Upwork
Upwork, previously known as Elance-oDesk, is a top freelance marketplace that connects freelancers with employers from across the world. The platform allows employers to find leading talent in design, video and audio, marketing, writing and translation, project management, and more.
This online marketplace has no offices in Australia, but it has several glowing reviews from Australian clients and freelancers who have used the platform with great success. In Australia, Upwork is especially useful for finding web, mobile, and software developers, with over 42,000 reviews from clients who hired freelancers in these fields.
Send jobs to 100+ job boards with one submission
Post Jobs for FREE- Completely free trial, no card required.
- Reach over 150 million candidates.
Pricing:
Plan | Pricing |
|---|---|
Basic | Free.* |
Plus** | US$49.99 /mo. |
Enterprise | Contact for quote. |
Featured Job Upgrade | US$29.99 |
*Upwork's basic plan is free to use, so employers only pay freelancers the confirmed fee, plus the standard 3% for admin and payment processing.
**The Plus Plan includes premium customer support, team reporting, and 15 invites to freelancers instead of three.
Review:
Upwork is an excellent freelance marketplace that allows employers to connect with freelancers who can complete remote projects. Over 30% of Fortune 500 companies have relied on Upwork to find creatives such as designers, writers, and developers.
More than 170,000 Australian employers have hired freelancers in the fields of customer service, admin support, accounting, engineering, and more using Upwork. The top job categories include web, mobile, software development, sales, and marketing. Upwork has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from Australian users.
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.
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 are no multilingual site options, which may limit certain candidates from using the site.
- Individuals or entities on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) are not permitted to use the platform.
- Pricing is not available in Australian dollars.
- There is no local office or contact number.
- All payments to freelancers are made in U.S. dollars.
Reputation:
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 3.8 stars based on the reviews of more than 9,000 users.
How to Post a Project on Upwork:
Four easy steps for posting a project on Upwork.
Posting a Project on Upwork.
Click on "Sign Up."
You'll find this green button toward the top-right corner of the Upwork home page.
Create an account.
Select "I'm a client, hiring for a project" and click on "Join as a client." Then, complete the online form and click on "Create my account."
You can also sign up with your Apple or Google account.
Add some details about your company and click on "Continue."
To activate your account, click on the verification link sent to your email.
Start the job posting process.
To start the job posting process, click on "Post a Job" on your dashboard.
Select the length of the project and click on "Continue."
Add a headline for your project in the field provided and select a job category. Click on "Next: Skills" when you are done.
Add the required skills, the project's scope, experience level, and location, clicking on "Next" each time you are ready to proceed to the next section.
Add an hourly rate or project budget and click on "Review Job Post" to continue.
Review and post your job.
Add the project's description and read through your post to make sure all the details are correct. When you are ready, click on "Post Job Now."
To make changes, click on the grey pen icon on the far right of each section. Click on "Update" to save your changes.
To save your changes and post the job at a later stage, click on "Save as draft."
Upwork vs. SEEK:
SEEK receives much more traffic from Australia than Upwork does, and offers more comprehensive features, but it is also one of the more costly job boards in Australia. If you require access to a resume database, additional resources, and would like to connect directly with job seekers via personalized messages, opt for SEEK.
Upwork vs. Gumtree Jobs:
Gumtree Jobs and Upwork both offer free and paid options, but Gumtree Jobs offers plans with more features, additional job categories, branding solutions, and an ATS. If you're exclusively targeting Australian freelancers, Gumtree Jobs is probably the better option, but keep in mind that the pool of freelancers may be smaller if you advertise with Gumtree Jobs.
Upwork vs. Careerjet:
Careerjet is used by job seekers from across the world and is a more user-friendly platform as it offers 28 languages. Careerjet is also a job aggregator that adds jobs from 90+ countries to its database, a feature Upwork lacks. However, unlike Upwork, Careerjet does not exclusively target freelancers and job posts start at US$100.00.
Key Information
Legal Name | Upwork Global Inc. |
Founder | |
Founding Date | Jan 01, 2015 |
Address | 2625 Augustine Dr., Ste. 601, Santa Clara, California 95054 USA |
Telephone | |
Website |
FAQs:
What does it cost to post a project on Upwork?
Upwork's pricing options include a free basic plan and paid packages.
How can I edit a project on Upwork?
- Click on the "My Jobs" tab from the Upwork dashboard.
- Select the project you would like to edit under "Open Jobs."
- Click on "Edit Posting" in the "Actions" menu.
- Make your changes.
Is Upwork better than Fiverr?
Both Upwork and Fiverr offer platforms that connect employers with talented global freelancers. Upwork has both free and paid pricing plans, while Fiverr offers customized service packages. Both charge freelancers a fee based on their earnings.
What kind of projects are on Upwork?
There are a wide variety of projects on Upwork, including ones in design, video and audio, development and IT, marketing, writing and translation, admin and customer support, HR, and more.
How does Upwork make money?
Upwork earns money in the form of service fees from both freelancers and clients who use the platform. Freelancers pay between 5% and 20% of their earnings based on how much they've billed their clients, while clients are charged a 3% admin and payment processing fee each time they pay a client.