Freelancer.com is one of the finest freelancing sites for freelance jobs online available on the web. Since more and more people are giving up their full-time freelance jobs and opting for freelancing, this is why freelancer.com and other freelancing sites are becoming very popular for freelance work. Even for students who are multi-tasking work with studies, freelancing sites have made it much easier for them to navigate those situations. But the most common reason for everyone is the freedom that these freelance sites offer.
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Freelancer.com has more than 25 million registered users who have successfully completed around 12 million projects worldwide. Many companies hire these independent workers for writing, designing, application development, and other services on this platform. In this review, I’m going to cover all the major chuck of freelancer.com and help you understand if you are fit to start your freelancing career on this website.
What is Freelancer.com?
Freelancer.com was founded by Matt Brie in 2009 and is the company Chief Executive of the company. It was a virtual marketplace for talented and skilled freelancers to offer their services to clients in the form of freelance work. Soon, it became one of the largest freelancing sites as the freelance culture grew popular.
Over the years, Freelancer.com has gained acquisitions of other freelancing sites for freelance jobs, such as:
- LimeExchange
- Escrow.com
- Webmasters-talk.com
- Scriptlance.com
- vWorker.com
- GetAFreelancer.com
Related : Top 6 Freelancing Website To Make Millions At Home
It is clearly evident that Freelancer.com has immensely grown over time. Above all, with a large-scale user base of 25 million, this freelance site is above its main competitors Upwork and Fiverr in the online freelancing industry. The headquarters of Freelancer.com is located in Sydney, Australia.
This was all about the website, now lets talk about how does the website work.
How does Freelancer.com work?
We can summarize working on freelancer.com as:
- Bid or send proposals for available projects on Freelancer.com.
- Get hired/accepted for projects.
- Work on your accepted project.
- Receive payment for the service provided.
Fee Structure of Freelancer.com
The commission of the website varies, depending on the client’s or freelancer’s membership which ranges from free to $59.95/month.
According to Freelancer.com, the fees for freelance jobs vary depending on the kind of service or project that you’ve bid on, as well as on the membership you have.
So how much does Freelancer.com cost?
- For fixed-price projects – 10% or $5.00, whichever is greater, and 10% for hourly projects.
- For contests – 10% or $5.00, whichever is much greater.
- Services – 20% fee of the total service price.
- Preferred Freelancer Program – 15% project fee.
The limit of bids that a freelancer can submit is 8 bids/month with their free account. However, a paid subscription can increase the limit of bids per month. This feature put off some freelancers from choosing this site as many competitors do not charge project rates as much as freelancer.com
Payments are made via a PayPal account, and the clients are required to make milestone payments to Freelancer.com’s escrow system, where the company delivers payment upon project approval.
If you’re new to freelancing, then you might be wondering how to set freelance rates. Worry, not because we have got you covered on one of our recent blogs, check it out today!
Membership Plans on Freelancer.com
The 5 types of membership on this website are:
1. Free Membership Plan
Freelancer.com’s free membership plan is of course free to join and comes with basic features. However, you can make only up to 8 bids per month with their free membership.
2. Intro Membership Plan
Freelancer.com’s intro plan costs $0.99 per month. It comes with more features than their free plan with the benefit of having 7 more bids per month (15 in total).
Features include:
- 15 Bids (Month)
- 30 Skills
- Unlock Rewards
- Unlimited Project Bookmarks
- Custom Cover Photo
- 1 Free Highlighted Contest Entry (Month)
- 1 Free Sealed Contest Entry (Month)
3. Basic Membership Plan
The price of this plan is $4.95 per month. It makes you eligible for their Preferred Freelancer program.
Features include:
- 50 Bids (Month)
- 50 Skills
- Unlock Rewards
- Unlimited Project Bookmarks
- Preferred Freelancer Eligible
- Custom Cover Photo
- 3 Free Highlighted Contest Entries (Month)
- 12 Free Sealed Contest Entries (Month)
- 5 Employer Followings
4. Plus Membership Plan
This plan’s regular cost is $9.95 a month and includes 100 bids (per month) and like the basic plan, makes you eligible for their Preferred Freelancer program. In addition to that, this plan allows you to make daily withdrawals from your account.
Features include:
- 100 Bids (Month)
- 80 Skills
- Daily Withdrawal Requests
- Unlock Rewards
- Unlimited Project Bookmarks
- Preferred Freelancer Eligible
- Custom Cover Photo
- 5 Free Highlighted Contest Entries (Month)
- 25 Free Sealed Contest Entries (Month)
- 10 Employer Followings
- 5 External Invoicing
- Free Project Extensions
- High-Value Project Bidding
5. Professional Membership Plan
This is the upgraded version of Freelancer.com’s plus plan. It costs $29.95 per month and you’ll get all the features of Plus in addition to much more (e.g. 300 bids per month).
Features include:
- 300 Bids (Month)
- 100 Skills
- Daily Withdrawal Requests
- Unlock Rewards
- Unlimited Project Bookmarks
- Preferred Freelancer Eligible
- Custom Cover Photo
- 15 Free Highlighted Contest Entries (Month)
- 75 Free Sealed Contest Entries (Month)
- 20 Employer Followings
- 15 External Invoicing
- Free Project Extensions
- Free Sealed Projects
- Premium Freelancer Insights
- High-Value Project Bidding
6. Premier Membership Plan
The Premier Plan of freelancer.com is priced at $69.95 per month which comes with all kinds of offerings, including 700 bids per month.
Features include:
- 700 Bids (Month)
- 400 Skills
- Daily Withdrawal Requests
- Unlock Rewards
- Unlimited Project Bookmarks
- Preferred Freelancer Eligible
- Custom Cover Photo
- 30 Free Highlighted Contest Entries (Month)
- 150 Free Sealed Contest Entries (Month)
- Unlimited Employer Followings
- Unlimited External Invoicing
- Free Project Extensions
- Free Sealed Projects
- Premium Freelancer Insights
- Free NDA Projects
- High-Value Project Bidding
If you are a beginner, the free membership would be sufficient at first. Their expensive plans are meant for sincere full-time freelancers. The additional features and additional benefits can be of great help if you are a full-time freelancer.
How to start freelancing on Freelancer.com?
STEP 1: Signing up
In order to start freelancing at freelancer.com, you need to register for an account first. You can do it easily by providing your email and password combination.
STEP 2: Complete your Freelancer Profile
Due to verification and safety purposes, you will have to complete your profile on freelancer.com. Having a complete profile will make it easier to get projects. The main purpose of making a profile is that you’ll need to mention the particular skill which you want to offer so that you can be notified of the relevant projects.Â
Freelancer.com has a checklist to help you set your profile. Completing all their checklist will add up credibility and increase your probability of finding a high-paying freelance client.
STEP 3: Bidding on Projects
You can start applying to jobs in their marketplace once your profile is accepted. Freelancer.com has got an in-built search option. You can opt for a project by bidding and once the client accepts your bid, you will be given the project.
If you’re looking for how to start freelancing from scratch then this guide will surely help you!
Types of jobs available on Freelancer.com
There is a wide range of projects available on Freelancer.com. From smallest to some of the most complex projects, you get it all. When you choose the gigs on this website, you also get an option between hourly jobs and fixed-price jobs. Let us talk about it in dept.
Hourly Jobs
Freelancer.com offers hourly jobs in which you get paid a fixed amount per hour as specified in the job description. Hourly jobs can be short-term as well as long-term depending on the number of hours you work on that specific project.
Freelancer.com has got a built-in tracking app for observing the working hours also, it can take screenshots of it so your client can check your progress. Therefore, the payment which you will receive will be based on the number of hours you worked on the project effectively.
Fixed-price Jobs
Freelancer.com also offers fixed-price jobs which have designated prices per projects. You get paid a fixed price for the complete project no matter how much time it takes to complete.
The good point here is that you are aware of how much sum you are going to make for the particular project. Normally, you will receive the payment when the project is completed and accepted. However, if a project is fairly large like of months, you can request your client to pay you some sum at a particular milestone along the way to completion.
Jobs and Categories on Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com has got a very huge marketplace of job categories. From app development and graphic designing to business analysis, data entry, content writing, and local jobs, you can find nearly every type of job/project on their platform.
There are thousands of categories available to search in and find the right work which you can offer from anywhere. The broader your skillsets are the more number of projects you can get. Therefore, with numerous categories available to choose from, everyone can find something on freelancer.com.
Freelancer.com Application
Here are few steps to be kept in mind when you are applying for any job on Freelancer.com :
Browse jobs in the Freelancer.com marketplace
When checking out freelance jobs on freelancer.com, have a look at the skillset required to complete the project also, note the client’s budget through the price listed on the job/project.
Although freelance jobs on freelancer.com are acquired through a bidding system, you must be ready to work within the client’s budget before sending your offer. Also if you can’t complete the project within the time period, then the two of you are probably not the best match.
Bid for jobs you’re interested in
When you send your proposal to a client, it is important to know that you are not bidding for the price of the project. Always remember that you are competing with other freelancers’ skills and offerings. To get the project, you need to convince the client to choose you over other freelancers who also want to provide their service.
Work well when hired
When you get freelance jobs, always have a note of the deadline set by your client for that project. Although you can always communicate with your client regarding the time period if you’ve established a good working relationship with your client.
However, your work must be good and you must have a good attitude. But if you provide inferior quality work with a poor attitude, missing a deadline might result in money and time loss. Therefore, completion before the deadline, quality work, a positive attitude along with following every instruction crucial to being a successful freelancer.
Always aim for a 5-star rating not just for your client for more work. By this, you will not only improve yourself but also win the client’s trust. As a result, those 5-star ratings will add charm to your profile. Once you win over a client’s trust, you will be getting more work at a higher pay rate.
How to Become a Preferred Freelancer on Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com also has a Preferred Freelancer program for which you can apply and has a bot of benefits. To find out if you’re eligible, go to your Profile page and check on your scores and notifications.
Then, you’ll see in your profile if you meet their requirements – and if you do, you can simply contact support and apply for the program.
It is not mandatory to become a Preferred Freelancer to apply for freelance jobs in the Freelancer.com marketplace, there are few reasons why you might want to be one:
- They’ll give you a badge to differentiate you from other freelancers on the site. This lets clients know you’re a preferred member of Freelancer.com and therefore more skilled than a regular freelancer. This will certainly increase your chances of getting hired for the projects you apply to.
- When you’re part of their Preferred Freelancer program, you’ll get daily job opportunities from their Recruitment team. Top employers on the platform are handled by Freelancer.com’s Recruitment team. Therefore, you’ll get access to high-paying projects. According to their site, Preferred Freelancer members get 50% of the higher-paying jobs (worth $2000 and more).
- When you accept jobs in the Preferred Freelancer Program, you’ll only need to pay for fees once payments are given to you by the client and not upon acceptance, as with regular jobs on the platform. However, mark that Freelancer.com usually charges 10% fees – but they will charge 15% fees for jobs completed by Preferred Freelancer members.
- Also, when you become a Preferred Freelancer, you can bid on up to a hundred projects per day.
Requirements of Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com has the following requirements for their applicants (freelancers):
You must be of legal age to use their services
The legal age for most jurisdictions is 18, but this depends on your location because Freelancer.com is a worldwide famous website. This factor really depends on the laws of your country.
Devices required and an internet connection
You are in charge of your own computer and internet connection as a freelancer. Although, this depends on the type of work and the kind of project which you have applied for.
If you’re doing graphic design for instance or a software developer, The types of equipment and devices required for that job will differ from those of an accountant.
Freelancer.com Withdrawal Fees, Minimum Threshold, And Maximum Withdrawal
The withdrawal fees of freelancer.com are as follows:
- PayPal – free
- Skrill – free
- Payoneer – free
- International wire – $25
The site has a minimum threshold of $30, which will be calculated after the fees. Although, the maximum amount which can be withdrawn per month is $10,000.
How Does Freelancer.com Pay?
Freelancer’s controlled payment structure uses what they call milestone payments. Under this payment method, the client must fund the entire project upfront, and payments are given to you by Freelancer.com under the following conditions:
- When the freelancer and the client agree that the payment can be claimed/released.
- When a dispute is decided in favor of the freelancer.
- If the client sends an instruction to Freelancer.com to release the locked payment/s to the freelancer.
- If the client accepts that the freelancer has completed a project to their satisfaction.
Milestone payments are managed by the client. Although, the clients have the right to give or hold the payment and the site is just a platform that stores the payment amount in its system.
In case of a dispute, though, the dispute team of the website is there to resolve the problems between the freelancers and clients regarding the payment. The dispute team protects both the freelancer as well as the client.
Is freelancing on Freelancer.com legit?
There are a million businesses and freelancers who have found successful working relationships at Freelancer. As mentioned earlier, freelancer.com is one of the largest freelancing sites across the globe. With 40 million users worldwide, one can be sure that they are not a scam.
Freelancer.com has an extensive background in the freelancing industry and a good reputation. Besides the reputation, Freelancer.com has also got very serious and consistent social media handles making it less doubtful for committing any fraud. This site is not a scam. You get paid for what you deliver. Therefore, freelance jobs on freelancer.com are very safe and 100% legit.
Wrapping it Up
There are both, positive and negative reviews given by users which are available on the web. The positive and negative reviews contradict one another which is not unusual. Therefore, the experience of every user may differ from person to person and how they deal with them.
Freelancer.com is one of the very great freelancing sites for finding freelance jobs as they provide a huge marketplace for finding freelance jobs online. I know that you want to work from home and enjoy such an independent lifestyle. But with luxuries of independence, you also get the stress of giving good quality projects and meeting the deadlines. But once you gain a bit of experience, you won’t be facing problems unless you do something purposely wrong.
Since freelancer.com is legit, I would recommend you to give it a try. You will gain a lot of experience in making money online. In conclusion, I must say that it’s all up to you. You just need to START as the start is what stops most of the people.
