The Difference between Toptal vs Upwork vs Freelancer

Hiring employees can be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. Luckily, technology brought us innovation from the usual posting on traditional job boards online or through recruitment agencies. Now, companies or job seekers can interact locally and globally through online freelancing platforms. But let’s face it, the battle between the best marketplaces such as Toptal vs Upwork vs Freelancer can be tough.

From creating a brief job description to interviews, finding the right ones takes a lot of effort. But, having great staffs are essential in growing your business and to the company’s success, so it pays to get the right ones.  We took the liberty to lay out what these freelancing platforms can offer. Let’s start with Toptal.

What Is Toptal?

As one of the top online freelancing platforms today, Toptal connects businesses with job seekers.  Toptal tests and screens freelancer’s skills and talents to save you a lot of time and effort in filtering candidates. Through their vetting process, rest assured that the employees you will hire can provide the support you need.

If you are wondering what makes Toptal produce world-class workers? Well, Toptal has a fast placement process. They can easily introduce candidates within 24 hours that are fit to work. Also, a set of high standards will surely result in high client satisfaction. Not to mention, with Toptal’s two-week test period, you can decide if you are satisfied or not with the new hire and they will take full responsibility for the charges.

Sure you can spend thousands and invest hours on recruitment agencies or find employees on your own, but between Toptal vs Upwork vs Freelancer, Toptal can do these all for you.

How Toptal Works?

For the screening process, Toptal has 5 steps on how to apply as a freelancer. First is through Language & Personality, where candidates are examined with their English reading, writing, and speaking skills. The personality traits along with the person’s drive and passion are also tested through the completion of work, and according to Toptal, more than 26% usually pass on the first phase.

Next, Toptal gets an in-depth skill review of the applicants using a codility test. After testing the freelancer’s skills, the third step is Live Screening. This is where the candidate performs a given task on cam while an expert observes how they handle the situation.

In the fourth step, which is usually given for 1 to 3 weeks, the applicant must finish the given project. It will test every skill and talent that shows the professional style and competency of the candidate. And once passed, they must maintain high-quality work and ethics in order to result in a long-term relationship with the client.

How Much Does Toptal Charge?

Signing up to Toptal is totally free. It will start to charge on an hourly rate based on the freelancer’s rate which normally starts around $60 per hour. And when you are not happy with the newly hired, Toptal will refund the $500 deposit and any charges for the candidate’s work.

What Is Upwork?

Another freelancing platform that is not only popular but the largest in the online industry is Upwork. It is a great place for freelancers to hunt for jobs that suits their skills and interests. A wide variety of jobs from Writing, Admin Support, Design, Marketing, and more. On the other hand, clients have a wider range of searching for the right people to join your team.

One of the biggest fear of most clients in hiring freelancers is the lack of structured plans. This is where Upwork comes in to take care of all the work of managing the candidates. And in return, freelancers got better chances of having long-term working relationships with reliable clients.

The great thing about starting with Upwork is it impresses clients. Knowing that Upwork has a solid foundation in providing skilled and talented freelancers. In addition to that, between Toptal vs Upwork vs Freelancer, Upwork is best in tracking hours of work. They charge the clients automatically to deposit funds, which ensures payment for freelancers.

How Upwork Works?

To start with Upwork, you need to create a compelling profile that speaks about your skills. It includes a professional photo, an appealing title, and a powerful description. You can also add your educational background, accomplishments, past experiences, or any information that can help you to show clients that you are the best fit for the job.

Above all, don’t forget grammar. Make sure that every phrase and sentence is grammatically correct. Regardless of the area of expertise, proficiency in English shows professionalism.

Finding your first job on Upwork is hard, especially when you are a beginner and has no job experience. Clients will tend to overlook your profile and get to the next one right away. But don’t be discouraged because there are lots of business that considers newbies.

Always remember to focus on your goal and put your best foot forward!

How Much Does Upwork Charge?

Similar to Toptal, joining Upwork for freelancers are free of charge. However, working on their site requires a service fee, which depends on the billings with clients. It can be 20% for every $500 bill, 10% for above $500 to $10,000, 5% beyond $10,000, and reduces as you keep earning from the client.

What Is Freelancer?

Last but surely not least on the list of the best online freelancing platforms is Freelancer. It features more than 45 million freelancers and companies around 247 countries. This means millions of jobs are posted on the site. Some of the categories include data entry, sales, accounting, legal services, software development, and more.

Being in the industry since 2009, Freelancer ensures that they are legit and not a scam. With over 2 million followers on Facebook, 14,000 on Instagram, and 200,000 on Twitter, it says a lot about their reputation. Safe to say that between Toptal vs Upwork vs Freelancer, Freelancer is a secure place for freelancers and companies to gather.

Furthermore, Freelancer is a community that provides state-of-the-art security for all transactions in your funds. You can also request for Milestone Payment directly from your clients to keep your payment safe. And since your safety is their priority, they assigned representatives that are available 24/7 to help you out with any problems.

How Freelancer Works?

Similar to other online freelancing platforms, registering on Freelancer.com with your email and password is the first step. Note that you must be at least 18 years old to join this marketplace. Then, you can now complete other details necessary for your profile such as photo, skills, work experience, etc.

Freelancer also offers exams to show your competency, which will be posted on your profile to attract possible clients. Once your account has been approved, you can now post and start bidding. They allow you to create amazing and convincing proposals for various projects. And when you get the job, you should have at least $30 to withdraw your payment which will take up to 15 days.

How Much Does Freelancer Charge?

According to Freelancer, the freelancer’s fee depends on the project or service they bid on clients and what plan they are in. For fixed-price hourly projects and contests, Freelancer charged 10% or $5, 15% for the Preferred Freelancer Program, and 20% for services. Some freelancers refuse to use this site because other marketplaces do not charge them monthly or based on a project rate.

Who Wins Between Toptal vs Upwork vs Freelancer?

To sum it up, we believe that Toptal works best if you are looking for skilled and talented freelancers. But, if you are working on a low-end project and focus on a reliable hiring process, then consider using Upwork. Finally, Freelancer is the best place to build your career as they also provide great opportunities for newbies.

So, who do you think wins between Toptal vs Upwork vs Freelancer? Try it for yourself, give it a shot, and see what fits you the most. Try it for yourself, give it a shot, and see what fits you the most. Then, team up with dedicated designers from Delesign. They will help to create great custom or motion graphics and make your projects even better.

Good luck!