[Top 5] The Best Python Freelancer Platforms

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In this article, you’ll learn about the top 5 freelancer pages that help you start earning money as a Python freelancer. If you want to learn about all, not only the best, freelancing platform ordered by Alexa page rank, check out our full guide on the Finxter blog.

Becoming a Python freelancer is extremely attractive nowadays because you can earn average salaries of $51 per hour. Can you become an average Python freelancer? Of course, you can!

Say, you’ve gained a lot of experience as a Python coder. Now, you can expect to earn an average of $80-$100 per hour. Yet, with less experience, you can expect to still earn $10-$20 per hour. This is great because you’ll get paid to learn Python. Actually, you will learn much faster than by doing random courses or reading random books on the web (such as our random Finxter books). This is because you are solving real projects and not only toy projects. Over time, you’ll acquire a highly practical skill set with a lot of value to the marketplace.

Because of this, becoming a Python freelancer from the get-go is my recommended way of learning to code. To this end, I have created a free webinar that shows you the state-of-the-art in the Python freelancer space: It shows you not only how much you can expect to earn but also strategies of how to increase your value to the marketplace.

[Join Webinar] How to Build Your High-Income Skill Python

So without further introduction, let’s dive right into the top 5 Python freelancer platforms!

Upwork

This is the 800-pound gorilla in the freelancer space. There are a lot of Python jobs on the Upwork platform. One of the big advantages of Upwork is the high barrier of entry compared to other platforms such as Freelancer.com.

To start your freelancing career on Upwork, you first have to apply. Check out my article of how to correctly apply for Upwork so that your application is more likely to be accepted.

Upwork is a beautiful freelancing platform — you can search for projects that are annotated with the “Python” skill label. For example, there are more than 1000 such jobs in 2019 — and you can apply to each of them. Some of them are small Python projects for $10-$30 and some of them are larger projects in the range of $100-$1000. I would recommend that you start solving the smaller projects to get some good ratings and then start looking for larger projects as your skill level grows.

As a starter you can solve these $10 projects — maybe it’ll take you a day or even a week but your skills will increase rapidly. I’ve compiled ten practical Python projects which you can use as initial learning material to gain some confidence:

There are two types of projects: hourly-rate projects or flat-fee projects. As you become more advanced you should prefer flat-fee projects. Because if you can earn $200 per project flat, and you solve the project within an hour, you have just earned $200 per hour. This is smart because some clients will never pay you $200 per hour — while they will pay $200 if you finish their project successfully (from which they think it’ll take you longer than two hours). If they don’t know how long it took you, everything’s fine. In the freelancing space, results matter.

Upwork is my number one recommendation when working as a Python freelancer (with some caveats as you’ll learn below). Unfortunately, they are quite expensive by taking a 20% share of everything you do. But usually, you can overcompensate for this by charging higher prices due to the high barrier of entry.

Fiverr.com

Fiverr initially started out as a platform where you could buy and sell small gigs worth five bucks. However, in the meantime it grew to a full-fledged freelancing platform where people earn six-figure incomes.

Many jobs earn hundreds of USD per hour and many freelancers make a killing—especially in attractive industries such as programming, machine learning, and data science.

If you want to start earning money as a freelance developer with the hot Python programming language, check out my free webinar:

How to build your high-income skill Python [Webinar]

Freelancer.com

In contrast to Upwork, Freelancer.com has a low barrier of entry. Everybody can successfully apply. It’s a huge platform with lots and lots of projects — maybe even more than on Upwork.

Some of these projects require that you have a broad skill set such as Python, Java, C++. Other projects require you to have a deep skill set such as Python, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, and deep learning. Go deep first — for example focus on machine learning — and then learn all the skills in this sector so that you can increase your hourly rate over time. Specialization pays.

Yet, the competition is fierce on this platform because it’s easier to post and apply for jobs. Therefore, start solving 2-3 projects at Freelancer.com to earn some experience (there is no excuse because of the low barrier of entry) and then switch to Upwork quickly where you can raise your prices.

Better yet, don’t use Freelancer.com but Fiverr to gain some experience!

Toptal

If you mastered Upwork and you have gained lots of experience (working for 2-4 years as a freelancer with lots of success stories), you are ready to switch to the Toptal freelancer platform.

The barrier of entry is very, very high. They hire only three out of one hundred applicants. But if you manage to overcome the high barrier of entry, the golden gates open. Now, you can charge much higher rates and get a lot of clients who are willing to pay these rates.

As you solve projects at Upwork, you should apply again and again until one day they accept your freelancer profile.

If you want to reach this high level of Python proficiency, watch my webinar because it shows you the top tricks of how to improve your skills and how to tactically and strategically open up your way towards Python mastery — with the perspective of becoming a highly-paid Python freelancer.

Upwork, Fiverr, and Toptal are the three most important platforms. Start your journey at Fiverr to get some experience. Then apply for a profile at Upwork and master it. If you are an Upwork master, you’ll switch again to Toptal to open up new opportunities and earning levels. Toptal protects you to some degree from the global competition through the high barrier of entry.

Python.org

This job board on the official Python page contains a lot of open projects and jobs only focusing on the Python skill. Many of them are remote projects. This is an interesting platform with a lot of recent projects. As a Python freelancer, you can also apply here — and thereby cutting the middleman. Of course, it helps greatly if you have already collected some testimonials and experiences on the other freelancer platforms.

Finxter Freelancer Board

The purpose of the Freelancer board is to give Python freelancers the opportunity to advertise their skills and services. You can specify your hourly rate and your skill level on the Finxter app.

The Finxter app gives you a rating number which reflects your Python skill level. It uses Python puzzles in various difficulty levels to predict your skill level. Finxter premium members simply advertise their skills on the job board.

While the other platforms are focused around posting jobs and let freelancers apply for the jobs, this job board presents Python freelancers. People can apply with their jobs and ask the freelancers to complete their projects.

Summary

  1. Start with Fiverr to get some initial experience.
  2. Create your Upwork account and work there for at least 12 months improving your skills significantly and getting serious testimonials.
  3. Start applying for Toptal until you overcome the high barrier of entry to reduce competition and open up new high-paying job opportunities.
  4. Ladder up your hourly rate over time. Check out the free webinar to learn how to do this. It’ll take you about 40 minutes and shows you exactly how to improve your earning potential.

If you want to speed up your progress, check out our in-depth Python freelancer course that guides you from zero to full-time income as a complete beginner in freelancing or coding.

Bonus Video

You can watch the following video as you go through the article:

Join the World’s Most Successful Python Freelance Developer Course

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