds of millions of people have survived and are undergoing periods of severe quarantine. Most people had to switch to remote work from home suddenly.

Many people started questioning the importance of the office environment and looking for freelancing and remote work.

Freelance platforms help companies find and hire independent professionals for temporary job roles or special projects. These platforms offer businesses a marketplace to browse profiles of freelancer candidates based on skills, experience, location, or other criteria. Alternatively, companies can also post a project description and solicit proposals from freelancers. Some platforms focus on sourcing freelancers with certain skills, such as writing, design, or programming, while others provide marketplaces for professionals with a wide variety of skills. [1]

I want to share my personal experience about freelance platforms: a list of the best and their advantages and disadvantages.

Note, this is an article from a freelancer's point of view, and in the future, I’ll also share my experience as a client, as it is quite different.

Toptal

Toptal is designed to help companies hire from the top tier (3%) of world-class freelancers. That includes everyone from designers to developers, finance experts to project managers. This freelancing site is used by top-level companies, including Motorola and Airbnb.

To be able to apply to positions at Toptal, a freelancer needs to pass a four-round interview process, consisting of:

-hr interview

-professional test

-professional interview

-test project

Depending on your availability, the whole process could take from a few weeks to a few months, but it is worth every minute spent.

Once you are approved, depending on your job role( Developer, Product Manager, Project Manager, etc.) and specialization (AI, Backend Dev, Design, etc.), you will get access to the open positions. Also, there are matchers who actively try to find the best suit for the open position among available freelancers.

Once the matcher sees that you are a great match, you might have another short interview with the company itself, but those are usually much easier and faster than once for Toptal.

Advantages:

• Highest rates among all the platforms (to the best of my knowledge)
• You set your own rate and availability.
• Possibility to find either long term involvement (outstaffing) and short term engagements (consulting, short-projects, PoCs)
• Lower competition and active matchers
• The very simplified interview process with companies.
• Great & active community

Disadvantages:

• A smaller number of open positions for non-developers
• High competition for the long-term full-time position; it's easier to find a part-time job there.

Interested to join, use the referral link below and get $500 once you are done with the interview process.

Upwork

Upwork is the world’s biggest freelance marketplace, with more than 12 million registered freelancers and close to five million registered clients. The platform is trusted by some top companies like Microsoft, Airbnb, and GE to hire the best freelancers. Upwork freelancing is best for those who are looking to work on specialized and elaborate projects. [2]

Advantages:

• relatively high-paying projects: UpWork has positioned itself as the “luxury” freelance job site. Compared to budget freelance sites such as Fiverr or Freelancer.com, UpWork clients are more likely to pay higher rates for your services but lower than Toptal
• getting hired quickly once you have reviews: Most clients on UpWork are ready to start ASAP. If a client likes your proposal and you rock the phone conversation, you may be starting on a project the very next day.

Disadvantages:

• fees are quite high
• difficult to get your first client: There is a lot of competition on Upwork.
• most clients still have smaller budgets
• high competition, which is also often driven by lowering prices.

Codementor

Codementor is an online platform where you can go for one-on-one help with coding, debugging, and online programming. Professionals, or mentors as they’re known, share their expertise, teach, and answer questions in these areas in real-time. All of the sessions take place via video screen sharing, video chat, and texting.

Advantages:

• high hourly rates
• very engaged and inspiring young professionals and freelancers
• super easy to find a first job and build an impressive profile

Disadvantages:

• mostly short-term projects and one-o-one sessions.

Now its your turn to make your own list !