PeoplePerHour
One of the UK's best-established freelance marketplaces. Post a project and get proposals from thousands of vetted freelancers, or find freelance work yourself, with buyer protection and no upfront fees.
Features
PeoplePerHour is one of the longest-running UK freelance marketplaces, and its UK and European bias is the main reason to use it over the bigger US-centric platforms. Rates are quoted in pounds and a lot of the clients are British small businesses.
How it works
- Clients post a project and you send a proposal, or you list fixed-price "offers" that clients buy directly, much like a Fiverr gig
- Payment sits in escrow, so the money is committed before you start rather than chased afterwards
- Proposals cost credits. You get an allowance each month and can buy more, which is a useful brake: it stops you spraying applications and makes you read the brief properly
- Commission starts high on a new client and drops the more you bill them, so it rewards turning one job into an ongoing relationship
Worth knowing
The quality of briefs varies enormously. Plenty are underspecified or have a budget that does not match the scope, and filtering those out quickly is most of the skill in using it well. Sorting by recency and being ruthless about which ones deserve a credit works better than volume.
Who it suits
Worth a look if you want UK clients paying in sterling, and if your work needs a conversation before a price can be sensibly set. If your service packages into a fixed deliverable, the offers feature covers that too, so it can work either way round.