Compare freelance hiring platforms

The platforms at a glance

Full 2026 figures, verified August 2026.

Starter Plan

Standard Plan

Premium Plan

Features

$49USD

Per user / month

$59USD

Per user / month

$99USD

Per user / month

Up to 5 job role listings

7-day turnaround time

Email support only

3 rounds of interview coordination

Reserved seating for keynote

Standard candidate profile sharing

24/7 priority support

Custom onboarding support

Client cost

Worker-side fee

Vets skills?

Who screens

Geography

RemoteGenies

$6.50–$20/hr, nothing added

30%

Yes

Platform

Philippines

Upwork

3–10% + $0.99–$14.99 per contract

0–15%

You

Global

OnlineJobs.ph

$69–$99/month

None

You

Philippines

Fiverr

5.5% + small-order fee

20%

You

Global

Toptal

$500 deposit + $79/month,
$60–$200+/hr

Undisclosed, est. 30–60%

Yes

Platform

Global

VA Agencies

5.5% + small-order fee

Bundled

Yes

Agency

Usually Phlippines

Two things that table makes obvious, and neither favours us uniformly. Our take rate is the highest of any platform here at 30%, which means a Genie keeps less per dollar than a freelancer on OnlineJobs.ph, where the platform takes nothing at all. That funds the screening and the coordinator, but it's a real cost and it belongs in your thinking.

Our client-side price is all-in. There's no marketplace fee, contract initiation fee or checkout surcharge on top of the hourly rate. On most platforms the number you agree with a freelancer isn't the number you pay.

If that costs us a few signups from people we were never going to serve well, it's a good trade.

Most comparison content about freelance platforms is written by affiliates, and a lot of it is quietly out of date. Upwork restructured its freelancer fee in May 2025 and you can still find published comparisons quoting the old tiered rates. Fiverr's small-order fee is reported at two different thresholds by sources dated this year.

We built RemoteGenies, so we have an obvious interest in how these comparisons come out. That's exactly why we made three commitments and put them at the top of the page rather than the bottom.

‍Every number is sourced. Fees, plan tiers, review counts, all linked to the platform's own pages where they exist. Where we could only find third-party figures, we say so.

‍Every page carries a verification date. We re-check quarterly. If a fee has changed since we last looked, the date tells you to go and confirm.

‍Every page names the situations where a competitor is the better choice. RemoteGenies works only with Filipino talent, we're newer than most platforms here, and for several common jobs a competitor is plainly the right answer. Those pages say so, in the section where you'd actually be making the decision.

Compare RemoteGenies directly

RemoteGenies Users Love Us | G2 Crowd Recognition

RemoteGenies vs Upwork

Upwork is the largest freelance marketplace in the world and doesn't vet freelancers on its standard marketplace — anyone can create a profile and bid. The trade is enormous choice against doing all the filtering yourself.

The full comparison covers Upwork's real 2026 client fees, the variable 0–15% freelancer service fee that gets priced into quotes, and a worked example on 40 hours of work.

Upwork is the better choice if you need talent outside the Philippines, you're comfortable reviewing proposals, or you need enterprise procurement and compliance.

Read the full comparison: RemoteGenies vs Upwork

RemoteGenies vs OnlineJobs.ph

The closest comparison on this site, because we're aimed at the same outcome by opposite routes. OnlineJobs.ph sells you access to a database of close to two million Filipino profiles and takes no commission on salary, ever. You run the recruitment.

OnlineJobs.ph is the better choice if you want a full-time long-term hire and you're willing to run a real recruitment process. The economics aren't close over a multi-year engagement, and we'd rather you hired well there than came to us and were disappointed.

Read the full comparison: RemoteGenies vs OnlineJobs.ph

RemoteGenies vs Fiverr

Fiverr is a gig marketplace: fixed packages at fixed prices, closer to buying a product than hiring a person. Excellent for bounded deliverables, structurally poor for work that keeps going.

The comparison also covers something Fiverr buyers routinely discover too late: what you own depends on the licence you bought.

Fiverr is the better choice if you can write your requirement in a paragraph and a stranger could deliver it correctly without asking you anything.

Read the full comparison: RemoteGenies vs Fiverr

RemoteGenies vs Toptal

Toptal is the only other platform here that screens before you see anyone — it states it accepts under 3% of applicants. It's also the most expensive by a wide margin.

The comparison covers Toptal's real cost structure, which they don't publish: $60 to $150+ per hour, plus a $500 deposit and a $79 monthly fee.

Toptal is the better choice if you need senior engineering, finance or specialist product work. Their screening is more rigorous than ours and we don't pretend otherwise.

Read the full comparison: RemoteGenies vs Toptal

Guides and roundups

Best websites to hire Filipino freelancers

Five options compared, with what Filipino talent actually costs in 2026 before any platform markup: roughly $3–$6/hour entry-level general admin, $6–$10 mid-level, $7–$15 specialised. Covers OnlineJobs.ph, RemoteGenies, VA agencies, Upwork and Fiverr, plus the statutory costs people forget on direct employment.

Read the guide:
Best websites to hire Filipino freelancers

Best Upwork alternatives

Six platforms, and an opening section arguing that plenty of people searching this should stay on Upwork. Includes Toptal's real cost structure, which the company doesn't publish: independent 2026 analyses put client rates at $60–$150+/hour on top of a $500 deposit and a $79 monthly fee.

Read the guide: Best Upwork alternatives

How we compare platforms

Every comparison follows the same structure in the same order, so you can open two side by side and read them like for like.

Pricing with worked examples

Not just the headline percentage. What 40 hours of work actually costs on each platform, including the fees the freelancer absorbs and prices back into their quote.

What each platform verifies

There's a large difference between verifying an ID, running a background check, and assessing whether someone can do the job. Most platforms do the first and let you believe they did the third.

Who manages the work

The question that changes your workload rather than your invoice.

What happens when it goes wrong

Replacement, refund, dispute, escrow. This is the section people skip when comparing and regret later.

Sources:

We separate facts from sentiment. Anything from Trustpilot or Reddit sits in a clearly labelled section and never in a comparison table, because review platforms attract people with strong experiences in both directions — and on freelance marketplaces, most reviews are written by freelancers rather than clients.

Found something wrong? Tell us and we'll correct it and update the date.

What RemoteGenies is

A marketplace for pre-vetted Filipino freelancers across 400+ skills.

01. Talent is screened before you see it.

Genies pass skills assessments and screening before they can take work.

See how we vet

Learn more

02. A Project coordinator on every task...

Not just a marketplace.
Every task gets a dedicated Project Coordinator, on every plan, so you're never managing a freelancer alone.

Compare us to Upwork

Learn more

RemoteGenies: How It Works | Fast, Flexible Filipino Talent Hiring

03. You approve before payment releases.

Funds sit in escrow with a 7-day review window. If a Genie stops responding or the work isn't delivered, escrow can be refunded or the task reassigned.

Learn more

Get Started

04. Hours are capped.

A Genie can request at most one additional hour per task, and only with your approval.

Learn more

Start with $20 free

05. Rates by experience

$6.50/hr — Entry, 0–2 years
$8.50/hr — Advanced, 3–5 years
$10–$20/hr — Top-Tier, 6 to 15+ years

All-in. Nothing added at checkout.

See full pricing

Learn more

06. GenieScholar

Every 200 hours worked funds one Filipino child's education for a full school year.

New clients start with $20 in free credits, usable at any experience level. No card required.

About GenieScholar

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

Which freelance platform is cheapest?

It depends entirely on what you're buying. OnlineJobs.ph is cheapest for a full-time long-term hire because it takes no commission on salary. Fiverr is often cheapest for a single small deliverable. For ongoing task-based work, RemoteGenies has no fee on top of the hourly rate, where most platforms add 3–10%.

Which platforms actually vet freelancers?

RemoteGenies, Toptal and most VA agencies assess skills before listing. Upwork, Fiverr and Freelancer.com do not on their standard marketplaces. OnlineJobs.ph verifies IDs and offers background checks but explicitly leaves skills assessment to the employer.

Are freelance platform fees really that different?

The client-facing percentages are closer than they look. The differences that matter are the fees the freelancer absorbs and prices into their rate, whether anything is added at checkout, and what a failed hire costs you in time and rework.

Why does RemoteGenies publish comparisons that recommend competitors?

Because a comparison page that only flatters its author is worthless to the reader and obvious within two paragraphs. If a competitor is the right answer for your situation, you'll find that out eventually. Better it comes from us before you've spent money.

How often are these pages updated?

Quarterly. Each page carries a "last verified" date at the top. Platform fees change more often than most published comparisons acknowledge.