Starting a freelance career begins with choosing the right freelance platform. Among hundreds of freelance websites, Upwork and Fiverr are at the top. Having a vast client base, a good reputation, and years of success, both platforms are great to start with.

While both platforms outperform each other in specific ways, we'll look at a few reasons why Upwork is a better option.

1. Easy Availability of Jobs

Having created your account on Upwork, you can browse all the available jobs on the platform, narrow them down using filters based on your skillset and experience, and apply for them as per your convenience and choice.

Upwork uses “connects” when applying for a job, which you either get free of charge during sign-up or you can buy at a low price. As long as you have "connects," you can apply for as many jobs as possible. Check out this article to know more about connects on Upwork.

Fiverr is different from Upwork in that clients approach you directly rather than you reaching out to them. Although there is a dedicated buyer's request section where you can view the available projects, those are limited. Moreover, depending on the authority of your gig, you may see a limited number of requests at one time, or you may not see any at all.

Therefore, considering the availability of jobs and the ease of applying for them without any limitations, Upwork is at the top following the defeat of Fiverr.

2. Consistency of Winning Clients

With the ability to apply for hundreds of jobs every day, Upwork makes it easy for you to reach out to new clients and get hired consistently. With a properly configured profile, focusing on clients relevant to your expertise, an extraordinary portfolio on your back, and knowing how to craft engaging proposals, it's impossible not to have projects to work on.

In contrast, you will continue to receive projects as long as your gigs rank on Fiverr. You will start losing clients the day your gig starts to de-rank. You will struggle to get a single project when your gigs disappear from Fiverr's first page.

Despite this, you will still be able to apply at the buyer's request, but the primary source of organic traffic on gigs will disappear. Thus, your organic order will be halted unless your gigs start to rank again.

Upwork makes it easier to reach out to new clients and find jobs by putting in the best efforts, while on Fiverr, everything depends on whether the Fiverr algorithm works in your favor. That makes Upwork a better option for consistent work.

3. Flexible Pricing Control and Lower Commission

Upwork gives freelancers and clients greater control over the pricing. Your client can either pay you for the whole project at once or split the project into smaller milestones and fund each one individually. As an added convenience, clients can also hire you on hourly pay.

Fiverr also allows you to offer custom orders or better control your pricing by providing different packages. However, unlike Upwork, Fiverr does not support hourly payment, making it extremely difficult for freelancers and clients to track hours accurately and gauge project prices accordingly.

Further, Fiverr charges more commission to clients, rated at five percent than three percent on Upwork. Meanwhile, Fiverr deducts 20 percent from freelancers' earnings, while this amount varies on Upwork from 5-20 percent, depending on your total earnings from a particular client.

Upwork also has a desktop app that makes tracking freelance working hours a breeze.

4. High Security for Sellers

Compared to Fiverr, Upwork is a safer and more secure workplace. Applicants on Upwork can easily see the history of clients and all feedback they have received from other service providers. Furthermore, one can see if their payment method has been verified and track their hiring rate to date.

This gives us a clear picture of whether the client is worth working with. In addition, the decision to accept a project and work on it rests with you. Even if you reject a project, it will not affect your profile or ranking in any way.

However, on Fiverr, anyone can reach out to you and order your gig without speaking with you. Canceling the order decreases your order completion rate. Being one of the major ranking factors, a low order completion rate results in your gig falling in rankings. Scammers can easily take advantage of this loophole to beat you in rankings.

Thanks to increased security and transparency on Upwork, it's easier to filter the right people to work with, which isn't possible on Fiverr. Check out our article on how safe the Upwork is and which scams you should look for while working on the platform.

5. Long-Term Relationship Building

Fiverr is a better platform for short-term hiring, while Upwork is preferred for longer-term projects.

Using Upwork, clients can set their hourly rate with freelancers, gauge the working hours spent by the freelancers on the project, and comfortably pay them. In turn, this supports a long-term relationship between both parties.

Fiverr does not offer hourly payment on its platform, making long-term work difficult for freelancers and clients alike. It is true that Fiverr has announced Subscriptions in 2021, which can help in building long-term relationships, but does not match the flexibility and support provided by Upwork for both parties to work on a long-term basis.

So, if you're looking for a long-term contract with a client, Upwork would be a better choice.

6. Less Algorithmic Dependence

Fiverr ranks gigs based on the keywords clients search for when landing on the site. Fiverr's algorithm decides whether your gig will rank on the first page, which is the primary source of your organic orders. Even though you can optimize your gig to meet Fiverr's guidelines, there is no guarantee that your gig will rank.

Moreover, how many buyer's requests you'll see to apply for also depends on Fiverr's algorithm. As a result of this significant dependence on the Fiverr algorithm, you will have to put in additional effort to maintain your ranking and receive more buyer requests.

There is also the organic ranking of profiles on Upwork that increases your chances of getting direct orders, but most clients prefer to list the jobs so that everybody has an opportunity to apply. Additionally, with so many jobs available on the platform, it doesn't matter whether your Upwork profile ranks organically or not.

Thus, with less dependence on the algorithm, you have a greater chance of succeeding on Upwork. However, if you are still interested in trying out Fiverr, check out our article on how to get started on Fiverr and list your first gig.

Choose Upwork to Succeed as a Freelancer

Upwork is a far better choice than Fiverr in many ways. Even so, starting on Upwork is still challenging because of the competition. To outperform your competitors, you will have to keep polishing your skills. When you build your authority on the platform, things will become easier.

As a freelancer, you can work for a few years. However, your best efforts should always be focused on becoming an entrepreneur.