9 Fiverr Alternatives, Compared on Fees and Fit

By Manob Editorial · October 13, 2026

The best Fiverr alternative depends on what you're leaving. For a broader job market, try Upwork. For lower fees, Freelancer.com, Guru or Contra. For vetted senior talent, Toptal or Malt. For design contests, 99designs. For web work that starts from a template, Manob, our own platform. Fiverr keeps 20% of each order as of October 2026.

Why look for a Fiverr alternative?

Most people leave Fiverr for one of three reasons. Freelancers leave over the cut: Fiverr's earnings page says you earn 80% of each order, including extras and tips, and its freelancer guide sets a 14-day clearing period after the order completes. Buyers leave over fees: the payments page adds 5.5% plus $3.50 on orders under $200. Both sides leave when the gig format stops fitting, usually on custom work too big for a package.

Each alternative below fixes one of those problems and usually creates another. The list runs from the broadest general marketplaces to the most specialized, so it isn't a ranking. Pick by the row that matches your problem.

Fiverr alternatives at a glance

All fees as of October 2026, from each platform's own pricing or help pages (linked in each section below).

The 9 Fiverr alternatives, one by one

1. Upwork: best for custom or long-term web projects

Upwork reverses Fiverr's model. Clients post jobs and freelancers send proposals, so the work starts with a scope conversation instead of a package. That suits custom themes, plugins, apps and maintenance retainers. Upwork's Freelancer Service Fee is 0% to 15% per contract, shown before you apply, which is below Fiverr's 20% on every contract.

The catch is that you pay to apply. Connects cost $0.15 each, the number per proposal varies by job, and they aren't refunded when a client picks someone else. Clients pay a Client Marketplace Fee of up to 7.99% on the Basic plan, or 3% from an eligible US bank account. Our Upwork vs Fiverr comparison covers protection and payout timing in detail.

2. Freelancer.com: best for low client fees and design contests

Freelancer.com is another bid-on-jobs marketplace, with contests on top. Its fees page lists 10% or $5 (whichever is greater) for freelancers on fixed-price projects and 10% on hourly work. Clients pay 3% or $3 (whichever is greater) on fixed-price awards and 3% on hourly payments. Contests carry no posting fee for the client, who funds the prize upfront. Milestone disputes go to arbitration for $5 or 5%, whichever is greater, from each party (dispute policy).

The $5 minimum hurts on small jobs. A $20 task costs the freelancer 25%. For anything over $50, the 10% rate is half of Fiverr's.

3. Guru: best for keeping fees low on repeat work

Guru charges freelancers a job fee that depends on membership. Its job fee page gives 9% on the Basic membership and 5% on the Executive membership, and freelancer and client can agree to split up to 5% of it. Clients pay a 2.9% handling fee on each invoice, which Guru offsets with a 3% cashback for eCheck, check or wire payments. Guru uses invoices and agreements rather than gig packages, so it feels closer to Upwork than to Fiverr.

4. PeoplePerHour: best for UK and European freelancers with repeat clients

PeoplePerHour's fee falls as you bill more to the same client. Its commission page lists 20% below £250 of lifetime billing per buyer, 7.5% between £250 and £5,000, and 3.5% above £5,000, all excluding VAT. Buyers pay £0.60 plus 10% by card or PayPal, according to the terms (last modified September 11, 2026), and funds clear 14 days before withdrawal by default, sooner for freelancers who bill more. That 10% buyer fee is nearly double Fiverr's 5.5% rate, although Fiverr's flat small-order fee narrows the gap on small jobs. PeoplePerHour works out best for freelancers who keep clients long enough to reach the lower tiers.

5. Contra: best for freelancers who want zero commission

Contra's pricing page says it is "always commission-free" for freelancers. It makes money elsewhere. On the free plan, clients pay a flat platform fee per payment: $15 on payments up to $499 and $29 on $500 and up, according to that pricing page and its fees overview. If the freelancer pays for Contra Pro ($29 a month or $199 a year), those client fees drop to $0. Card processing (2.9% plus 30¢ on domestic cards) comes from the payment processor on top.

Contra works best if you already have clients or a portfolio audience to bring along. It's built around profiles, contracts and invoices more than a catalog of gigs.

6. Toptal: best for hiring vetted senior developers

Toptal screens freelancers before they can take work. It says it accepts fewer than 3% of applicants. That is Toptal's own claim, so treat it as marketing. For clients, its FAQ lists a flat $79 monthly subscription if you go ahead with talent matching, a trial period of up to two weeks, and invoices typically twice a month. On the freelancer side, the talent FAQ says members set their own rates and Toptal doesn't take a cut of them.

Toptal makes sense for senior, ongoing engineering roles. It's the wrong tool for a $100 theme fix.

7. Malt: best for European freelance consultants

Malt's help center lists client fees for European countries and the Middle East, with rates that vary by country. In the UK the client plans are Starter at 10% and Advanced at 15%, plus custom Enterprise pricing. Its freelancer fee page says freelancer fees are 5%. Some projects in France, Spain and Belgium start at 10% and drop to 5% after six months. Malt quotes by daily rate and suits multi-week engagements more than one-off gigs.

8. 99designs: best for logo and brand design contests

99designs runs design contests: you post a brief, several designers submit concepts, and you pick one. Its pricing page lists logo contest packages at US$249 (Bronze), US$399 (Silver), US$799 (Gold) and US$1,050 (Platinum), excluding sales tax, each marked with a "100% money-back guarantee". The page doesn't list the guarantee's terms or the fees designers pay. It's a strong pick for a logo or brand identity and not useful for development work.

9. Manob (our own platform): best for web work that starts from a template

Manob is our own platform, so read this entry with that in mind. It's much smaller than the big marketplaces on this list. It sells 707 products (mostly WordPress themes and HTML templates) and freelance services from the same seller accounts. Every template can be previewed before purchase, and products include 6 months of seller support through a ticket system. A buyer can pick a theme from the product catalog, then hire someone in Services or post the customization on Jobs.

For sellers, Manob charges 20% on services and 30% on products, or 10% on both for the first 12 months at the early-bird rate. New sellers get 50 free Connects for bidding, and licensing is non-exclusive, so you can keep your Fiverr Gigs live. Be clear about the long run: after the first year, the 20% services rate equals Fiverr's. The reason to list here is selling templates and the work around them in one place, not a permanently lower fee. See the seller page.

Which Fiverr alternative has the lowest fees?

For freelancers, Contra charges no commission, and Toptal says it takes no cut of talent rates. After those come Malt at 5% (10% on some French, Spanish and Belgian projects), Guru at 5–9% and Freelancer.com at 10% with a $5 minimum. PeoplePerHour drops to 3.5%, but only once you've billed a single client more than £5,000.

For clients, Guru's 2.9% (or effectively zero with an eCheck or wire, after its cashback) and Freelancer.com's 3% are the lowest percentage fees. Contra's flat $15 or $29 per payment is cheap on large invoices and expensive on small ones. On a $100 payment, $15 is 15%.

Which alternative is best for web development work?

• A small, well-defined job (theme install, plugin setup, speed fix): Fiverr is still hard to beat. Freelancer.com and Guru work if you're willing to post a job and compare bids.
• A custom build with unknowns: Upwork, Guru or Freelancer.com, with milestones.
• A senior developer for months: Toptal, or Malt in Europe.
• A site that starts from a template: buy the template and hire for the customization in one place, on Manob or with the template's own author.

If you're hiring for WordPress, read how to hire a WordPress developer before posting. If you're a developer weighing where to sell, how to become a freelance web developer covers getting first clients. Upwork has its own list: Upwork alternatives.

When to stay on Fiverr

Leaving isn't always the right call. Stay if:

• Your work fits packages. Fixed-scope services sell best where buyers can compare them like products, and that's what Fiverr is built for.
• Your reviews and seller level already bring orders. Top Rated sellers get shorter clearing and access to Early Payout for a 1% fee. A new profile elsewhere starts from zero.
• You don't want to pay to apply. Upwork's Connects and other bid-based sites make you spend time, and often money, chasing each job. On Fiverr, buyers come to you.
• As a buyer, you want a price before anything starts. Fiverr packages give a fixed price and a delivery date upfront.

Many freelancers do both: they keep Fiverr Gigs for packaged work and use a second platform for larger contracts.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Fiverr?

For most web and development work, Upwork is the closest alternative because it handles custom and long-term projects. For low or zero commission, look at Contra, Guru or Freelancer.com. For design contests, 99designs.

Is there a site like Fiverr with lower fees?

Yes. As of October 2026, Contra charges freelancers no commission, Guru charges 5% to 9% depending on membership, and Freelancer.com charges 10% or $5, whichever is greater. Fiverr keeps 20%.

Is Upwork better than Fiverr?

It's better for custom, hourly and long-term projects, and its 0% to 15% freelancer fee is lower than Fiverr's 20%. Fiverr is better for packaged work and doesn't charge you to apply for jobs.

Can I sell on Fiverr and another platform at the same time?

Yes. Many freelancers keep profiles on several platforms. What Fiverr and Upwork both discourage is moving clients you met there off-platform to avoid fees.

What is a good Fiverr alternative for logo design?

99designs is built for design contests. As of October 2026, its logo contest packages start at US$249, and several designers submit concepts for you to choose from.