Discovering a better freelancing platform than Upwork

GP · 2024-12-11T20:15:27+00:00

As we all know that Upwork has become a sinking ship, I am trying to find a new platform that can help every freelancer in this forum, including me. Do let m...

Alexandra

I've been on Guru, Freelancer, PPH, Fiverr, Twine and some dedicated to translators specifically. I use them for daily memory training: "Now, this job posting sounds identical to the one I read on the other platform ..."

What I would really like to see is a study to determine which platforms clients, large and small, actually know or recognise. Because there's no point in sitting around somewhere if people can't find the place, is there?

Kelly_E

Tiffany This is super-good to know. I'm giving LI a shot for the first time (on another Upworker's recommendation) because as the saying goes, Something's Got to Give. I've got a ways to go to get my profile up to snuff, but I have my fingers crossed.

Debs1723

Kelly_E What does "LI" stand for, please? Thanks!

Debs1723

Petra you are right, and I wish to add that they have proven to be very shady and dishonest with me when I had the bad idea to introduce my direct client into their system to facilitate payments - he had difficulties in paying with Euro from Pakistan hence I thought that using a platform could be a good idea. For a good reason, I also suspect that they are keen in spying into the content of projects.

Debs1723

Vladimir I get enquiries on Linkedin from time to time, but not via their service page. One eventuated in a very positive and well-paid collaboration. I should post there more often, I suspect.

Kelly_E

Debs1723 LinkedIn—sorry!

Debs1723

Kelly_E thanks!

sudhirke

Vladimir LInkedIn has just become another Facebook. Another platform for people to *show-off fake happiness" :D

FloConMate

sudhirke worst "fake business hapiness"

sudhirke

GP Trus me there is none, If you are struggling to find work on Upwork, probably it's a good time to revisit your profile and make necessary updates.

Moving your shop to new location is not going to help you, you got to make your shop better first. If millions of client are not noticing your profile on Upwork, what's the probability of getting noticed in a new territory with just handful of clients

Djole

I'm pretty new to LinkedIn, but I’m already so annoyed by the countless "coaches" or "gurus" whose every post sounds the same: "I interviewed 10,000 people, here’s what I discovered" or "I never ghost reject, and here’s why."

And then there are the people holding up whiteboards with text like "Junior positions shouldn’t require 5 years of experience," as if that’s some groundbreaking insight we haven’t all heard a thousand times before. It feels like everyone is just chasing engagement instead of contributing anything new or valuable.

[deleted]

Djole It feels like everyone is just chasing engagement instead of contributing anything new or valuable.

That's basically the world nowadays, meaningless yapping and fake "success stories" 😂

Pat M.

Awhile back I performed some due diligence in an attempt to find additional platforms to Upwork. Upon completion I determined the best possible choices in my personal case were: Flex Jobs, Zip Recruiter, Indeed, Glassdoor, and Monster. To obtain the most useful information on Flex Jobs you must pay a fee, I selected 3 months for just under $30. Renewal is early February, and I'm not renewing. Each of those sites have their advantages and disadvantages. Even though for a variety of reasons I've not been as pleased with Upwork as I used to be I still believe it's the best thing going for my overall situation. Part of my displeasure has stemmed from the increasing volume of "questionable" potential and actual Clients I've dealt with; especially with the fact that I'm such an advocate of due diligence. I've found myself asking "is the moon full?" on several occasions. 🤣

Debs1723

Pat M. thank you! I had never considered Indeed, Glassdoor and Monster as sources of freelance projects!

Pat M.

You're welcome. I've found that most job sites do have an increasing # of Freelancer postings even if that's not their "claim to fame." Freelancing is NOT dead and don't believe those that try to convince of such!

Debs1723

Pat M. That's helpful to know - since reading your post, I had another look at Indeed after a while. Indeed is very crowded with work projects. The issue that I have found, in respect to freelancing platforms, is that their listing is very much based on the actual location of the viewer, and so are the job postings and requirements that I can see, very "domestic", while most of my business comes from overseas companies seeking to enter the Italian and EU markets and sourcing products and manufacturers here. I need to find out how I to access their international listings, as opposed to those coming just from companies with operations in Italy.

Pat M.

Some "Filters" are more extensive and of assistance. When I can't find the information I'm searching for I generally check "Help" areas. If I don't find answers I'm needing there, I attempt the "Contact" option whether it be via Chat and/or Email.

human

I may be double posting by copying my post from Ravi's Contra thread and pasting it here but I thought it may be helpful in some way. Sorry if double posting is frowned upon here.
->
I don't spend money for something that I'm not familiar with so I went with the non-pro option.

After spending some time in the waiting list, they asked me to resubmit my profile. They recommend watching a video which is a screen recording of a lovely lady who talks like she's on crank. I'm sure she'd be happier if she breathed between sentences.
She basically asks you smother your profile with catch phrases, .gif covers and other eye-candies. All fluff, no substance seems to be the main theme in Contra.

I've had my reservations but Contra already makes me feel like a wind-up monkey with a never-ending application process.
Maybe I'm too jaded at this point but I seriously doubt that I'll fit there. Still, I may push myself a little bit more, as I'm curious about how (if) the platform works.

I can share how it goes. It may at least save someone from the trouble...

josefinathegreat

What's very funny is 10 y ago when I started forum was flooded with complaints how freelancing is over. Over 10 y it expanded. Now everyone want to jump on train. Catch is it's saturated. Even if it was IT field, which I am not part of, too many people went through nanodegrees and are able to "code", but employers don't need beginners.

I have profile on guru, freelance, fiverr, pph. Only landed jobs at fiverr, but since I was in different situation than today I had to cancel few gigs or did them bellow mediocre, so I'm not promoted as I once was.

My idea is to promote my work on instagram, behance, dribble, but it takes time to create works just to show case myself. Thing is with ai generated art and too many "artists" this is also saturated.

Now what's left over is pushing myself into fields that are still in demand. I don't know, data science, seo, gaming, but I need to live off from something in between while I study.

Fun fun times ahead of me.

Robin

I question whether the answer is an Upwork-alternative... or some new thinking within niches, where there is innovation in the methods of engagement particular to those types of deliverable / engagements.

Ultimately it feels like the answer, one way or another, is off-platform business models (solo, agency, collective or niche-wide) rather than Upwork-killer or alternative.

We are in an era however where we do not so much build as rely heavily on these über-platforms.

Ravi

Robin
It is so much easier to rely on an existing platform than to build one.

You know it too as you need to take care of your wife and kids,, come what may.

Alexandra

Robin When I'm in a pensive mood and think that the days of freelancing platforms are over, I wonder what it must have been like in the past for craftsmen and tradespeople who used to go around and knock on people's doors asking for work. Work had to be found where there was economic activity still going on, where people needed an extra hand or a specialist.

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