Craigslist isn’t dead, but it’s also not the only place to find real freelance jobs.
As a freelancer, you don’t have a biweekly paycheck to predict your income easily. Instead, you are always looking for high-paying freelance positions to pay the bills and support your quality of life.
You don’t have time to waste on dead-end leads and cheap, unreliable clients. This list helps you narrow down the best seven places to find real freelance jobs. Whether you’re an expert copywriter or a killer SEO specialist, these sites will help you connect with new clients who value your skills and offer the rates to prove it.
Sorry, Craigslist, maybe next time.
1. Codable
One of the only WordPress freelancer-exclusive sites, Codable connects expert coding freelancers to customers. While you have to apply to freelance through this site, they ensure quality for both the freelancer and the customer.
Their website is highly regulated and quality-focused, with guaranteed minimum rates and a portfolio of returning customers. If you’re a pro in WordPress and coding, apply to Codable and begin a fulfilling freelancing career with returning customers through a quality-controlled website.
2. Fiverr
Fiverr is another online marketplace that connects consumers to freelancers. You start in minutes by creating a profile. On your profile, you can highlight the skills you offer, such as website programming, writing, or graphic design.
Fiverr has many freelancers, so the competition can be fierce. Beginning with lower prices and gaining feedback for your profile can help you become a trusted worker and enable you to raise your prices after you have several good reviews. You may have to be patient, but Fiverr is a great option if you possess many different skills.
3. Upwork
Similar to Fiverr, Upwork is a freelance website that offers a wide variety of services. Freelancers can offer work in multiple fields, such as web development, writing, sales and marketing, customer service, and engineering. This allows a wide variety of freelancers to create profiles and compete for jobs, which can be time-consuming, but also leads to long-lasting customer relationships. Upwork also categorizes Top Skills, Top Cities, and Trending Skills, which can give you an idea of the competition you’re up against.
4. TaskRabbit
If you’re handy and can easily mount a TV or assemble an Ikea couch, TaskRabbit is a great option for some extra cash. You create a profile, express what skills you’re best at, and your profile will show up when customers need a mover or someone to lift heavy items.
TaskRabbit also offers an average project price, so you can know what to charge in order to get the most projects possible. Since these projects aren’t remote, you must stick to your city or surrounding cities.
5. Toptal
Toptal is a little more exclusive than the rest of these websites, but for a good reason. Toptal finds programming, project manager, and software development freelancers. They boast that they only hire “the top 3%” of freelance talent, which sounds a little daunting. However, if you apply and get in, there is a lot less competition than on traditional sites, which means you can make more money for your jobs.
If you feel confident in your work and want to begin working with top companies such as HP and Airbnb, apply to Toptal today.
6. Arc
Arc offers some unique opportunities for developers. Not only does Arc offer freelance work but there are also options for full-time remote positions. As a one-stop shop for applications, Arc makes finding work easy. Arc also takes care of logistics, client management, and invoicing so you can fully focus on your work.
There are options for front-end and back-end development work, as well as mobile app development, DevOps, and database jobs. If you’re a developer looking for work, look no further than Arc.
7. Networking Events
Another great opportunity to pick up some freelance work is to go to events on Eventbrite that are focused on your specific set of skills. If you’re a developer, attend some developer workshops. Not only does this keep your skills up to date, but it can also put you in front of potential clients and allow for extensive and organic networking and, ultimately, to find real freelance jobs that are more than one-off tasks.
Read about micro-investing and how to get started with our complete guide: Micro-Investing: What It Is, Why It’s for You and How to Start.
