Looking for alternatives to Upwork?
If you're a freelancer, perhaps you've been one of the lucky ones who always has a steady stream of referrals, but it never hurts to have a backup plan, right? There are plenty of high-quality contract or remote job board sites to find the perfect opportunity, whether you're looking for full-time or part-time positions or your next client.
Remote companies are typically much more flexible, so even if you're not looking for a full-time gig, you could see if they're open to part-time or contract work. It doesn't hurt to pitch them and see!
Whatever your work preference, both freelancers and employees looking for their next role can benefit from this list of freelance and remote job sites.
Note: These are just sites I have curated over the years and thought I’d share with the world. Opinions are my own!
Remote Job Sites
Remote.co - full-time jobs that allow you to work remotely. Free to apply to any! Sign up for the weekly newsletter.
The Muse - Aside from providing kick-ass career advice in general, The Muse has a board dedicated to high-quality remote and work-from-home jobs.
Workhoppers - Lots of remote positions! Under the question “Where should work be completed" use the drop-down to select “from home”.
Betalist - This site for startup jobs offers both remote and on-site positions, and it has many industries. There are more on-site positions than remote, but most of the companies are startups or tech companies that may be flexible on this depending on your location and skillset.
We Work Remotely - Jobs are separated by category, featuring customer support, programming, design, marketing jobs and more.
Skip the Drive - search by category (marketing, design, etc)
MediaBistro - Free to browse and apply. Sign up for the weekly newsletter to get opportunities sent directly to you.
LocalSolo - Free to join and apply. This one offers freelance onsite and offsite as well as full-time positions. There are less opportunities, but still worth setting up a profile on.
Wellfound (Formerly AngelList) - A startup site. Many opportunities are remote and they also have local part-time and full-time positions. Most are paid, but some startups may only pay in shares/equity at first.
LinkedIn - Finally! You can now search for part time or full time remote job opportunities on LinkedIn.
Power To Fly - This site is essentially a virtual recruiting firm that aims to increase diversity in tech. Mix of on-site and remote jobs available.
Torre.co - Sign up for a free profile and get remote full-time or freelance opportunities sent to you via email.
NoDesk - A weekly newsletter with the best new remote jobs, stories and ideas from the remote work community, and occasional offbeat pieces to feed your curiosity.
Freelancing Females - Has both remote and freelance opportunities.
CreativeMornings - freelance, contract, part-time and full-time remote roles.
Otta - Search for for full-time remote, hybrid or in-office roles (in select locations) at startups. Some freelance opportunities available as well. Similar to Wellfound.
Braintrust - has a lot of developer roles, but also some marketing. You can choose by commitment (number of hours) or full-time roles.
RightSideUp - marketing, data analytics and creative roles.
The Work at Home Woman - includes lots of entry-level roles
BuiltIn - tech jobs, onsite or remote
Swooped - all remote, sort by job title, seniority or minimum salary
Freelance Project Sites
LinkedIn ProFinder - This is for local contract and freelance opportunities. You get 10 free proposals before having to pay a monthly fee, so choose wisely. I have been signed up for ProFinder for a while and see good opportunities weekly. Keep in mind that Pro Finder is annoying to set up initially, because you have to make sure your LinkedIn is top notch with a professional bio and several recommendations or else you won’t get approved. I did get a client through Pro Finder.
Communo - Free or paid membership site with marketing-related projects. You can set up a profile and apply for projects or jobs. It’s not a bid site so project budgets and salaries seem to be much higher.
Working Not Working - Highly curated network of creative freelancers, and it's free. Make sure your portfolio is top notch before applying, because only 10% of applications are accepted.
TaskRabbit - I have a love/hate relationship with this site. On one hand, there are a LOT of opportunities, and while there may be a healthy amount of competition, each RFP can only have 5 proposals max, and you need to submit within 48 hours. But the great part is that businesses are required to put their budgets up front so you can decide whether or not you want to submit a proposal for that particular project.
It's now free to submit proposals on TaskRabbit, but you have to pay if the person responds to your proposal. But if you submit proposals for higher-paying jobs (think $5k-$10k retainers), it's worth it.
MarketerHire - Apply to be a marketer on this platform and you will receive opportunities tailored to your skillset and expertise. You won’t have to interview or bid.
Guru - This is a "bidding" site that's on par with Upwork. A LOT of competition here - mostly from India - and many budgets are on the smaller side. You get 10 bids for free and then you're required to pay if you want to send more. Quality will prevail here, so if your hourly rate is higher than others, people will notice. It may be worth building up your profile a bit here to stand out from the competition. You can also creep on everyone who has submitted a proposal for that job. If the client wants someone in the U.S. to work on their project, you'll have a big advantage here.
Upwork - Upwork has a terrible reputation of being inundated with low-wage labor that works with low budgets (think $4 an hour), and to be honest the rumors are true! BUT they recently released a feature for U.S. based freelancers that cuts the competition substantially and increases average budget sizes. Now, when companies post an opportunity, they can select "U.S. based freelancers only", meaning you'll no longer have to worry about competing with crazy low rates from international freelancers.
Midnight Run - part-time or project based work for marketers, creatives, and sales professionals.