Upwork and Fiverr are the two most important freelancing platforms that we know as a freelancer. But most of the newbies are often confused about which of these platforms to choose. I often find my students asking questions if they should choose Fiverr or Upwork.
Well, a straightforward answer to this question is that you must opt for both. However, I am presenting you a comparison of both platforms here in this article to let you decide which one is the best.
Comparison of Fiverr and Upwork
For newbies who have no idea about these platforms or the basic functionalities of each, I’ll suggest they read the previous blog posts and figure out how each of these platforms works while I focus on comparing the features in this article.
Working on Fiverr and Upwork
How does Fiverr work?
Fiverr was initiated as a platform where buyers could get the job done within $5. However, over time it has modified significantly and now the sellers can set their prices, which don’t necessarily have to be $5.
Now it offers packaged services in the form of the gig, which shows up to the buyers based on their search terms. When a buyer buys a gig, it only creates a one-time contract between the parties. But the buyers can repurchase the gig or opt for recurring gig purchases to extend the contract.
How does Upwork work?
Upwork works primarily as a job listing platform where the buyers share their requirements and different sellers available on the platform apply for the job. The buyers can scrutinize the proposals sent by different sellers, interview them and then decide on which seller to hire for a particular job.
There is no specified time associated with the contract unless it is specifically mentioned. So, a particular contract can be for a one-time job or a recurring task; it all depends on the mutual agreement between the buyers and sellers.
Nature of projects on Fiverr vs Upwork
Considering the nature of jobs in terms of genre, you can expect all types of jobs to be posted on both forums. Irrespective of the category, you’ll find writing, digital marketing, virtual assistants and graphic designing jobs everywhere.
However, the way both these platforms actually segment the job categories is a bit different. You’ll have to explore it on the forum in detail to have a better idea. But you don’t have to worry if your service category will be listed on the platform or not, it definitely will be unless you provide some illegal services like the exchange of money or academic writing.
Fiverr
Another important thing here is Fiverr is considered a platform for one-time jobs. Buyers usually sign up on Fiverr with a quick job to be done at the most affordable cost. However, it doesn’t always have to be as such because multiple sellers have reported earning thousands of dollars from a single job or for the same client.
Upwork
In opposition to it, the clients on Upwork are usually looking for high-quality work and are thus willing to pay higher. It is common on Upwork to earn thousands of dollars from a single contract or client. But you’ll have to make sure that the service you provide on Upwork must be of exceptional quality.
Upwork vs. Fiverr Cost or Pricing
As both these platforms are offering you a place to connect with potential buyers so they have a fee associated with them too.
Fiverr
Fiverr is more expensive for freelancers in terms of fees as compared to Upwork. On Fiverr, you have to pay the platform a 20% flat fee on any of the gigs or custom orders you get on the platform.
There is a clearing period of 14 days on Fiverr too, which means that once an order is completed, the payment is held for another 14 days to resolve any disputes with the order. If none arises, then the payment is released to the seller.
Upwork
Upwork has recently modified the fee structure on the platform. Initially, it has a multiple-tier pricing system. A contract between a seller and a buyer up to $500 was charged at 20%. If the amount of the contract exceeds the $500 mark and went up to $10,000, the charges were 10% and if the billing exceeded $10,000, a 5% service fee was applied.
But as I mentioned the fee structure for Upwork has recently changed. So, now, the platform charges a flat 10% fee on the billed amount without the creation of any tiers.
Besides, there’s another way Upwork requires you to make payment on Upwork. As a seller, you have to apply for jobs using connects. You get 10 free connects a month but if you need more of them, you need to buy them. You can either buy individual connects or upgrade to a Freelancer Plus membership status and you’ll get the connects in return.
Security and Verification Standards on Fiverr and Upwork
Fiverr
Security and verification are important aspects to maintain considering the payment and the other sensitive information involved. However, there is still a considerable chance that you can be scammed on Fiverr.
It is because a few buyers can ask for a refund using customer support even when an order is complete and accepted by them. In most cases, customer support favors buyers and refunds the total amount.
Considering the verification standards, Fiverr has four different levels which are indicated by the badges you get on your profile. These badges are received as soon as you meet these criteria by Fiverr. You will not require verification at every level, but once you create a profile and complete your first order, Fiverr can ask you to verify your personal information to maintain security standards.
Upwork
Compared to Fiverr, Upwork is considered more secure and effective. You need to go through verification of your account after creating it. But once done, you can expect to be a secure forum for your freelancing journey.
Within Upwork, customer support can listen to the opinions of the sellers too and if you can explain to them the reasons for doing things the way you did, your earned amount is usually secure and there is little risk involved.
Upwork vs. Fiverr Job Difficulty
The difficulty of jobs on Fiverr or Upwork can be similar. The job difficulty actually depends on individual clients. But as many buyers come to Fiverr intending to get cheap work done, so there’s a chance that the difficulty level associated with their task is low. However, you must not forget the fact that Fiverr is a low-paying platform. So, you might have to do a lot of hard work at a lower rate.
At Upwork the perception of the buyers is that they’ll get an expert in the field, so they are willing to pay higher rates for a mediocre difficulty level job. But you must be ready for beating the high competition in the niche.
Comparison of Fiverr vs. Upwork – My opinion
Comparing both these freelancing platforms, I believe that Fiverr is for complete beginners who are just entering the freelance industry. They can acquire some low-paying clients and gain experience with the work.
Once you have the experience and your specific portfolio developed, you can switch to Upwork. What I usually suggest is not to leave Fiverr altogether but focus more on Upwork client hunting. It gives you a diversified source of income and you must always maintain it.
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