Top UpWork Competitors and Why They're Gaining Traction

Let me ask you a simple question. Would you consider remote talent sites and on-demand services to find capable freelancers that charge less than your average employee? We would. Freelancing sites such as Upwork and Upwork competitors are a big help to modern businesses. Similarly, on-demand services industries like ours at Delesign make a huge difference as well. Our 15-day money-back guarantee is a big win for individuals and business owners looking for quality designs at competitive rates.

If you’re a business owner looking to reduce business costs, we know you would want to check out top remote talent sites. Here’s a rundown on what you can expect from Upwork and the other leading online job portals.

What is Upwork?

Upwork is an online freelancing and talent solutions platform that connects business owners with remote workers worldwide. It offers different services to cater to your specific needs; specifically global talent pooling, staffing, pre-packaged projects, and managed services. Above all, the platform is an online marketplace where freelancers can find projects and tap clients while taking advantage of payment protection policies.

Generalist Upwork Competitors

It’s little surprise why business owners flock to Upwork. Employers and freelancers alike tout it as one of the best platforms for remote jobs. What’s more, Upwork also has real-time collaboration and contract management features to help business owners work better with remote talents. Unfortunately, due to its popularity, this platform has also become quite oversaturated. You'll find it more difficult to find topnotch freelancers on this site these days. The good news is, you don’t need to rely on a single platform to connect with top-rated remote professionals. Here are some Upwork alternatives you might want to consider:

PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour is a remote talent site targeting businesses that need to get one-off projects done with the help of remote staff. Same as with Upwork and other Upwork competitors, you can also use this platform to post jobs and check out freelancers’ profiles.

Employers who sign up at PeoplePerHour get the chance to hire Hourlies. These freelancers are hired by the hour. The Hourlies option has a fixed rate. This works well for if you’re the type of employer who dislikes negotiating rates.

As you explore PeoplePerHour, you’ll also get to explore its features. One of these is on-site project management and collaboration. Next is a satisfaction guarantee. With this guarantee, you only pay for output that meets your standards.

PeoplePerHour offers a variety of services, namely technology & programming, writing & translation, design, digital marketing, business. marketing, branding & sales, and social media.

Toptal

Toptal is a freelance recruitment site that allows you to hire high caliber remote talent. If you are looking for freelancers who belong to the top 3%, this platform is one of your best options.

Toptal follows strict procedures when screening and vetting their remote applicants. This helps them ensure the highest standard when signing on freelancers. Other online remote talent sites perform general screenings. Meanwhile, Toptal conducts specialized language and personality tests, in-depth technical skills review, peer-facilitated live screening, and project testing.

According to the Toptal website, its talent selection process typically takes 24 hours. In this case, they should have already matched you with a freelancer. Otherwise, they would extend their search for a few weeks. This goes on until they find a freelancer who undoubtedly meets your criteria.

Guru

Guru is a user-friendly platform that lets you find freelancers and post jobs the second you land on their homepage. This remote talent site tries to live up to its name by exclusively hiring freelancers that are proven experts in their own fields. Specifically, it caters to nine categories: programming and development, writing and translation, design and art, administrative and secretarial, sales and marketing, business and finance, engineering and architecture, legal, and education and training.

A quick look at the Guru website tells us two features that will lure employers in. Firstly, you can choose the payment method that works best for them. Most Upwork competitors only allow the use of credit cards and electronic payment gateways. With Guru, you can transact in the form of checks, e-checks, wire transfers, and in-website cash funds. Secondly, Guru offers a project management dashboard where you can oversee your projects. With this custom dashboard, you can easily communicate with your remote staff, share files, and even check their time logs.

Outsourcely

With outsourcing at the core of this online recruitment portal, it’s no wonder why Outsourcely is one of the most cost-effective ways to connect with remote workers. According to the platform’s website, they have over 300,000 freelancers in their network.

With its simple interface?, you can easily browse Outsourcely in a few short ticks. Registration should be fairly easy as well. You simply need to sign up using a company-registered email. Once you’ve successfully registered, you can look through freelancers’ profiles and reach out to those that meet your requirements. If you require a more specific set of skills, you may also post a job ad on the platform.

Specialist Upwork Competitors

PeoplePerHour, Toptal, Guru, and Outsourcely are all potentially promising Upwork competitors. But if you are looking for freelancers that specialize in a specific line of work, there are sites out there that offer those as well.

Credo

Teaming up with professional online marketers is often harder than it seems. If you’re struggling to find the ideal candidate, Credo is a good place to start. Credo bridges the gap between trusted marketers and clients who are in desperate need of them.

Digital marketing and SEO are highly specialized. Hence, the people behind Credo created a stringent process to match your digital marketing and SEO requirements with the most suitable remote talent they have on board. Here’s what to expect: First, they will communicate with you in order to clearly define your requirements. Then, they will discuss these requirements with the selected candidates from their exclusive network. From there, they will ask you to choose from the shortlisted candidates before proceeding to project signing and funding in escrow.

Freelance Writing Jobs

Targeted, informative, and well-written articles require more than just a basic understanding of basic grammar. If you’re looking for writers who deliver user-centric content, you definitely need to check out Freelance Writing Jobs (FWJ). FWJ is an online platform for remote writers looking for a gig and clients who are looking for top-notch content.

Some of the writing and editing jobs you may request through the portal include online content, editing, blogging, and publishing, among many others.

In summary, hiring on-demand workers has become more of a necessity than an option. If you think hiring remote workers is right for you at this point, we strongly suggest exploring the Upwork competitors mentioned in this article. Or if you need creative support services, we are just a few clicks away.

Why Delesign?

Effectively communicating your brand to your audience goes beyond high-quality copywriting and using impressive digital marketing platforms. You need to connect to your audience. Often, that connection requires a strong visual impact. This is where Upwork competitors and on-demand graphic design solutions like Delesign come in.

Professional graphic design does not come cheap. Fortunately, we provide creative support options that can make it more cost-effective. Whether you need help with branding, illustrations, motion graphics, and animation or explainer videos, web design work, and app mockups, Delesign is here to help.

Are you ready to try unlimited designs at a fraction of the cost of an in-house designer? Sign up at Delesign today!