We’ve put together a list of some of the best websites for freelancers, whether you just quit your day job and want to work from home for the rest of your life or you’ve been doing it for years. You will definitely find a wide range of creative and exciting ways to take your freelance career to the next level.
Let’s take a closer look at 20 great platforms to find freelance jobs, the pros and cons of each, and what to do when you find the perfect freelance job for you.
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20 Best Ways to Find Freelance Jobs
1. Upwork
No matter what kind of freelancer you are, Upwork may be one of the best places to find work. Upwork has a lot to offer people who work in web development, graphic design, customer service, and even freelance writing. The seemingly endless stream of job postings is always getting new ones. Companies of all sizes, from small businesses to huge corporations, use Upwork to find bloggers, freelance designers, and freelance writers.
Upwork, which used to be called Elance-oDesk, takes a little time to get used to. You’ll need to learn how to write good proposals, and you might have to bid less than what you’re worth to build up your feedback rating. There are a lot of freelance jobs posted on Upwork, but there are a lot of people who want them. Unless you’re a big name on Upwork, it’s usually not worth it to bid on a project that already has 30 proposals.
Still, some freelance designers get a lot of work on Upwork and keep getting projects. Once you’ve made a name for yourself on the freelance platform, Upwork can be worth your time because it can lead to big profits.
2. Designhill
Employers who need freelance designers can find them in a few different ways through Designhill. Employers can set up a project contest to find creative freelancers and get a variety of designs to choose from. Or, they can use a search box at the top of the landing page to look for freelancers who offer a certain service.
Design contests are pretty polarizing. If you don’t like work being done by a group of people on freelancing sites, we feel your pain. But not all design contests are scams, and Designhill shows that if you want to get new clients, they can be a good way to do it.
Designhill has a lot to offer graphic designers, web designers, and people interested in other kinds of design. Designhill also tries to attract creative people by letting them make their own T-shirts, get them printed, and sell them in their online store. This is a nice touch because it gives freelance designers another way to show off their work and make money from it.
3. Toptal
Toptal promotes itself as a place to find the top 3 percent of freelance talent. Their screening process is so strict that out of the thousands of applications they get every month, they only accept a few. This makes them stand out from the many other sites that offer freelance jobs. It might seem hard to get in, but if you do, you’ll have the chance to work with some pretty big names. Airbnb, Duolingo, and Shopify have all used Toptal to find designers.
4. LinkedIn and LinkedIn ProFinder
Whatever your field, especially if you’re a creative, you should have a LinkedIn profile. Having an up-to-date profile helps you build your network and connect with other people through the built-in messaging system.
You can post examples of your work for each job you’ve had, making it more than just a resume. And if your skills are searchable on this platform, you’re sure to get people to check out your profile and connect with people who may be looking for exactly the kind of design skills you have.
LinkedIn ProFinder is another smart thing the site has added. It helps businesses find freelancers who are qualified to work for them. Employers who want to find the best candidates can sort by skills like content marketing, design, data entry, and more. LinkedIn ProFinder also sends you project leads by email, so you can write a proposal and bid on the project. It’s like having a recruiter looking out for you all the time.
And don’t forget the job postings on LinkedIn. With the built-in search, it’s easy to find remote jobs, part-time gigs, or full-time freelance work. LinkedIn is one of the best job sites for a reason: they continue to give job seekers what they want.
5. We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely boasts that they get around 3 million users a month. That is a lot. They have a lot of job postings, and many of them have to do with design. We Work Remotely may not feel as personal as websites that focus more on design, but the number of job postings makes up for this.
People or companies looking for designers have to pay a fixed price of $299 to list on We Work Remotely. This acts as a screening process and gets rid of a lot of low-quality job leads. Companies like Google, Amazon, and InVision have posted on this platform, which shows that it is a real one. Even better, you don’t have to make a profile. All you have to do is click on a job link and you’ll be taken there right away.
We Work Remotely is a good place to find part-time and full-time freelance jobs that fit your skills if you want to work from home.
6. Behance
Behance is a go-to site for anyone hoping to find creative freelancers. It has a lot of great work to look at, like illustrations, animations, web design, making mobile apps, and more.
When you fill out your Behance profile with great examples of your work, your work is shown to a group of people who are also creative. And if your work gets the coveted spot of “featured project,” you’ll get even more positive attention. Who knows, maybe someone who sees it will want to hire you. Behance is also a way to connect with other designers through social media. Adding more people to your list of contacts could lead to new opportunities in design.
Behance also has a section for jobs, which has a lot of good leads for freelance work. You won’t find a never-ending list of jobs, but the ones that are there live up to Behance’s great reputation.
7. SimplyHired
If you’re still figuring out how to get work as a freelancer, SimplyHired has a lot of great resources that go beyond a simple freelance job board.
You can find guides on how to write a resume, a cover letter, and other helpful information. If you need to change your resume, SimplyHired even has a free online resume builder for you to use.
Employers don’t have to pay to post jobs on this site, which opens up a lot of job opportunities. And for freelancers who want to be seen by potential clients, SimplyHired makes it very easy to upload a resume and get their profile up and running.
Their job search features are also helpful because they let you narrow your searches to just the kinds of jobs you’re interested in. Sites that show only vaguely related results are much less useful than those that let you narrow your search.
8. Dribbble
Dribbble is one of the most popular design job boards for freelance designers of all specialties.
Set up a profile on Dribbble if you want to find freelance design jobs, from graphic design to product design and everything in between.
A good Dribbble profile is a great way to get your name out there and show potential clients what you can do. A lot of people visit Dribbble, and a lot of clients look for talented designers there. All you have to do is put together a great bio and show off your best work.
You can also easily change your work availability on Dribbble, and you can turn the switch on and off whenever you need to. And if you move up to the pro level, you can use an exclusive job board for freelance designers.
On Dribbble, web developers, graphic designers, and others with similar skills will not only find ideas, but they may also find their next freelance job.
9. Fiverr
Fiverr got its name because it originally facilitated quick freelance gigs for five dollars — but it’s grown quite a bit since then.
You can now decide on your own starting prices, packages, and extras. Smart freelancers often put lower prices on small jobs to attract new clients. It’s kind of like giving them a cheap sample to make them want to hire you for bigger jobs.
Fiverr also has payments built right into the platform, so you don’t have to worry about billing your clients. So, even though some freelancers don’t like Fiverr because it started out small, it’s a great site for new freelancers and anyone who is willing to offer different rates for different kinds of work.
10. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour wants to make it easier for freelancers and clients to find each other by using artificial intelligence.
Once a client sends in the details of a project, an AI system looks at the information and matches the project with qualified freelancers. Those freelancers are asked to send in their proposals, and they can set their own prices. Clients then choose from a carefully chosen list.
PeoplePerHour is still one of the best websites for freelancers because both clients and freelancers don’t have to waste time looking for the right fit. PeoplePerHour also builds payments into the system so that neither party has to deal with a messy payment dispute.
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11. Guru
Guru has an authentic, grassroots feel to what they do. They want their freelance platform to be open and honest, and they value trust, so they make sure that expectations are met no matter what your role is. The same care goes into their job postings, which all make it clear what a project is about.
Guru has a built-in way for freelancers to be checked out, which helps freelancers show potential clients that they are trustworthy. It’s also easy to bill for your work since the site has multiple payment terms and secure payment options built right in.
Guru is a good place to go if you want to find freelance design work or freelance work in a wide range of industries. There’s nothing sketchy about it.
12. Freelancer
Freelancer covers many different facets of design work — everything from graphic and logo design to SEO and copywriting jobs.
Freelancer is one of the best places to look for freelance jobs because it has a wide range of specializations. You can even find freelance jobs in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and many other languages.
Job seekers can sort jobs by categories like fixed-price projects, hourly rate projects, contests, skills, and languages. And every job posting shows the current number of bidders and the average bid, so you know what to expect before you apply. Freelancer is a great place to look for flexible jobs, work you can do from home, and other freelance jobs.
13. AngelList
It can be fun to work with new companies. You may have more room to be creative and help shape the identity of a brand when you work for a new company. AngelList puts freelancers in touch with these new businesses.
AngelList not only makes it easy to find cool startups, but it also makes it easy for you to apply—you only have to fill out one form for thousands of jobs. Who knows which small company will grow to be the next big one? You might be able to take part in the next big thing.
14. DesignCrowd
DesignCrowd is a design job board that covers several design disciplines — connecting freelance designers with clients all around the world.
It’s a marketplace for freelancers that has everything a client could want. Clients can talk to more than one designer, which lets them find the best fit. Like a lot of freelance sites, they ask the public to help them do their work. DesignCrowd is a great place to look if that’s your thing. Just remember that you’ll be competing with other freelancers for every job, and you won’t get paid by the hour.
15. 99designs
99designs is another great website for freelance designers that lets them connect with companies all over the world. 99Designs is a great place to start if you’re a designer looking for freelance work online. You can pick the industries and design styles that interest you.
But freelancers have to pay some money to get started with 99designs. 99Designs will introduce you to clients for $100, but there are also platform and payment fees.
16. Webflow Experts
If you’re a Webflow all-star who wants to do freelance web design work, Webflow Experts is a great way to find clients who are eager to work with you. Webflow Experts is used by companies for a wide range of services, such as platform migrations, custom code, rebranding and redesigning, creating no-code apps, ecommerce, and more.
Because you have to be accepted into the Webflow Experts program, clients feel safe hiring freelance designers and developers from this pool.
17. YunoJuno
YunoJuno is a UK-based freelance marketplace for creative individuals. They were made with the goal of promoting “the future of work” for creative professionals and companies that are on the cutting edge.
If billing clients and getting paid is the part of freelancing you dislike the most, YunoJuno could be a good platform for you. You send your invoice to YunoJuno directly, and they pay you within 14 days. This keeps you from having to deal with a messy back-and-forth with clients.
If you live in the UK, YunoJuno is a great place to start if you want to do freelance work.
18. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit focuses on local freelance jobs, while many other sites for freelancers focus on remote work. However, TaskRabbit has grown to offer virtual services as well. This freelance marketplace connects people who do odd jobs on their own (called “Taskers”) with people in the same area who need help.
TaskRabbit freelance jobs include things like putting together furniture, doing yard work, installing lights, helping people move, etc. TaskRabbit is perfect for anyone who wants to do freelance work in their area on occasion.
19. Flexjobs
Flexjobs is all about flexible, remote work, as the name suggests. Here, you can find contract work for programmers, as well as jobs managing projects and writing. Flexibility is at the heart of job board filters, which let you sort by remote/hybrid/onsite, work schedule, travel requirements, etc.
20. SolidGigs
SolidGigs takes a different approach to freelance job listings. Instead of a traditional job board, SolidGigs does the work for you by hand-picking job alerts for the “best 1 percent of freelance jobs on the web” and sending them directly to subscribers. Of course, there is a price for the service. After the first 30 days, the price goes up to $19 per month. ServiceGigs promises that your rate will stay the same as long as you are a member. You can cancel at any time. So, SolidGigs is for you if you want to find freelance work but don’t have time to look for jobs all over the internet.
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Websites List to Find the General Freelance Jobs
Even though the websites we just talked about might be some of the most well-known places to find freelance jobs, they are by no means the only ones. There are a lot of websites where you can find freelance jobs in marketing, video editing, research, and virtual assistance, among other things (and just about everything in between).
Here are some additional websites that offer a solid range of freelance jobs that you’ll want to check out:
- CareerBuilder
- CloudPeeps
- Dice
- Findeavor
- Freelanced
- Gigbucks
- Gigdollars
- goLance
- Guru
- Indeed
- Just Answer
- JobBoy
- Mechanical Turk
- Microworkers
- Minijobz
- Monster
- Nexxt
- OnSite
- People Per Hour
- RapidWorkers
- Remote
- Remotive
- SimplyHired
- Skip The Drive
- Solid Gigs
- Smashing Jobs
- Student Freelance
- The Muse
- Virtual Vocations
- We Work Remotely
- Workhoppers
- Working Nomads
- YunoJuno
- Zeerk
- ZipRecruiter
Websites List to Find the Freelance Writing or Editing Jobs
Here are a few industry-specific websites to help you find your next writing or editing freelance job opportunity:
- Blogging Pro Job Board
- Contena
- Freedom With Writing
- Freelance Writing Jobs (freelance jobs targeted toward Canadian writers)
- Government Bids
- LinkedIn (just search for freelance writer jobs)
- Online Writing Jobs
- ProBlogger Job Board
- PubLoft
- RedGage
- Scripted
- Task Army
- TextBroker
- Triond
- WriterAccess
- Writer Bay
Websites to Find Freelance Jobs for Designers and Developers
If the above websites don’t help you find the freelance graphic design, programming, or coding job of your dreams, don’t worry. There are plenty of other graphic design, art director, and developer options to look into.
Check out these websites for more freelance opportunities specifically targeted towards designers, coders, developers, programmers, and the like:
- Art Wanted
- Authentic Jobs
- AwesomeWeb
- Behance
- Codeable
- Computer Assistant
- CrowdSpring
- Coroflot
- DesignCrowd
- DesignHill
- Dribbble
- Gun.io
- SEOClerks
- Scalable Path
- Smashing Jobs
- StackOverflow
- TopCoder
- Toptal
- WPHired
Conclusion
If you’ve already been looking at job ads and other remote work opportunities, you know that there are a lot of freelance jobs out there. And, as you now know, there are a lot of websites that can help you find these kinds of jobs. AND now that you know where to look for the perfect freelance job (and how to stand out, get hired, and get paid), all you have to do is? Get out there and work for yourself!