How web designers can find extra work on Upwork, Fiverr and Freelancer

Web designers can find extra work on Upwork, Fiverr and Freelancer.com, but each one works differently. Upwork is proposal-based: you pay for Connects to pitch on client jobs, and a 0% to 15% service fee comes out of your earnings. Fiverr flips it: you list packaged services called gigs, buyers come to you, and you keep 80% of each order. Freelancer.com is a bidding site with contests, charging 10% or $5 per fixed-price project. The designers who do well on any of them pick a narrow niche, build a profile that proves it, price for the fees, keep everything on the platform, and turn first projects into repeat clients.

Fees below are as of November 2026, from each platform's own help or pricing pages. They change often, so check the linked source before you set prices.

How the three platforms compare

Upwork: proposals, Connects and Job Success Score

Clients post jobs with a budget, and freelancers submit proposals. Each proposal costs Connects, Upwork's bidding credits. Upwork says Connects cost $0.15 each with a minimum purchase of 10. The free Basic plan includes 10 Connects a month, and the Freelancer Plus plan ($19.99 a month) includes 100, according to Upwork's pricing breakdown.

The Freelancer Service Fee ranges from 0% to 15% per contract. Upwork bases it on the type of work and contract, shows it before you submit a proposal or accept an offer, and locks it once the contract begins, according to the Upwork help center. It applies to all earnings, including bonuses. Clients you bring to Upwork yourself through Direct Contracts pay a reduced fee.

Your Job Success Score is a rating built from client feedback and contract outcomes. Clients see it on your profile, and a strong score plus Top Rated status makes proposals far easier to win. Early on, a few small, well-reviewed contracts matter more than one big risky one.

Fiverr: gigs, packages and levels

On Fiverr you create gigs: fixed services like "Shopify store setup" or "Convert your Figma design to Webflow." Each gig can have three packages (often called Basic, Standard and Premium) with set prices, delivery times and revision counts. Buyers search, compare and order.

Fiverr's earnings help page says sellers receive earnings equal to 80% of the purchase amount, so Fiverr keeps 20%. Money clears after a waiting period, and early payout costs a 1% fee.

Fiverr's levels reward track record. According to Fiverr's help center, Level 1 needs a success score of 5+, a 4.4+ rating, 5 orders and $400 in earnings; Level 2 needs 7+, 4.6+, 20 orders and $2,000; Top Rated needs 9+, 4.7+, 40 orders, $10,000 and a manual review.

Fiverr rewards clear, narrow offers. "I build websites" gets lost. "Squarespace site for therapists, 5 pages, 7 days" gets found.

Freelancer.com: bidding and contests

Freelancer.com works like an auction. Clients post projects, and freelancers bid with a price and pitch. Its fees and charges page lists:

• Fixed-price projects: 10% or $5, whichever is greater.
• Hourly projects: 10% of each payment.
• Contests: entering is free; the winner pays 10% or $5 when the prize is released.
• Bidding: free, but you need a $20 minimum account balance. Sponsored bids and memberships cost extra.
• Withdrawals: $1 for PayPal and several other methods, $25 for an international wire.

Contests (logo, landing page mockups) can build a portfolio but mean a lot of unpaid work for a chance at one prize. Treat them as practice, not income.

Build a profile that wins

• Pick a niche. Industry (dentists, restaurants, law firms), platform (Webflow, Shopify, WordPress) or both. Your title should say who you help and with what.
• Show three to six strong projects. Real client work is best. Spec projects are fine if labeled. Include the problem, what you did and the result in a sentence or two.
• Use a clear photo and plain language. Clients skim. Lead with what they get.
• List your stack. Name the platforms you work in. Our platform stack shows how we explain ours, and best website platforms for agencies can help you pick a focus.
• Get your first reviews honestly. Take a few smaller jobs, deliver early and ask for feedback. Never trade work for fake reviews; it breaks platform rules and can get your account suspended.

Write proposals clients read

On Upwork and Freelancer.com, your proposal is your sales call. What works:

1. Open with their problem, not your bio. Repeat one specific detail from their post so they know you read it.
2. Give a short plan. Three or four steps: discovery, design, build, launch.
3. Show one matching example. One relevant link beats ten random ones.
4. Ask one smart question. It starts a conversation and shows experience.
5. Keep it short. A few short paragraphs is plenty.

Skip copy-paste templates. Clients see dozens of them per post.

Price for the fees and your niche

Price from your target take-home, then add the platform cut. If you need $1,000 for a project on Fiverr, the gig price has to be about $1,250 to net that after 20%. Remember Connects, withdrawal fees and taxes too.

Avoid racing to the bottom. Every marketplace has someone cheaper. Win on fit, speed and clarity instead. Our guide to how much a website costs and our website cost calculator show the price ranges clients see elsewhere, which helps you set rates that are fair to both sides.

Avoid scams

Scams target new freelancers. Common ones:

• "Let's move to Telegram or WhatsApp" before any contract exists. Fiverr only allows third-party communication after an order is placed, per its off-platform policy.
• Fake checks and overpayments where the "client" asks you to send back the difference.
• Paying for training, software or a "starter kit" to get the job.
• Login links or files that steal your platform or email password. Turn on two-factor authentication.
• Free test work that is really the whole project.

If a client refuses to use the platform's contract and payment system, walk away. You lose payment protection and dispute help the moment money moves off the platform.

Turn one-off jobs into repeat clients

Repeat clients are where marketplace income gets steady:

• Offer care plans. Monthly updates, backups, plugin updates and small edits. On Upwork this can be an hourly or weekly contract.
• Suggest the next step. After launch, offer SEO basics, speed fixes or a landing page for their next campaign.
• Be easy to work with. Clear updates, on-time delivery and a short handoff document bring people back.
• Ask for referrals and reviews when the client is happy, not weeks later.

Moving clients off-platform the right way

This is where many freelancers get banned. Know the rules:

• Upwork requires you to keep work and payments with clients you met there on Upwork for the first two years. To move earlier, the client starts a contract conversion and pays a conversion fee of 13.5% of the hourly rate times 2,080 hours (about $14,040 at $50 an hour), per Upwork's conversion fee article. After two years, a small fee applies. Relationships that began off Upwork are treated differently.
• Freelancer.com sets a 24-month non-circumvention period from first introduction, with a conversion fee option, and its user agreement lists a penalty of 30% of the project budget or agreed amount for off-platform deals. After 24 months, no conversion fee applies.
• Fiverr does not allow payments outside Fiverr. Plan to keep Fiverr clients on Fiverr.

Clients you found yourself are yours. You can bring them to Upwork through Direct Contracts for the escrow and pay a lower fee, without locking them in.

Alternatives worth trying

• Contra. A portfolio and payments platform that says freelancers keep 100% of earnings; companies pay a contract fee, and a Pro plan is optional, per Contra's commission-free page.
• Toptal. Screens freelancers before they can take work. Best for experienced designers and developers.
• Dribbble. Its job board and freelance listings suit visual, design-led work, and a strong Dribbble portfolio doubles as your sales page.
• Local agencies. Many agencies need overflow help and white-label builds. Look through our web design agency directory for agencies near you, and send a short note with your niche and portfolio.

Marketplaces are a good way to fill gaps and get reps. Over time, aim to have most work come from referrals and your own site. If you want to talk about subcontracting with us, get in touch.