Top 10 Online Freelance Services
While there are literally hundreds of freelance services in the marketplace, we’ve found that some produce better results than the others in most instances. This doesn’t mean these are the only freelance services you should target, as it’s important to get your name out to the largest population possible, but we have heard great things from freelancers using these services to find contract work.
- Elance.com
- Elance.com is on online job posting service that connects those with skills in specific areas to employers. Freelance services offered target a wide range of expertise: Writing & Translation, Web Programming, Design and Multimedia, Marketing and Sales, Legal, Finance, and engineering. This site is one of the most popular, so there are a lot of companies looking for services. One thing to keep in mind with Elance is that you build a reputation over time and are openly reviewed on the site.
- Odesk.com
- Like Elance, Odesk.com also targets a large variety of skill sets. Odesk also puts you in an openly reviewed job board where you list out your hourly rates (should you choose). Companies also post projects on the job board at fixed rates, which is a bonus to freelancers because you can see the price paid for the project and make a decision on whether it’s worth your time.
- Sologig.com
- Sologig is a great service that connects freelancers with companies through direct negotiation. That means they assist you in getting the price you want for specific projects. This is very different in comparison to our first two services. They offer a wide ranges of technology positions.
- Freelanceswitch.com
- Freelance switch is another nice job posting site for freelancers with a range of skill sets, including Writing, Design, Development, Illustration, Flash, and more. This is a top notch service to those with these skill sets and has great reviews.
- AuthenticJobs.com
- Authentic jobs is a freelance and full time job service that targets web designers, developers, UX, and more.
- Designm.ag
- Design.ag is a great freelance job board for web designers only. They also provide a nice amount of articles tied to the design niche.
- Guru.com
- Guru is very similar to Odesk and Elance, but it’s still another great resource for being seen in the marketplace.
- Demand Media
- Demand Media is a bit more structured, but the overall concept is similar to other freelance services in that they post positions and you choose which projects to take on. The only catch is, you work directly for Demand Media on a project to project basis. So once they accept you into the network, you just pick as many or as little jobs as you can do at a fixed rate. They offer positions primarily in the areas of writing, photography, and videography.
- Jobs.smashingmagazine.com
- Smashing jobs is a freelance and full time job posting board with a wide range of technology positions available from SEO & UX to programming & development.
- Craiglist.com
- While it appears to be the simplest solution, Craigslist continues to be a place where companies search for freelance and full time positions. It’s a must to post on Craigslist regularly and check the job postings. As you build a reputation in the other freelance outlets, this may become less necessary, but as you start out it’s a great resource for work.