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Professional Services · head to head

Freelancer.com vs Guru

Freelancer.com logo

Freelancer.com

Professional Services

Find the best freelancers for any job online

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Guru logo

Guru

Professional Services

Find freelancers, find a job

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Freelancer.com employers pay 3% or $3.00 USD minimum on fixed-price projects when awarding; Guru higher tiers all include 600 bids; no bid increases from Business to Executive
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freelancer.com and Guru actually diverge.

Attributes where Freelancer.com and Guru differ
AttributeFreelancer.comGuru
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Professional Services).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Freelancer.com

  • Posting projects and collecting competitive bids without upfront costnot Guru
  • Engaging hourly contractors with flexible staffing and per-payment feesnot Guru
  • Running design contests where employers only pay if satisfiednot Guru
  • Securing work payments held by platform until contractor approvalnot Guru
  • Identifying vetted freelancers through Verified by Freelancer badgesnot Guru

Guru

  • Connecting freelancers with employers for competitive project biddingnot Freelancer.com
  • Managing multiple contractors as a distributed freelance businessnot Freelancer.com
  • Standing out in competitive freelance bidding with premium quotesnot Freelancer.com
  • Managing monthly bid limits for active freelancersnot Freelancer.com
  • Improving profile ranking in freelancer search resultsnot Freelancer.com

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Freelancer.com

  • Employers pay 3% or $3.00 USD minimum on fixed-price projects when awarding
  • Freelancers pay 10% or $5.00 USD minimum on fixed-price projects
  • Preferred Freelancer Program charges 15% on recruiter projects
  • Maintenance fee up to $14.00 per month for accounts inactive 6+ months
  • Withdrawal fees range from $1.00 to $25.00 depending on method

Guru

  • Higher tiers all include 600 bids; no bid increases from Business to Executive
  • Membership purchases are non-refundable
  • No free trial period before commitment

Pricing, plan by plan

Freelancer.com

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Freelancer.com review.

Guru

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 120 bids annually
    • 9% job fee
    • No premium features
  • Basic+$11.95/month
    • 120 bids annually
    • 9% job fee
    • Annual: $8.95/month
  • Professional$21.95/month
    • 600 bids annually
    • 7% job fee
    • Premium quotes
  • Business$33.95/month
    • 600 bids annually
    • 6% job fee
    • All Professional features

Which should you pick?

Choose Freelancer.com if

  • You want to start without paying.
Freelancer.com review

Choose Guru if

  • You want to start without paying.
Guru review

Questions people ask

Is Freelancer.com or Guru better?
Neither clearly leads. Freelancer.com starts at Free and Guru at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freelancer.com or Guru?
Freelancer.com starts at Free and Guru at Free.
Does Freelancer.com or Guru run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Freelancer.com for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Freelancer.com best used for?
Freelancer.com is most often used for posting projects and collecting competitive bids without upfront cost, engaging hourly contractors with flexible staffing and per-payment fees, running design contests where employers only pay if satisfied, securing work payments held by platform until contractor approval. Of those, posting projects and collecting competitive bids without upfront cost and engaging hourly contractors with flexible staffing and per-payment fees are not what Guru is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Freelancer.com: What are Freelancer.com's fees?

Employers pay 3% or $3.00 USD (whichever is greater) when awarding fixed-price projects and 3% on hourly payments. Freelancers pay 10% or $5.00 USD minimum on fixed-price projects, 10% on hourly payments, and 10% or $5.00 USD on contest prizes. The Preferred Freelancer Program charges 15% on recruiter projects.

Source
Guru: Is there a free Guru membership?

Yes, Guru offers a free tier with 120 annual bids and a 9% job fee on earnings.

Source
Freelancer.com: What are the payment processing and withdrawal fees on Freelancer?

Payment processing fees are $0.30 USD plus 2.3% for credit card, PayPal, or Skrill. Withdrawal fees are $1.00 for PayPal/Skrill/Payoneer and $25.00 for international wire transfers.

Source
Guru: What is Guru's job fee structure?

Guru charges job fees that decrease with membership tier: Free 9%, Basic+ 9%, Professional 7%, Business 6%, Executive 5%.

Source
Freelancer.com: What optional upgrades are available for Freelancer projects?

Featured and Urgent upgrades cost $10.99 each, Private/NDA/IP Agreement upgrades cost $22.99 each, and Full Time projects cost $240.00. Projects also have a Verification Badge option at $99.00 (regular), $79.00 (Preferred), or $59.00 (Rising Stars).

Source
Guru: Does Guru offer annual billing discounts?

Yes. Annual plans offer up to 27% savings. For example, Professional is $15.95/month billed annually versus $21.95/month on a monthly plan.

Source
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