Upwork

Review:

Upwork is a marketplace and network where freelancers can connect with clients and employers offering remote work. The platform has helped over 30% of Fortune 500 companies find top-quality, independent professionals.

More than 200,000 British clients have used Upwork to source high-quality professionals for various projects in marketing, web development, engineering and architecture, IT and networking, translation, and more. Projects can be searched by skills, city, or region, making it easier for job seekers to find viable opportunities.

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.
• Employers have access to individual freelancers' profiles and can see their ratings.
• Upwork is more affordable than remote job boards like SkipTheDrive, and local job boards such as CV-Library.

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.
• Pricing is not available in pound sterling.
• There are no multilingual site options, which may deter freelancers from other parts of Europe.
• 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. PeoplePerHour:

While Upwork charges employers 5% of each project, as well as an initiation fee, PeoplePerHour is completely free. Upwork freelancers pay an earnings-based fee, while PeoplePerHour freelancers can submit 15 free proposals before they are charged. Unlike Upwork, most of PeoplePerHour's traffic comes from the U.K., which is great for local hiring.

Upwork vs. SkipTheDrive:

Upwork is a talent marketplace, while SkipTheDrive is a job board for remote work. At US$99.00 per posting, SkipTheDrive is more costly and is searchable by keywords as opposed to location and project type, making it trickier for local talent to find your job. However, SkipTheDrive is better for finding remote workers further afield.

Upwork vs. CV-Library:

For employers looking to hire local freelancing talent, CV-Library may be a better option than Upwork. With a database of 16.2 million candidates from the U.K., employers are more likely to find freelancers within their timezone on CV-Library than Upwork. However, CV-Library is more costly than Upwork, and offers no free plan.