Freelancing is more popular today than it’s ever been, partly thanks to marketplaces such as Upwork and Freelancer. These platforms have made it simple for clients and freelancers to connect and collaborate on various types of projects across all industries, including marketing.
Upwork and Freelancer are likely the two most well-known freelancing sites, each boasting millions of users from all over the world. While both platforms function similarly, there are some subtle differences to keep in mind before you commit.
To make an informed decision, check out our Upwork vs. Freelancer comparison and discover how these platforms measure up in terms of the recruiting process, marketing talent quality, user experience, and pricing. We’ll also introduce a third option that offers a concierge-style service to take the pain and guesswork out of hiring marketing talent.
Upwork vs. Freelancer—Comparison Criteria
We’ll break down the key differences between Upwork and Freelancer across the following four criteria:
- Recruiting process
- Talent quality
- User experience
- Pricing and refunds
Before we look into each comparison aspect, check out the table below for a quick overview of the platforms and their user ratings:
Upwork vs. Freelancer—Recruiting Process
To source a marketer on Upwork, you have the following options:
- Search candidate profiles
- Browse the Project Catalog
- Post a job and get profile recommendations and proposals
According to Upwork, clients find and hire a freelancer within three days on average. The platform also provides various tools to communicate with marketers and manage contracts, payments, and projects.
If you don’t want to screen and interview candidates yourself, you can subscribe to the Enterprise plan and get access to talent sourcing services, a full-service customizable dashboard to manage your workforce, and many other benefits.
Freelancer offers similar options—you can browse profiles and predefined service packages or post a contest or project to receive bids. In 2022, the average number of bids per project was 41, with 87% of projects receiving bids within five minutes. Like Upwork, Freelancer lets you pay freelancers, communicate with them, and track time via the platform.
Freelancer also has an Enterprise plan that includes recruitment services, but you can purchase them separately for $11.99 per project. With Freelancer Corporate, you can make your business profile stand out on the website and attract more talent.
Upwork and Freelancer offer almost identical recruitment features. If you don’t want to shortlist and screen marketers yourself, you can seek premium talent acquisition services on both platforms. However, Freelancer is a bit more flexible as it offers to match you with pre-vetted talent on demand without requiring you to upgrade to Enterprise.
Pros and Cons
Upwork vs. Freelancer—Talent Quality
When freelancers want to join the platform, Upwork reviews their profiles before admitting them. It may also require some users to verify their ID and location, upon which it awards the Identity Verified badge.
Since freelancers aren’t pre-vetted, you have to browse profiles that showcase work experience, portfolios, and client reviews to identify suitable talent. The best performers on the platform receive the following Talent Badges:
- Rising Talent
- Top Rated
- Top Rated Plus
- Expert-Vetted
Expert-Vetted freelancers are carefully selected, screened, and interviewed and represent the top 1% of talent on the platform. You can connect with them only if you’re on the Enterprise plan, though.
Freelancer has a slightly bigger and more diverse talent pool, but anyone can join the platform. However, freelance marketers can voluntarily complete an identity verification process and receive a blue Verified by Freelancer profile badge. This verification allows them to access better-paying projects and stand out from the crowd.
Leading marketers in their field can also join Freelancer’s Preferred Freelancer Program. After passing a comprehensive examination, they can receive an orange Preferred Freelancer badge and get access to the highest-value projects.
While Freelancer has a larger user base, its initial entry barrier is lower than Upwork’s. Despite that, there have been reports of unreliable or fraudulent individuals on both Freelancer and Upwork. This means you have to identify high-quality talent independently by analyzing profiles and looking for badges or opt for paid add-ons and plans to get matched with pre-vetted marketers.
Pros and Cons
Upwork vs. Freelancer—User Experience
According to most user reviews, Upwork and Freelancer are easy to sign up with and navigate. Users seem to be particularly fond of Upwork’s simple user interface. Both platforms are available on mobile, although there have been some complaints about the functionality of Freelancer’s app.
Both platforms have had their fair share of issues, though, as indicated by user reviews. Some of the reported problems with Upwork had to do with the login process and chat feature. With Freelancer, some users complained about the UI and website navigation, and many voiced dissatisfaction with the KYC verification process and sudden account banning.
Upwork and Freelancer have help centers where you can learn about the platforms and find answers to common questions, with Upwork also featuring a community forum. Customer support-wise, both Upwork and Freelancer seem to be hard to reach.
While the platforms are simple and intuitive, Upwork sports a slightly more polished interface. Still, there were reports of technical difficulties for both platforms.
Pros and Cons
Upwork vs. Freelancer—Pricing and Refunds
It’s free to sign up, post jobs, and screen marketers on both Upwork and Freelancer. When posting a job on Upwork, you can choose between two contract types:
- Hourly, with weekly billing
- Fixed-price, which requires an initial deposit but holds your payment in escrow until the work is complete
Freelancers can then send proposals with their rates, but you may be able to negotiate them at the interview. Besides freelancer rates, you’ll also need to pay a Client Marketplace Fee, which is 3%–5% of all payments to freelancers, and a contract initiation fee of $9.95 for each new Talent Marketplace or Project Catalog contract.
Freelancer works by allowing you to define a budget when posting a project and receive bids within that range. Like Upwork, it requires a deposit and uses an escrow system that releases the funds when the project is done.
Although it entails smaller payment fees than Upwork (3% or $3 for payments to freelancers), Freelancer charges various additional fees and services, such as:
- Full-time projects of higher value ($229.99)
- NDA and IP agreements ($21.99 each)
- Username change ($99)
- Maintenance fee for inactive accounts ($14)
While more affordable on paper, Freelancer may end up being the more costly option than Upwork due to its add-ons. The pricing of the Enterprise plan is custom for both platforms.
Refunds
If you’re not satisfied with your marketer’s work on Upwork, you can request a partial or full refund from them directly. The decision to issue a refund is at the freelancer’s discretion. You may file a dispute with Upwork’s Customer Support in some cases and within a specific time frame of request denial. On Freelancer, you can ask for a refund on the website or by emailing customer support.
Looking at reviews, users of both Upwork and Freelancer have had a hard time receiving refunds for undelivered work. What’s more, Upwork’s refund policy seems to work more in favor of freelancers than clients and requires you to jump through more hoops to get your money back.
Pros and Cons
MarketerHire—Expert Marketers at Your Fingertips
If you’d rather skip the hassle of sourcing and screening candidates yourself and want to get matched with expert marketers who’ve worked for leading international brands, MarketerHire is the way to go. Unlike Upwork and Freelancer, MarketerHire specializes in hiring marketers on demand and offers to take over the entire recruitment process so you can focus on growing your business.
With a rigorous vetting system led by seasoned marketers themselves, MarketerHire ensures that only the top 3% of marketing talent can enter its elite network.
The platform’s in-house experts have devised a proprietary matching system called MarketerMatch that uses both AI and hand selection to suggest a perfect candidate based on your requirements. Since its launch in 2018, MarketerHire has made over 25,000 successful matches for clients that include household names such as:
- HelloFresh
- Lyft
- Allbirds
- Netflix
Since MarketerHire’s experts will do all the vetting and sourcing for you, your involvement is minimal, and you’re free to focus on more impactful tasks. You’ll also get continuous support throughout the process and regular check-ins once work is underway.
You’re entitled to a free one-week trial with your match and free rematching if they’re not the right fit, so there’s no risk of making a bad and costly hire.
How MarketerHire Works
Whether you need an Amazon expert, a content marketer, or a fractional CMO, MarketerHire has got you covered. The hiring process is simple and consists of only three steps:
- Describe your project: Hop on a short call with your dedicated marketing manager to outline your business needs and the type of role and engagement you’re looking for
- Meet the match: Meet your carefully vetted and selected expert marketer within 48 hours
- Kick off the project: Once you approve your marketer, hire them and start collaborating within days
Sometimes, all you need is a small push to propel your business forward. If you need help with routine tasks that are creating bottlenecks for your marketing, design, or sales teams, MarketerHire’s Expert Assistants can help.
Thanks to MarketerHire, hiring expert marketers has never been easier. Reach out to us today and connect with the top marketing talent within days.
Other Reviews To Check Out
Want to explore additional options for hiring marketers? Check out our other reviews and comparisons of platforms and services to build your marketing A-team:
