Uncategorized | May 23, 2026

Best Freelancing Platforms Compared (Upwork vs Fiverr vs Deshikaj vs Others)

The old way of working from 9 to 5 is disappearing. Now that we are in the year 2026 more people are freelancing than before. For people freelancing is not just something they do on the side it is their main job. If you own a business and you want to hire people to work for you without having to pay them a full time salary or if you are good at something and you want to be able to work from anywhere you need to find a freelancing platform. Finding the freelancing platform, like Upwork or Fiverr or Deshikaj is the first thing you need to do.

So you want to start freelancing. There are so many options. Where do you even begin? Should you make a profile on a site like Upwork or should you try making gigs on Fiverr?. Maybe you should look into smaller sites like Deshikaj that are popular in certain areas.

In this guide we will tell you about the places to find freelancing work. We will look at how much it costs to use each site what it is like to use them who they are for and the good and bad things about each one. We will help you find the online workplace for you, a place where you can do your freelancing work, like Upwork or Fiverr or Deshikaj and be happy, with your choice.



## 1. Upwork: The Professional’s Playground

When you think of freelancing Upwork is usually the name that comes to mind. Upwork was formed from the merger of Elance and oDesk. Over time Upwork has grown into a company that lots of other companies like to work with. Upwork is set up to work like a hiring process. This makes Upwork a great place for businesses to find freelancers for projects that need to be done over a long time. Upwork is also good for projects that have parts and need to be done in stages. Upwork is really good, for these kinds of projects.

### How Upwork Works

Upwork is a place where people who need work done called clients write down what they need help with. Then people who want to do the work called freelancers send them a letter some examples of their work and a price for the job. The freelancers use something called Connects to say they want to do a job. Upwork has two ways that freelancers can get paid. One way is when they work by the hour and use a program, on their computer to track their time. The other way is when they do a task and get paid when it is finished. Upwork helps make this happen.

### The Good Things About Upwork

* **Good Clients:** Upwork has clients from companies and startups that are looking for the best people to do software development, legal work, money analysis and marketing.

* **Working Together For A Long Time:** The website is made so that people can keep working. If you find a client you can work with them for many years.

* **Getting Paid For Your Work:** Upwork has a system that tracks the hours you work and a way to pay for a fixed price. This means you will get paid for the work you do.

* **Simple Fees:** Upwork now just charges a fee of 10 percent on what freelancers earn. This is better, than the way they did it.

### The Downsides of Upwork

* **Lots of Competition:** It is really hard to get your job on Upwork. You have to compete with millions of freelancers who already have a lot of experience and great reviews from clients.

* **Applying for Jobs Costs Money:** When you want to apply for a job on Upwork you have to buy something called "Connects". This means that freelancers basically have to pay to apply for jobs, which's a big problem, for people who are just starting out and do not have a lot of money to spend on Upwork.

### Who is Upwork Best For?

  • Upwork is best for pros who have worked for a time.
  • These pros could be consultants or agencies.
  • They like working with clients for a time.
  • They do not mind taking time to write custom proposals, for each job.



## 2. Fiverr: The Place Where You Can Buy Services

If you think of Upwork as a job board then Fiverr is like a big store where people sell their skills. Fiverr started with the idea that everything costs five dollars.. Now it is a really good place where people can buy and sell services. The best sellers on Fiverr make a lot of money six figures a year.

### How Fiverr Works

On Fiverr things work a bit differently. Of people looking for work posting their resumes the people selling services say what they can do. They make what are called Gigs. A Gig is like a package that says what you will get how long it will take and how much it will cost. Then people who need something done can look around the Fiverr website search for what they need, like a logo or someone to write a blog and buy the service they want with just one click. Fiverr is a marketplace where people can buy services from freelancers who create these Gigs. Fiverr makes it easy for people to find what they need.

### The Good Things About Fiverr

* **Getting Clients Without Trying:** When you make your service on Fiverr look good and it starts to show up in search results clients will find you. You do not have to waste time writing letters to try to get clients.

* **Knowing What to Expect:** Because you say what the client gets when they buy your service it is easier to deal with clients who want more work for free. You can just point to what you said.

* **Fiverr Pro:** For good professionals Fiverr Pro is a special group where you can sell your services for a lot of money like hundreds or thousands of dollars and people know they are getting high quality work, from Fiverr Pro.

### The Things About Fiverr

* **Fiverr Takes A Big Cut:** Fiverr takes twenty percent of what the freelancer earns. They also charge the buyer a fee for using the service. This makes Fiverr very expensive for everyone.

* **You Have To Please The Algorithm:** If the Fiverr algorithm does not like your work it can stop showing your services to people. This means you can wake up one day and have no work all.

* **You Have To Be On Time:** Freelancers have to answer messages and finish work on time. If you are late or do work people will leave bad reviews and this will hurt your Fiverr profile.

### Who Should Use Fiverr

Fiverr is great for people who're creative like graphic designers and video editors and voice-over artists. It is also good for people who can do the job many times like making a product that people can buy over and over. Fiverr is perfect, for these kinds of people because they can make packages of their services that're easy to buy and use.

---

## 3. Deshikaj: The Rising Local Star

You know while big global companies get all the attention something cool is happening with platforms. Take **Deshikaj** for example. It basically means "Local Work" in Bengali. This platform is really making waves in Bangladesh. Is quickly growing in South Asia. Deshikaj helps connect standards with what works locally.

### How Deshikaj Works

So Deshikaj is a bit like a mix of a marketplace and a job board. Local businesses can post jobs in English and their own language. At the time international clients can hire people from South Asia directly. They work with a group of people from South Asia who have been checked and verified. This way clients avoid the fees that Western platforms charge. Deshikaj is about making it easier for local businesses to work with clients from, around the world.

### The Pros of Deshikaj

* **Localized Payment Gateways:** A big problem for freelancers in developing countries is getting paid. Deshikaj works well with mobile financial services like bKash, Nagad and direct bank transfers. This way they do not have to pay fees for PayPal or Payoneer.

* **Lower Fees:** Deshikaj helps workers by charging low commission rates usually between 5% to 8%. This means freelancers get to keep more of their money.

* **Cultural Context:** Deshikaj knows the market. It offers customer support and dispute resolution that understands how things work in the region.

* **Community Support:** Deshikaj is not a platform. It is a community that offers skill-development webinars, local meetups and mentorship programs for young people, in the IT sector. Deshikaj supports its community.

### The Downsides of Deshikaj

* **Not So Big Worldwide:** Deshikaj is still. It does not have as many big clients as Upwork or Toptal do.

* **Limited To Certain Areas:** If you need someone who speaks English like a native or a lawyer from Western Europe then Deshikaj is not the place to go.

### Who Is Deshikaj Really Good For?

Deshikaj is a place for people from Bangladesh and South Asia who want to work as freelancers without paying a lot of money to the platform. It is also very good for medium sized businesses in the area who want to hire people with skills.. For clients, from other countries who want to work with talented people from this region in a fair and honest way Deshikaj is a good choice.

---

## 4. Other Notable Platforms like Toptal, Freelancer.com and Guru

There are platforms beyond the big ones we've talked about. They serve areas in the freelance world.

### Toptal

Toptal says it's the home of the best freelance talent the 3%.

* **The Feel:** It's very exclusive and for businesses.

* **How it Works:** Freelancers have to pass tests on language, personality and technical skills. This includes coding and reviews of their work. Once they pass they're matched with clients like Motorola, Bridgestone and Duolingo.

* **Best For:** software developers, top financial experts and high-level project managers.

### Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com is one of the oldest platforms, on the internet. It uses a bidding system. Contests a lot.

* **The Vibe:** This place is like a market with people from all over the world. It is busy and a little crazy.

* **How it Works:** People who need work done post jobs and freelancers try to offer the price to get the job.. People post contests like a contest to design a logo and many freelancers do the work but only one gets paid.

* **Best For:** This is good for people who do not have a lot of money to spend or for freelancers who want to build a portfolio by doing contests.. Most professionals do not like doing work without knowing if they will get paid.

### Guru

Guru is a kind of platform. It is quieter and more serious. It is focused on working with agencies and teams.

* **The Vibe:** Guru is professional and easy to understand. It is not dramatic or crazy.

* **Best For:** Freelancers who want to pay less to use the platform will like Guru. They can get a membership that lowers the fees they have to pay. Guru is also good for people who want to work in a traditional business environment without all the games and competition of other platforms, like Upwork.

---

## Head-, to-Head Comparison: Which Should You Choose?

I will help you decide by comparing the factors of each platform:

### 1. Fee Structure

* **Upwork:** They charge a 10 percent on all your earnings. You also have to pay to apply for connects.

* **Fiverr:** They take a 20 percent fee from you and the buyer also pays a service fee.

* **Deshikaj:** They offer a fee of 5 to 8 percent and you do not pay any withdrawal fees if you use local mobile banking.

* **Toptal:** You do not pay any fees; Toptal charges the client after marking up your rate.

### 2. Client Acquisition Strategy

* **Active Pitching:** I use Upwork and Freelancer.com and Guru to find clients. I have to sell myself to them all the time.

* **Passive Discovery:** I also use Fiverr. This is where I make a profile and clients come to me.

* **Hybrid / Assisted:** Then there is Deshikaj and Toptal. These are, like a mix of looking for jobs and having someone help me find the right Client Acquisition Strategy. I mean Client Acquisition Strategy is what I am talking about here so I will use Client Acquisition Strategy to get clients.

### 3. Ease of Entry

* **Easiest:** Fiverr, Freelancer.com. These websites are super easy to join. Anyone can make an account on Fiverr and Freelancer.com in 5 minutes.

* **Moderate:** Upwork, Deshikaj. These are a bit harder to get into. You need to get your profile approved on Upwork and Deshikaj. You also need to verify who you are.. You have to have a professional portfolio, on Upwork and Deshikaj.

* **Hardest:** Toptal. This one is really tough to get into. Toptal has a process that takes many weeks and they are very picky. 97 Percent of people who try to join Toptal do not get in.

---

## How to Do Well: Good Advice for 2026

No which website you use, working for yourself needs a plan. Here are some good tips to help you be different:

1. **Find Your Special Thing:** Saying "I am a writer" is not enough anymore. Saying "I am a writer who helps businesses make words for computers that think" will get you a job. People who are really good at one thing can charge money than people who do a little bit of everything.

2. **Make Your Words Easy to Find:** Whether it is the title of your Upwork page or the words you use to describe what you do on Fiverr use the words that the people who might hire you are searching for.

3. **Be Known Outside of One Website:** Do not put all your work in one place. Use LinkedIn or Twitter to send people to your Upwork page or your Deshikaj portfolio.

4. **Talk to People Well:** Most of working for yourself is about being nice to customers. Answering people quickly being clear about what you will do and being polite will get you more work from the people again than just being really good, at what you do.

---

## Asked Questions (FAQs)

**Q: Can I use multiple freelancing platforms at the same time?**

A: Yes I can use multiple freelancing platforms at the same time. Many successful freelancers use Fiverr for income through productized gigs and also use Fiverr to get more clients. They also use Upwork or Deshikaj to pitch for ticket long-term clients on Upwork or Deshikaj. I just need to make sure I can manage the communication across all the freelancing platforms I use.

**Q: Is freelancing safe? Will I get paid?**

A: Yes freelancing is safe if I keep my communications and payments inside the freelancing platforms. Upwork and Fiverr and Deshikaj all use Escrow systems. This means the client puts the money in before I start working on the project. So I will get paid once I deliver the work I agreed to do on the freelancing platforms.

**Q: Which platform's best for beginners?**

A: Fiverr is great for beginners because I do not have to write complex proposals on Fiverr. Deshikaj is also good for beginners because Deshikaj is a platform that is welcoming to local beginners. Deshikaj has global competition and more localized support for beginners who use Deshikaj.

---

## The Final Verdict

There is no best freelancing platform. Only the best freelancing platform, for my specific needs. I need to find the freelancing platform for my needs.

* If you are a worker looking for long-term well-paying jobs with big companies and do not mind searching for work choose **Upwork**.

* If you offer specific services such as logo design or video editing and want customers to find you choose **Fiverr**.

* If you are from South Asia, Bangladesh want to avoid high platform fees prefer easy local payments and want to be part of a growing community choose **Deshikaj**.

* If you are one of the best in your field and want to work with big enterprise clients choose **Toptal**.

The way we work is changing. It is now more remote, flexible and not controlled by one company. Pick a platform that fits how you work make your profile good. Start building your own career today.

**What is your favorite freelancing platform? What has your experience been like? Share with us in the comments, below!**

Tags

best freelancing platforms Upwork vs Fiverr Deshikaj review top freelance websites hire freelancers online freelance marketplace comparison make money freelancing

Categories (15)

Share This Article