Introduction

If you have been freelancing on different freelance platforms and have not tried Freelancer.com, you might have made the wrong choice.

With over 1000 projects posted in a week, Freelancer.com is undoubtedly one of the giants of the freelancing world.

It offers many features to its users, be it a Freelancer or a Client looking to purchase one of the services on Freelancer. 

You might have been working on different freelance platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Guru, but with Freelancer, you bring many opportunities to yourself because of its excellent features.

Some features make it unique from many other freelance platforms. 

Some top freelancers have been working on different freelance platforms, but they highly recommend Freelancer as I do.

One of the primary reasons is its uniqueness and excellent customer support. 

Memberships

To get started on Freelancer, you better have a membership.

Although the free plan also provides six bids per month, that are, of course, not enough.

Because you are starting, a bit of exposure will help you stand out among different freelancers. 

If you have zero investments and still looking to get started on Freelancer, there are other ways as well by which you can earn.

We will be discussing them here as well shortly.

But first, let us have a look at some of the membership plans offered by Freelancer.com.

Intro Plan

The intro plan does not cost a lot.

You can get started for just 0.99$ per month and nothing more.

Although the number of bids is just 15, I still recommend using this if you are short on a budget because it is better to have something rather than nothing.

Moreover, the intro package also offers 30 skills to showcase on your profile. 

Basic Plan

The basic plan offers 50 bids at the cost of 4.95$ only. This plan is a more beneficial membership plan as it is more budget-friendly and costs some bucks only.

You can also add a custom cover photo and add 50 different skill sets.

Employer following is one of the most significant features offered under this membership plan.

You can keep an eye on the job whenever an employer posts a new one. 

There are other benefits as well like you can seal a contest entry or highlight your entry.

Although there is a significant amount allowed, it is an excellent feature at this price.

Plus Membership

Freelancer.com prefers it because it is a perfect combo of price and features.

You get a lot for 9.95$.

Also, it is offered 15 days for free when you opt to select this membership plan.

One of the most significant features of this plan is the 100 bids provided in a month.

You can show 80 skills by using this membership plan. 

Some other features like daily withdrawals, employer followings, sealed entries, featured entries, and external invoices make it a perfect plan for every level freelancer.

Professional Plan

This plan costs 29.95$ and is solely created for micro agencies and software houses.

The number of bids allowed is 300 per month.

This plan has a lot to offer.

You also are eligible to apply for a preferred freelancer badge that increases your hire rate a lot. 

One of the most excellent features I love about this membership is the sealed project.

It is something great indeed.

Freelancer allows everyone to visit the bids that you apply on a project, which might be a negative point as far as winning a project is concerned.

But if you are on a professional plan, you can quickly seal your bid so that no one could view it.

The professional plan gives you excellent value for the money you pay.

Premier Plan

The premier plan is for larger agencies and big-scale software houses.

Although the plan charges 59.95$, it provides excellent value because of the features it offers freelancers.

You get 1500 bids in a month with 400 skills featured.

It means you can hire 400 different people with their relevant skills and start outsourcing by keeping your budget.

This plan offers all the features offered in other plans with an additional NDA project.

Moreover, this plan also uses high-valued budget bidding.

Projects

As on other freelance platforms, a freelancer works on the same principle of Projects.

There are projects posted daily on Freelancer.com, and the freelancer who is interested in the relevant project bids on that.

It makes Freelancer the same as any other freelance marketplace. 

However, Freelancer is the second most prominent site globally because of the number of projects posted daily.

The first one is Upwork.

There are many potential buyers available on Freelancer who are willing to pay an outstanding handsome amount.

If you think you can earn a good amount, that will be only possible with the help of projects.

There are two types of projects that are posted on Freelancer.com.

Fixed Price Project

The fixed-price projects are one-time projects, and the amount is paid after the project is completed.

You need to deposit 10% of the project fees when the project is started.

Likewise, the employer who is hiring you also pays the same amount. 

When the project is completed, the employer releases a payment deposited into the freelancer’s account.

Hourly Projects

These projects are decided on an hourly basis.

The hourly rate is agreed at the start; when the project is created.

When the project is started, the freelancer uses a desktop tracking system.

The tracking system is the official app of Freelancer itself that lets you track time when you are working. 

The employer usually tells the amount of time the project must be completed.

When the project proceeds at the mentioned time, you need to ask the employer first before tracking any other time.

Because it does not matter how much time you will follow if they will not clear the milestone, you won’t be paid.

So, it is better to ask the employer how much time they will allow for this project completion. 

However, Freelancer also allows freelancers to create a milestone manually.

If they are not making a milestone regularly, they will be charged the amount for the crossroads at the end of every week. 

Many employers prefer hourly projects over fixed-price projects because they don’t have to pay upfront; they can easily create and release milestones accordingly. 

Tips on Winning Projects

The primary thing that decides whether you will be awarded the project or not is your communication skills.

The more effectively you will communicate, the more you increase your chances of winning a project.

Also, if you choose the project correctly you increase your chances of winning a project.

Here again, bidding is an extremely thing.

If you can not bid effectively, there is no chance of you winning a project.

Many freelancers do not know how to sell their services, and that’s where many freelancers struggle mainly. 

Everybody starts with a zero, and it is not just you! You might be thinking there are many people available on different freelance platforms with excellent profiles.

They are there because they know how to sell! 

I highly agree with the thing that there was less competition back then.

But I also have a counterargument that if there was less competition, so was the number of digital literacy and due to which clients posted more minor projects.

Today the competition is high, but the number of projects posted is also high. 

Contests

The contests feature only introduced by Freelancer and no other platform.

It is one of the features that makes it unique from many other freelance platforms.

Contents work the same as the traditional concepts of the contest.

Let me define it for you;

“An employer who wants a project to be done posts a contest, and the freelancers who are interested in that particular project submit an entry; the employer decides whose submission is the best one, and eventually that particular freelancer wins it.”

If you think you can win a contest, you should perform at your best on Freelancer.com.

I say this because when you are working on a project, you are pretty sure that you will be paid.

However, this is not the case for contests, and you are only paid if you win it.

This thing in mind might affect your work, and you may not work correctly.

If you don’t work correctly, you will not win it.  

Tips on Winning Contests

As mentioned above, you only win a contest if you perform well.

But that is not the only thing that defines whether you will win it or not.

Choosing the proper contest to enter is the most crucial step before you start working.

Always remember you always win when you choose the contest, not when you submit quality work. 

Guaranteed Contests

You need to understand some of the complexities that are involved when you submit a contest.

One of the essential things is guaranteed contest.

It is as important as choosing the right doctor for your treatment when you have some health issues. 

A guaranteed contest is generally posted by employers who have already made a deposit, and their payment is in escrow.

This reduces scams, and if you win the contest, you will be paid by Freelancer.com if your employer is unwilling to pay. 

There are many guaranteed contests posted daily on Freelancer.

If you feel you have the right set of expertise, then you should target guaranteed contests only.

Sealed Contests

This is another feature that makes a contest stand out among others.

A sealed contest does not allow other contestants to have a look at your entry.

This will enable you to stand out among others as no one will be copying you.

These kinds of features are generally available in the contests posted by serious employers as these features charge them some extra money.  

Other important things

Some other important things are necessary as well.

These things decide whether you will win it or not.

It would help if you were considering the time of the posting, number of entries, time left to end, and reviews given to the employer.

Payment Methods

Payment method is one of the first things that comes to freelancers’ minds before they look to enter any freelance marketplace.

Because after all, they are looking to earn some amount.

They are not here to work for free.

Different freelance marketplaces offer various payment methods.

But what freelancers look at is the payment method that is eligible in their country.

Almost all the countries allow PayPal, but still not all of them.

If your country is not permitted to use PayPal, there are other methods like Payoneer, Skrill, TransferWise, and many others.

Freelancer is a great platform as far as the payment method is concerned.

It does not matter if any of the processes is not allowed in your country.

You can easily use the direct bank transfer feature and deposited your hard-earned amount directly to your bank.

It usually takes 15 days with your first withdrawal, and after that, you can get your payment in two to three days of your withdrawal request.

It depends on the membership plan you are using and how much your membership allows you to request in a day. 

Other than direct bank transfers, Freelancer uses PayPal and Skrill to proceed with payments.

As PayPal is a widely used payment method technique, it is preferred by many freelancers. 

For deposits, Freelancer.com allows you to use debit cards as well.

It is another easy way to deposit money directly from your bank into your freelancer account.

Timely deposits are necessary when you need to win a project.

Sometimes employers do not wait for the freelancer to accept the project; instead, they send a project request to any other freelancer who was their second priority. 

Customer Support

I had a great experience with customer support.

They were excellent, one of the best I have ever witnessed.

They tend to solve the problem every time I reached out to them.

I have blocked many profiles of scammers by contacting them. 

Moreover, I contacted them one time claiming my refund, and they were never hesitant to give me my money back directly in the bank from where it came. 

I have had one dispute up till now that went in my favor.

I got my refund, the project was canceled, the employer was banned, and I had no impact on my profile.

This is how properly they analyze the problem, and instead of preferring clients, they make a fair decision.

Conclusion

 All in all, freelancer.com is a great marketplace to work on.

The only thing that does not make me feel happy is the smaller number of projects posted daily.

Other than that, freelancer.com is a great way to kickstart your career.