The Pros and Cons of Free Freelance Sites

Both Free and Paid Freelance Bidding Sites Are Viable Alternatives

Dec 15, 2008 Tsveti Georgieva

Free bidding sites, such as Rentacoder, Getafreelancer, and Scriptlance, could be a better alternative than the paid freelance bidding sites.

Paid bidding sites (i.e. Guru and Elance have many advantages and the fact that free bidding sites don't charge a membership fee does not automatically mean their service is of lower quality. On the other hand, in many aspects free freelance bidding sites are an example of the “quantity versus quality” principle. For serious buyers and pros this is unacceptable and that is why many quality buyers and pros don't show at free freelance bidding sites at all. In many aspects free freelance bidding sites are similar to each other as far as pros and cons are concerned but there are some differences as well.

Advantages of Free Freelance Bidding Sites

Generally, the advantages of free freelance bidding sites are the following:

• No membership fees. The fact that one can bid without paying in advance is the main advantage of free freelance bidding sites. The paid freelance bidding sites also offer free memberships but they have many limitations and it is really difficult to win a decent project as a free member.
• No category limitations. The freedom to post in any category a freelancer sees fit is another great feature of many or all free freelance bidding sites. Paid sites restrict bidding to a couple of categories only (the ones a freelancer has subscribed for), which is certainly a drawback for everybody who can offer services in 3 or 4 categories (i.e. Web design, programming, writing, etc., which are separate categories on the paid freelance bidding sites).
• Tons of projects. Generally speaking, free freelance bidding sites offer more projects than the paid ones but this largely depends on the category and at least for major categories, such as programming, design, or writing, the difference in the numbers can be really significant.

Disadvantages of Free Freelance Bidding Sites

Free freelance bidding sites have some disadvantages, the main ones being:

• A lot of competition. Usually there are tons of bids on a single project and even though most of the bids are out of place, or offer ridiculous quality for a penny, still there are many bidders, who compete for the reward. Very often it is possible that good bids are buried in the heap and employers have to read through tons of junk, till they find a bid, which is worth noting.
• Low paying gigs. Competition is good but not when it leads to drastic drop in rates. For many free freelance bidding sites low and very low paying gigs are the norm. It is possible to see projects, which pay $20-30 for a day's work. Many pros (who might enjoy work but they also have bills to pay) don't even think of selling their services that cheap.
• No adequate fraud protection. Except for Rentacoder, where the escrow and arbitration services do work, the other paid freelance bidding sites either offer no adequate protection for buyers and freelancers alike, or the procedure is not reliable at all.
• Hefty commissions. Some of the free freelance bidding sites, namely Rentacoder, charge hefty commissions. These hefty commissions compensate for the lack of membership fees and for freelancers who are not very active the amount they will pay in a commission is lower than a membership fee, so it is still a bargain.

The freelance bidding sites reviewed in this article and in the other one (LINK) are all great. None of them is perfect and there is no single winner – each of the sites has its strengths and weaknesses and is suitable for different people in different situations.

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