Comparing Popular Freelance Sites as a Writer

Lately, I have been needing to apply to new writing jobs constantly. My biggest client had to let most of their writing team go in early 2024, and since then, I've had to get used to seeking out new clients again.

Getting writing jobs isn't necessarily hard, but finding good ones can be. I've had a lot of clients who have been unresponsive or difficult to work with during my time as a freelance writer. But I've also found many wonderful clients.

It can be hard to search through all the options out there to find writing jobs that are ideal for you, so I wanted to make a post talking about my experience with a wide range of freelance sites as a writer. If there are any sites I forgot to mention, contact me to let me know, and I can check them out and add them.

Upwork

Upwork is by far the job site I use the most. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about it, and I totally understand that, but for me, it has been the best way to find niche writing jobs. I specialize in pet content writing, and I have found tons of animal-related writing jobs on Upwork.

The main downside to Upwork is that you have to pay for "connects" to apply to jobs. You get some free connects monthly, but it's not nearly enough. Also, Upwork takes a cut of your profits, but that's common for sites like this.

The reason I don't have an issue with the connects and fees is because I feel like it's worth it for the amount of good jobs I've found on here. Upwork makes it easy to browse newly-posted jobs and search for jobs of specific topics. You can also easily see the ratings of each client to help you decide if they seem like someone good to work with.

Also, if an established client reaches out to you after you applied, you can get your connects back. So, even if they ask you a question and don't end up hiring you, you can get the connects you lost. Not all clients respond to every applicant, but this has helped me avoid needing to buy connects too often.

Once you start getting ratings on Upwork, you might get invited to jobs or have clients reach out to you directly. Now that I've been freelancing for years, this is how I get about half of my jobs on there. Plus, you don't need to use connects if you get jobs that way.

It can take a while become experienced on Upwork, but I found that if you take an easy, short job or two first, you can get good reviews quickly to help you reach higher-paying jobs. As much I love freelancing, you shouldn't rely on it as your only source of income until you've been able to build up your profile and gain several consistent clients.

So, overall, there are pros and cons to Upwork, but it's currently the best place for freelance writers in my opinion. I've tried a lot of other sites, and none of them seem like a reasonable alternative at this time.

Fiverr

It seems like Fiverr is the second most popular freelance site out there, but the way it works is the complete opposite of Upwork. Instead of applying for the jobs of your choice, you create a posting about your own services and wait for clients to come to you.

In theory, it's a good idea, but I have yet to find any success on Fiverr. There are so many writers on there, and I'm not the only one specializing in pet content. So, I bet people will choose a more affordable writer or someone with more reviews instead of me. It's definitely not an active way to find jobs since you're just waiting for someone to reach out.

When I first joined Fiverr, I had a few clients reach out, but most of them were just trying to get a ridiculously low price or ask for something unrelated to my skills. I still haven't had a job through Fiverr. I'm glad other writers find success with it, but I think it's just not for me. I make my profile active regularly just in case someone reaches out, but I definitely don't rely on this site.

Contra

I had high hopes for Contra because it's a job site that doesn't cost you anything. They don't take anything out of your earnings when you get a job through them. However, I haven't gotten a job through this site yet. I think the reason is because there just aren't many writing jobs on here. There's usually one every few days, so the odds of it being one that fits what I'm looking for are low.

I keep turning my "active" status on every month so clients can reach out to me, but I haven't had any luck on it yet. I've applied to a few jobs, but overall, there just isn't much for writers on there. Hopefully, that will change in the future.

Freelancer

I don't have much to say about Freelancer. I made an account on it and browsed the jobs occasionally, but I just didn't like how it was set up, and a lot of the jobs looked sketchy. After a while, I stopped checking it because it didn't seem like the right site for me.

PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour operates very similarly to Freelancer, so I also wasn't a fan of it. The way it was organized was weird, and I felt that a lot of the job posting looked like they might be scams. I stopped checking this site after a while because it just wasn't beneficial for me.

FlexJobs

I have used FlexJobs in the past and liked it, but I don't use it anymore because you have to pay for a subscription. I only tried it before because I was using a family member's account. While I did find some great jobs on it, I don't feel like paying for it. There are plenty of other job sites like this that you can browse for free. Plus, the jobs I found on there were fun but weren't particularly high-paying.

ProBlogger

ProBlogger just has a list of remote writing jobs. I check the site regularly and have found a job or two on there, but it's nothing crazy. It costs nothing to view and apply for jobs on it, which is one of the main reasons I browse it so much. So, I think it's worth checking out once in a while just to see if there's anything that interests you.

Lately, I've noticed that it has a problem loading sometimes, so if you can't see the job listings, just check back again later.

FreelanceWritingGigs

Like ProBlogger, FreelanceWritingGigs is nice because it's a free list of writing jobs posted every day. These are typically pulled from other job sites, but it's a nice way to have an organized list of current writing job opportunities.

A list of writing jobs is usually posted every weekday on this site, and there's also a job board to browse. Some of the jobs are great, but others are low-paying or seem like scams, so I'm not sure how well the jobs are reviewed before being added to the list. Even so, I've found a few jobs because of this site, and it's definitely worth checking out once in a while.

Indeed

I know some writers find luck browsing regular job sites like Indeed, but it hasn't worked out super well for me. It's really hard to search specifically for remote and contract jobs on there because even when I do, irrelevant jobs still crowd the search results. Most of the good writing jobs that I've found through Indeed have been because of FreelanceWritingGigs or me simply Googling "dog writing jobs."

Linkedin

Like Indeed, Linkedin is difficult for me. When I try to search for freelancing jobs, I get random full-time jobs and jobs unrelated to writing mixed in. I'll browse it once in a while, and sometimes, someone who sees my work will message me through Linkedin, but it's not something I use frequently. I know some writers find great jobs on there though.

So, there you have it. That's my overview of all the freelance writing sites I've used before. I hope it helped give you a little more insight into what platforms to use. And if you know of any good ones that I haven't checked out yet, feel free to contact me. I always love finding new ways to search for new writing jobs.