Best Freelance Jobs Websites to Get Remote Freelance Work in 2020

Whether you’re looking for the well-paid, best freelance jobs, or to just to get freelance work on the side that can help pad your savings or pay the bills, then you’ve come to the right place.

No matter if it’s more bills than usual coming down the pike, your boss getting progressively worse, or if you’re just tired of your full-time gig, I’ve got your back with these best freelance jobs websites.

One of the most common refrains you’ll hear is that it takes time to build up a freelancing career. You need to invest in yourself, whether it be classes, software, or branding. You need to make connections, you need to start with lower paying work to build up a portfolio and get your name out there.

Yeah, all of that is true. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start now. Like, RIGHT NOW.

Just because it takes time to build up a freelance business doesn’t mean you can’t get going this instant and dive right in. So I compiled this list of freelance job sites that you can get started on right away.

Check out my picks for the best freelance jobs websites, broken down by category:

Best Freelance Jobs Websites to Get Remote Freelance Work in 2020

The Best Websites for General Freelance Jobs

These marketplaces websites have a broad sampling of freelance jobs. Whether you’re a writer, designer, developer, marketer, salesperson, photographer or virtually any other service provider, there are freelance jobs for you on these marketplaces.

1. FlexJobs.

This is a very well-curated site for not only freelance jobs, but also remote and otherwise flexible gigs. It’s sorted by the type of freelance job (or otherwise) you may want, and you won’t have to worry about scam postings, because they research the jobs and monitor new gigs pretty thoroughly. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, it’s not free if you want regular access to their freelance jobs, though. Check out their details right here to see if it’s worthwhile for your niche (hint: it probably is 🙂).

2. SolidGigs.

As a freelancer, time is money. Which means if you spend hours every week hunting down new freelance jobs instead of doing billable client work, you’re missing out on revenue.

That’s why I personally recommend SolidGigs to freelancers of all kinds who need to find freelance jobs fast. The team at SolidGigs (including my good friend Preston Lee) combs through dozens of freelance job boards and sends you the very best 2% of freelance gigs from around the web every single week—removing the time-consuming work of filtering through dozens of freelance job boards and vetting the opportunities yourself.

On top of just the curated gigs list each week, they’ve also got an enormous resource library with courses, interviews, templates, scripts and other tools all with the focus on helping you land more freelance jobs, negotiate your rates, pitch high profile clients and grow your freelance business. Seriously, this lethal combination of weekly curated gigs and training resources (from top freelancers around the world) is a ridiculous steal for the very low monthly cost.

Check out SolidGigs to give it a try today. I couldn’t recommend it more highly… and plus, if you use my link and enter the code “RYROB” at checkout, you’ll get your first month for just $2.

3. Fiverr.

Fiverr gets its name from its site design: every job starts at $5. It sounds low, but you can set up tiers above the base $5 option, which adds up fast! It’s also a great way to get started and build up your portfolio.

4. Upwork.

Once upon a time, there existed two leading platforms for landing freelance jobs: oDesk and Elance. Eventually, their two kingdoms combined to create one large peaceful marketplace for people to land freelance jobs from clients all over the world. Enter: Upwork. As a result, this freelance jobs site is huge. They have over 12 million freelancers and 5 million clients listing upwards of 3 million freelance jobs each year. Just about every freelancer can find their niche here, but beware: Upwork takes a 20% cut until you build up a regular relationship with a client. It’s very beginner friendly, but be prepared to take lower-priced freelance jobs through sites like Upwork, than you would from the more carefully curated marketplaces that focus on a specific niche.

5. CloudPeeps.

If you have a great portfolio and feel like you have the experience to start at a higher level, CloudPeeps may be for you. They’re a bit more exclusive, which makes it harder to join but easier to get jobs if you do get accepted. They focus on marketing, social media, and general copywriting. Worth it to check out!

6. Indeed.

Indeed collects all the jobs on the interwebs and puts them all in one place. They’re easy to search through, and looking specifically for remote jobs is a piece of cake. If you’re open to working at a local company, you can search that too. Best of all, it’s free!

7. College Recruiter.

Student or recent grad? Browse this site to see what kind of part time freelance jobs pop up within your degree. These are going to be great beginner jobs that will get you experience and, hopefully, contacts for future work.

8. Freelancer.

This site has a huge variety of projects, some formatted as hourly and some as contests – the only downside is that they only give 8 free applications before you have to pay the membership fee. The project fee is also a little different – pay between $3-5 or 3-5%, whichever is greater (one of the cheaper commission rates).

9. Guru.

Guru makes it easy to create a profile that shows off your experience, making it easier to be contacted by potential employers, while also wading through the massive amounts of job postings made every day. They give a decent amount of free applications, rationed by the year, and charge about 9% commission.

10. ServiceScape.

Launched originally back in the year 2000, ServiceScale is a global marketplace for freelancers with a range of skills and experience—with an emphasis on graphic design, writing, editing, and translating. To date, they’ve had over 259,000 completed projects with more than 79,000 clients that’ve used the platform.

ServiceScape is a great freelance job website for working with startups and SMBs that are already online outsourcing-friendly. So, if you’ve got the skills and experience, ServiceScape is a great place to spend some time and apply to projects that work for you.

11. Craigslist.

Forget selling your grandma’s dusty couch, Craigslist has a pretty great job posting section too. You don’t get the security of a site that holds the client accountable, so it’s an excellent idea to set up a contract (or meet up in person, if possible), but most people posting are looking for work done as quick as possible. Here’s a hack if you want to look through remote jobs: go to the corresponding Craigslist for major cities and search for remote work that way. You’re welcome.

The Best Websites for Writers to Get Freelance Jobs

You weave word magic, your sentences are sensational, your calls to action make people want to call their mothers to tell them they love them. Turn all that writing wizardry into some cold hard cash with these sites:

12. Contena.

Contena tops this section of the best writing freelance jobs because of the sheer volume of well-paid (and high quality) jobs they always have available for writers, editors and content creators of all kinds. What I love most about Contena, is that they feature a mixture of freelance jobs and full-time remote jobs on their platform. Examples of real freelance jobs recently featured on their homepage include a $10,000/mo eBook writing gig for a tech publication, a sports writing position, photography-focused content writing jobs, and seriously thousands of more opportunities across many industries doing freelance jobs for trustworthy companies.

13. Freelance Writing Gigs.

The name isn’t winning any creative awards, but it gets the point across. This site is basically a well-curated job board that’s updated Monday to Friday with the hottest new clients willing to pay you actual money to write things. Sounds too good to be true, right?

14. Blogging Pro.

Despite the name, you can find everything from tasks like helping people start blogging to editing to general copywriting jobs here—they aggregate all the best writing jobs they can find to make them easy to find and search through on their site. Also, totally free! Side note: If you want to build your chops as a blogger, start with these top blogging courses today and be sure to read through my guide to finding great blog post ideas, what it takes to drive traffic to your blog and eventually how to make money blogging.

15. Journalism Jobs.

If you have Dan Rather dreams, don’t let them die! Check out this job board that curates journalism jobs from around the web – along with other typical writing and editing gigs thrown in.

16. Morning Coffee Newsletter.

This is an easy one to sign up for, then you get an email every day with the latest and greatest freelance writing jobs. Totally free, and a great way to jumpstart your search.

17. Freelance Writing.

This source of writing jobs is excellent for freelancers all over the map, from brand spanking new to very experienced. It’s easy to filter for the type of job you want and the experience you have, and it’s totally free.

18. All Indie Writers.

This site has been around for years, and you can search for the jobs that are posted and subscribe to a feed based on keywords you like. It’s free to use and apply for jobs, and their layout makes it easy to compare the available projects by the client’s budget – it will even indicate when the budget is low.

19. Freedom With Writing.

Not only can you sign up for their newsletter with writing opportunities, you can actually submit to write for them. They pay well, but you’ll need to come up with a pretty good idea to pitch. If you have a concept you think will work well, it’s definitely worth a shot. While you’re waiting to hear back, you can always check out the opportunities in their newsletter too.

20. Media Bistro.

Media Bistro has a nice little variety of categories, which includes writing and editing. Their curated list features everything from book editing to PR content, so you’re sure to find a few things that fit your niche.

21. Paid to Blog.

Calling all bloggers! This site was thought up by a freelance writer who already went through the grind and wanted to come up with a better way. The good news is that they put together an extremely well-curated list of jobs to apply for (sorted by blog niche), and they make writing jobs available for their site as well. The bad news is that it costs $30 a month to subscribe to. If you’re trying to get your freelance career off the ground on your lunch break, it could be more than worth it to invest a little money to save a lot of time.

22. Due.

We couldn’t leave out the technical writers! You can write helpful guides on invoicing, payments, blockchain currency and more. They’re looking for longform and well-researched posts, so it would be tough to break into as a newbie, but if you already have background knowledge in the area, it could definitely be worth your time.

23. PubLoft.

PubLoft is a great place to find solid (well-paid) freelance jobs for reliable clients without actually ever needing to interact with the clients yourself. Their promise is to help freelancers never have to find, sell, or manage another customer again. With rates starting at $150 per post, you can work on your craft and PubLoft will handle the client management side of things. And on top of that, they’ll also help you become a better writer along the way.

24. Contently.

Coming as equal parts free portfolio for creative freelancers, online publication with solid freelance advice, and a platform for scoring freelance jobs with hundreds of the most successful brands & startups in the world, Contently is a high-quality agency style platform that (when you’re hand-selected by their account management team after creating a portfolio) connects you directly with clients for very well-paid freelance writing projects. In the past, I’ve taken projects writing long-form blog content for the personal loan startup, SoFi, at between $600 – $1,600 per article depending upon length and scope of the project.

The Best Websites for Designers to Get Freelance Jobs

You get paid to make the world a prettier place, one Helvetica logo at a time.

25. 99 Designs.

This site is set up in a bit of a different format than typical freelance sites, but it does work in the design context. Clients publish a contest, and designers submit their work as their application. The client chooses the design they like best, and the designer gets paid. I’m sure you’ve noticed the downside – if you don’t win, you don’t get paid. However, it can be an excellent way to build up your portfolio at the beginning, and if you’ll be doing work anyway, it can be a great resource.

26. Behance.

This isn’t a freelance job site per se, but it is something you need to do now. Like, right now right now. These kinds of sites help designers showcase their work, and because the site has a much higher DA than any personal website you’ll put together, your work has a higher chance of showing up early in the search engine based on the keywords you research. It’s a must for designers of any skill level, and something you need to get set up right away.

27. Dribbble.

See above – another way to get people’s attention and get your work in as many places as possible. The other benefit to these sites is that you’ll get feedback from other designers, and potential clients, on your work. Feedback is crucial to improvement, so accept it openly! Also, browse the other designers on the site to get a feel for what kind of projects you like and what you may want to work on in the future.

28. Angel List.

If you’ve swallowed the start-up pill and your dream is to someday work for a cool, up and coming company, start your path with Angel List. Start-up companies of all kinds search for talent on Angel List, from established to brand new, so you can get a taste of the start-up culture and possibly get your foot in the door for long term employment.

29. Art Wanted.

You got art? They want art! If you’re more of a graphic designer or digital illustrator (or even if you’re pretty skilled already on the side), you can put up your masterpieces on Art Wanted. People can browse them by keywords, and there’s always the potential for connecting with clients!

30. Design Crowd.

This is another marketplace similar to 99 Designs, with somewhat fewer designers active on the site. They also have contests, but pay out lower amounts. Those are actually both advantages for new designers, as there is less competition from very experienced designers, and you’re more likely to be selected.

31. Envato Studio.

Envato Studio’s most popular category is logos, so if that’s your thing, start here. They’re also known for very fast turn-around and an easy-to-use platform, both win-wins for beginners!

32. Coroflot.

If you’re a bit more experienced but need to break into the freelancing world quickly, this setup may be the best for you. On Coroflot, you post your portfolio, and clients post the projects they need. The difference here is that Coroflot is the go-between, setting up connections between the freelancers and clients themselves.

33. Smashing Magazine.

This is another great job board, and it’s a great resource for both developers and designers to utilize. It comes with the time cost of sorting through the postings yourself, but it’s easy to find freelancing jobs with the time commitment you want.

34. CrowdSPRING.

This is solely for designers and “creatives,” – which, translated, encompasses every type of design from general graphic design to logo design. It’s also free for freelancers and very easy to sign up for – no waiting list or invite-code necessary.

35. Working Not Working.

Founded by two world-renowned former freelancers, this extremely high-quality freelance community accepts only a very small percentage of applicants who request to join their platform—though the level of projects (and pay) once you’re inside can lead to well into thee six-figures in freelance income if you’re staying busy from the gigs their client companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, and more, continually post for designers, artists, photographers, producers and advertising pros.

The Best Websites for Developers to Get Freelance Jobs

It’s just like in the movies – you smash your fingers on the keyboard at lightning speed, say some techy mumbo-jumbo words and you’ve hacked your way through the employment firewall to land yourself a great gig. Easy.

As a side note, a lot of the sites listed for designers also provide work for developers, and vice versa, as people lump them together sometimes, so check out the list above as well.

36. Gun.io.

Fancy yourself a hired gun that’s got the engineering skills to land top freelance jobs with companies like Tesla, Cisco and Zappos? Gun.io is one of the best freelancing sites to have a presence because of how well they vet both companies that hire freelancers, and the remote developers applying to gigs on the platform. What’s even greater, is that most of the freelance jobs are filled in less than 48 hours—a win for both freelancers and clients.

37. Lorem.

With a ton of recent press on major publications like TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal and CNBC, Lorem is quickly on the rise as one of the strongest destinations to land short-term freelance jobs related to designing, building and fixing websites. What makes it appealing to clients, is that there’s no monthly fee in order to list freelance jobs, and most gigs (for quick projects) pay between $25 and $250. The Lorem team does a great job of hand-vetting the freelancers they allow to work on the platform, so you’ll have to apply to become an expert.

38. Joomlancers.

If you’re a tech wizard and you’re chomping at the bit, go to Joomlancer first. They have a super fast sign up process, and you can pretty much immediately start bidding on jobs. They do focus on mostly intermediate to advanced software projects, though, so not a great place for beginners.

39. Rent a Coder.

Pretty self-explanatory – clients that are looking for programmers, developers, and even designers will go to Rent a Coder to. . . well. . .rent a coder. Also, free to sign up!

40. 10x Management.

This site is pretty broad in their “tech” allowances, and looks for all sorts of freelancers, from developers to cybersecurity gurus. This is a great place to start if you have a niche tech specialty, or you have an interest and want to see the possibilities.

41. Gigster.

Gigster is also tech tech tech. Software designers, web designers, even app developers can find their home on Gigster. They have a screening process, which can make it tough to be accepted, but they use AI to match freelancers with projects, which is just plain cool. If you have some experience, this is the one to check out.

42. Talent Cupboard.

So if you’re reading these and realizing you don’t have quite as much experience as you thought you did, there’s no reason you can’t get started right away – you just need to get started on improving your skills. Talent Cupboard is a great resource for necessities like your digital resume and finding the right clients.

43. Codeable.

WordPress experts, this is an excellent place to start. Codeable focuses on offering their clients everything from WordPress themes to plugins – and that’s it. They’re literally just a resource for people to find WordPress experts, so your task of finding the right clients just got a lot easier.

44. Programmer Meet Designer.

This site brings together every type of freelancer needed to make a website great, including programmers, developers, and designers. It’s a pretty easy job board to search through, highlighting budget, skill set required, and deadline.

45. YouTeam.

If you’re an experienced software developer, YouTeam is a great site that’ll pair you up with remote contract work (and even freelance jobs) on-demand. While most engineers on their platform aren’t full-time freelancers, this can be a great place to pick up some long-term projects if you’re already a contractor for another IT consulting firm or software development shop. In order to join the platform, software firms and their developers are first thoroughly vetted and verified, which adds an additional layer of credibility to this platform.

The Best Websites for Photographers to Get Freelance Jobs

You can often be seen with a camera that sports a lens slightly larger than your head, that can probably only be used in one scenario (but it’s totally necessary, you swear). Instead of collecting all the likes on Facebook, collect all the cold hard cash on these sites.

46. Craigslist.

We listed this in the beginning general section, but this applies really well for photographers so we wanted to repeat it here. There are always models looking to build up their portfolio, and will often bring everything to set, just looking for a fellow aspiring talent – you. It can be fun and free, and just what your sparse portfolio needs.

47. Airbnb.

Weren’t expecting to see this on the list, were you? Airbnb employs photographers to visit homes and photograph them for “verified” photos for their site. Check to see if they’re hiring in your region – it can be a fun way to travel around and get paid for it.

48. Cruise Ship Jobs.

Probably another surprise on the list. Did you know that the ice cream machines on a lot of cruise ships operate 24/7? Do we really have to sell you further? This site is the perfect entryway to travel photography – and ice cream, like, all the time.

49. Photography Jobs Central.

This is a subset of Creative Jobs Central, a fairly typical freelance photography marketplace. Their premium membership does cost money, but they have over a thousand actively posting companies and they virtually guarantee that you will have jobs available in your area. It also weeds out amateurs and reduces competition, which can be worth it if you have a little extra to spend. It’s free to join and search through what they offer, so explore it before committing.

50. Journalism Jobs.

Every great story needs a great picture to go with it, and if you’re looking to break into the photojournalism biz, start here. All types of journalism jobs are posted here, not just writing!

51. Photography Jobs Finder.

Are you, perhaps, trying to find photography jobs? Congratulations, you’re their target market. Jokes aside, this is another useful job board to search through all the photography jobs posted, as well as being able to upload your resume so clients can find you.

52. Photography Jobs Online.

This one is a bit different, as it’s more of a marketplace for your photos, not for jobs. If you have a backlog of photos that you want to try and make money from, try submitting them here first and see what happens.

53. Freelance Photographer Jobs.

These websites get straight to the point, don’t they? This is an aggregate job board of postings from around the web, but the benefit to this one is that it’s curated – they don’t just dump whatever they find into the mix.

The Best Websites for Marketers to Get Freelance Jobs

Seeing companies or start-ups with great ideas and products but no idea how to sell them kills you inside a little bit. You know how to help them – get paid for it. Marketers of all kinds tend to be folded into the big freelance marketplaces, so check all the usual suspects first (Upwork, Guru, etc.). However, there are a few more that speak to some marketing specializations.

54. People Per Hour.

This one is great for marketers, as well as SEO folks and software engineers. PPH takes care of just about everything in the process, but only allows for 15 applications before charging. Browsing is free though, so totally worth it to send out some feelers and see if you think it’s worth it.

55. Remotive.

Remotive is a fairly standard job board that you can search through and has all sorts of categories, including marketing. It’s easy to see when the job has been posted, where it’s located, and what specialty within marketing it falls under. And free!

56. Aquent.

This is another great company that will make the connections for you. Their clients come to them with gaps they need to fill, and they turn to their group of freelancers to do the job. They mainly focus on marketing, but also dabble in tech and creative jobs too.

The Best Websites for Virtual Assistants to Get Freelance Jobs

Research, data entry, bookkeeping, answering aggravating emails professionally—virtual assistants can have all sorts of specialties that help their bosses not tear their hair out. It’s also a great choice for remote work.

57. Belay.

Belay is a company that offers virtual personal assistant work to their clients, and it’s always remote, so it’s definitely worth it to check and see if they have any openings in your specialty.

58. Time Etc.

This is another great company that sources people that want to land freelance jobs as virtual assistants. They specialize in the virtual assistant space, so you’re sure to find your fit there if that’s exactly what you’re going after.

59. ClickWorker.

This site has all sorts of paid VA tasks, including writing, data entry, and researching. Take a quick assessment test and then you get access to their jobs board. All sorts of companies post on their site, even large ones like PayPal! It’s a great way to get started fast.

60. Amazon Mechanical Turk.

This site has the major upside of being able to find quick work quickly – you can literally start completing jobs for them in about an hour. They always have a ton of virtual assistant-type work available. The major downside is that a lot of them are not well-paid, so our advice is either to use this in a pinch, or to really be selective about jobs that are worth your time.

61. VA Networking.

As the name implies, this is a great way to network with other virtual assistants, along with their great job board that you can search through. They have great advice and resources for beginner VA’s as well, so definitely a necessary first stop and I’d recommend also checking out these work from home jobs for more virtual assistant job leads.

62. Assistant Match.

If you don’t feel like combing through job boards, this is one of the sites that makes the connections for you. Depending on what your skills are, they’ll match you up with what their clients need. The pay isn’t great for beginners, but they offer training if you’re just starting out, which can be well worth it.

63. Zirtual.

If you’re looking for full-time work, and you just care about working remotely, Zirtual could be a great match for you. They hire freelance VA’s full-time for various specialties, so definitely check their board to see what they have available. They also have benefits for their employees, which is pretty unheard of in the remote/freelance world.

64. Fancy Hands.

Can we just say this is our favorite name? They’re another site that hires freelancers to provide services for their clients, everything from phone calls to data entry. They parse it out by task, which are worth various dollar amounts, and they even have managerial positions available.

65. Worldwide 101.

This is another matching service, but this one is a bit more “premium” than the others. If you have some experience, or special skills (like speaking another language), try getting your foot in the door with this site. Their clients are generally higher end, pay more, and the virtual assistants get more regular work.

The Best Websites for Video Editors to Get Freelance Jobs

Anyone can unsteadily hold an iPhone vertically and press record, but not everyone can cut together a polished looking video out of it. If you’re up for the challenge, there are jobs out there for you!

66. Behance.

Listed above, this is an equally great option for video editors. They post jobs regularly that you can apply for, and they make it easy to put together a great portfolio so your clients can come to you.

67. Mandy.

Mandy is dedicated solely to the film and TV production work, for better and worse. The upside is that you don’t have to sort through irrelevant jobs, the downside is you’re competing with a lot of other people like you. Make sure you stand out, write a great application and have a polished portfolio.

68. Production Hub.

Another site that focuses only on media production, it does cost a little to get on – basic plans are only about $5 a month, though, so don’t let that deter you too much.

69. Stage 32.

This is the type of site where job board meets networking, which can be great for a career like video editing, where word of mouth will get you pretty far (but there are jobs posted to sort through when no one is talking about you yet).

70. Assemble.tv.

Assemble is a highly curated network of creatives including directors, copywriters, creative directors, photographers, editors, motion artists and more. Because they work with recognizable brands to help them connect with top creative talent, they screen each creative thoroughly to ensure they pass their quality standards before being accepted into their network. You can learn more on their website.

The Best Websites for Salespeople to Get Freelance Jobs

Sure, you can sell ice to an eskimo and a surfboard to a San Diegan, but can you sell yourself?

71. ZipRecruiter.

Chances are, you’ve already heard of ZipRecruiter because of how many companies use their jobs platform to hire full-time talent, but did you know they also regularly post a large number of high-quality freelance jobs with opportunities to do part-time sales for top companies? You can earn anywhere from $500 up to $10,000/mo (with the right company, skill set and experience) as a contractor that’s compensated through a combination of part-time salary and commission on sales.

72. Red Hat.

Red Hat works with higher level clients in general, and employs freelancers and remote workers to help their clients with everything from software development to sales. If you have some experience, or think your skill set is high enough, check them out.

73. Salesforce App Exchange Job Board.

Be a force in sales! Salesforce is known as a leading CRM (customer relationship management) tool for companies of all shapes and sizes. On top of just that though, they have an App Exchange job board where companies that integrate with Salesforce can post about their hiring needs—many of which require freelance or remote salespeople.

74. Skip the Drive.

This is another job board site, with ample amounts of sales jobs posted. To set itself apart, it tells you how much you saved by not driving to the office.

The Best Websites for Customer Support Freelance Jobs

You like the idea of helping people out, but driving to work and running around a store just doesn’t seem like your thing. Online may be more your style:

75. We Work Remotely.

As the name suggests, the site is for freelance workers of all types. However, they have plenty of customer support jobs posted that you can look through to see what fits.

76. Virtual Vocations.

This is another great freelance site that has tons of customer support jobs.

77. Support Driven.

One of the few support-focused job boards out there, definitely keep an eye on it for jobs that are a good fit.

78. Through your networks!

My best advice for landing great freelance jobs, is to leverage your existing network and connections from previous roles.

Better yet, if you have a company you already follow, know someone at, that you’re passionate about, or most importantly you’re knowledgeable about, reach out to them!

It never hurts to do a little legwork on your own behalf and see what’s out there when it comes to high-paying freelance jobs.