Dainis G.

Good difference between oDesk and Elance is that oDesk doesnt have a paid membership option. But oDesk fees are 10% compared to Elance 8.75% fee. When you register you can submit 2 job applications at a time.

I found it tough to compare Elance vs oDesk, because they are owned by the same company and in overall oDesk or Elance – there is no big difference. The biggest oDesk competitor basically is Freelancer with PeoplePerHour being new disruptor in market.

Pros:

- Free registration, no paid membership ensuring you don't have to use limited version of website.
- Anybody can find work on Elance because of big user base.
- Secure place to get paid as Odesk takes part in money exchange, by asking client to put money on Escrow before project is started.

Cons:

- oDesk charges is 10% for every completed project. Fee on 4k/per month = $400 + 1.5% fee for withdrawal.
- Unreliable corporate support – reviews indicate people had very bad experience with support. People were suggesting not to waste time with support and that you will be better off by trying to solve issue on your own.
- Tough place for creative professionals, web developers and WordPress experts – usually lower bidders get the project and quality is not being appreciated. (Ok, quality is always appreciated, but price doesnt indicate that).

We did massive research about top 8 biggest freelance marketplaces out there, comparing their fees, pros, cons and how to make it out there.

Different marketplaces are for different people. You can read the research here - http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/best-freelance-websites/

First thing to know about Elance is that there is no Elance vs Odesk. They are one company with the same owners. So your experience will be pretty similar - support. Fees, pros and cons. That can be a good and bad thing.

Their fees are:

Site takes 8.75% fee for every project you complete. Elance fees have been raised last year from 6.75%. Fee's on earning $4k/month = $350. Plus $10/month if you want to use Elance actively and appear higher in search results.

What I didnt enjoy most about Elance was that it isnot totally free – if you don't join paid membership, you will keep feeling like you are using limited version of Elance.

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Great things about Elance of course is it's size, they take Escrow payments to ensure safety. And there are loads of helpful applications for accountability and communication. It's a great place for beginners and freelancers from third world countries. It isnt so good place for web professionals.

We did massive research about best 8 freelance marketplaces, compared their pros, cons, fees and how to make it out there.

You can read full review and also see comparison chart here - http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/best-freelance-websites/

Freelancer.com really is the toughest place to make it. Compared to oDesk, Elance, Freelancer has the highest fees you will pay even if you get enough work.

You can register and submit 8 bids per month for free.

As with all big freelancing sites, their biggest trouble is with support and high fees. Freelancer has the lowest ratings of all marketplaces, at SiteJabber review site they have got 374 1-star ratings and 26 5-star ratings.

We did massive research about top 8 biggest freelance marketplaces out there, comparing their fees, pros, cons and how to make it out there.

Different marketplaces are for different people. You can read the research here - http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/best-freelance-websites/