9 Freelancing Websites to Find Freelance Work in the Philippines

I have been working online for 4 years now, since 2017. I have tried a lot of ways on how to earn money online. However, I only started using freelancing websites last 2019 and I think it is one of the best moments of my freelancing journey.

Freelancing websites such as Upwork, Onlinejobs.ph, and Fiverr are great platforms to find freelance jobs in the Philippines. These are sites where you can start freelancing and getting paid by offering your services.

Today, I’ll share 9 freelancing websites where you can create an account to find clients, jobs, and earn money online. I also provided the pros and cons of each website based on my experience to help you decide which platform you will consider applying for.

What are Freelancing Websites?

Freelancing websites are online platforms where individuals can create an account and connect with businesses to earn money as independent contractors.

For me, freelancing websites have two types.

First, the platforms where clients post jobs that freelancers can apply for.

And the second type is the websites where freelancers post their skills or the services they offer and it is up to the client to choose who to contact and hire.

I recommend you to have an online profile on these two types so that you will have a higher chance of finding a client and landing a job.

Now, let’s start with the freelancing websites that belong to the first type.

1. Upwork

Upwork is probably the largest and most well-known freelancing website with over 12 million freelancers and 5 million clients.

This is the first platform I joined and it is where I found my very first client. Until now, I still use Upwork to find jobs online.

PROS:

1. Over 3 million jobs are posted on this platform every year. And since you can apply to a lot of job posts, I’m sure you can find your first job here or your forever client.
   
2. They have a Payment-Protection Policy. This policy states that Upwork will pay you for the time (hourly contract) you work no matter what happens, as long as you comply with the conditions stated in the policy statement.
   
   This means that even if there is a problem with the client (if they run away), Upwork will be the one to compensate for what you have worked for.

CONS:

1. It is a bit difficult to be approved on this platform. Some freelancers have applied several times before entering. Fortunately, I was able to get in the second time I submitted my online profile. 

2. Higher fees. Upwork deducts 20% from freelancers’ income earned from a new client. However, when you reach $500 total earnings from a single client, the fee will be lowered to 10% for the succeeding billing for that client. Moreover, if you accumulated $10,000 total earnings for a single client, the fee will go down to 5%.
   
   Also, Upwork only takes 10% of your earnings (if you are either Top Rated or Rising Talent) from featured job posts — jobs that are paid by clients to be highlighted on the platform.

3. You need to pay to apply. This is perhaps the most disliked feature of this platform. To be able to send an application, you need to purchase ‘connects’, which is like a token that you will use to apply. One connect is worth $0.15.

Update: As of 2021, Upwork gives free 10 connects per month to every basic user in the platform.

Despite the things I mentioned I don’t like about this platform, I can still say Upwork is my first recommended freelancing website. 

2. Onlinejobs PH

This platform is the second one I recommend especially to those who are just starting as online freelancers. I think if not all, most of the freelancers here are Filipinos while the job seekers are from anywhere in the world.

This is where I found my fifth client and I am still leveraging the platform.

PROS:

1. This platform is for Filipinos. As I have mentioned, the freelancers here are Filipinos. And the beauty of this is that the clients who create job postings here are looking for Filipino freelancers, which could mean that you have a higher chance of getting a job.
   
2. No fees. Most freelancing platforms deduct a certain percentage from the earnings of their workers, but with Onlinejobs.ph, you don’t have to pay for anything such as monthly subscriptions or withdrawal fees.

CONS:

1. There are fake and scam job posts. Since the platform allows people to post jobs for free, there are a few scammers who make fake or scam job postings. With that, be cautious of the job posts you apply for.

2. Many clients are low-ballers. Some clients offer as low as 5000 pesos per month for a full-time position. Though our standard of living is indeed lower compared to first-world countries, we (Filipinos) shouldn’t accept such low rates.

3. Freelancer

Freelancer dot com is also a well-known freelancing website. Creating an online profile here is free but they have the option to upgrade (pay a monthly subscription in exchange for some perks for your account).

PROS:

1. Lower fees. Compared to the 20% that Upwork takes, freelancer dot com only deducts 10% from freelancers’ earnings. This may even decrease if you subscribe to their monthly subscription.

2. There are contests hosted by the platform. You can earn big here if you are one of the lucky freelancers to win from job contests that are held on the platform.

CONS:

1. There are many fake and scam job posts. Since there is no charge to register on this website, there are many scammers and fake jobs.

2. Huge competition. Since freelancers don’t need to pay to apply for job posts, a single job post can have tens or even hundreds of applicants.

4. FreeUp

Freeup is the third freelancing website that I recommend. This is where I found the client that pays me a higher rate than what I was offering on Upwork.

PROS:

1.  There is no deduction from your rates. Although there’s a 15% fee, that amount is deducted from the clients, not from the freelancer’s earnings.

2. No (maybe) fake or scam clients. Because FreeUp does analysis and evaluation, fraudsters or fake online profiles are prevented from entering.

3. Minimal competition. Freelancers who were able to enter the platform are strictly pre-vetted. Because of these, there are just a few individuals who can get in, which means there is lower competition.

CONS:

1. Difficult to enter. This website claims that only the top 1% of freelancers access their platform. Because of this, Freeup is not recommended for beginner freelancers.

5. People Per Hour

I tried creating an online profile on this website but I wasn’t fortunate enough to land a client or a job. However, I will still suggest you create an account on this platform because a LOT of people found success on this website.

PROS:

1. Easy to enter. When I created an account on PPH, it just took a few minutes before I received an email saying that I was accepted and I can start applying for jobs.

2. The minimum rate is higher. When I tried to apply for a job post, I was surprised because the platform does not allow a rate lower than $10 per hour.

CONS:

1. Application fees. In your first three months on this platform, you will be given 15 “tries” per month to apply to job posts. But when you don’t find a client or a job within that time frame, you have to pay to be able to apply again.

6. Hubstaff Talent

This freelancing platform is mostly known for its time-tracking product which is used by many freelancers and clients. I have an account here but I don’t use it often.

PROS:

1. Easy to enter.

2. No fees. According to the website, the platform is completely free for freelancers and clients.

CONS:

1. There are very few job posts. I tried looking for jobs inside the platform but the available jobs are not that many.

7. Guru

Guru is also one of the platforms where I created an online profile but I have not been able to make the most out of it. Nevertheless, it is still worth sharing because a lot of Filipino freelancers say that they found jobs and clients on the website.

PROS:

1. Easy to enter.

2. Lower Fees. Guru deducts 9%  from the earnings of freelancers, which is lower than most of the freelancing websites on this list.

CONS:

1.  Few job posts. In my experience, I’ve only seen a few new job posts on my dashboard. 

Now, let’s go to the freelancing websites that belong to the second category.

8. Fiverr

Fiverr is perhaps the most well-known website in the second category. Like Upwork, more than 3 million jobs or services are completed on this platform each year.

Fiverr gets its name from the starting price of services which is $5.

PROS:

1. Easy to get in. After creating an account, you can start creating and offering gigs (this is how they call the services offered by a freelancer on Fiverr).

2. Many clients. Fiverr is very well known, not only to sellers (freelancers) but also to buyers (clients).

CONS:

1. High fees. The same with Upwork, Fiverr also deducts 20% from the sellers ’earnings. In addition, buyers also pay extra fees.

2. High competition. There are already many freelancers on this platform so expect to have a lot of competitors.

9. Legiit

Legiit is probably what I would call Fiverr’s “younger brother or sister”. The platform’s tagline though is “you are worth more than $5 dollars”, which I think is a response to Fiverr’s starting price.

PROS:

1. The platform is not yet saturated. Since this website is relatively new, there are not that many freelancers inside the platform.
   
2. The fee is relatively small. Compared to Fiverr’s 20% fee, Legiit only deducts 10% from the earnings of freelancers.

CONS:

1. Creating an account is a bit complicated. Maybe it’s just me but I had a hard time navigating the website and with the account creation process.

Final Thoughts:

Creating your profile on any freelancing websites is one of the best steps to succeed as an online freelancer, especially if you are just starting.

The 9 freelancing websites I’ve shared are just a few of the myriad platforms where you can create an online profile, find work and clients, and make money. If you haven’t found a job and a client from the aforementioned platforms, don’t despair. I mean, these are JUST SOME of the freelancing websites.

The Pros and Cons that I wrote on each platform are based on my experience creating a profile on that website and the others (just a few) are from other people’s posts I’ve read. Y

If you have any questions, want to add or delete content from this post, comment below or message us on our Facebook page.

This blog was last updated on June 2, 2020.