Did you know that since 2014, the freelance workforce growth has outpaced the overall U.S. workforce growth by 3x?
With stats like this, it’s no surprise that freelancers will make up the majority of the workforce within the next decade. Especially with nearly half of millennials already freelancing.
Those already working as a freelancer are well-prepared for the future, which seems to be shifting to remote work. However, finding freelance jobs is where many freelancers run into a problem with maintaining a steady income.
It’s easy to find low-paying work, but that defeats the purpose of becoming your own boss. The idea alone of working for an employer to earn more is enough to push some freelancers back into the corporate hustle and bustle.
So to avoid this from happening to you, it’s essential to learn of the top freelance websites that offer high paying jobs.
In this article, we’re going to focus on how you can gain both freedom in time and money to live the lifestyle you want.
Let’s get started.
Which Freelance Jobs Pay the Most?
There are dozens of freelance jobs you can pursue and earn a great living. Unfortunately, a lot of freelancers sell themselves short due to lack of knowledge.
While you don’t want to embark on a freelance career solely on salary expectations, you should make a sound business decision based on the potential earnings for the field you’re considering.
If you do a little research, you’ll find that freelancers typically earn 2x or more in salary than working for a company.
For example, two of the highest paid freelancers today are programmers and software developers, who can earn upwards of $1,000/hr.
This is very well possible for experienced coders, but for the beginners, you may start around somewhere like $150/hr, which is still great.
Other high-paying freelance careers you can go after include:
- Web design and development – $5,000+/mo
- Content marketing/writing – $5,000/mo or more
- Graphic design – $85/hr
- Copywriters – $250/hr
- Video editors – $72,000 to $122,000 per year
- Social media managers – $31,000 to $74,000 per year
- Trade, property and privacy law – $115/mo or more
- Network analysis – $200/hr
- Data processing – $100/hr
- Algorithm development – $100/hr
- Natural language processing – $100/hr
- Cloud computing – $125/hr
As you can see, a lot of the highest paid freelancers are within the technology and internet industries. However, this is not an all-inclusive list.
You can find freelance jobs as a tutor, editor, transcriptionist, artist, photographer, virtual assistant, and voice actor. So do your research to see what the freelance market (and pay) is like for the skills/knowledge you have.
Base your decision on your findings. Then you can use the following freelance websites for finding high-paying freelance jobs.
1. Upwork
Upwork is a job site geared towards freelancers. If you’ve been in the freelance industry for a while, then you may remember oDesk and Elance.
Well, these two got married (merged) and had a baby – Upwork. Today, it’s grown into one of the top go-to job sites for freelancers.
You can create your own profile and charge the rates you feel you’re worth. The competition is fierce due to it being a global platform.
It has over 12 million freelancers, 5 million clients, and around 3 million jobs posted annually.
There are multiple fields to apply in, including
IT & Networking, writing, web development, software development, design, admin support, customer service, sales and marketing, translation, marketing, accounting and consulting, legal, and engineering/architecture.
Clients can reach out to you via your profile and you can look for work posted by client members.
2. Fiverr
Back in the day, Fiverr was repulsive to freelancers looking to make a living wage. The idea of doing any task for a measly $5 sounds awful.
However, the site’s come a long way since then. Now, you can find freelancers on there charging industry rates for web design, writing, marketing, design, music, video, lifestyle, business, and so on.
You create your own freelancer profile and can post your rate and apply for gigs (some of which are ongoing).
3. Indeed
We can’t go through this list without naming one of the leading sites for both freelancers and traditional job seekers. The beauty of Indeed is that it allows you to search for work across numerous job boards.
Back in the day, you had to create accounts with and search through listings submitted to specific sites, such as CareerBuilder and Monster.
However, with Indeed, you don’t have to create an account (although it does help) and you can search for any job anywhere, including freelance positions and gigs.
You’ll find a variety of freelance jobs posted here that pay industry rates. You just have to perfect your job search skills to include words like remote, work at home, and freelance.
There’s an advanced search you can use to focus solely on remote positions. Also, you can upload your resume so you can easily apply to jobs at the press of a button.
You can only do this on listings with the “Indeed Apply” feature activated.
4. FlexJobs
Here’s another job website dedicated to freelance workers. It’s filled with listings for freelance, part-time, remote, and flexible jobs.
Now, it’s important to note the difference between remote and freelance. Remote work simply means you’re working from home, however, you still may receive an hourly wage and 40-hour workweek.
Freelance, on the other hand, is when you set the parameters for your work hours. Some freelance gigs are one-time, short-term, or long-term.
Also, remote workers are sometimes hired as employees with benefits. You don’t get this when you’re a freelancer since you’re a contractor.
FlexJobs does a great job of avoiding scam listings since they research the gigs thoroughly before posting them. Also, the job board isn’t free and starts at $14.95/mo.
Yet, you’re able to give it a test run with its free trial. Use this to determine if there’s a lot of positions available in your freelance niche.
When you become a member, you also get discounts and deals from companies like Dell, Costco, Resumedeli, and GoToMeeting.
5. ClearVoice
If you’re a freelance writer, Clearvoice is a great job site to sign up to. You set your own rates, which is typically $75 or above for a 1,000-word blog post.
You receive emails once a new opportunity opens up and you have the option to apply. In order to get a profile on this site, you have to take a writing test to prove you’re awesome at what you do.
Then you have to fill out your profile with your first name, bio, headshot, and rate breakdown.
Then you can make a portfolio showcasing your work. Clients that sign up with the site can send you pitch requests and post opportunities for you to apply to.
Many of gigs are top-dollar, but the gigs come far and few in between. Yet, it’s a great place to get experience and grow your brand as a freelance writer.
There are no fees associated with using this site – the client pays a membership fee. So you get every dime.
6. nDash
Here’s another one for the freelance writers – this site is easier to get into. All you need is to set up your profile with samples and fill out your bio, add a headshot, samples, and your pay scale.
This site is a bit different in that you send out pitches to a large network of companies looking to pay top-dollar for top-performing writers.
Plus there are pitch requests and assignments posted by companies that you can apply to.
This site is another great way to break into the higher-paying writing gigs.
It’s also worth noting that nDash charges a fee to clients, not its writers, which means more money in your pocket.
7. Freelancer
If you like the idea of posting a profile on a major job board with millions of projects available, then Freelancer is worth checking out.
This platform is versatile in the type of industries you can find work in. This includes internet marketing, mobile app development, SEO, web design, graphic design, 3D modeling, data entry, translation, writing, software development, and more.
You can browse through the job board and apply to gigs. Plus, clients can reach out to you via your profile if they’re interested in interviewing you.
One downside to this site is you only can submit 8 applications before having to pay a membership fee. Then there’s a project fee that takes 3% to 5% of your commission.
8. Guru
You don’t have to be a guru at what you do to find success on this site. Guru is a site designed for the 3+ million freelancers on their platform.
It’s worth noting that you’ll have a better chance of finding work if you have experience in your industry.
The setup makes it easy for you to create a profile showing you’re an expert (or at least exceptional). Like with Freelancer, you get a certain number of applications you can submit before paying a fee.
The project fee is also higher at 9% of your commission. But with the high rates you can charge, this shouldn’t hurt your wallet too much.
Getting Hired On Freelance Websites for High-Paying Jobs
You want to become free with a freelance career. But at the same time, you also want to get paid your worth.
The only way to do this is to set your hourly or per project rate at prices and stick to them, no matter what. Sure, you can negotiate, but don’t drop too low to where you have to rush through the job to make a decent hourly wage.
Turning in a half-baked project will only hurt your reputation, which is everything for a freelancer. Just be sure to have a quality invoicing system handy to ensure you’re paid on time.
So are you ready to get started earning a high-income as a freelancer? Then give these freelance websites a try and let us know all about your newfound success!