Upwork (formerly oDesk) is a community that brings together contract workers and employers. The company has been in business since 2003, and now serves hundreds of thousands of clients all around the world.
They boast more than 12 million freelancers ready to bid on your job.
Table of Contents
About Upwork
In late 2013, Elance and oDesk actually merged into one company, but continued to operate separate freelance marketplaces. Then, in 2015, they rebranded oDesk to Upwork.
I’m not sure why they made the change since 0Desk was a well-established brand with a solid reputation in the industry, but their official press documents said it was to help businesses connect with great talent faster than ever before, collaborate in larger teams, and fuel growing companies.
Why they couldn’t have done that under the old name, I have no idea.
Services
While Upwork / oDesk was primarily known as a place to find programmers, it is also a great place to find a virtual assistant, and administrative support is one of their fastest growing categories.
I found over 5000 matches for a recent Upwork search for “virtual assistant”.
Plans and Pricing
Upwork has no sign-up fees to access their network of freelance virtual assistant service providers. In fact, you can create an account, post your requirements, and have workers bidding for the job within a few minutes.
The company makes money by taking a fee from the contract price of the work. That means if you agree to pay an Upwork virtual assistant $500 for 100 hours worth of work (not an uncommon price!), they are really collecting slightly less than that.
Upwork Review
The Upwork system offers the benefits you’d expect from this type of marketplace, including feedback mechanisms and dispute resolution.
One thing that sets Upwork apart is their monitoring software. (Note: Elance has since implemented similar “Workview” software.) Some say it’s a little Big Brother-ish, but others swear by it because it makes sure the work that is paid for is the work that gets done.
The software, which workers turn on when they begin a job, tracks keystroke volume, takes screenshots at certain time intervals, and even has an optional webcam feature. If you’re wary about hiring a remote virtual assistant, it can definitely help overcome some of the fear of not being able to manage their working hours effectively.
A Global Minimum Wage?
In 2014, Upwork introduced a $3/hour minimum wage. Yes, it’s still absurdly low by Western standards, but it does prevent even lower bids from new overseas workers in developing economies.
When searching for virtual assistants on Upwork, pay close attention to their account history. How long have they been working? What does their feedback say about their work?
Another thing to look for is to match the virtual assistant’s specific skill set to the tasks you need done. Everyone has certain specialties, so seek out those who have good ratings in the areas you need the most help with. Alternatively, you can post your own job requirements and have workers bid on them.
Upwork Alternatives
There are several other freelance platforms you might consider testing out, including specialized services for graphic design, content writing, and technical support.
| FreeeUp | Upwork | Fiverr | OnlineJobs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Established | 2015 | 1999 | 2010 | 2008 |
| Location | Worldwide, w/ concentration in USA and Philippines | Worldwide | Worldwide | Philippines |
| Customer Rating | ||||
| Size of Talent Pool | Thousands | 12 million | 830,000 | 250,000 |
| Hourly Rate | $5-75+ | $3-100+ | $3-100+ | $3-20+ |
| Platform Fee | 15% | 5-20% | 20% + processing fee | $69 a month |
| Worker Tracking | (optional) |
|||
| Pre-Screened Freelancers | (w/ Fiverr Pro) |
|||
| Best For | Quick hires, e-commerce | One-off projects | Smaller jobs | Affordable full-time help |
| Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More |
My favorite other broad-focused freelance site is Fiverr, primarily because you can just select the freelancer you want to work with directly, without sifting through dozens of applications. But it’s definitely better for smaller jobs where there’s less money on the line.
Related: Upwork vs. Fiverr: Which Marketplace is Best to Find an Awesome Freelancer?
For ongoing employment, you might consider OnlineJobs.ph, the largest job board in the Philippines with a huge database of qualified workers.
Related: My in-depth comparison between Upwork and OnlineJobs.
Your Turn
Have you worked with Upwork? Please share your experience below.
Read More
The Great Assistant program is run by Tim Francis, founder of the Profit Factory. The Profit Factory have a range of services for full-time entrepreneurs who are seeking to work smarter in their businesses using tools like 80/20, Scrum, Systems, and Kobe.
I spoke with Karthikeyan Velan, Weratoon’s a co-founder and the Head of Operations. He has a Masters in Business Administration and has worked for large companies in the US and Australia, as well as working as a freelancer.
The company is headed-up and run by Mohibul Bhuiyan, along with a small but growing team of experienced virtual assistants in Bangladesh. Their target customers are real estate professionals, attorneys, credit companies, insurance companies, and companies in need of data entry support.
The company was founded by content marketing specialist Anfernee Chansamooth. Their target customers are, in his own words, “B2B service providers, online entrepreneurs and professional services.” The ideal SCM client is typically generating $100k+ revenue, and is “too busy to create their own content consistently but too small to hire in-house writing team.”
The company was founded by Donald T. Spann in October, 2014. He decided to start Vicky Virtual when he realized he was losing sales through not having someone on hand to answer calls when he was busy.
Their virtual assistants all work out of their offices in Antipolo. Unlike some companies that rely solely on assistants based from their homes, this enables 2nd Office to assign managers to oversee their assistants and provide an additional point of contact.
