Upwork

Review:

Upwork is an online marketplace that matches employers with quality freelancers from across the globe. Over 30% of Fortune 500 companies have used Upwork to connect with talented, independent professionals.

Over 174,000 Canadian clients have used Upwork to find quality freelancers in a range of disciplines. Canadian employers give freelancers hired through Upwork an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars, making this a great platform to hire talent.

Pros:

• Brands such as Airbnb, Dropbox, Microsoft, Samsung, and more use Upwork to find quality freelancers.
• Employers can post projects at no cost or choose from paid options, depending on their hiring needs.
• Millions of projects are posted on the platform with over 5,000 skills represented across more than 70 categories.
• AI-matching technology instantly generates a freelancer shortlist based on your project requirements.
• Employers can connect with a remote workforce representing 180 countries.
• You can receive invoices through Upwork's platform to easily pay for the work you've authorized.
• Projects include social media visibility on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
• Enterprise plans include access to the top 1% of Upwork talent, flexible scaling, and more.
• Upwork is more affordable than competitors like Remote OK.

Cons:

• The basic plan excludes advanced candidate management tools.
• Some freelancers might be deterred by having to pay a fee based on their earnings.
• There is no option to search for projects by employer, which can make it difficult for freelancers to find you.
• Individuals or entities on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) are not permitted to use the platform.
• There are a limited number of plans available.
• The platform can be tricky to navigate.
• There are no French or multilingual site options, which may limit the number of freelancers who sign up.
• There is no local contact number.

Reputation:

Although more than 140 complaints were logged against Upwork on Better Business Bureau, most queries received attention from them.

On Sitejabber, Upwork has more than 2,700 reviews and a rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars. On Trustpilot, the platform received also received 3.3 stars based on the reviews of more than 9,000 users.

Upwork vs. Remote OK:

Both Upwork and Remote OK have a global reach, but Upwork provides access to a talent pool of over 18 million users, while Remote OK's talent pool is just over 1 million. Remote OK has no free plans, so Upwork seems the better choice, offering free postings. However, with Upwork, employers pay an initiation fee and 5% of each project.

Upwork vs. Dice:

Like Upwork, Dice advertises tech freelancing roles both locally and abroad. While Upwork allows employers to post projects for free, there is an initiation fee and a 5% charge on all projects. A single listing on Dice costs US$495.00, making the latter significantly costlier. However, for the higher price tag, users benefit from candidate matching tools.

Upwork vs. Wellfound:

Compared to Upwork, Wellfound is a much smaller job board used by about 43,000 tech startups. For employers in the tech world, Wellfound is a good choice, as it offers unlimited free job postings, a database with over 3 million job seekers, ATS, and free brand promotion pages. Try both platforms risk-free if you're still undecided.