Need help finding a freelance management system? We can help! We've researched the topic extensively and have loads of info and three important names to share: Worksuite, Worksome, and WorkMarket. Read on! These are the best freelance management software platforms, and we have the research to prove it.
This guide consolidates info from multiple data points, including user experience expert contributors. We came upon some unexpected facts and figures you should know about as we researched. You won't find a review like this anywhere else, so stay with us until the end!
Hand picked by our HR Technology experts after product testing, user research, and much debate - enjoy!
The workforce today doesn’t look as it used to. Instead of hiring full-time employees, companies have increasingly been recruiting freelancers and independent contractors all over the world to benefit from specific skill sets for a specific duration - all while keeping HR costs low:
As more companies continue to seek skilled individuals to work on contract/project basis, platforms known as Freelance Management Systems (FMS) have become popular. A Freelance Management System is a cloud-based solution that streamlines contractor sourcing, onboarding, work assignments, and payments. It may also offer features for contractor screening, job bidding, and proposal comparison to ensure you find the right fit for the job.
If you’re looking to buy a freelance management system, we’ve put together this guide of the best FMS vendors along with features, benefits, pricing, and more considerations to help you in your selection process.
We take research seriously. To make sure we’re offering our readers the very best solutions in a given software category, we are methodical, rigorous, and expansive in our research. We consult with HR professionals, vendors, and industry experts. We cut through the noise to bring you a carefully curated list of vendors, along with other essential information, to help you find the right software platform for your business.
Here’s how we chose who makes the cut:
Product: We believe in gaining a comprehensive understanding of a product before we recommend it, so we start by getting to know the software. Whenever possible, we meet with a senior executive (CEO or Head of Product) for a demo and Q&A. We also test the product ourselves to make sure it has a solid UI, intuitive workflows, and the features to make it a best-in-class offering.
User feedback: We go straight to the source and compile feedback on user experience. Real-world input supports our commitment to diligence in our software evaluation methods and the products we recommend. Keeping up with the everyday experience of HR pros also puts new vendors on our radar, and it keeps us close to our community so we can better connect the right products to the right people.
Financial metrics: We are certified finance nerds, so we use all the data we can get our hands on to make selections for our guides. We comb through data for concrete statistics like retention rates, growth, profitability, and scalability. We evaluate the bottom line of each product because we know making a software purchase can put your reputation on the line.
Best for a use case: Software is never a one-size-fits-all product. Sometimes the best solution is free or cheap. Other times it’s the one that is best for global companies or the one that’s sized right for early-stage startups. Keeping this in mind, we include solutions across the spectrum so our readers can find the best fit for their unique needs.
Here's more detail if you want to read more about how we research vendors. Our dedicated staff writers rely on hard data, impartial experts, and user feedback to ensure our reviews are helpful, truthful, and hopefully a pleasure to read!
We track thousands of HR Tech solutions. Here are the best freelance Management Systems as of 2022.
Why we love it
:
If you view external workers as customers, you can think of Worksuite as a CRM for your business. The platform is designed to help you build your own freelancer databases while working smarter on task management and onboarding with built-in automations.
Worksuite
Review:
Worksuites provides a data-protected space for businesses to scale, organize, and pay their external workforce, including freelancers and agencies across regions.
The platform offers an end-to-end lifecycle solution to customize, streamline and automate the onboarding process while keeping track of external workers, project spend, and task status. In addition, their built-in features enable organizations to handle compliance, cross-border payment, and reporting with a few clicks.
Worksuite
Customers:
Disney, Netflix, Microsoft, The Home Depot, BetterUp
Disney, Netflix, WebMD, Microsoft, and Netflix are some of the biggest names among Worksuite’s big clientele.
Worksuite
Pricing:
Worksuite has flexible pricing, consisting of three plans:
Worksuite has flexible pricing, consisting of three plans:
Best For
Though Worksuite can benefit companies of different sizes, we recommend the platform mainly for medium and large businesses working with a high volume of freelancers and thus need a central place to manage them.
Why we love it
:
With Worksome, companies can post jobs and review contractors’ bids for free. The tool also offers the option to bring clients’ trusted talent and their on-platform marketplace together, powering businesses to achieve higher efficiency in hiring and managing external workers.
Worksome
Review:
Worksome is an online marketplace for businesses to find, onboard, manage and pay skilled freelancers throughout North America and Europe. Companies simply post their open freelancer roles in different fields, including design, marketing, sales, and tech, then either source direct talent from Worksome's 34,000+ talent pool or wait for freelancer bids to reach out to them.
Worksome
Customers:
Oliver, That Lot, Petrol, Unilever, Pepsi, Ted Baker London, Carlsberg, Novo Nordisk
Pepsi, Unilever, Novo Nordisk, Maersk, Grundfos
Worksome
Pricing:
Worksome has two plans:
Worksome has two plans:
Best For
As Worksome offers on its basic plan a relatively low fee for hires (4%) compared to other freelancer workforce marketplaces, startups and SMBs that need under 20 freelancers can benefit from this plan. We also recommend Worksome enterprise plans for large-sized companies and agencies with established freelancers and looking to hire more throughout North America and Europe.
Why we love it
:
Owned by ADP, WorkMarket offers a comprehensive and robust FMS that brings structure to many processes, from hiring, vetting, onboarding and customizing talent pools, to assigning tasks to and paying freelancers.
WorkMarket
Review:
WorkMarket offers end-to-end services, enabling businesses to manage their external workforce from onboarding through payments-all in one place.
With WorkMarket, you can pick out freelancers that work best for the project at hand, manage them during the project and pay them upon completion. Apart from offering their built-in freelancer hub, the platform also provides the option for you to store your existing talent onto the platform to centralize your workforce management efforts. There are a considerable automations available to help you along the way, such as ensuring all compliance requirements are met before you engage further workers, sending bulk invitations to freelancers, and automating the payment process.
WorkMarket
Customers:
Quantum Installations Group, Source Support Services, ClearVision AV, NewCo Shift
IREI, ClearVision AV, Cielo24, ARS Services, Quantum Installations Group, Source Support Services, NewCo Shift
WorkMarket
Pricing:
WorkMarket currently offers two subscription plans: SMB self-service platform and WorkMarket platform and neither of their pricings are disclosed upfront. You may connect with their team for more information.
WorkMarket currently offers two subscription plans: SMB self-service platform and WorkMarket platform and neither of their pricing is disclosed upfront. You may connect with their team for more information.
Best For
Medium and large sized companies that are either frequently working with contractors and freelancers or looking to build a team a distributed team are likely to get the most out of WorkMarket’s tools. Also, with the majority of their talent being based in the US, the solution is most helpful to businesses looking to expand their external workforce within the country.
Why we love it
:
Upwork has a large database of freelancers. It's also relatively affordable and easy to use; anyone can easily create an account and start using it.
Upwork
Review:
Some of Upwork’s most useful features are aimed at freelancer management. Not only can you browse their entire freelancer database at no cost, but you can invite individual freelancers to apply for job listings, review proposals, send online messages, and provide secure invoices.
Upwork also offers paid services, which include talent sourcing, compliance assistance, dedicated program managers, onboarding support, and more. Companies with specialized needs can also receive a custom-tailored plan that is designed to their specifications.
Upwork
Customers:
Some of Upwork’s customers include Microsoft, General Electric, Airbnb, Coty, and Bissell.
Some of Upwork’s customers include Microsoft, General Electric, Airbnb, Coty, and Bissell.
Upwork
Pricing:
Upwork has four pricing plans:
Upwork has four pricing plans:
Best For
Upwork is ideal for employers who often tap into the freelance workforce to fill open vacancies. It’s also a great option for organizations with minimal budgets.
Why we love it
:
SkillValue makes it easier for businesses to assess developers. With built-in tests varying in difficulty and skill types, you can pick the ones you need, invite candidates to take the tests, and review their performance within the platform.
SkillValue
Review:
SkillValue is an assessment solution powering the hiring process of businesses. Most popular technologies can be found in their test bank and are ready for you to use with a few clicks.
SkillValue also offers customers the top 5% profiles of their talent community. The hub includes 40,000 freelancers covering quite a range of skills such as web, mobile, software development, and security. The top 5% matching your requirements will be given to you within 48 hours, as SkillValue claims. Additionally, SkillValue won’t charge for replacements if you’re unsatisfied with the suggested candidates.
SkillValue
Customers:
Etoffe.com, Paragon ID, Strat’Lab, INFOTEM, Agilitech, CouldMargin, MADE, MISSGUIDED, Rakuten, StraighterLine, TripAdvisor, SumUp.
The New York Times, Rakuten, Strat'Lab, BNP Personal Finance
SkillValue
Pricing:
SkillValue gives their customers the option to choose either a subscription plan or to pay for credits.
There are three subscription plans available, including a free plan for startups, named SkillValue Starter, which allows you to create up to 20 tests per month and 10 jobs per year.
The two other subscription plans are designed for growing companies and enterprises respectively. For those plans, you have the option to pay per month at $299 or per year at $2,868 for one user. These two plans both give you full access to the platform’s quiz and smart quiz test bank, and the more users you purchase, the cheaper the prices you’ll get. The only difference is the number of tests you can create during your subscription period. The 1-month subscription plan provides 50 tests per user per month while the 1-year plan does 500. Also, we notice that prices in EUR are slightly lower than in USD.
For businesses who have occasional recruitments only, SkillValue offers credit premium plans instead. There are four options for you: 30, 50, 100 and 200 credits, all with no expiration date. One credit allows you to send one test to one candidate. Prices vary and start from $417 up to $1580. Similar to the subscription plan, you have access to all SkillValue quizzes and smart quizzes tests, and the more credits you pay, the better prices you’ll receive.
SkillValue's pricing is not disclosed on their website. You may reach out to their sales team for a price quote according to the scope and size of your operation.
Best For
The businesses that can make the most out of SkillValue are the ones looking to expand their tech team with external resources but have limit capacities in terms of candidate placement time and people with technical background and experience in candidates’ selection process. In addition to English, SkillValue also supports French, which makes the platform especially helpful for users that speak it.
Why we love it
:
Unlike other FMSs, Field Nation’s focus is on connecting field technicians with clients in the US. Businesses can search Feild Nation’s network of contract IT pros to get on-site work done.
Field Nation
Review:
Field Nation is a niche platform, dedicated to helping companies find field technicians in their area. For each job request created, the system provides users several options to find technicians with relevant skills, experience, and ratings. If you have more specialized requests, the platform is also open to helping you find solutions.
The in-app messaging feature allows you to communicate with your technicians, thus, promptly and directly solving issues without dealing with a middle person. You can review work deliverables on the app to ensure their quality. Field Nation will monitor your contractors and risk while covering admin and payment work for you.
Field Nation
Customers:
Fujitsu, BLM Technologies, Worldlink Integration Group, Tech Data
Fujitsu, Pomeroy, Service Express, BLM Technologies, Worldlink, Modis, Vology
Field Nation
Pricing:
Field Nations offer two plans with pricing that are dynamic and dependent on your work order value and how much you'd like to customize your workflow and integrations. The Plus plan starts from $5,250, and the Premier plan starts between $5,250 and $15,250. For exact numbers, it's advised to contact their Sales team.
Field Nations offer two plans with pricing that are dynamic and dependent on your work order value and how much you'd like to customize your workflow and integrations. The Plus plan starts from $5,250, and the Premier plan starts between $5,250 and $15,250. For exact numbers, it's advised to contact their Sales team.
Best For
Field Nation is best suited for midsize to large corporations to find short-term onsite technicians within the US and Canada.
Why we love it
:
62M+ users have used Freelancer to simplify how they get help on both online and offline projects. You can access thousands of independent contractors with specific skills without the need to provide workspace, pay for insurance, vacation leave, or training.
Freelancer
Review:
Freelancer is a marketplace platform for businesses to recruit, manage, and pay freelancers across hundreds of different service types. You simply post a job you need to be completed, receive competitive bids from freelancers, then choose the freelancer that best suits your needs. Freelancer's desktop app allows companies to track progress, monitor hours, communicate, share, and more. The platform also features a mobile app with messaging functionality to stay in touch with freelancers on the go.
Freelancer
Customers:
Amazon, Facebook, Deloitte, NASA, IBM, Airbus
Amazon, Facebook, Deloitte, NASA, IBM, Airbus, Adobe, Harvard University, Microsoft
Freelancer
Pricing:
Freelancer is free to sign up, post a project, receive bids from freelancers, review the freelancer's portfolio and discuss the project requirements. If you choose to award the project, the platform charges you a project fee relative to the value of the selected bid as an introduction fee. The cost and how this fee is charged depend on the type of project.
For fixed-price projects, a fee of 3% or USD 3.00 (whichever is greater) is levied when you have awarded a project. If you subsequently pay the freelancer more than the original bid amount, they will charge the project fee on any overage payments.
For hourly projects, a fee of 3% is levied on each payment you make to the freelancer. Some other fees are charged if you opt for additional project upgrades.
Freelancer is free to sign up, post a project, receive bids from freelancers, review the freelancer's portfolio and discuss the project requirements. If you choose to award the project, the platform charges you a project fee relative to the value of the selected bid as an introduction fee. The cost and how this fee is charged depend on the type of project.
For fixed-price projects, a fee of 3% or USD 3.00 (whichever is greater) is levied when you have awarded a project. If you subsequently pay the freelancer more than the original bid amount, they will charge the project fee on any overage payments.
For hourly projects, a fee of 3% is levied on each payment you make to the freelancer. Some other fees are charged if you opt for additional project upgrades.
Best For
While companies of all sizes can benefit from the Freelancer platform, SMBs requiring junior or mid-level freelancers can derive the most value from the platform.
Why we love it
:
You can create job posts and get quotes to choose from at no cost on Guru. The platform’s feature also lets you decide on how and when payments will be made while collaborating, communicating and tracking work at one place.
Guru
Review:
On Guru, you can find and hire freelancers using built-in secure payment and flexible fee structures. Plus, the platform’s fee is quite affordable compared with other freelancing sites.
Guru’s solutions focus on providing freelancer verification, selection guidance and customizable onboarding process. You can check whether a candidate is verified right on their profiles. Also, Guru’s freelancer profile features play a role in helping employers vet candidates based on skills, experience and performance on the site. Once you decide the recruits, you can customize contracts, the onboarding process, and assign team members to help manage and execute the job with a few clicks.
Guru
Customers:
O.C. Tanner, TaxConnections
O.C. Tanner, TaxConnections
Guru
Pricing:
You can find, hire, and manage freelancers at no cost on Guru. The platform charges you a nominal handling fee of 2.9% for each invoice you pay. However, if you use eCheck or wire transfer you will get 100% cashback on the handling fee.
Guru allows businesses to find, hire, and manage freelancers at no cost. It charges a nominal handling fee of 2.9% for each invoice paid. However, if eCheck or wire transfer are used, a 100% cashback on the handling fee is received.
Best For
Guru may not get the highest rate in the freelance management market, yet the platform stands out by its low transaction fees. Plus, Guru works with agencies as well as individual freelancers. So budget-minded businesses can benefit from this platform to hire and manage multiple freelancers at once.
Why we love it
:
Toptal helps your recruitment pick up speed without trading off it for candidates’ qualities. By only offering the top 3% talent handpicked by the platform’s experts, businesses can focus on evaluating test project results to decide on the right hires.
Toptal
Review:
Toptal has pretty standard after-hire functionalities built up, but their competency in delivering high-end candidates within days, compared with other freelance marketplaces, is quite impressive.
Toptal’s freelancers are tested on their subject matter expertise, professionalism, and communication skills. Through the platform, companies having on-demand JDs can get introduced with matched candidates in 2-5 weeks, and are offered a real experience working with the suggested candidate before deciding the hire without having a hand in every part of the hiring process. While Toptal talent usually are remote workers, the platform is flexible to have them on-site if requested.
Toptal
Customers:
Priceline, Motorola, Duolingo, Shopify, CraftHeinz, HP, Udemy, Zendesk, and Gucci are some of the biggest names on Toptal’s client list.
Airbnb, Bridgestone, Duolingo, USC, Shopify, Cleveland Cavaliers
Toptal
Pricing:
Toptal doesn’t have a fixed price as it depends on the clients’ specific requirements as well as what the candidate expectations are.
In any case, as you setup your account, the platform will require an initial deposit of $500 that will be applies as a credit to your first invoice once you decide on the hire. This deposit, however, will be fully refunded if you choose to not move forward and you can use it for the next candidate. After the first recruit, Toptal won’t require you to make a deposit for the following jobs.
The cost per hire varies mostly by location and is incorporated into hourly rates. Below are the average rates for commonly hired skills on Toptal:
Toptal currently accepts credit cards, ACH (Automated Clearing House), bank wires, and PayPal. The platform is flexible in terms of the payment schedule, though typically their invoices are sent out bi-monthly. Invoices are generated with Net 10 terms to enable businesses to review the charges before processing.
Toptal's pricing isn't disclosed on their website. Pricing is determined by Toptal's sales team upon evaluation of the size and scope of your operation.
Best For
Toptal can be a great FMS to for both small businesses and large companies who don’t mind paying a premium to cut loose from all the hoops of candidates’ screening, shortlisting and payment processing and get high-end freelancers in a matter of days.
Why we love it
:
TalentDesk makes it easy for you to compliantly grow your team of freelancers, independent contractors, and even full-time employees with talent from over 150 countries. It can also help you process multicurrency payments and track the progress and budget of your projects.
TalentDesk
Review:
TalentDesk is a cloud-based freelancer management platform that helps companies source, onboard and manage freelancers, as well as consolidate invoices and automate payments. TalentDesk features a real-time dashboard that enables managers to keep track of project progress, budgets, and deadlines, as well as subdivide projects into tasks and allocate them to specific people instantly. The system also facilitates collaboration between freelancers and internal teams with built-in communication capability.
TalentDesk
Customers:
IT Crowdsource, Mindvalley, Memrise, Essentra, Outside Inc, Plumguide and Euromonitor
IT Crowdsource, Mindvalley, Memrise, Essentra, Outside Inc, Plumguide and Euromonitor
TalentDesk
Pricing:
TalentDesk has three plans:
TalentDesk has three plans:
Best For
TalentDesk is a great option for companies working with freelancers on a regular basis. Companies looking for ways to grow their remote workforce but don’t want to get involved in the admin nitty gritty, can also benefit from TalendDesk’s offering.
It’s very easy to make mistakes when choosing a freelance management system if you don’t thoroughly research what's available on the market and carefully consider the needs and budget of your business. Here are some of the most common mistakes businesses make:
The pricing models of freelance management systems vary from one vendor to another. Some vendors charge a monthly subscription fee, ranging from $49 to $499 per month while others charge a percentage per transaction, which can be cost-efficient for businesses that don’t engage freelancers very frequently. Some vendors may also offer free memberships with limited access to features. Do keep in mind that in all cases, additional fees may apply for on-demand services such as customizations, contract management, compliance services, and dedicated account management.
Freelance management systems are not created equal; they vary in terms of overall offerings and price points. While that may be the case, the following are some of the most essential features you can expect from most freelance management systems available today:
When shopping for a freelance management system (or any solution for that matter), we always recommend that you schedule as many demos as possible with different vendors to make sure their solution is compatible with the needs of your business. Here are a few questions you can ask during your demos:
Implementing a freelance management system is relatively easy, especially since the majority of them are cloud-based, delivered through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) infrastructure. Getting started with a cloud-based solution is very quick; once you’ve purchased a subscription that meets your needs, you can create an account and start configuring it right away. This includes designing a profile for your business, defining your onboarding requirements, employment types, payments schedule, etc.
If you are thinking of assembling a workforce of freelancers and independent contractors, then it is time for you to ditch that messy spreadsheet and invest in a freelance management system to achieve your vision quickly and effectively. All of the solutions we’ve listed in this guide would make a great addition to your tech stack. All you have to do is:
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