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What are the best freelancing platforms for Nigerians? I’ve put together the top eight. Check out my list and see which one is right for you.

I tried out a bunch of freelancing platforms to help you find the perfect one. 

Based on my tests, I came up with a list of five top contenders and three worthy mentions, considering their fee structure, user base, stand-out feature, user experience, native marketing and payment features, and customer support. 

I also provided an unbiased rating to give you a sense of how I feel about each platform. 

So, let’s begin.

Related Post: Is Freelancing Right For You? Pros and Cons for Nigerians

Best Freelancing Platforms By Use Cases

Upwork: Best freelancing platform to bid for projects

Fiverr: Best freelance online marketplace

PeoplePerHour: Best low-competition freelancing platform 

Freelancer.com: Best freelancing platform to find high-value clients

Legiit: Best freelancing platform for SEO services

99designs: Best freelance platform for designers

Guru.com: Excellent Freelancer.com alternative

Toptal: Best freelance platform for high-skill talents

Upwork

Platform fee structure 

Upwork is free to join and use.

However, the platform takes 10% of all your earnings. It’ll also charge your client 10% of your freelance services. This means you’ll earn $90 if you charge a client $100 for your service, while the client pays $110, instead of $100.

Upwork will take $20 (that’s 10% from both sides) as its fees.

What makes this freelancing platform unique

You can bid for projects on Upwork.

This feature allows you to reach out to clients first by submitting a proposal to show off your skills and experiences instead of waiting for them to contact you. It also allows you to highlight how your expertise aligns with the client’s projects.

I love that I can boost my proposals until the auction ends, improving my chances of landing the job. 

Feature 1: User base of the freelancing platform

I couldn’t find data on Upwork’s user base on the company’s website.

However, data from Similarweb shows that the platform got about 45 million visits from both desktop and mobile in September 2023. 

The total for the last three months (July to September) was 143 million, which averaged 48 million monthly. So, you can expect nearly 50 million people to visit monthly.

Additionally, the app has over five million downloads on the Google Play Store.

Feature 2: User experience

Signing up on Upwork was a breeze. It only took me a few minutes to create my account, and the step-by-step process made sure I didn’t miss anything.

Also, finding work on Upwork was straightforward. 

The platform can match you with relevant jobs based on your profile. So, you don’t have to struggle to find them. I love the way it lays the job listings neatly on my dashboard, making them easy to sort while you scroll through them.

However, I can only sort by the most recent listing. It would be cool if Upwork let me sort by other criteria too, like price or location.

Also, I observed that I need “Connects” to bid and send proposals for any job. Connects are $0.15 each, which is pretty cheap. Or, you can wait until the beginning of each month to get 10 free Connects from Upwork. However,  you’ll get 160 Connects when you sign up.

From my experience submitting a proposal for jobs is easy. You only need to list your skills and expertise, how long the project will take, whether you want to be paid per milestone or at the end, and then add your cover letter. You can also attach up to ten files. 

Besides these, Upwork’s app store gives you access to various AI apps to boost your productivity. You can also get exclusive offers on top industry tools like ClickUp, Adobe Photoshop, Jasper, and more.

Feature 3: Marketing and payment features

Upwork has limited native marketing features. 

Users can only boost their proposals to stand out in search results. I don’t think adding more marketing features would be beneficial for the platform, though. That’s because Upwork is different from other platforms where clients have to go looking for freelancers. 

However, on Upwork, freelancers can reach out to clients directly, so there’s less need for marketing.

On the other hand, the platform supports multiple withdrawal methods, including direct bank deposit, PayPal, and Payoneer. Deposits to banks attract $0.99 withdrawal fees.

As a Nigerian, you can sell your PayPal or Payoneer funds to an exchanger to get paid in Naira. You can also use Grey.co to receive your payments directly into your bank account.

Feature 4: Support

Upwork has a ton of helpful articles that can guide you through any issues you might run into. If you need more personalized assistance, there’s also a community forum and help center. I couldn’t find any live chat feature.

Rating

Fiverr

Platform fee structure 

Fiverr, like Upwork, is free to join and use.

However, the platform will take 20% as service fees, leaving you with 80% as a seller. Also, buyers pay 5.5% of the purchase amount as commission plus $2.5 if the order fee is below $75.

What makes this freelancing platform unique

Fiverr is more of an online marketplace for freelance services.

Also, you can divide your Gigs (freelance services) into packages, which lets you offer different price points and tailored services to clients. This feature ensures that your clients can only pay for what they want.

Feature 1: User base of the freelancing platform

Data from Similarweb shows that Fiverr received nearly 55 million visits in September, over 10 million more than those that visited Upwork in the same period. 

In the last three months, traffic has been through the roof, with 176 million people visiting the site. In terms of app downloads, Google is way out in front with 23 million, while Upwork is lagging with just five million.

Feature 2: User experience

You can sign up automatically on Fiverr with your Gmail account.

The platform is user-friendly and easy to use. I had my account up and running in no time, and even first-time users won’t have any trouble setting up a profile. One of the things that stood out to me was that I could add my professional website link to my profile, making it easy to share my work portfolio.

Fiverr took me right to the gig creation page after I set up my profile.

The process was pretty straightforward, even though it took six steps. I love that I can add a video to make my gig more compelling and upload up to three images and two documents.

Feature 3: Marketing and payment features

Fiverr offers more ways to promote your gigs.

You’ll get a shareable link whenever you publish a gig. With this link, you can promote your gigs outside Fiverr and amplify your reach with tailored digital marketing campaigns like email and content marketing. You can even run social media ads to expand your reach beyond your audience. 

Fiverr also gives you a seller badge you can put on your website to drive traffic to your gigs.

I noticed that Fiverr has an elite group of pro-vetted freelancers, called FiverPro. This group gives you access to more advanced features, like team collaboration and more payment methods. Also having the Fiverr Pro badge can improve your chances to land more jobs.

Surprisingly, joining Fiverr Pro is free. But, you’d have to scale its rigorous vetting process first.

The platform supports more withdrawal methods than Upwork. You can receive payments through PayPal, Payoneer, bank transfer, and direct deposit. Also, unlike Upwork, Fiverr has a native payment gateway—the Fiverr Revenue Card—that you can get paid with.

Feature 4: Support

Fiverr has a ton of learning materials and online certification courses to help you sharpen your skills and boost your credibility. Plus, you can find a bunch of helpful guides and articles to help you navigate the platform. There’s also an online community where you can network and share experiences with other freelancers.

Rating

Here is how I rate this platform based on my experience with it:

PeoplePerHour

Platform fee structure 

Like most other freelance platforms, PeoplePerHour only takes a cut of your earnings. 

It charges 3.5% service fees on a buyer with over £5,000-lifetime billing with the seller and 7.5% for those with between £250 and £5,000-lifetime billing. The platform will take 20% if the buyer’s lifetime billing is less than £250.

What makes this freelancing platform unique

PeoplePerHour’s fee structure makes it stand out.

By taking less commission as a buyer increases their business with a seller, the platform rewards freelancers for building and maintaining positive relationships with their clients. So, the more work you do for a client, the less commission the platform takes, which means you get to keep more of your earnings. 

Also, PPH is quite strict with its application vetting, so getting in might be challenging.

Feature 1: Use base of the freelancing platform

Data on the website shows that around three million freelancers and a million businesses use the platform.

Freelancers on this platform have earned over $150 million, with the top earners taking home over $7,000 monthly. So, you can build a financially rewarding freelancing business on PeoplePerHour.

However, Similarweb data shows that only 1.7 million people visited the platform in September 2023, with a modest 6.1 million visiting within the previous three months, though, not up to half the number of visitors Upwork and Fiverr got in September.

The Android mobile app has less than 600,000 downloads on the Play Store.

Feature 2: User experience

PeoplePerHour isn’t the best when it comes to user experience.

I hate that I can’t sign up automatically with my Gmail account. I think that would be way more convenient. And then when I tried to register with my email and password, the platform couldn’t complete my sign-up. They said they’re experiencing a high number of applications and so can’t accept mine at the moment. Lame!

I tried to get around that by using the email verification link they sent me. Sadly, it didn’t work.

The same thing happened to me when I tried to sign up the next day. 

I did a quick search online and found out that a lot of people all over the world have been having the same problem since 2017. According to some users, the platform thoroughly vets applications before accepting new members, maybe to keep the competition low.

I wasn’t impressed with the experience. But if you can get in successfully, PPH is one of the best freelancing platforms for Nigerians due to the low competition.

Feature 3: Marketing and payment features

I haven’t had a chance to try out the platform’s marketing features yet, so I can’t say for sure how good they are. But I can tell you that withdrawing your earnings is super easy. You can do it through PayPal, Payoneer, or direct bank deposit (though that’s only for US users).

Feature 4: Support

PeoplePerHour has helpful documentation articles that can get you started immediately. Users can also open a support ticket or use the online community to get assistance.

Rating

Here is how I rate this platform based on my experience with it:

Freelancer.com

Platform fee structure 

I think Freelancer.com has the most complex fee structure.

Information on their website shows that the platform cuts employers 3% or $3.00, whichever is higher, on projects with fixed prices. And for freelancers, it takes 10% or $5 and 3% for new clients who have not created an account before, probably, as a way to encourage them to drive more business from outside.

Also, the platform runs a membership program that gives freelancers access to more features, like bids, skills, client engagement, and external invoicing. The annual subscription payment is S4.99 and $99.00 monthly.

What makes this freelancing platform unique

The contest feature makes the platform stand out.

It allows a client to post a project as a competition and multiple freelancers can bid on it. Once the deadline passes, the client will review the proposals and choose the best one. I believe gamifying project bidding makes the platform more fun for both freelancers and clients.

Feature 1: Use base of the freelancing platform

The platform hosts over 60 million freelancers, making it highly competitive for Nigerians. 

However, it compensates for this with the quality of clients it attracts. Some of the world-leading organisations use the platform to find freelance talents, including Google, Facebook, NASA, and Amazon.

However, it’s surprising that the platform trails Fiverr and Upwork in the number of monthly visitors. While they got 55 million and 45 million visitors, respectively, in September, Freelancer.com only managed to pull off around 5.8 million and 5.4 million in October.

Also, traffic between August and October—17.8 million—didn’t get close to half of what Fiverr had in just September.

Feature 2: User experience

Freelancer.com is the most advanced freelancing platform I have seen.

It was awesome that I could quickly set up my profile by linking my Facebook or LinkedIn account to the platform. I was able to access available projects after verifying my email address. The user interface is slick and I can scroll through jobs smoothly.

The filter and sorting functions are within reach. I love that I can filter by over 10 parameters and set up an alert for the search by just toggling a switch. Also, I can see the number of bids for each job, giving me a sense of the competition level I’ll face with each.

The top-level menu made it a breeze to navigate the platform, from finding projects and freelancers to contests and exams to prove my skills and land more jobs. But I couldn’t find a clear way to access my dashboard, except by clicking the logo.

I love that clients can search for freelancers and submit a quote instead of having to post a job. And I can create tasks in “Tasklists” and assign team members to them, which is super helpful for collaboration, managing projects, and keeping track of everything in one place.

Feature 3: Marketing and payment features

Freelancer.com lacks native marketing features.

You’ll still get a link and an email signature to promote your profile and drive clients to it. And the best part is, you’ll get to keep all the money you make because the platform won’t charge commission if you get a new client through your links.

Also, you won’t have a problem receiving payments from this platform. It supports multiple withdrawal methods, including bank transfer, direct deposit, Payoneer, PayPal, and Skrill. 

Feature 4: Support

Freelancer.com is more than a freelancing platform; it’s also a social community.

Users can post, ask questions, and leave comments on posts right on their dashboard. They can also like posts and comments. This feature allows them to network and support each other.

Additionally, you can certify your skills by taking exams on their platform. There is also a help desk and responsive support that can assist you with anything.

Rating

Here is how I rate this platform based on my experience with it:

Legiit

Platform fee structure 

Legiit is a cool freelance marketplace, like Fiverr + Upwork, but with a few key differences.

The fee structure is friendlier. As a freelancer, you keep 85% of your earnings on this platform. They don’t charge buyers any fees, so it’s a more affordable option for both parties than other platforms.

What makes this freelancing platform unique

Legiit is SEO-focused, perhaps, because it’s built by an SEO professional.

Unlike other platforms, Legiit is more than just a marketplace. It’s a community where you can connect with other freelancers, clients, and experts. You can post updates, follow other users, and leave comments. This makes it easier to find work, build relationships, and learn from others. 

And like Upwork, you can search for jobs and submit proposals to bid on them.

Feature 1: User base of the freelancing platform

Legiit has grown over the years to become one of the best freelancing platforms in the market.

This platform has been doing pretty well since 2018, attracting over 100,000 businesses and 25,000 freelancers, and helping to facilitate more than 750,000 orders. Not bad for a few years’ work.

Also, its Similarweb data shows a promising future for the platform. It received an estimated 281,000 visits in October and 954,000 between August and October.

Downloads for the mobile app on Play Store are around 10,000.

Feature 2: User experience

I registered by filling out a short form, the platform doesn’t support automatic sign-up with Gmail.

I was a little thrown off when I was taken to the homepage after creating an account. I was expecting Legiit to take me to a profile setup page or where I could create a service, like on other platforms.

However, I didn’t have any trouble finding my way around. I set up my account and completed my seller profile in no time. I was impressed that I could add other users to my account, unlike on other platforms. This will be great for bringing my team together.

Next, I created my first service and the experience was seamless.

Feature 3: Marketing and payment features

Legiit is benefiting from having a marketer as its founder. 

The platform’s built-in marketing features are way better than any I have seen so far. I noticed that I can promote my service for more visibility and issue coupons to stimulate sales. Legiit charges between $15 and $35 for a day promotion, which could be a bit pricey for Nigerian freelancers.

However, you still have more ways to market your services. For instance, you can bundle products to drive higher average order value, offer volume discounts, and enable an affiliate program for your services.

Furthermore, the platform supports PayPal, Skrill, and Payoneer withdrawal methods. So, receiving payments from this platform won’t be an issue.

Feature 4: Support

Legiit has a bunch of paid courses that can help you level up your skills and knowledge. 

They also have a live chat feature and a help center if you need quick assistance. And if you need more personalized help, you can always open a ticket.

Rating

Here is how I rate this platform based on my experience with it:

Worthy Mentions

99designs.com

99Designs is the best freelance platform for designers. A content curation team will manually vet your applications, which makes joining this platform challenging. The freelance platform got around 3.6 million visits in October, making it one of the best places to build a thriving freelance business.

Guru.com

Guru.com mimics Freelancer.com in feel and design, making it an excellent alternative. You can see the amount a buyer has already spent on the platform when you’re browsing jobs. Information on the website shows that the company has paid around $250 million to freelancers.

Toptal

Toptal is ideal if you’re looking for a top-skill freelancer marketplace. It promises to help businesses hire the top 3% of freelance talent. However, the platform only onboards seasoned developers, designers, financial experts, and project and project managers, most of whom have worked at top companies like Google, Shopify, Vodafone, Amazon, and SpaceX.

FAQs

What is a freelancing platform?

A freelancing platform is a website or app that connects freelancers with clients who need their services. Freelancers can create profiles on these platforms and list their skills and experience. Clients can then browse through the profiles and hire freelancers for their projects.

Is freelancing lucrative for Nigerians?

Yes, freelancing can be very lucrative for Nigerians. There are many high-paying freelance jobs available, and Nigerians can earn a good living by working on these jobs.

How do I know if freelancing is right for me?

Freelancing is right for you if you are self-motivated, organized, and have good communication skills. You should also be comfortable working independently and meeting deadlines. We have written extensively on this and you might want to check it out.

Recommended Post: Is Freelancing Right For You? Pros and Cons For Nigerians

How do I create a successful freelancing profile?

Your freelancing profile is your online resume, so it’s important to make it as strong as possible. Include the following information in your profile:

• Your skills and experience
• Your education and qualifications
• Your work history
• Your portfolio
• Your rates
• Your availability

How do I find freelance jobs?

There are many ways to find freelance jobs. You can search for jobs on freelancing platforms, job boards, and social media. You can also network with other freelancers and reach out to potential clients directly.

Also, don’t forget to check out our blog for more tips on building a successful freelance business in Nigeria. We’re always adding new content, so you’re sure to find something helpful.

How do I get paid as a freelancer?

There are a few different ways to get paid as a freelancer. You can be paid through a freelancing platform, PayPal, or another online payment service. You can also invoice your clients and request payment directly.

How do I market myself as a freelancer?

It’s important to market yourself as a freelancer if you want to find work. Create a website or online portfolio, and promote your services on social media and other online channels.

Selecting the Right Freelancing Platform

Nigerians have a ton of options for starting their freelancing journey and building a thriving business, from Upwork to Fiverr, Freelancer.com, People Per Hour, and Legiit.

But, it’s important to choose the one that’s right for you. We recommend that you consider these factors when choosing a freelancing platform:

• The type of work you want to do
• The level of experience you have
• The fees charged by the platform
• The reputation of the platform
• The number of jobs available

Once you’ve got that all figured out, download our freelancing checklist to help you on your way to a successful freelancing career. Check them off as you go!