Best 6 Outsourcing Websites Like UpWork

With the advent of the Internet, it has become easier than ever to find someone willing to complete your most important tasks.

Paradoxically though, this influx of willing freelancers has also made it more difficult to find outsourcing websites (like UpWork) to facilitate this relationship that can be trusted and reliable.

Luckily, i’ve compiled a list of some of the best outsourcing websites on the Internet to ensure that you know exactly where to go get the jobs you need done in an efficient manner. Or where to go to find great jobs if you are a freelancer.

Many times I have said this on my blog: Time is your most precious resource. Money may come and go, but you only have a lifetime to complete all that you have in plans.

“Time is Money.”– Benjamin Franklin

As my buddy Ben Franklin said, when you are running a business or working the more tasks you can perform in less time, the more money you’ll make, the faster you will learn, the faster you will fix mistakes.

With these six outsourcing websites, you’ll never run out of trusted workers to make your dream projects come true.

1. Guru.com

With over three hundred and fifty thousand freelancers available, Guru.com is a great first choice for any searches you may conduct on outsourcing websites. They have freelancers ranging in specialties from programming to graphic design to writers. Best of all, posting a project for others to accept is completely free, ensuring that there’s no risk of paying for a shoddy project.

One of the interesting aspects of Guru.com that separates it from sites of a similar nature is the way projects are posted. Whereas other sites simply contain a listing of projects for interested freelancers to snatch up, Guru.com sends you a list of qualified “gurus” that fulfill the requirements you set for your project. The choice is then up to you as to who to send invitations for quotes and who to ignore. As you gain experience with the site and know who is a trusted and respect guru and who to avoid, you’ll quickly rack up a team of reliable individuals that will get your job done in an efficient and timely manner.

For larger projects you may have, Guru.com allows you to set up specialized teams that work in conjunction with another to complete the task you’ve laid before them. Through these teams, you can communicate in group discussions or contact specific team members privately to ensure that the project is completed as smoothly as possible. Unlike other sites that are not necessarily secure, Guru.com uses its SafePay service to ensure that your money goes to the people that deserve it. In addition, using SafePay pays you back in the long run, as each purchase nets you two percent back in the form of loyalty cash, which can then be spent on future projects.

All told, Guru.com is an excellent place to start your search for freelancers as they are a respect site that has completed thousands of projects. They’re one of the most efficient outsourcing websites on the Internet and their loyalty cash system also makes them one of the most economical choices.

2. Elance.com

Elance boasts an impressive collection of designers, writers, and programmers that are all waiting for the chance to complete your project. Like Guru.com, Elance is simple to use and free to get started.

To begin, Elance asks you to describe your project and make a posting on it. While they lack the list of prospective freelancers that Guru.com provides, they do allow the same level of communication and rigorous processing that ensures you get exactly the type of quality freelancer you’re searching for. Unlike other outsourcing websites, Elance also allows you to customize your payment method.

Whereas the normal method of payment for other sites is to simply pay upon completion of the project in its entirety, Elance allows you to customize milestones that offer smaller payments to freelancers as they diligently complete the project you have provided them. This ensures a few things: that you won’t drop larger chunks of money at once, that freelancers are more inclined to put their best work forward at all times rather than waiting until minutes before the deadline to rush through the entire job, and that the freelancers working under Elance are of a higher quality because of it.

If your choice of outsourcing websites is tied to how effective the freelancers they have are, then Elance is a great choice and a respectable place to begin seeking help for your project.

3. Fiverr.com

Fiverr has quickly become one of the fastest growing outsourcing websites on the Internet and for good reason. As its name implies, Fiverr centers around projects that are worked on in increments of five dollars. Unlike some of the other outsourcing websites listed here though, Fiverr doesn’t require you to step forward with a project first.

Instead, Fiverr lets users submit their own qualifications and proposals, as well as the pricing. Then, if you’re interested, you can contact them and deliver the details on your project. This is useful for a few reasons, especially if you don’t have a clear idea on the specifics of your project. If you just need some filler writing for a website, then perusing Fiverr can find you someone that specializes in just that. When the project you have in mind is relatively small and simple, it’s worth it to go to Fiverr as opposed to some of the larger project-oriented sites like Elance or Guru.com because the freelancers there are more inclined to work on larger projects that require proposals and quotes.

Fiverr isn’t about that complexity, it’s about simple transactions for small projects that can be completed in a relatively short amount of time for a small amount of money. If you’re on a budget or have a comparatively simple project in mind, Fiverr should be at the top of your list of outsourcing websites.

4. Odesk.com (Now UpWork)

With over five hundred thousand businesses choosing Odesk (now UpWork), it’s clear that this is one of the most popular outsourcing websites currently found on the Internet. With in-depth portfolios for each of its freelancers, you are free to review each potential employee the same way you would in the real world when hiring for a physical job.

Part of its popularity as an outsourcing website stems from its comprehensive look at each stage of a project’s completion. If you’re unsure of how effective the freelancers under you are at performing the task at hand, you can request and review screenshots of their work to make sure they’re on target. Daily logs are another interesting feature of Odesk, which allow you to prepare and observe the time management of freelancers to ensure they’re not wasting time on minor details as compared to the bigger picture.

If you’re looking for a safe and reliable means of outsourcing work, then Odesk is a recommended choice that is sure to satisfy your needs.

5. Solutioninn.com

Founded in Delaware, Solutioninn is quickly establishing itself as the next big tool in aiding clients solve their problems in an efficient manner. With hundreds of experts willing to lend a helping hand, Solutioninn may not have the sheer volume of freelancers that other sites do, but that clearly has not stopped the tens of thousands clients that have walked away from their services satisfied.

Unlike some of the other services listed here, Solutioninn has a specific focus on students seeking academic counseling and tutoring. For a nominal fee, students can take practice quizzes on a wide range of topics and acquire study materials that will greatly benefit their education.

For small businesses or people seeking general freelance work, Solutioninn is similar to Fiverr in that it is based around the experts setting up services and a fixed amount to charge clients. If you’re willing to adapt your budget, then Solutioninn might be a quicker and easier service than something like Guru or Elance that rely on sifting through proposals and quotes to find the right person for the job.

6. PeoplePerHour.com

PeoplePerHour‘s primary strength comes from its simple layout and ease of use. Like Fiverr, freelancers can post their services on the site and set their going rate. Unlike Fiverr though, PeoplePerHour also allows clients to post jobs in need of help for freelancers to sift through on their own.

From there, it’s simply a matter of submitting a proposal to a client and then waiting to hear back. Part of the charm of PeoplePerHour is that each job comes with the number of proposals currently attached to it, ensuring that you won’t be bogged down by proposals once it’s clear you have more than enough freelancers to one skilled enough for the job at hand.

Another strength with PeoplePerHour comes from the sheer variety of services it supports on its site. Whether you’re in search of someone for programming, writing, graphic design, translating, creating tutorials, you can be sure that PeoplePerHour has someone available that will suit your needs.

As an outsourcing website, PeoplePerHour is recommended for anyone that has an eclectic mix of services they require to be completed in a relatively short amount of time.

This is by no means the largest list out there on outsourcing websites, but it is six of the most effective ones. Whether you’re in need of a complex project that requires the help of multiple freelancers all working towards a collective goal, or you have something quick and simple that needs to be done in a short amount of time, there is a website to help you find the exact person that you’re searching for. Just remember, as you’re sitting there discussing your project’s goals and reviewing proposals from interested parties, that it was all possible thanks to this list. Now, get out there and start making your dreams a reality.

To complement these 6 outsourcing websites I want to share with you this article on tips for outsourcing  that can be very useful.

What websites do you use for outsourcing or freelancing?