Cornerstone · Fees
Freelance platform fee comparison: Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, Toptal, PeoplePerHour
Upwork fee conflict (flagged). Upwork’s client pricing page (checked Nov 5, 2026) leads with Basic 5% (or 3% for eligible U.S. checking-account payers) and Business Plus 10% (or 8% with the bank discount), plus Contract Initiation Fees. Some FAQ/schema blocks on the same page still mention 7.99%. We treat the hero/examples 5% / 10% as the current public headline and mark 7.99% as conflicting; your checkout is authoritative. Re-checked Nov 9, 2026: the conflict is still live — the pricing page still shows 5%/10% in its plan cards and examples, while Upwork Help’s Client Marketplace Fee article still says Basic clients pay “up to 7.99%” (3% with the eligible U.S. bank discount). Treat 5% as the published headline and 7.99% as a possible ceiling until Upwork reconciles the two.
Read this first. Platform fees change. Memberships, payment method, geography, contract type, FX, taxes, withdrawal fees, and optional upgrades can all move the real total. The table below is a starting map, not a quote. Always re-check the official fee page before you budget a hire.
At a glance
| Platform | What clients typically pay | What freelancers typically pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upwork | Basic plan Client Marketplace Fee 5% (pricing-page headline) on payments to freelancers; eligible U.S. bank-account payers may pay 3%. Business Plus listed at 10% (or 8% for eligible U.S. checking-account payers). | Freelancer Service Fee 0%–15% per contract (shown before you accept; locked once the contract begins). | Client fee is stated as non-refundable even if a payment is reversed. Connects/membership costs are separate. |
| Fiverr | Service fee 5.5% of purchase amount, plus $3.50 on orders under $200. Each separate payment (extra, tip) gets its own fee. | Freelancers earn 80% of the purchase amount (platform keeps ~20%), including extras and tips. | Clearing period before withdrawal (help pages cite 14 days; shorter for some levels). Early Payout may add a fee. Pro plans: Fiverr Pro pricing for buyers. |
| Freelancer.com | Fixed-price project fee 3% or $3 (whichever greater) at award; hourly 3% per payment. Optional upgrades extra. | Fixed-price 10% or $5 (whichever greater); hourly 10% per payment. Preferred Freelancer Recruiter projects: 15%. | Transaction, withdrawal, membership, verification, and arbitration fees can add cost. Membership deep dive: Freelancer.com membership plans. Milestone Payment System holds funds until release. |
| Toptal | Published: $79/month platform subscription if you proceed with matching; talent billed at quoted rates (no public rate card). Trial of up to two weeks; unsatisfied means unbilled for that trial period per FAQ. | Not published as a simple % marketplace fee. Talent compensation is arranged through Toptal. | Do not treat third-party “average hourly rate” blogs as official. Ask Toptal for a written quote. Deep dive: Toptal fees explained. |
| Workana | Service cost 4.5% (min $2) on contracts; processing fees extra. Max clients: 0% client commission ($299/yr or $199/6 mo). | Relationship tiers per client (USD): 20% $0–$300; 10% $301–$3000; 5% above $3000. | Deep dive: Workana fees explained. |
| 99designs | 1-to-1 Projects: fixed 5% client platform fee on each project. | Platform fee by level: 15% Entry / 10% Mid / 5% Top, plus a new-client introduction fee of 20% of the first $500 (max $100) unless waived. | Deep dive: 99designs fees explained. |
| Malt | Plan % on freelancer invoice excl. tax: headline Starter 10% / Advanced 15% / Enterprise custom; regional tables differ (e.g. Belgium 5%/9%). | Official Help disagrees: newer freelancer article says 5% excl. tax (FR/ES/BE sometimes 10%→5%); older client article lists 10%/5%/2%. Use quote screen. | Deep dive: Malt fees explained. |
| PeoplePerHour | Most methods: £0.60 + 10%. Bank transfer: 0% Gold / 2.5% Silver (Premium Programme members, as of 3 Apr 2019). | Service fee on earnings by lifetime billing per buyer: 20% below £250 (or $350 / €300); 7.5% to £5,000 (or $7,000 / €6,000); 3.5% above that (excl. VAT). Min service fee £1 / $1.40 / €1.20 per invoice. | Bands are lifetime per buyer relationship. Deep dive: PeoplePerHour fees explained. |
| Guru.com | No separate client marketplace % on the freelancer pricing page. Employers may contribute up to 5% toward the freelancer’s job fee. Other client-side fees may appear in the Terms (not independently loaded on this check). | Job fee on each paid invoice: Basic and Basic+ 9%; Professional 7%; Business 6%; Executive 5%. Paid plans $11.95–$49.95/month (less per month if billed annually). | Deep dive: Guru.com fees explained. |
How to think about “total cost”
- Separate client fees from freelancer fees. A 20% seller commission is not the same as a 5.5% buyer service fee — both can apply on the same order.
- Watch fixed add-ons on small jobs. Fiverr’s $3.50 under-$200 fee hits short logos harder than a $2,000 build.
- Membership and connects are not free. Upwork Connects and Freelancer memberships/upgrades change effective cost before a contract exists. See Upwork Connects cost explained and Freelancer.com membership plans. Fiverr Pro buyer plans: Fiverr Pro pricing for buyers.
- Withdrawal, FX, and tax can exceed the headline % on cross-border work.
- Screened networks price differently. Toptal’s cost is mostly the talent rate you are quoted, not a transparent marketplace take-rate.
Worked examples (illustrative only)
Assume a $500 fixed-scope design job, no upgrades, no FX, no tax. These are arithmetic illustrations from the sourced headline rates — not invoices.
- Fiverr: Client pays ~$500 + 5.5% + $3.50 ≈ $531. Freelancer receives 80% of $500 = $400 before withdrawal/clearing.
- Freelancer.com: Client project fee max(3% of $500, $3) = $15. Freelancer fee max(10% of $500, $5) = $50.
- Upwork: Depends on plan and the freelancer’s locked service-fee %. Example only: Basic client at 5% pays ~$25 on $500; a freelancer at 10% keeps $450 of $500 billed. Re-check the offer screen for the live %.
- PeoplePerHour: On a first £500 relationship, illustrative blended freelancer fee is £250 × 20% + £250 × 7.5% = £68.75 (keeps £431.25 before VAT/withdrawal). If the listed 10% buyer fee applies to that £500 invoice: £0.60 + £50 = £50.60. Deep dive: PeoplePerHour fees explained.
- Guru.com: On a $500 invoice with no fee-share, Basic 9% is a $45 job fee (freelancer keeps $455); Executive 5% is $25. Deep dive: Guru.com fees explained.
- Toptal: $79 subscription + quoted talent rate. No honest single-% comparison without a quote.
- Workana: Client ~$22.50 service cost on $500 (4.5%); freelancer at opening 20% band keeps $400 before withdrawal.
- 99designs: First 1-to-1 project with a new client, Entry Level designer: client pays ~$25 (5%); designer pays $75 platform fee + $100 introduction fee and keeps ~$325 (use the quote calculator for the live figure).
- Malt: Depends on client plan country % plus the on-screen freelancer fee — do not flatten to one marketplace %.
Where Trustless Network fits (contextual)
Ownership disclosure: Trustless Network is affiliated with the owner of this site. It is described on its official site as XRPL escrow for freelancers and Web3 work. It is a direct-hire escrow option, not a large talent marketplace, and is not ranked as a default pick here.
Sources
- Upwork Help — Client Marketplace Fee: support.upwork.com/.../What-is-the-Client-Marketplace-Fee (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Upwork Help — Business Plus plan fees: support.upwork.com/.../How-Business-Plus-plan-fees-work-on-Upwork (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Upwork Help — Freelancer Service Fee: support.upwork.com/.../Learn-about-the-Freelancer-Service-Fee (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Fiverr Help — Paying for orders (buyer service fee): help.fiverr.com/.../Paying-for-orders-extras-or-custom-offers (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Fiverr Help — Earnings (80% to freelancer): help.fiverr.com/.../Your-earnings-page (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Freelancer.com Fees and Charges: freelancer.com/feesandcharges (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Toptal FAQ — subscription and trial: toptal.com/faq (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- PeoplePerHour Support — Freelancer commission fees: support.peopleperhour.com/.../Freelancer-commission-fees (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- PeoplePerHour Terms and Conditions (modified Oct 28, 2026): peopleperhour.com/static/terms (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- Upwork — Client pricing: upwork.com/pricing/client (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Workana Help — commission tiers + service cost: help.workana.com/.../commission · cost overview (checked Nov 6, 2026)
- Workana Max pricing: workana.com/upgrade (checked Nov 6, 2026)
- Malt Help — client plans / freelancer fees: service fees and offers · freelancer fees (checked Nov 6, 2026)
- 99designs Help — platform fee + client introduction fee: platform fee · introduction fee (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- Guru — Freelancer pricing: guru.com/pricing-freelancer (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- Guru Help — Freelancer’s Job Fee (employers): guru.com/help/employer/freelancers-job-fee (checked Nov 7, 2026)
Some Upwork add-on fee details remain omitted pending a dedicated re-check. Malt freelancer % conflict is flagged on the Malt deep-dive page. Guru Terms of Service fees (handling, transfers, arbitration) are omitted until that page loads for a direct check.