Which is better Upwork or Fiverr?

If you are starting your freelancing career or are a client trying to get the best freelancer to handle your job, there will be a point where you would ask a question widespread in the world of freelancing: Which is better Upwork or Fiverr?

Mind you, these aren’t the only freelancing sites available in case you are wondering why this piece is limited to Upwork and Fiverr but know that these two are the most popular and probably the best freelancing sites.

Depending on which side of the equation you fall, getting a good freelancer to handle your job or looking for a job that matches your skill set can be pretty frustrating,

And this is why platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr, amongst others, serve as a bridge between clients and freelancers, or let me put it another way: the buyers and the sellers.

Without wasting much time, it’s best to know what you will understand after reading this article (which is better, Upwork or Fiverr?) to decide if it’s worth your time.

Of course, you can bet it would be worth your time if you were starting your freelancing career.

• How does Upwork function?
• How does Fiverr work?
• Major deciding factors
• Which is better, Upwork or Fiverr?
• Frequently asked questions

It’s time to dive into details

How does Upwork function?

To answer the question of which is the best site for freelancers, which one is best, Fiverr vs. Upwork, or which among the two pays freelancers more, you need to understand the modus-operandi of each platform.

Whether you’re just starting your freelancing career or have been in the game for quite some time, you must have heard one or two things about Upwork or Fiverr.

This is no longer the era of looking for jobs manually or submitting CVs to different offices when you can do a sit-at-home job.

To keep things simple and stupid, Upwork, as you already know, is a platform that connects clients to freelancers who are always ever ready to take on new jobs, but that’s not all there is to it.

On Upwork, individuals can choose to become a client or a freelancer, depending on the need. You can be both if you have a lot of stuff going on for you.

When a client creates a job posting on the talent marketplace, you, as the freelancer, can see the job posted by the client based on the type of talent needed for the job.

If the job falls under copywriting or writing in general,

then the freelancer would have to search the writing category of the talent marketplace to see the job posted.

If you are a perfect freelancer with various skills to offer, Upwork allows you to provide services with all the skills you’ve got.

This means you can be a copywriter, graphic designer, and web developer and offer these services on Upwork. You can be a Jack of all trades and be a master of all on Upwork.

After going through the details of the posted job and if interested, you can now go-ahead to submit a proposal using the required connects.

Think of connects as some form of virtual money that is usually used to submit a job proposal to a client on Upwork.

You can check out All you need to know about Upwork Connect by clicking here.

If you are then called for an interview and given the job, then this is the moment where you get to showcase your talent.

Everything from submitting a proposal to interview, hiring, billing, and payment happens on the Upwork platform.

Nothing is done outside.

When freelancers collect their earnings from Upwork, a 5% to 20% service fee is deducted, and as for the client, they pay a standard 3% transaction fee.

Upwork is excellent when you want to carry out a one-time project and is perfect for building long-term relationships between clients and freelancers.

Are you quick to conclude that Upwork is the best freelancing platform? Maybe you should wait and read further before you jump to conclusions. There is more to know before deciding on which is best between Upwork and Fiverr

How does Fiverr work?

Being one of the most common and widely used freelancing sites Fiverr classifies individuals into two categories

• Buyers are considered to be the clients.
• Sellers, on the other hand, are freelancers; the package services they offer are called “Gigs.”

Buyers (clients) can contact a freelancer (seller) if they need a customized Gig or a unique logo design that is peculiar to a particular brand, and sellers can respond to a “request for help” by a client.

As you can see, Fiverr is very dynamic because both parties are involved in the process.

You don’t pay any registration fee on Fiverr to get started. The only costs involved are the 20% commission sellers pay for every earnings, and the buyers, in turn, spend a minimum of 5.5% on each transaction.

You might be curious to know if you will get the value of the money you are paying for.

The best you can do is search for what you want and ensure you are comfortable with the gig. It’s highly impossible not to get the value you paid for.

Fiverr is different mainly in the sense that it does not facilitate long-term relationships because gigs are one-time purchases.

Fiverr is such that it is not structured for work based on an hourly basis, but the contract can be extended using gig milestones or purchasing a gig multiple times.

You have gone far with reading this piece (WHICH IS BETTER, UPWORK OR FIVERR?) It’s time for you to know the key factors to consider before choosing either. This will help you make informed decisions.

Major deciding factors (Upwork Vs Fiverr)

The Price

Pricing is primarily the number one factor when choosing or deciding on any course of action to take in life —except you are a billionaire.

Your pocket will mainly determine your choices, and the same goes for choosing Upwork or Fiverr.

While there are different prices for clients and freelancers, they vary from platform to platform.

On Upwork, when a freelancer quotes a price, say $100 for a project, the Upwork platform deducts 20% ($20) as its fee for every completed project.

This means that you get $80 as the freelancer, and this is one reason why you need to take into consideration the fee to be deducted by Upwork when making your quote because if you don’t,

you might end up doing works of charity for your clients, except maybe you are just starting in your freelancing career, which in this case,

beating down price or going below the minimum may get you more projects.

Money shouldn’t be the goal at the beginning stage of freelancing.

You are building a reputation or a high rating should.

Clients are also not exempted from this payment.

Instead, they are charged 2.75% on the initial payment as a processing fee.

In case you are curious about how the Upwork team makes their money, now you know.

Fiverr is not much different because it charges buyers (clients) and sellers (freelancers).

Sellers get 80% of their money because Fiverr takes 20% as a commission for doing business on the platform, buyers pay $2 for gigs up to $40, and 5% for every other thing above, and this particular payment is made in advance.

Without paying much attention to details, you might think there is no difference between the pricing of each platform.

However, when you look critically, you will realize that Fiverr is still cheaper because while it charges $2 for Gigs up to $40 and 5% for everything above, together with additional payments of 2.9% + $0.03 resulting from PayPal processing fee, you will still end up with about $90.95 for a $100 gig.

Furthermore, these amounts do not change even for a $1000 job.

For example, in the case of a $1000 job, you lose only $85 in fees, but this is entirely different on Upwork, which has considerably higher prices.

Apart from the fact that Upwork charges 20% on the first $500 from the client, completing the same $100 work on Upwork will only fetch you $80, which results in a $10 decrease.

This might not be much at the moment, but you will realize how much you’ve lost overtime after completing several projects.

Although Upwork allows you to receive payments from multiple platforms, which can be a means of avoiding PayPal fees, clients mostly go for it (PayPal), which will further reduce your overall take home.

Flexibility and Ease of Use

On Upwork, you first have to create a unique profile that will stand out from the crowd together with your portfolio of professional work experience.

You will then set your hourly rate and take online quizzes to prove your expertise as a freelancer.

Don’t forget that you also have to verify your identity, which might be a problem for people in low-income countries where citizens always have to go through hell to get their national identity card.

Doing all these doesn’t mean you are done.

You still have to search for jobs and submit proposals with your limited supply of connections.

An interview with the client will follow this to feel if you can deliver the job, but if you don’t get an interview, consider your connect gone.

Some job proposals may require about 4 connects to submit a proposal.

If the client agrees to give you the job, negotiation follows.

This is where you set whether to be paid per project or hourly, but everything seems a bit different on Fiverr.

Freelancers or sellers have more flexibility on Fiverr.

They are allowed to play around with different skills by creating different categories of gigs to promote each skill after filling their profile.

A freelancer or seller needs to create a particular product to showcase on Fiverr, and when a buyer submits an order, you will see it in your queue, after which you will receive feedback depending on how the brief is met.

Even without being told, you should know by now that Fiverr is much more flexible and less stressful to operate as a freelancer compared to Upwork.

While longer-term working relationships are encouraged on Upwork, Fiverr lets you define your gigs and services. Everything is all about the client on Upwork.

You must meet and mostly exceed their standards and expectations; otherwise, you get a bad review. Client satisfaction is the ultimate goal, while freelancers’ satisfaction is less critical, which is not the case with Fiverr.

Types of jobs

Upwork will give you more categories of jobs in 12 different industry verticals than Fiverr, which offers nine industries.

You might say that Upwork is better regarding varieties of jobs but don’t forget that the clients or buyers are the overall determinants.

It is best to see how the verticals compare to have an idea of such categories of jobs

Fiverr

• Writing and translation
• Business
• Data
• Music and audio
• Programming and tech
• Graphics design
• Video and animation
• Lifestyle
• Digital marketing

Upwork

• Data science and analytics
• Sales and marketing
• IT and networking
• Legal
• Translation
• Web, mobile, and software development
• Engineering and architecture
• Design and creative
• Customer service
• Admin support
• Accounting and consulting
• Writing

Freelancers on Upwork can choose to engage in a one-time project, discreet projects with milestones, or ongoing freelance contract.

They are given complete control over their rates, billed hourly or flat-price methods. At the same time, Fiverr is restricted to only flat-price options.

Security

While both platforms are pretty much secured in their regard, Upwork takes its security further by providing a multi-factor authentication to keep all user’s accounts safe.

Fiverr also provides data security and secured messages

Which is better Upwork or Fiverr?

If you have come this far with reading this article (which is better, Upwork or Fiverr?), it’s time to answer the big question: WHICH IS BETTER, UPWORK OR FIVERR?

Having read through the comparisons above, making a well-informed decision should be easy.

You must have been waiting to see a “choose Upwork or choose Fiverr” statement but note that the essence of this article is not to promote either platform but to give indicators for making well-informed decisions.

Kindly leave your chosen platform in the comment box below.

Choosing a platform to work on as a freelancer, especially if you are starting your freelancing career, is very important because this can either make or break you.

You should consider the fees charged for services offered on any platform.

The ease of getting clients or jobs should be another top priority, and if the services you choose to provide are available on the platform of consideration.

Of what use is a platform if it charges less and seems to be a place where you can quickly get jobs but does not list the services you choose to provide. Everything should be taken into consideration to make a better decision.

Frequently Asked Questions about Upwork

How can I join Upwork?

All you have to do is find your way to Upwork.com and register.

Follow the instructions and complete the spaces provided for profile information—the more complete your profile, the more chances of being approved.

You can start applying for jobs immediately after your profile gets approved.

If you are rejected, click here to know how to get your Upwork profile approved in the shortest possible time.

Can I work using my Smartphone on Upwork ?

It is only on rare occasions you can use a smartphone, but most times, you must have a laptop or a desktop computer.

I don’t even know my niche. How then do I start?

I always advise newbies to focus on jobs related to their passion, educational experience, or background to have higher chances of getting hired.

You need to understand that success in freelancing or anywhere else is not achieved overnight

I don’t have any experience working online. How can I get my first freelancing Job on Upwork?

Everybody at some point started from somewhere, mostly from little to nothing.

Whatever you want to do in life, you must start from somewhere.

What matters most is your zeal to keep improving your skills as time passes.

Believe me, when you keep applying for jobs and improving your skills, you will land your first job.

Most times, all people need is that first job

Where can I find my Upwork profile link?

Your Upwork profile link can be found on the job feed page under your photo. Click on “view my profile,” then go to the menu to find Desktop format > View my profile

Frequently Asked Questions about Fiverr

How do I get more buyer request?

You don’t need to bother yourself because you don’t need buyer requests to succeed on Fiverr. You will only see those buyer requests you are qualified for

What does “VID buyer” and “Top buyer” mean?

The VID stands for Very Important Doers.

These are experienced buyers who order frequently and regularly on Fiverr.

A VID buyer gets some benefits on how to grow and expand their business because of the amount they spend on Fiverr.

A Top buyer also orders frequently and regularly on Fiverr but is less than that of a VID buyer.

A Top buyer badge makes sellers or freelancers identify their top customers and build a better work relationship with them

What happens if I deliver my orders late. Does this affect my rating?

I will answer this question from two angles.

A late order can be less than 24 hours or more than 24 hours. If your order is late (less than 24 hours), the only problem you will have is the increase in your average delivery time depending on the number of orders you’ve completed.

Still, when the late delivery is above 24 hours, the buyer can cancel the order. This gives a negative rating (“seller failed to deliver on time”) which is dangerous to your profile.

How do I get a new customer on Fiverr?

Lowering your price and increasing your delivery time can help if you are new to freelancing.

Still, if you are experiencing some decrease in sales,

you can try different techniques such as a special offer for repeat clients with faster delivery and lower prices.

Clients hate it when orders are delayed.

I have a positive rating in gig but am losing gig rank. What’s the cause?

This can result from several factors such as cancellations,

warnings, late deliveries, drop in response time,

and others that will reduce your overall visibility on Fiverr