Upwork Alternatives Worth Exploring: Find the Right Platform for Your Next Project

Ever considered switching to an Upwork alternative? As business needs shift, some teams want more control over hiring, more structure for long-term partnerships, or platforms that better fit their internal processes. Others — deeper vetting process, a different style of collaboration, or a more curated experience.

If you’re looking for something other than the well-known self-service solution, we put together a list of Upwork alternatives. These are platforms where businesses can connect with vetted, or at least verified specialists for short-term gigs and longer, ongoing collaborations. Each entry includes a breakdown of how the platform works, its key features, benefits, and a few things to consider before jumping in.

A Quick Look at Upwork: What It Offers and Where It Falls Short

Source: Upwork

Upwork has earned its place as one of the go-to platforms for businesses searching for freelance talent. It’s fast, flexible, and packed with specialists in almost every field imaginable, from software developers and graphic designers to copywriters and AI engineers.

According to Upwork’s 2025 Most In-Demand Skills and Financial reports, the platform has 812,000 active clients increasingly looking for freelancers with skills like AI data annotation, generative AI modeling, and virtual assistance and even in coaching, career guidance, and training roles.

One of Upwork’s biggest strengths is its flexibility. You can post a job in minutes, get proposals quickly, and choose from a global pool of freelancers. The platform supports hourly and fixed-price contracts, offers built-in collaboration tools, and handles payments securely through an escrow system.

That said, it’s not a perfect fit for everyone. Some concerns include:

> Vetting process. With over 18 million freelancers, Upwork is highly competitive, so specialist may want to grasp every opportunity. Companies end up sifting through large numbers of proposals, which is time-consuming.

> Quality. Upwork doesn’t have a vetting process, the only filtering mechanism is profile moderation. If you can create one using their recommendations, you’re good to go. This creates issues for companies that don’t always know what kind of quality to expect and whether it actually reflects the price.

> Cost. Marketplace fees and premium features add up eventually. With varied quality of services, the platform may turn into a lottery for questionable results.

In short, Upwork is a powerful platform — but depending on your priorities, there may be other options worth considering.

Top 7 Upwork Alternatives: A Detailed Assessment of the Platforms

We explored official sources, tested the platforms firsthand, and reviewed user feedback to put together a well-rounded list of alternatives to Upwork. This guide features seven platforms that offer strong solutions for finding and working with freelance and contract professionals.

1. Mobilunity

Mobilunity is a solid option for companies looking to go beyond one-off freelance gigs and build longer-term, scalable collaborations — especially in the tech space. Unlike typical freelance marketplaces, Mobilunity offers managed services designed to help businesses hire and retain remote developers and IT specialists effectively.

What sets Mobilunity apart is its combination of 

• Vetted talent and dedicated HR support.
• Ability for clients to maintain full control over their remote team members.
• Mobilunity handling candidate sourcing to ongoing administrative support.

Hiring Process & Speed

Mobilunity’s model is a bit different from traditional freelance platforms. Instead of browsing and bidding, you share your requirements with their team. A dedicated recruiter then sources and screens candidates based on your technical needs and company culture. Within 1–2 weeks, you’ll receive a shortlist of qualified specialists. In about a month, they can be onboarded and ready to work.

Pricing

Mobilunity uses a clear pricing structure — you cover the specialist’s salary and a fixed service fee, with no hidden charges or surprise markups.

2. Arc

Arc provides IT companies with access to a global network of freelance professionals in marketing, design, and all that’s necessary for software development.

Source: Arc

Here are a few highlights about the Arc platform as an Upwork alternative for developers:

• A vetting funnel that allows only the top 2% of professionals to pass the technical interview.
• You can hire freelance contractors within 72 hours.
• AI-based assistance in matching with candidates.

Hiring Process & Speed

If you’re looking for freelancers, the platform first guides you through a series of questions to gauge what you’re looking for. Then, it asks you to schedule a call, so you can explain to Arc’s team your goals and requirements. After that, they will provide a shortlist of matching candidates within 48 hours, with a possibility to hire within 72 hours. For full-time candidates, the platform claims it’s possible to hire a specialist in under two weeks.

Key Points to Consider Before Opting for Arc

> Candidate database. The platform doesn’t offer a detailed view of specialists’ profiles; you can only see their short description of skills and previous employer.

> Cost transparency. It’s not clear from the website whether you need to pay any fees when hiring a freelancer, except for their hourly rate.

Pricing

Freelancer prices vary from $15 to $110+ and depend on the type of job they do, location, and a few other factors. As for contractors, once you negotiate costs with a specialist you want to hire full-time, the platform takes 20% commission from their annual salary.

3. Hubstaff Talent

Hubstaff Talent is a good Upwork alternative that matches global companies with remote talent.

Source: Hubstaff Talent

Hubstaff Talent stands out with the following advantages:

• Clear and professional talent profiles with detailed information about skills, preferred working conditions, and previous experience.
• Unlike Upwork, you fully control your cooperation with a freelancer and don’t have to communicate on the platform.
• Convenient filters for seeking candidates.

Hiring Process & Speed

As with any alternatives to Upwork You can find freelancers using the search option and negotiate the terms with those that match your needs based on skills and experience. Another option it post a job and wait for candidates to apply.

Key Points to Consider Before Opting for Hubstaff Talent

> Advertising. There are no service fees or markups, due to the platform’s vision, but this also means that you will see them advertising their task tracking system wherever possible.

> Reviews. The platform doesn’t offer the functionality to see previous employer feedback. 

Pricing

As for specialists’ hourly rates, there are no definitive price ranges, and offers may start as low as $4/per hour. For example, if we make a search for software developers with 8–10 years of experience, who speak English, are from the United States, and are available to work 40 hours per week, the search gives us an estimate of $10–120 per hour (note: at the moment of writing this article).

4. Legiit

Legiit is a marketplace for services that freelancers and agencies can supply, as well as a marketing platform.

Source: Legiit

As one of the companies like Upwork, it offers:

• Skilled professionals who went through a “55 points” inspection.
• Professional profiles with customer feedback.
• Marketing and business tools to boost your company.

Hiring Process & Speed

The workflow on Legiit is quite straightforward. You can simply browse the marketplace or agency directory using the search bar and filters, and then place an order for the service that’s most relevant to your needs.

Key Points to Consider Before Opting for ComeUp

> Offerings. Each seller can offer more than one service, making it almost impossible to gauge the number of professionals. This may mean that your options for a certain type of specialist are limited.

> Tools. Legiit offers tools that you may not need, overloading the process with unnecessary promotions.

Pricing

Access to the services and agencies directory is free, and there are fees for placing an order. You also receive a 7-day free trial of the platform’s dashboard, which allows you to track various website metrics. The price for services ranges based on their scope and the seller’s skills. For example, creating a Shopify website may cost you $200, delivered in a week.

5. Lemon.io

Lemon.io is a platform for matching with tech talent in North America, LatAm, and Europe.

Source: Lemon.io

Among companies like Upwork, Lemon.io offers more niche services that also include:

• A pool of pre-vetted professionals who underwent manual review, soft and technical skills screening.
• Scaling your team to the number of developers you need.

Hiring Process & Speed

Registering for the platform is mandatory, and you have to wait up to three days to get qualified as a potential client. Then, the team accesses your goals and requirements to provide you with  2–3 relevant matches.

Key Points to Consider Before Opting for Lemon.io

> Limitations. It’s not possible to browse professionals’ CVs until you apply. There should also be at least 160 hours of work to place an order.

> Talent availability. It’s not an outsourcing or software development company, so developers aren’t on the company’s roster. This raises concerns about whether they have a sufficient talent pool to provide you with relevant and available engineers.

Pricing

The costs of services include a pre-payment that returns to your account at the end of the project and subsequent weekly or monthly payments. The hourly rates range from $55 to $85.

6. PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour is a marketplace where you can find services provided by various professionals.

Source: PeoplePerHour

Among the sites like Upwork, PeoplePerHour offers:

• Uncluttered marketplace view, convenient search by skills, tags, etc., and client feedback on profiles.
• A functional platform for posting and tracking projects.
• A business costs calculator.

Hiring Process & Speed

The platform provides you with three options for your projects: browse the pre-bundled services, contact freelancers directly to negotiate the scope and price, or post a project and get custom quotes. 

Key Points to Consider Before Opting for PeoplePerHour

> Support. The platform doesn’t have a dedicated support team, and all issues are handled through Help Center articles and an automated response system.

> Hires. Freelancers may be discouraged from working well due to issues like long payout periods, tedious profile setup, or high competition.

> Currencies. Service prices are all in USD, while platform fees are in GBP.

Pricing

The price depends on what freelancers can offer. For example, one of the services for penetration testing costs $125 for a 2-day delivery.

You also pay a mandatory money transfer fee for most of the common payment methods. Additional costs may include £15 for marking an order as urgent, £35 for an NDA between a client and freelancer, and £20 – listing a project as featured.

7. Truelancer

Truelancer is a platform that connects freelancers and businesses all over the globe.

Source: Truelancer

Among Upwork competitors that are most similar to how the platform works, Truelancer offers:

• A large pool of freelancers, specializing in numerous professional categories.
• AI-powered talent sourcing and recruiting.
• A mobile app for both sides.

Hiring Process & Speed

To find and hire a freelancer, you need to first post a project, explaining the scope and all the requirements. Then, specialists interested in your posting will add proposals, so you will have a pool of candidates that you can assess by skills and experience.

Key Points to Consider Before Opting for Truelancer

> Talent pool. Truelancer has so many freelancers that it may be difficult to choose the right one.

> Search. Filter options for seeking freelancers are very limited.

Pricing

Costs vary depending on the type of service a specialist offers, their skills, location, and a number of subjective factors. For example, rates for backend developers start at $6 per hour. The costs may also include bank transfer fees, depending on your method.

Final Thoughts on Choosing an Upwork Alternative

Upwork continues to be a valuable platform for freelance hiring, but it’s not the only game in town. Whether you’re after more structure, better vetting, niche expertise, or alternative pricing models, the platforms in this list offer a range of strengths to match different business needs.

Take your time to explore, compare, and find the right fit. The ideal freelancer or remote team might be waiting just outside the Upwork bubble.

Here’s how Upwork and another platform may compare:

Need an Upwork alternative for developers? Get in touch with our team.

Written by:

Anastasia Stefanuk

Market Researcher

Disclaimer: All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate numbers based on the research done by our in-house Marketing Research Team. Please use these numbers as a reference for comparison only. Feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.