Freelance and agency platforms for developers: Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, Clutch and more

There are dozens of places to find clients and they work very differently. Some marketplaces hand you jobs for a commission, some vet you like a job candidate, and some give you no work at all, they only collect reviews of your agency. This hub has four groups. For each platform: who it suits, what it costs, how to get paid from Ukraine, how to get in, and what to watch for.

How to read the marks. (unverified) means the figure or rule could not be confirmed on the platform's own page (often it is visible only inside an account) or sources disagree. Recheck these by hand before you spend time or money.

Payouts from Ukraine in general. The usual route: the platform pays into Payoneer, then UAH or foreign currency goes to a sole proprietor (FOP) or personal account. Wise is normally not a direct payout from the big marketplaces and works as a second step (Payoneer, then Wise). An individual pays personal income tax and the military levy, a group 3 FOP uses the simplified system, and foreign currency revenue must be credited to the FOP account. Details depend on your bank and currency control, so confirm with an accountant. This is not tax advice.

At a glance

1. Freelance marketplaces

Upwork

• For: junior to agency. The one big marketplace with full agency accounts and the most jobs.
• Fees: since May 2025 variable, 0 to 15% per contract, shown at proposal time and locked for the whole contract. Proposals cost Connects at $0.15 each, 10 free per month on Basic. Paid freelancer and agency plans are about $20 a month. Check the help center for current details.
• Payout: Payoneer and bank methods. Freelancers in Ukraine get expedited payments on hourly contracts (fixed-price contracts are not included), as described in the Upwork help center.
• Vetting: profile review. New accounts sometimes wait long or get declined without explanation.
• Rates: $15 to $40/hour for junior and middle, $50 to $100+ for senior with a niche.
• Pros: many jobs, payment protection, a rating (JSS) that compounds, long contracts.
• Cons: competition, Connects cost money, underbidding, accounts can be lost for rule breaks.
• Red flags: a client asks to move to messenger before a contract, asks for a free test task, has an unverified payment method, or wants payment off platform.
• First client: a narrow niche in the headline, 2 or 3 small fixed-price jobs delivered fast for reviews, proposals in the first hours after posting, a personal first line instead of a template. For writing short, specific pitches see the cover letters hub.
• Ukraine now: yes.

Fiverr

• For: junior to agency, best for people who can package a service into a fixed-price gig. Fiverr Pro is vetted. Fiverr Agencies, per Fiverr's help center, takes companies with at least 3 in-house professionals, an active presence in an eligible category and a solid online presence.
• Fees: flat 20% on everything, tips and add-ons included. Some guides put the effective loss near 24 to 28% after conversion (unverified).
• Payout: PayPal, bank transfer via Payoneer, or a Payoneer account. The standard clearance period is 14 days. Top Rated and Seller Plus Premium sellers can clear earlier through Early Payout for a 1% fee. Withdrawal fees per Fiverr's help center range from $0 to $3 depending on the method.
• Rates: package price, $50 to $2,500+ per gig.
• Pros: buyers come to you. Easy to start, good for productized services.
• Cons: 20% is steep, buyers expect low prices, ratings build slowly.
• Red flags: a buyer tries to go off platform, swaps contacts, or wants work before payment.
• First client: 3 gigs on one narrow topic, the first 5 orders at a lower price for reviews, a gig video.
• Ukraine now: yes, payouts via Payoneer.

Freelancer.com

• For: juniors learning to sell.
• Fees: per the Freelancer.com fees page, 10% or $5, whichever is greater, on fixed-price projects and 10% on hourly ones, plus paid plans and contests.
• Payout: PayPal, Skrill, Payoneer (unverified).
• Pros: open, many small tasks. Cons: lowest budgets, spam, hundreds of bidders.
• Red flags: contests that keep your work unpaid, requests for a free prototype.
• First client: take small jobs only for first reviews, then move on.
• Ukraine now: (unverified).

PeoplePerHour

• For: middle developers targeting UK small businesses.
• Fees: tiered, the percentage falls as your earnings with one client grow. Check the current price on the vendor's site (unverified). Vetting: profile moderation, a couple of days.
• Cons: fewer jobs than Upwork, payouts for Ukraine (unverified).
• First client: one narrow service, a fixed price, fast replies.
• Ukraine now: check at sign-up (unverified).

Guru

• For: junior and middle as a side channel. Fees: depend on the plan, check the current price on the vendor's site (unverified).
• Payout: Payoneer was removed in 2023 and withdrawals to Ukraine are risky, visible only inside an account (unverified).
• Cons: small flow, dated interface. Ukraine now: do not invest time until payout is confirmed.

Contra

• For: junior to agency, especially designers, developers with portfolios, studios.
• Fees: 0% for the freelancer. An optional Pro plan costs $29 a month or $199 a year per Contra's pricing page.
• Payout: standard payouts are free, faster and crypto payouts carry a fee. Which methods work for Ukraine, check in your account (unverified).
• Pros: profile works as a portfolio site, supports teams and agency profiles.
• Cons: fewer jobs than Upwork, self-promotion matters.
• First client: invite existing clients to leave reviews, post case studies in the feed.
• Ukraine now: sign-up is open, check payouts yourself.

Malt

• For: middle and senior, aimed at France and Germany.
• Fees: per Malt's help center, 5% for the freelancer. For some projects in France, Spain and Belgium it starts at 10% and then drops to 5%. For a client you invite yourself, a reduced 2% applies in France.
• Vetting: profile review, a registered business (sole trader or company), documents.
• Cons: Malt's help center lists Ukraine among blocked countries where freelancer registration is refused. Some get around it by registering a business in the EU.
• Ukraine now: no, not with a Ukrainian registration.

Freelancehunt (Ukraine)

• For: junior and middle, local jobs in Ukrainian, small budgets.
• Fees: the Safe secure deal carries a fee and there is a paid Plus plan. We found neither the Safe percentage nor the Plus price on the service's pages, so check the current price on the vendor's site (unverified).
• Payout: UAH to Ukrainian accounts, tied to FOP (unverified).
• Pros: in Ukrainian, familiar to local business, low barrier. Cons: small budgets, thin on AI and enterprise work, mixed reviews about Safe refunds.
• Red flags: a client moves payment outside Safe or wants an unpaid test.
• Ukraine now: yes, native.

Kabanchik and other local services

Kabanchik is household services, not for developers. For local work use Freelancehunt, Djinni and direct contacts. See also where developers find jobs.

2. Vetted talent networks

Common thread: the talent pays no commission, the client pays through a markup. In return entry is tough (1 to 3% acceptance, figures reported by the platforms and not independently audited). Almost all take individuals, not agencies.

Toptal

• For: senior, 3+ years of practice.
• Entry: about 3% pass, several stages: English, technical interview, test project. Takes 2 to 5 weeks.
• Money: 0% to the freelancer. Take-home for Eastern Europeans has historically been roughly $30 to $60/hour (unverified).
• Pros: quality clients, steady flow. Cons: long entry, gaps between projects.
• Red flags: none specific, just a long queue with no guarantee.
• Ukraine now: yes.

Lemon.io

• For: middle and senior. Entry: 1.2% pass by the service's own figure, 5 steps. Founded by Ukrainians, payouts to a bank account, via Payoneer or Wise.
• Rates: the Lemon.io developer page lists senior rates from $55/hour. Pros: a fast, friendly entry for Ukrainians. Cons: lower ceiling than Toptal.
• Ukraine now: yes.

Arc.dev

• For: middle and senior, freelance and full-time tracks. Entry: the service says top 2% of talent, English plus technical interview.
• Rates: AI/ML roughly $100 to $150/hour (unverified). Ukraine now: yes, check payout options during onboarding (unverified).

Turing

• For: middle and senior. Entry: claims about 1% pass from a million applications (platform claim), automated code assessment.
• Money: 0% to the freelancer. LLM-trainer roles roughly $29 to $51/hour (unverified). Cons: a long path, often no offers.
• Ukraine now: (unverified).

Braintrust

• For: middle and senior, especially AI roles. Fees: 0% to the freelancer, client pays 15%. Entry: profile, AI interview, certification, matching.
• Payout: Wise or USDC, workable from Ukraine. Rates: roughly $70 to $130/hour (unverified). Cons: the first match is the hardest.
• Ukraine now: yes.

Gun.io

• For: senior, US market. Entry: about 10% (unverified), three gates. Rates: client rates roughly $100 to $200/hour (unverified).
• Cons: needs overlap with US hours. Ukraine now: (unverified).

Andela

• For: middle and senior on long corporate contracts. Entry: very selective, estimates range from 0.5 to 2%, all self-reported. No public rate card.
• Ukraine now: (unverified).

Proxify

• For: middle and senior, European market. Entry: résumé, live coding, technical deep dive, English, 1 to 3% accepted.
• Rates: per third-party sources roughly $35 to $55/hour with a 40 hour monthly minimum (unverified). Ukraine now: (unverified).

Upstack

The Upstack site promises clients the top 1% of engineers and a network of a few thousand vetted developers. We found no reliable data on fees or on work with Ukraine (unverified). Check the site before you plan around it.

3. Agency directories and B2B review platforms

These do not hand out jobs in the classic sense. A buyer searches for a company, reads the profile, rating and reviews, then writes to you. So they suit agencies and studios, not solo developers at the start.

Clutch

• For: agencies and studios, especially B2B with mid to large budgets.
• Money: a basic profile is free (per Clutch's own help page). Paid: sponsorship and Premium profile, prices not published. Third parties cite thousands of dollars a month for top placement, so check the current price on the vendor's site (unverified).
• Reviews: verified by Clutch (a call to the client). Per the help page, Clutch Verified is tied to paid tiers.
• Red flags: promises of a guaranteed top spot for money, anyone offering paid reviews. Reviews must come from real clients.
• First client: ask 3 to 5 clients for a review, that is your entry ticket.
• Ukraine now: yes, many Ukrainian companies are listed.

GoodFirms, DesignRush, The Manifest, Sortlist

• GoodFirms: free profile plus paid plans, fewer reviews and a lighter check than Clutch per third-party comparisons (unverified).
• DesignRush: per a competitor, the top spots in a category are labeled Sponsored (unverified). Agencies pay for promotion.
• The Manifest: Clutch's sister site, a profile is included in Clutch's free features (per Clutch help).
• Sortlist: free for buyers, agencies pay for badges and spots (unverified). Stronger in Europe.
• Overall: start with free profiles and pay only after 5+ reviews and a payback estimate.
• Ukraine now: (unverified).

G2

A review site for products (SaaS), not services. You need it only if you build your own product. For an agency or freelancer it is not useful.

4. Remote job boards that blur into freelance

These are job boards, not marketplaces. Candidates pay nothing (Wellfound states it on its own page, others per reviews). No commission.

• Wellfound: startup jobs, sometimes contracts. Free profile. For middle and senior developers who want a startup.
• We Work Remotely: free for candidates, employers pay to post a job.
• Remote OK: free, big flow, an optional paid Premium tier, check the current price on the vendor's site.
• Red flags: no company name, no salary range, a fee for "access" or equipment, personal documents requested before an offer.
• First client: these are for hiring, not gigs. Find contracts with the contract or part-time filter and a direct email.
• Ukraine now: yes, but check whether the company hires from Ukraine (jurisdiction, sanctions, time zones).

How to choose

• Beginner with no reviews: Upwork (small fixed-price) plus Fiverr (one clear gig) and Freelancehunt for local work. Put more effort into the profile than into the number of bids.
• Junior with a portfolio: Upwork, Contra, Djinni and remote boards. Vetted networks are too early.
• Middle: Upwork plus Lemon.io, Arc, Braintrust. Malt makes sense only if you have a business registered in an allowed country.
• Senior: Toptal, Lemon.io, Arc, Gun.io, Proxify, Braintrust as the premium channel, Upwork as a safety net.
• Agency: Upwork Agency, Contra, Fiverr Agencies, plus Clutch for trust. Vetted networks take people, not companies.
• Rule: two main platforms for your goal, the rest once a week. Put every new direct client on a platform with secure payment and leave a review.
• Before you spend: do not pay for "guaranteed jobs", do not give free tests, do not leave the platform before a contract.

Unverified

PeoplePerHour and Guru fees and payouts, the Freelancehunt Safe fee and Plus price, Freelancer.com and Contra payouts for Ukraine, rate figures on vetted networks, Turing, Gun.io, Andela, Proxify and Upstack terms for Ukraine, paid tiers of agency directories. Check these on official pages or inside your account.