Upwork vs Fiverr vs Freelancer.com fees
Rates verified August 3, 2026
Quick answer
Upwork charges 0-15% per contract (most freelancers pay about 10%), plus $0.15 per Connect spent bidding. Fiverr takes a flat 20% of everything, including tips. Freelancer.com charges 10% or $5, whichever is greater, which makes it the most expensive option on small projects and competitive on large ones. For a typical $1,000 project you keep about $900 on Upwork, $800 on Fiverr, and $900 on Freelancer.com.
Enter your project amount
See what you'd keep on each platform, ranked.
Assumes a typical 10% Upwork contract with no Connects spent, Fiverr via PayPal withdrawal, and Freelancer.com on the free plan where the $5 minimum applies. Change any of these on the individual calculators.
What you keep, by project size
| Project | Upwork | Fiverr | Freelancer.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50.00 | $45.00-10% | $40.00-20% | $45.00-10% |
| $250.00 | $225.00-10% | $200.00-20% | $225.00-10% |
| $1,000.00 | $900.00-10% | $800.00-20% | $900.00-10% |
| $5,000.00 | $4,500.00-10% | $4,000.00-20% | $4,500.00-10% |
Upwork shown at a typical 10% contract with no Connects spent. Fiverr via PayPal withdrawal. Freelancer.com on the free plan, where the $5 minimum applies.
The $50 project tells you everything
At $50 the three platforms diverge sharply. Upwork's percentage fee stays proportional, Fiverr's flat 20% is predictable, and Freelancer.com's $5 minimum equals a 10% rate exactly at this point, then gets worse with every dollar below it. Small jobs are where platform choice actually changes your income; on a $5,000 contract the percentages converge and other factors matter more.
Headline rates leave things out
Upwork's Connects are a real cost that no percentage captures: twenty proposals at six Connects each is $18 spent to win one job. Freelancer.com adds bid credits, membership and withdrawal charges that bring the practical cost to 12-18% for active bidders. Fiverr's 20% is the most honest headline of the three, but non-USD sellers lose a further 2-3% converting currency on withdrawal.
Frequently asked questions
Which freelance platform has the lowest fees?
Upwork, for most contracts. Its typical 10% service fee is half Fiverr's flat 20%, and it has no equivalent of Freelancer.com's $5 minimum. The caveat is Connects, at $0.15 each, spent whether or not you win, so heavy bidding narrows the gap.
How much does Fiverr take compared to Upwork?
Fiverr takes a flat 20% of everything including tips and extras. Upwork charges 0-15% per contract, with most freelancers around 10%. On a $1,000 project that is roughly $200 to Fiverr against $100 to Upwork.
Why is Freelancer.com so expensive on small projects?
Because it charges 10% or $5, whichever is greater. On a $30 project the $5 minimum applies, which is an effective rate of 16.7%. At $20 it becomes 25%. The percentage only takes over above $50.
Do these platforms charge the client as well?
Yes, and it affects you indirectly. Buyer-side fees reduce what clients are willing to pay, so the effective take can be meaningfully higher than the seller-side percentage alone suggests.
Which platform is best for small one-off jobs?
Fiverr or Upwork. Freelancer.com's $5 minimum makes small projects disproportionately expensive, so it suits larger fixed-price contracts better than quick jobs.