Top 6 Freelance Marketspaces Reviewed
Posted on 03. Jun, 2009 by Amod in Freelance Sites
I had written a review of online freelance marketplaces on Entrepreneur.com way back in Aug 2005. These marketspaces have since then changed in terms of feature enhancements as well as policies.
These top 6 marketspaces viz. Guru.com, Elance.com, LimeExchange.com, Rentacoder.com, Getafreelancer.com and oDesk.com, together capture about 90% marketshare (based on the revenues reported by them), the rest being taken by smaller sites (scriptlance etc) and niche / skill specific sites (Joomlance, 99designs etc).
For ease of comprehension, I have tabulated the features offered by these top 6. I will build up on this review in another post by writing about how to enter a freelance marketspace as a newbie.
| Guru | Elance | LimeExchange | Rentacoder | Getafreelancer | oDesk | |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Membership | - Basic (Free)- 2 levels of paid |
- Basic (Free) - 3 levels of paid |
- Basic (Free) - 3 levels of paid |
Free | - Basic (Free) - 1 level of paid |
- Basic (Free) - 1 level of paid |
| Profile | Overview, Resume, Skills, Education, Experience, References, Photos, Videos, Portfolio |
Overview, Resume, Skills, Education, Experience, References, Photos, Videos, Portfolio |
Overview, Resume, Skills, Education, Experience, References, Photos, Videos, Portfolio |
Resume, Skills (2 fields only) |
Overview, Skills | Overview, Resume, Skills, Education, Experience, References, Photos, Videos, Portfolio |
| Project Fee | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed | - Fixed - Hourly |
Fixed | - Fixed - Hourly |
| Skill Testing |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Project Types |
- Open- Invite Only - Guru Vendors only (highest paid plan) - Geographical Region specific (others can bid though) |
- Open - Invite only - Select Providers (highest paid plan) |
- Open - Invite only - Vantage Members (highest paid plan) |
- Open - Invite only - Geographical Region specific (others can’t bid) |
- Open - Invite only - Gold Members (highest paid plan) |
- Fixed - Hourly |
| View Buyer History |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HTML in bid proposal |
Limited tags |
Limited tags |
No | Yes | No | No |
| PMB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bid Limit / month |
- 10 (Basic) - 100 (paid) |
- 3 (Basic) - 20 to 60 for paid members |
- 10 (Basic) - 100 (paid) |
Unlimited | Unlimited | 2 to 20 per week |
| Payment Mode |
- Invoice - Escrow |
- Invoice - Escrow |
Escrow Only | Escrow Only | - Invoice - Escrow |
- Invoice - Escrow |
| Fee Calculator (Gross & Net Fee) |
No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Commission | - 5% on invoice - 7% in escrow |
6.75% to 8.75% |
4% to 8% | 15% | - $5 / 10% (whatever is higher) - 0% (Gold) |
10% |
| Project Agreement (with milestones) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Bidders Visible |
Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Average Bid Amount Visible |
No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum Bid | $25 | $30 | No minimum | No minimum | No minimum | No minimum |
| Arbitration | Only escrow | Only escrow | Yes | No | For Hourly Projects Only | |
| Payment Withdrawl Options |
- Check - Bank Transfer - Paypal - Payoneer |
- Check - Wire Transfer - Paypal - Payoneer - ACH |
- Check - Wire Transfer - Paypal - Payoneer - Moneybookers |
- Check - Wire Transfer - Paypal - Moneybookers |
- Wire Transfer - Paypal - Payoneer - Moneybookers |
- ACH - Wire Transfer - Paypal - Payoneer - Moneybookers |
| Unique Features |
- Simple interface - Package deals - Proposal templates - Work Room |
- Pioneer -Keywords for search results depends on member type |
- Coupon codes for hosting etc from Limedomains - Payment from other sites considered for ranking |
- Thorough buyer verification | Desktop App to log hours worked |
I would love to hear what you think about these sites and ofcourse this comparison.
2 Responses to “Top 6 Freelance Marketspaces Reviewed”
Leave a Reply
Ron
02. Sep, 2009
This is exactly what I was looking for, and for good reason…
Outstanding post. Thanks.
What is your opinion on minimum bids? Is higher better?
Amod
02. Sep, 2009
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the ‘thumbs up’.
About minimum bids, I assume you mean the amount – let me be truthful (anyway its not a secret) – as a freelancer who needs to get a foothold in the crowded freelance marketplace, one needs to bid low initially. This is ofcourse to gain reputation by way of ratings and references as well. However, once you get about 2-3 ratings, you should begin marking up the fee. My strategy is usually to bid high enough when my hands are full (of projects).
Regards,
Amod