Last Updated on November 28, 2022 by Chimezie Chidi
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Best Freelance Websites For Developers and Programmers
In this post, I’m going to share with you my top pick of the best freelance websites for developers and programmers.
As a programmer or web developer, working as freelancers or in a remote position is the best thing that ever happened to you.
According to recent research, IT and programming professionals are one of the happiest set of freelancers. One of the perks discovered is that IT professionals like you have an abundance of work.
You know, literally, everything in today’s world requires your input. And there’s equally an amazing freedom to choose what you want to learn and get in involved in a large number of projects just for the fun of it (which literally brings on a paycheck later).
If you can resonate with all of these fantastic benefits of being a freelance developer or programmer, I’ve got an impressive list of more freelance websites you would love.
These websites will help you discover a world beyond your own geographical location, take on the most challenging, but satisfying work and reap a fat paycheck at the end of the day.
Ready to Explore?
Let’s dive right in.
#1. Codeable
Codeable brings you an exclusive list of developers, SEO experts, designers, website builders, and all software experts connected to the WordPress sphere.
This means you can get freelancers on this platform who are all ready to work on a WordPress project.
Codeable also assures you of quality because they have a rigorous screening exercise where only 2% of applicants are approved.
On the flip side, freelance WordPress experts will enjoy this platform because they have a say in the price tag.
When clients place a job description, developers simply set their own estimates on the project, and the final price tag becomes the average of the estimations.
As a client, you can also browse through the list of developer and get started immediately.
Pros
- Vetted WordPress experts
- Excellent for small and one-time projects
Cons
- Only for WordPress environments.
- Not an excellent platform for massive projects or ongoing support
- Non-automated matching process
- Not for anyone who wants a job done as cheaply as possible
- You can’t choose the price for your project, that covered by estimation average.
#2. HubStaff Talent
Hubstaff is well known for its tracking software, which can help you monitor and manage remote employees.
However, they have boosted the platform by offering an avenue to view freelancers.
Contrary to all other platforms on this list, all freelancers can easily signup and list their profile on the platform.
Clients are equally free to browse and hire anyone they want. Besides, clients can also post their job requirements and receive proposals from freelancers to hasten the process of finding what they need for their tasks.
You pay no fee, charges, or lose part of your income. It’s a completely free marketplace.
However, as a freelancer, Hubstaff Talent is relatively new, so the platform is not too busy at the moment.
Therefore, you might need to rely on other freelance marketplaces as well.
Nevertheless, we expect Hubstaff to get busy soon owing to its free of charge feature.
Pros
- Absolutely free to use for both freelancers and clients
- Ability to hire freelancers across many fields
- No upfront fees
- Best for small tech-savvy teams
Cons
- No matching process
- No money-back policy or guarantees
- Hubstaff does not vet or screen freelancers.
#3. Toptal
Toptal is one of the biggest freelance networks where you can expect highly talented web designers, developers, and programmers.
They have been around for about nine years (2010) and have focused on having only the top 3 freelance software experts in the world.
They do things by screening applicants with rigorous language, personality, algorithm, and technical tests.
On the flip side, clients must present a detailed outlook of what they want, how many engineers and type of technology they are working with.
Also, clients’ have a 100-per cent risk free trial to help them understand how the system works and get a possible match for the program.
The free trial period lasts for about two weeks after which the regular contract applies. If the first match is not okay for the client, they will keep matching until you have gone through 4 others who can work on your project.
Pros
- Highly vetted freelancers
- 100% risk-free trial
- The detailed matching process to hasten the speed of your project.
- Access to designers, financials, and developers in one place.
Cons
- Toptal’s rates are quite high, so they are focused on big corporate clients.
- Must make an upfront deposit of $500 before they match you to an expert
- Not suitable for small businesses and startups.
#4. Workana
You can also get freelancers from Workana, although the platform is a pretty large market place with freelancers in everything beginning from writing web content to building custom apps.
The company has been around since 2012 and fosters a vibrant freelancing community. It’s nowhere as large as Upwork, but the platform uses the same system.
However, the majority of freelancers on this platform are based in Latin America.
As a client, you can post your project descriptions and receive proposals from freelancers. It’s absolutely free to post projects.
On the flip side, freelancers will have to part with 15% of their total project value.
Clients also pay a service cost to Workana once they have decided to hire a freelancer.
However, unlike Upwork, Workana boasts of pre-vetted freelancers.
Jobs on the platform are advertised mostly in Spanish, followed by Portuguese and lastly, English.
Pros
- Secure payments
- You can connect to LinkedIn
- Can add certifications
- Perfect for all businesses sizes
Cons
- Low paid bids
- Communication might be a challenge sometimes.
- Freelancers outside Latin America may not be able to join the platform.
#5. Upwork
Upwork is another great platform.
However, they are not focused on the software market alone. Upwork is one of the largest and most popular freelancer platforms with millions of jobs posted on the platform every year. However, unlike Toptal, not all freelancers are pre-vetted on the platform. Clients will have to search through the platform for programmers by using the search button.
As a client, you can also place job boards for free and receive thousands of proposals within a day. It is recommended that you also use a paid test or video interview to verify your freelancers before hiring.
However, you can avoid the hassles of vetting your own freelancer by using Upwork Pro. In this paid service, Upwork takes care of the vetting for you, so you can sit back and watch your project come to reality.
The general Upwork platform is free to add job descriptions, sign up as a new freelancer or contact freelancers on the platform. However, Upwork takes a cut of the fee on every completed project.
Pros
- Thousands of developers and programmers ready to work for you immediately
- Secure payment system
- Suitable for businesses of all sizes
Cons
- Most jobs are carried out in milestones which means your project might take a very long time to complete
- Not suitable for long programming projects
- Too many bids focused on pricing might lead to hiring an unqualified expert.
#6. Peopleperhour
Peopleperhour is also a great platform if you want developers and other IT professionals.
It’s equally a large marketplace like Upwork.
On the platform, clients can post projects and receive proposals or browse through profiles and contact freelancers directly.
Clients can also try out a fixed price service, already prepackaged and advertised by freelancers.
Those kinds of services are mostly used when you for smaller needs such as a little modification on your website.
All freelancers receive 15 free job bids per month and can purchase additional bids as well.
However, freelancers will pay a hefty 20% commission on the first #175 in any month and less than 7. 5% onwards.
Pros
- Easy to use platform
- You can enjoy the benefits of fixed-price services and finish your project on time
- Vetted professionals
Cons
- Not terrific for long term projects.
#7. Stack Overflow
StackOverflow was created by developers specifically for the developer community. It was founded in 2008 and is the most substantial part of the Stack Exchange network.
You can quickly learn, teach, or share knowledge with other developers on the system.
However, you can also browse through job listings and see what works for you. Freelancers can browse jobs by four main categories including visa scholarship, technology, salary, and remote-friendly jobs.
As a client, you can create a free company page and showcase insights on the ideal candidate you want for your job.
The problem is your ad might get lost in the sea of advertisements. But there is a premium job board which attracts a service cost and choice of ads being found in featured listings or top spot listings,
Pros
- Suitable for big companies
- The excellent community of experts
- Highly satisfying careers can be built from this platform
- Excellent for projects of all lengths and complexities.
Cons
- To apply for jobs, you must have a Stack Career Account which is only gained by being invited
- Not for cheaply as possible projects
#8. Craigslist
Craigslist currently holds the position of the 38th most popular website in the world and the 6th most popular platform in the US.
So, you expect over 750 million visitors seeking freelancers or clients on the system.
This website has been in existence since 1995, so it’s a well-established platform.
You can find jobs for developers and programmers on this platform as well directly under the Software section.
Placing job descriptions on Craiglist is not entirely free, you may have to pay $35 for some specific categories selected which can quickly add up if you want to expand your reach to multiple cities.
However, freelancers are advised to be careful when using the platform. Craigslist is also notoriously known for scammers.
Pros
- Craigslist allows you to find work or freelancers within your geographical location
- It’s easy to list services on Craiglist
- Can find all kinds of jobs on the platform
Cons
- There are no guarantees that employers will pay for services
- There’s also an issue of security
- No automated posting
- Screening for qualified developers may be tricky and time-consuming
- Very short ad life span.
#9. Gigster
Gigster has over 700+ vetted product managers, designers, and developers on the network.
Gigster has been around since 2013 and is more famously known for its unique style of matching clients to developers.
Gigster can help you assemble an entire team of developers by the combination of a product manager and Artificial Intelligence.
Gigster is, therefore, excellent when you want to outsource your entire long term project. Gigster also vets their developers to ensure that quality is delivered all the time.
However, unlike other freelance marketplaces, Gigster doesn’t allow clients to interact with developers at all. The project manager assigned to your matching sequence will take care of the entire project and act as the middleman.
Once you provide details on your project, you will receive estimates on the time, project complexity and milestones as well as tools that will be used.
Pros
- Vetted freelancers
- Takes care of your entire project
- Excellent when you want to handle a sensitive project
- Excellent for long term or complex projects
Cons
- A bit too pricey
- No access to freelancers whatsoever
- Not suitable for speedy jobs
- Not ideal for small-time business owners
- No money back or project guarantees
#10. Working Nomads
Working Nomads isn’t really a freelance marketplace.
They are a remote job board where you can visit as a freelancer and find new job postings every day in many areas including sales, design, marketing, management, and development. There’s no area to place your profile on this website.
However, Working Nomads will always check the validity of these job offers.
On the flip side, clients might pay a whopping sum (about $149) to make a job posting on Working Nomads.
Pros
- Suitable for finding remote workers for your company
- Excellent for long projects
Cons
- Not Suitable for short tasks
- A bit expensive for very small businesses
- Better used when you have lots of jobs you want to be handled at once.
#11. Dribbble
Dribbble has open opportunities where freelancers can apply for projects.
The platform is focused on brand identity projects, app development, and web design.
Dribble has three different ways you can use the platform. You can either post projects on their job board and receive proposals or use the search buttons to preview freelancers.
If you don’t want to take time screening applicants, you can take advantage of their premium service called Dribbble Talent. Here you simply send your requirements to Dribble, and you will be matched to pre-vetted professionals within two weeks.
Dribbble offers their top 1% freelancers on this network which you won’t ever find via the Job boards or search platform.
Using Dribbble isn’t free at all. A basic search costs about 99% per month while the Advanced search costs about $199 per month.
To use the job listing, you will pay $299 per month. On the flip side, Newbie freelancers can’t really take advantage of the platform except invited by a member.
Pros
- Dribble takes care of the hiring process
- Ability to post jobs anytime
- Suitable for long term projects
- Can easily hire full-time remote employees
- Access to vetted experts
Cons
- Not ideal for small businesses
- Not ideal for short term tasks
- Exorbitant fees to access their freelance community
#12. Envato Studio
Envato Studio is yet another freelance platform focused on developers, creatives, and designers.
Freelancers on this platform handle tasks from branding creation, website design, animation, and app development.
On this platform, you can get freelancers who are handpicked.
Clients can either use their one-time payment pricing plans or contact them for custom quotes concerning their job requirements.
On the flip side, freelancers can quickly set up profiles and choose the services they want to render at a fixed price.
Envato Studio will also provide amazing tools that make your work easy for you. It’s equally comfortable to find repeat clients once you are good at your job.
Pros
- Handpicked developers and desires
- Suitable for all kinds of projects
- Access to vetted jobs
- Can hire remote workers to work long term
- Project management tools
Cons
- Not for cheap as possible projects
- No free trial
Concluding thoughts
How would you love to view the ocean and write codes at the same time?
Developers and programmers claim to love all the endless string of characters.
But I find it quite hard believing it will be possible to enjoy the glaring sun at the beach while trying to write codes.
However, I think the idea that IT professionals are one of the happiest in the freelance world is accurate.
I came across an article, a while back about how programmers lament about trying to get co-workers to figure out that distractions don’t affect them in the same way as others.
So, by leveraging the freelance space, developers can control not only their environment but the sound and feel of everything.
Say goodbye to the cubicle lifestyle and embrace freedom and endless opportunities through these terrific freelance websites for web developers and programmers.