20+ Best Freelance Websites for Finding Online Work in 2025

 

Being a freelancer can be both liberating and still somewhat nerve-racking. You can set your own prices and hours and choose which projects to devote your time to. But you may never feel you have the security of a full-time employee.

A lot of freelancers feel like they’re always chasing the next opportunity, splitting their time between securing work and actually doing it.

Many websites are available to help freelancers find projects. While they’re not all the same, and some are meant only for workers with specific skills, the right website can help you spend less time looking for work so you can spend more time on task. In this article, we’ll highlight top freelance websites to help you kick-start your career.

Best freelance sites:

1. Upwork

Upwork is a remote work marketplace that connects businesses with skilled independent professionals from around the world. Whether you’re an accounting expert, developer, web designer, copywriter, customer service worker, or any other type of skilled freelance professional, you’ll find projects that match your skill set on Upwork.

As a freelancer, you can get started by going to upwork.com and clicking the “Sign Up” button to create your Upwork profile.  Enhance your profile by adding a work portfolio, introduction video, educational background, certifications, licenses, and more to showcase your skills, abilities, personality, and experience.

Pros:

• Upwork attracts clients from around the world, offering freelancers a variety of projects at competitive hourly rates.
• The most popular freelancing professions (including writers, designers, developers and marketers) can earn from $30 to $50 per hour.
• The platform offers payment protection on both hourly and fixed-price projects to make sure you get paid for the work you do‍
• Uma™, Upwork’s Mindful AI, is built into your everyday workflow. All freelancers have access to Uma. Get help writing your proposals so you can win more jobs and earn more. ‍
• Upgrade to Freelancer Plus for full access to Uma to help you brainstorm, review, analyze, write, code, and more for your projects on Upwork.
• Freelancers can get paid in a variety of ways, such as PayPal or direct transfer.

Cons:

Upwork’s talent marketplace can be competitive. New freelancers may find it challenging at first as they find their feet and build up their portfolio.

Costs:

Signing up for Upwork is free. Its freelancer service fee is a flat 10% fee on most contracts—with some exceptions for direct or payroll contracts. For independent professionals looking for more, Upwork’s Freelancer Plus plan can be beneficial. For $20 a month, freelancers receive perks such as extra Connects (100 total, per month), a customized profile URL, and full access to Uma. Think of Uma as a powerful work companion to help you get work done faster than ever for your projects on Upwork.

Interested in seeing how Upwork can help propel your freelance career forward? Sign up today.

2. Toptal

‍Toptal helps a variety of highly qualified freelancers find work. Professionals specializing in software development, project management, and business consulting can particularly benefit from this site. However, note that Toptal has a rigorous five-step selection process for identifying the best workers in any field.

The intense process begins with an English test and project assessment. Only the top 3% of freelancers are accepted on the platform. Those who make it through can apply for job posts from well-known businesses like Airbnb. Freelancers who fail the test have to wait several months before taking it again.

Pros:

• The site has premium job posts from well-known businesses.
• Only top-tier professionals can get through the site’s screening process.
• The platform has free tools for time-tracking, invoicing, and receiving payments.

Cons:

• Freelancers have to go through an intensive and exclusive screening procedure to use Toptal. Very few freelancers make the cut.
• Toptal is great for businesses looking to complete large-scale projects, like developing and maintaining huge software applications. Freelancers who perform smaller tasks like updating landing pages may have difficulty finding work on the site.

Costs:

Toptal doesn’t take any fees from freelancers, but companies can easily spend over $200 per hour to hire a freelancer on the site.

3. Fiverr

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Fiverr makes it simple for digital freelancers to find people looking for their services. There are many project listings on Fiverr, from content creation and video production to app design to almost any other type of project you can imagine.

Fiverr has a very simple model: Sellers (freelancers) can create free profiles listing the gigs (services) they offer without sending bids or pitching prospects. Buyers (businesses) can simply purchase the services that work best for them.

Pros:

• Fiverr has a large selection of service categories.
• Registration is free for freelancers.
• The platform offers online courses to help freelancers learn skills.

Cons:

• Fiverr charges freelancers a large fee on commissions.
• It can take some time for freelancers to get paid.

Costs:

After a seller finishes a gig, Fiverr takes 20% of their commission. It can take a few weeks for a seller to be able to withdraw payments from the site as well.

4. Designhill

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Designhill connects freelance artists and designers with businesses seeking things like website, logo, and catalog design. In addition to offering a large list of design opportunities, the site is helpful for freelancers learning to manage their businesses.

Designhill has resources that allow freelancers to open their own stores to clients all over the globe. Its management tools can also help freelancers measure profits, make business cards, and create digital marketing materials.

Pros:

• Designhill lets you create a free online store.
• The site has a reliable live chat support team.
• There are no service fees for freelancers.

Cons:

• Designhill is exclusive to designers.
• It has a seven-day window for clients to request changes to logo designs, which might delay acceptance and payment.

Costs:

Designhill is free to use for freelancers.

5. LinkedIn

 is a social networking site for professionals and is one of the most reputable career resources around. You can create a profile on the site to showcase your experience, education, work history, past projects, and skills to businesses looking for new talent.

You can also create and share posts to give companies a glimpse into who you are and what interests you. LinkedIn has a huge list of freelance and full-time opportunities.

Unlike most of the platforms we’re discussing, LinkedIn isn’t a dedicated job site for freelancers, but it features a range of opportunities for independent professionals. Freelance graphic designers, developers, copywriters, and more can look for work using LinkedIn.

Pros:

• LinkedIn helps you network with professionals from a wide variety of industries.
• The site can expose you to the most current news and trends about your industry.

Cons:

• Because so many professionals use LinkedIn, standing out can be difficult.
• Maintaining a current and professional LinkedIn page requires continuous updates.

Costs:

Freelancers can use basic LinkedIn features for free. For $39.99 a month, a Premium account offers learning courses, allows users to track employers who view their profile, and increases the number of connections users can make.