Fiverr Vs Upwork – Which One is Better for A Freelancer?

Fiverr Vs Upwork – which one is better for a freelancer? There are a lot of marketplaces on the internet where you can get a freelance job. However, we will be comparing the two biggest marketplaces on the internet today.

Which is better between Fiverr or Upwork? Well, both platforms command millions of freelancers and buyers. Some freelancers and buyers have experienced either one or both of them.

While I will not outrightly tell you Fiverr is better than Upwork or vice versa, I will show you the features of both while you make that decision yourself. Both marketplaces have unique features that appeal to different individuals.

Fiverr

Fiverr was established in 2010 as an online marketplace where clients could hire freelancers to complete a project for $5. It was established by Shai Wininger and Micha Kaufman with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Over the years, it has evolved drastically since freelancers can now set their own prices.  They can provide a diverse range of services from development to design. The site gets nearly 35 million views per month and is known to host almost 1 million transactions every month.

Upwork

Upwork came into existence in 2015 after an Elance-oDesk merger. The two platforms merged in 2013 and were eventually rebranded as a new platform. Today, Upwork is a global platform that connects businesses and freelancers and enables them to collaborate remotely.

Now, it is considered one of the most powerful and profuse freelancing site in the world. The site has an estimated 43 million visits each month, nearly 12 million writers providing work with around 5 million client accounts.

Upwork vs Fiverr – How Do They Work

The question now is, how do these two marketplaces work for a freelancer. Most at times, they are often compared side-by-side. However, the way they work differs.

We all know that both platforms enable you to connect with clients or freelancers looking for or offering a particular skillset. But the way their basic operations differ widely.

• Upwork allows freelancer to offer services closely related to one skillset. On the other hand, Fiverr allows freelancers to offer gigs that can cover a wide range of services.
• Also, On Upwork, freelancers bid on jobs by sending their application and cover letter as a response to the client’s job posting. On Fiverr, clients buy gigs already pre-defined by freelancers.

In order to get a better grasp of the cross-platform similarities and differences, I’m going to compare the two platforms from a freelancer perspective.

Difference Between Fiverr and Upwork (Freelancers Perspective)

How to Join

To get started with Fiverr, all you need to do is sign up and start offering your gigs. Upwork, on the other hand, has recently started moderating and filtering new freelancers.

There have been numerous cases of new freelancers being denied access to the platform because there are already too many members with a particular skill set. This is especially true of content writers and data entry specialists, for example.

As a new freelancer, the best place to get started is Fiverr.

Both marketplaces have certain guidelines that all freelancers must agree to in order to be able to offer their services.

In fact, it’s easier to remain a freelancer on Fiverr, as Upwork has recently started enforcing a more strict policy, suspending freelancers that do not fulfil certain criteria over a certain period of time.

Earning Potential

Fiverr is known to offer services at cheap prices. Clients can get their job done for as low as $5. This is not entirely true. The pricing of some services may actually start at $5 and go up to several thousand.

As a newbie, your earning potential on Fiverr may be somewhat limited when you start working on the platform.

On the other hand, Upwork does not impose any limitations when it comes to the price of your services. Actually, the only limitations are the minimum hourly wage of $3/hour and the minimal set project value of $5.

In terms of earning potential, Upwork is the right platform.

Getting Hired

Both platforms work differently when it comes to how freelancers get their job. So, as a freelancer, you should consider the platform that will land you more jobs.

Generally, competition is immense on both platforms and the first job is always the most difficult to land, but I’d still give an advantage to Upwork.

It’s foremost due to the ability to proactively look for a job, instead of passively waiting for customers to contact you. There is, in fact, a section of Fiverr that allows you to bid on client requests, but it’s not nearly as rich with postings as Upwork’s job feed.

When it comes to the prospect of getting jobs or getting hired, I think Upwork takes the lead.

One advantage of Fiverr is that, once you’ve got your gigs going and earned a considerable reputation, you’re likely to get flooded with offers without even having to waste time applying to dozens of job posts.

In this respect, getting new jobs might be easier on Fiverr. But your gigs need to rank extremely well for this to be the case.

Final Verdict: Upwork vs Fiverr Which is Better?

Like I rightly said earlier, I am not going to give a definitive answer as to which is better between Upwork and Fiverr.

One platform might work well for one person while the reverse might be the case for another. So, choosing the right platform out of the two largely depends on your specific needs.

As a freelancer, I will recommend you sign up on both platforms and check out which best fits in your business model.