**Freelance Platforms: A Comparative Analysis**

The world of freelance work has evolved significantly over the years, with various platforms emerging to connect freelancers with clients. In this article, we will delve into three prominent freelance platforms: Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.

**Upwork: A Platform for Professional Freelancers**

Upwork is one of the most popular freelance platforms, known for its extensive network of skilled freelancers. The platform offers a range of services, including web development, content creation, and data science. What sets Upwork apart from other platforms is its robust payment protection plan, which shields freelancers against client non-payment. This feature provides an added layer of security for both clients and freelancers alike.

**Job Listings and Competition**

Upwork's job listings offer a vast array of opportunities, with thousands of projects available to browse. The platform also features a "Jobs" section, where clients can post their requirements, and a "Bids" section, where freelancers can apply for these jobs. What's impressive about Upwork is the low competition in many job categories. According to the transcription, there are often only 10 other applicants vying for a particular project, making it an ideal platform for freelancers looking to stand out.

**Payment Rates and Wages**

Upwork's payment rates vary depending on the type of service being offered. Some jobs may have lower hourly or fixed price bids, while others may command higher wages. For example, a job with a $6 per hour bid in countries with low living costs might be considered a good wage for a freelancer. However, in developed countries like the United States, such low wages would barely cover basic expenses.

**Other Platforms: Freelancer and Fiverr**

While Upwork is the platform we'll focus on in this article, it's essential to mention other platforms that also offer freelance services. Freelancer is another prominent platform that connects clients with freelancers. However, according to the transcription, Freelancer has a more limited range of job listings compared to Upwork.

Fiverr, on the other hand, focuses on smaller projects and gigs, often referred to as "gigs." These gigs can be anything from social media management to digital marketing services. Fiverr's platform is geared towards clients looking for quick, affordable solutions rather than comprehensive projects.

**Red Flags and Screening Clients**

Freelancing can be a nightmare if not done properly. The transcription mentions that some platforms, such as Fiverr, may have low starting rates that are hard to justify. In the case of machine learning and data science services, these rates might be too low for experienced professionals. Furthermore, the platform's structure allows clients to take advantage of freelancers, leading to a lack of transparency in pricing and expectations.

In contrast, platforms like Upwork prioritize clarity and professionalism. Freelancers can set detailed proposals with clear milestones, expectations, and budgets, ensuring that both parties understand what they're getting into. This approach promotes a healthier freelance-client relationship and allows freelancers to command higher wages for their services.

**Conclusion**

Upwork stands out as the most suitable platform for professional freelancers looking to establish themselves in the industry. Its robust payment protection plan, extensive job listings, and competitive pricing make it an attractive option for those seeking to build a successful freelance career. While other platforms like Freelancer and Fiverr offer unique services, they may not provide the same level of structure and support as Upwork.

As freelancers, it's essential to be aware of the pros and cons of each platform and approach them with caution. By doing so, we can avoid common pitfalls and build successful freelance careers that bring in a sustainable income.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome back everybody to the machine learning lab in this series we're going to talk about how you can get started in freelancing and machine learning and data science in 2018 how does it even possibly say is there even a market for data science and machine learning services in the freelancing arena yes yes sir is in fact I myself I'm working as a freelance data scientist machine learning experts and you can too in this series we're going to show you exactly how how to apply for jobs what platform to choose how to find the right clients how to price your services basically everything you need to know to get started in your freelancing career so first thing we have to tackle is what plack want to use and there are actually a few different platforms in particular there is up work fiber and freelancer comm now I only have experience with up work some bit we're going to be a bit biased in my overview but I think it's genuinely the best platform and I'll explain my reasons why so here's up works main website and if we do a quick search for machine learning jobs in particular not not the freelancers you can see there are quite a few jobs and the great thing about up work is there are a number of different filters you can apply you can work hourly you can work by project you can even do set up recurring payments there's a lot of different options for how you get paid but up work also has the payment protection plan where if a client tries to stiff you there is a little bit of protection built in so that you can get your money although keep in mind it is built around the client because the clients are the ones bringing in the money they do a little bit to protect the freelancers as well you can see there's a number of different jobs available I don't know how viewable that is on my screen on this big monitor but you have a number of different jobs they're denoted by either hourly or a fixed price you know the level they're looking for expert nerd me beginner estimated timelines and budgets so it gives you a lot of detail and there are many many jobs and there are dozens posted every single day and so it's a great platform for finding jobs of oisin learning if you take a look at freelancer you see there is also a whole bunch of listings for jobs and in this case what I'm seeing is that these bids are really really low so Zoomer is a $6 per hour bid now if you're living in a country with a low cost of living $6 an hour may be a really good wage for you however here in the United States you're gonna be living on public assistance at $6 an hour so for me it's not a great option seeing these even the bids for the even the bids for the for the fixed price jobs are really low $1500 is incredibly low for pretty decent sized projects the other thing I'm noticing is that there are lots and lots of bits so 18 bits 5 is 26 bits I know from my personal experience on up work that the competition is pretty low if I'm applying for job typically there's only maybe up to 10 other people applying so it's a great way to stand out when you have a much smaller field of competition right you also have the fiber platform I've never used this either for as a as a client or as a freelancer but I'm gonna have to say I wouldn't by staying away from it and the reason is this page here so I do a search for machine learning and you can't even search the job so it's at the very beginning you can tell it's not set up for the freelancer setup and geared toward the clients so there's a freelancer this signals to you that they're not gonna really care about you and you need to be very careful when considering if you want to use our platform the other thing I noticed is that these starting at rates are really really low at 2030 dollars 50 bucks 150 that's a little bit more reasonable but you know I can't think of too many tasks that you'd be doing the ten dollars is really a fair wage right I mean machine learning data so these are all cutting edge things you're gonna be working on projects they're gonna have hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars pretend you're buying it for the business of taking a ten dollar cut is really robbing yourself in my opinion now what I understand a fiber is that people will get you in at the low ten dollar rate and then try to bargain up for other upsells but that really just really complicates the whole thing I much prefer the approach where you lay everything out from the beginning have a detailed proposal milestones expectations client knows what they're getting you know what they expect everybody wins and you get paid a much higher wage so looking at the top three platforms I I really believe up work is going to be your best bet you're going to be able to stand out because there aren't very many people applying for these jobs the wages are high and even for people living in developing nations you know I see many freelancers from places like Pakistan India making thirty forty fifty dollars not really good money for where they are it's good money even here in the United States so it is sustainable to provide a living for you and really get you started doing machine learning and data science as a freelancer so that's just a quick overview of all of the different platforms it's a really quick video again a bias for up work in the next video in the series I'm going to talk about how that structure your profile how to look for jobs how to apply for jobs and most importantly how to screen clients I've had some horror stories of my own as a freelancer out of work it can be a real nightmare so you need to know the red flags upfront so you don't get caught flat-footed someone trying to jack you for five hundred dollars that's not fun experienced folks so hopefully you can learn from from my bad experience and did you start on the right foot I hope this has been informative any questions leave them below stay tuned for the next videowelcome back everybody to the machine learning lab in this series we're going to talk about how you can get started in freelancing and machine learning and data science in 2018 how does it even possibly say is there even a market for data science and machine learning services in the freelancing arena yes yes sir is in fact I myself I'm working as a freelance data scientist machine learning experts and you can too in this series we're going to show you exactly how how to apply for jobs what platform to choose how to find the right clients how to price your services basically everything you need to know to get started in your freelancing career so first thing we have to tackle is what plack want to use and there are actually a few different platforms in particular there is up work fiber and freelancer comm now I only have experience with up work some bit we're going to be a bit biased in my overview but I think it's genuinely the best platform and I'll explain my reasons why so here's up works main website and if we do a quick search for machine learning jobs in particular not not the freelancers you can see there are quite a few jobs and the great thing about up work is there are a number of different filters you can apply you can work hourly you can work by project you can even do set up recurring payments there's a lot of different options for how you get paid but up work also has the payment protection plan where if a client tries to stiff you there is a little bit of protection built in so that you can get your money although keep in mind it is built around the client because the clients are the ones bringing in the money they do a little bit to protect the freelancers as well you can see there's a number of different jobs available I don't know how viewable that is on my screen on this big monitor but you have a number of different jobs they're denoted by either hourly or a fixed price you know the level they're looking for expert nerd me beginner estimated timelines and budgets so it gives you a lot of detail and there are many many jobs and there are dozens posted every single day and so it's a great platform for finding jobs of oisin learning if you take a look at freelancer you see there is also a whole bunch of listings for jobs and in this case what I'm seeing is that these bids are really really low so Zoomer is a $6 per hour bid now if you're living in a country with a low cost of living $6 an hour may be a really good wage for you however here in the United States you're gonna be living on public assistance at $6 an hour so for me it's not a great option seeing these even the bids for the even the bids for the for the fixed price jobs are really low $1500 is incredibly low for pretty decent sized projects the other thing I'm noticing is that there are lots and lots of bits so 18 bits 5 is 26 bits I know from my personal experience on up work that the competition is pretty low if I'm applying for job typically there's only maybe up to 10 other people applying so it's a great way to stand out when you have a much smaller field of competition right you also have the fiber platform I've never used this either for as a as a client or as a freelancer but I'm gonna have to say I wouldn't by staying away from it and the reason is this page here so I do a search for machine learning and you can't even search the job so it's at the very beginning you can tell it's not set up for the freelancer setup and geared toward the clients so there's a freelancer this signals to you that they're not gonna really care about you and you need to be very careful when considering if you want to use our platform the other thing I noticed is that these starting at rates are really really low at 2030 dollars 50 bucks 150 that's a little bit more reasonable but you know I can't think of too many tasks that you'd be doing the ten dollars is really a fair wage right I mean machine learning data so these are all cutting edge things you're gonna be working on projects they're gonna have hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars pretend you're buying it for the business of taking a ten dollar cut is really robbing yourself in my opinion now what I understand a fiber is that people will get you in at the low ten dollar rate and then try to bargain up for other upsells but that really just really complicates the whole thing I much prefer the approach where you lay everything out from the beginning have a detailed proposal milestones expectations client knows what they're getting you know what they expect everybody wins and you get paid a much higher wage so looking at the top three platforms I I really believe up work is going to be your best bet you're going to be able to stand out because there aren't very many people applying for these jobs the wages are high and even for people living in developing nations you know I see many freelancers from places like Pakistan India making thirty forty fifty dollars not really good money for where they are it's good money even here in the United States so it is sustainable to provide a living for you and really get you started doing machine learning and data science as a freelancer so that's just a quick overview of all of the different platforms it's a really quick video again a bias for up work in the next video in the series I'm going to talk about how that structure your profile how to look for jobs how to apply for jobs and most importantly how to screen clients I've had some horror stories of my own as a freelancer out of work it can be a real nightmare so you need to know the red flags upfront so you don't get caught flat-footed someone trying to jack you for five hundred dollars that's not fun experienced folks so hopefully you can learn from from my bad experience and did you start on the right foot I hope this has been informative any questions leave them below stay tuned for the next video\n"