How to Choose the Best Freelance Sites for Software Developer Jobs

Fill your pipeline with the best-fit clients, and fulfilling freelance work.

When it comes to finding the best freelance platform for ideal software developer jobs, there’s a lot to consider. Everything from the engagement length, to your rate, or the type of role you’re interested in should guide your search. However, every freelancing platform varies in the work it supplies it’s talent, and shopping around for the right fit can be a heavy lift.

We’ve helped freelance developers land thousands of gigs, and connected them with great clients. We’ve got you covered with some tips for making the right freelancing platform choice.

Alignment is key

You can tell a lot about a freelancing platform by the type of talent they’re interested in. For example, if you’re interested in full-time work as a senior developer, a platform that is mostly looking for devs with 1-2 years experience in Java for short-term projects is most likely not the best fit.

Be sure to choose a platform that most aligns with the type of talent you want to be working with. Quality work starts with quality talent that makes up a freelancing platform.

Know your worth

Be sure to choose a platform that allows you to set your own rate rather than setting it for you based on marketplace prices.

You may be thinking, “why does that matter? I’m getting paid for my work regardless.” Wrong. Don’t let the platform decide how valuable you are, your technical expertise, and years of experience should.

We surveyed 1,000 of our most active freelancers to see which developers earn the most, and help you stay competitive. Here’s what we found:

Country Skill Years Experience

Germany	$88
United States	$80
France	$77
Poland	$76
Spain	$66
Great Britain	$66
Australia	$61
Canada	$61
Netherlands	$60
Ireland	$59
Italy	$55
Israel	$52
Bulgaria	$52
Croatia	$51
Portugal	$51
Brazil	$48
Ukraine	$47
Romania	$45
Hungary	$45
Vietnam	$44
Nigeria	$44
Hong kong	$44
Belarus	$44
Argentina	$41
Indonesia	$39
China	$37
Bangladesh	$36
Singapore	$36
Serbia	$36
Turkey	$35
India	$35
Kenya	$34
Philippines	$20

Global

DevOps	$65
AWS	$64
Angular	$60
Go	$59
iOS	$59
Machine Learning	$59
C#	$57
JavaScript	$56
React Native	$55
Node.js	$55
Python	$54
React	$53
Android	$53
Swift	$51
WordPress	$49
MySQL	$49
Django	$49
PHP	$48
Laravel	$41

US Only

DevOps	$125
Machine Learning	$110
AWS	$102
MySQL	$93
Android	$90
C#	$89
Django	$85
Node.js	$83
React Native	$83
Go	$83
Python	$81
JavaScript	$81
Angular	$80
iOS	$80
Laravel	$80
React	$80
Swift	$76
PHP	$73
WordPress	$66

Global

Less Than a Year	$29
1-3 Years	$34
4-9 Years	$51
10-14 Years	$58
15-19 Years	$64
20+ Years	$84

US Only

Less Than a Year	$47
1-3 Years	$54
4-9 Years	$82
10-14 Years	$77
15-19 Years	$89
20+ Years	$98

Check their social proof

What do other freelance developers and clients have to say about the platform? Personal experience is the best way to gauge the efficacy of a platform without wasting your time signing up, and applying to roles.

Any platform can include logos of companies they’ve worked with, but choosing a platform that showcases their reviews provide word-of-mouth proof for a clearer picture of the quality of work and clients you’ll be involved with.

Join a team

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing the right freelancing platform is their culture.

When a platform works for its talent first, before it's clients it provides a team culture that sets its developers up for success. Choose a freelancing site that fights for you to ensure your work is valued.

Narrow your search

Once you've landed on the type of work you're interested in, it's time to compile your requirements to narrow your list. Pairing down your choices can be just as much work as shopping around.

We’ve done the research on the top freelancing sites, so you don’t have to.

Take the quiz to find the best-fit freelancing platforms for you!