20 More Platforms for Workers in the Gig Economy

The gig economy has been defined as part-time, temporary and freelance jobs. And though it might sound like the kind of thing that would most interest college students on summer break, it is projected half of the working U.S. population will move into the gig economy within the next five years. The stats are pretty much the same globally where the digital infrastructure is in place.

The segment now caters to virtually every industry. Whether it is doctors, lawyers or accountants, there is a platform that will make their talent more accessible to a larger audience. And for small businesses that can’t afford the hefty fees of professional firms or permanent workers, the gig economy is a solution for many of their problems.

Continuing from our last list of 20 gig economy platforms, here are 20 more websites for gigs where you can use to find help or outsource your talent.

More Websites for Gigs

Catalant

If you are looking for leading experts in their respective industries, Catalant is the platform for you. This is the next evolution in the gig or platform economy. It has more than 30,000 experts from 650+ firms in over 120 countries. According to the company, more than 10,000 have experience at Fortune 500 companies, 5,000+ of them went to the top-5 business schools and an additional 5,000+ have experience at top consulting firms.

Catalant is free to join, and there are no charges to post projects or submit bids. The company collects fees from contractors when they submit a bid on a project. If you want access to top tier talent, this is the right platform. And while it might cost you more initially, the investment will be worth every penny in the long run when you start reaping the fruits of their enterprise grade expertise.

3D Hubs

If you have a 3D printer or more than one for that matter, you can make a business of it with 3D Hubs. This platform allows designers, engineers, inventors and others to quickly get rapid prototyping from local 3D printer owners or businesses, with half of all orders delivered within 24hr.

All you have to do is upload your 3D in .STL or .OBJ format, choose the material and select the best 3D printing service on the platform. You can list your printer for free, and when you receive an order 3D Hubs charges 12.5 percent commission on each order.

Turning Art

Thanks to Turning Art, artist will no longer have to starve. With more than 1,000 artist already on the platform, their work can be enjoyed as reproductions in prints or by purchasing the original work.

Artist can earn money from prints that are being rented in the home or office of customers, from royalties when the prints are sold on site, and a higher share when the original work is sold through Turning Art.

LawTrades

The right legal advice can save you time, money and a lot of headaches, and for a small business it is invaluable. LawTrades brings legal and business talent together in a platform that uses engineered software to select the right attorney for your case for immediate consultation. Once you have been connected, you can chat 24/7 with him or her.

There are experts in business formation, intellectual property, Web agreements, employment, fundraising, immigration and more. Lawyers pay a transaction fee for each completed project.

Wonolo

Wonolo, which stands for “Work Now Locally” provides on-demand staffing for businesses to fill hourly or daily workforce. The platform has thousands of pre-screened workers to fill in your last minute no shows or support unexpected demand.

Even though large enterprise regularly use the service, small and medium sized businesses can also benefit from it. The workers or Wonoloers can use the app to receive notification when there is a job in your area for some of the biggest brands in the world. The rating system shows Wonoloers that are performing well, which increases their chances of getting more jobs.

DoctorOnDemand

Using video messaging, you can now connect with doctors, psychologists and other healthcare professionals. The live doctor visit includes assessment, diagnosis and prescriptions if needed.

The company says it treats patients head to toe, mind and body. And as far as the cost, it is similar to typical co-pay and much less than the usual cost of urgent care, this according to DoctorOnDemand.

UpCounsel

If you can get a diagnosis on your phone, getting legal services shouldn’t be a problem. And UpCounsel is a marketplace that provides lawyers to direct access to clients. The company says you can save 60 percent compared to law firms, with transparent, upfront pricing and no hidden fees.

The attorneys pass the company’s screening process and they have been verified to practice law with valid licenses. It is free to create an account for the attorneys, and a fee is charged for work done on the UpCounsel platform.

Skillshare

With Skillshare you can teach the skills you have acquired throughout your life online. This doesn’t necessarily have to be your profession or one you have a degree or license for.

You can teach design, photography, business, entrepreneurship, film, fashion, music, technology, writing, creativity and more. The company says its teachers can make up to $40,000 a year, but the average is $3,000. 

Upwork

The company claims more than 2.5 million businesses use Upwork to find freelancers. It provides three different level of service that includes the pro version with pre-vetted and handpicked talent, enterprise for end-to-end freelancer management system and the free version with basic options.

Upwork charges freelancers a 20, 10, or 5 percent service fee depending on the total amount they’ve billed with a client for services covering a wide range of industries. This includes, writers, programmers, web developers, designers and many more.

Toptal

The Toptal platform only accepts 3 percent of applicants. This not only ensures its freelancer have higher rates of acceptance, but customers also receive better services. These customers include global brand and enterprises such as Pfizer, Airbnb, JP Morgan, Gucci, Rand McNally and many others.

The freelancers include developers, designers and financial experts, and payment depends on a range of factors because of the level of expertise in the fields. But services start at $60-$95+/hour for developers and designers, and $100-$200+/hour for financial services. 

HireMeDirect

HireMeDirect brings 30 years of experience providing AV & IT labor, and it has decided to be part of the gig economy by making its pool of talent available as freelancers. It provides show set up, audio, video, lighting, graphics, information technology, operators, and stage.

The company charges a flat rate of $25, per day, per shift, and freelancers can accept or reject the offers on the platform from organizations looking for professional services.

Opportunity

Finding clients is very difficult when you are a freelancer, that is until you build your portfolio. Until then and thereafter, Opportunity will look through a network of millions of professional profiles to see if they can use your particular sets of skills.

The platform generates leads and networks on your behalf so you can discover employment opportunities, grow your network, and form partnerships. There is a basic tier account for free and a Pro service with monthly or annual fees. 

HackerOne

If you’re a great programmer or one that wants to learn the craft, HackerOne is a community of friendly hackers that helps companies of all sizes to find any vulnerability they might have. It was created by security leaders from Facebook , Microsoft and Google  as the first vulnerability coordination and bug bounty platform.

So far its hackers have collected more than $10 million in bug bounties. And with everyone from the US Department of Defense to Adobe, airbnb, Dropbox, GM, Uber, Snapchat, Vimeo and many others as clients, there will always be work.

Fiverr

Fiverr is famous or infamous depending on your experience, but this is a very valuable global platform used by small businesses and individuals alike. You can access services in graphics and design, digital marketing, writing and translation, video and animation, business, programming and more.

As the name implies, services start at five dollars and can go as high as $10,000 , so it greatly depends on your skill level, field and the job. This is a great platform to establish your portfolio if you are a beginner.

CloudPeeps

The approach CloudPeeps has taken in the freelancers segment is to try and establish long-term assignments between service providers and clients. According to the company, the relationship it establishes last more than six months on its platform.

CloudPeeps curates top talent to get the job done for you by finding the perfect match for single or ongoing projects with local or remote professionals. It is a service that starts for free for both clients and freelancers, but also includes fee based services to access all of the features the company provides.

Band of Hands

The BandofHands platform is designed to really simplify the way users post and search for a job. A simple two-step process lets you find a job, or post a job to get the right freelancer. You can get manual or skilled labor, professionals and everything in between.

Membership is free, but Band of Hands charges a service fee of 15 percent for each completed Job transaction between a Poster and Worker.

Mechanical Turk

Mechanical Turk is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) service designed to use human intelligence to perform tasks computers are not able to perform. It brings organizations that request the service and individuals willing to perform the tasks together.

The platform is easy enough in that all you do is search or browse through the Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) and choose the one you like. If you follow the instructions, do the work, and submit the work, you will get paid. The tasks include transcribing video and audio file, taking surveys, writing product description and many more. The payment also varies greatly deepening on your experience, so expect to make very little as you accrue more tasks.

Getaround

Where Uber requires you to drive your car, Getaround completely hands over your vehicle to renters. If you are a bit leery about giving your keys to a complete stranger, the company does offer a $1,000,000 insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance.

If you have a second or third car, this is a great way to make money without dealing the headache of driving people around. You are paid monthly, and according to Getaround, the average owner makes $6,000 a year.

Gigwalk

With Gigwalk you create projects and push it out to the workforce, and the platform matches people to the job based on GPS locations. These are jobs that pay anywhere from $3-$100 to perform a range of tasks.

Gigwalk is used by some of the leading global brands to see how their merchandise is being sold, displayed, marketed, and more in the real-world. Some of the companies include Frito Lay, Red Bull, Adidas, Unilever, Pfizer and others.

Thumbtack

Thumbtack is simplifying the freelance process even further by selecting the customers based on your skills. If you are qualified and you accept the customer’s request, you send a quote. The company sends Thumbtack profile containing past work, your qualifications, contact information, and reviews with your quote automatically.

The services offered on Thumbtack run the gamut, with appliance installers to wedding photographers. Users looking for a job have to buy credits, which are used for the quotes. The more credits you buy the cheaper it is.

Conclusion

According to the Pew Research, some 24 percent of American adults have earned money in the platform or gig economy over the last year. While the platform is better suited for jobs that can be performed digitally, the brick and mortar side also benefits greatly from it. The technology allows individuals that are good at what they do to build a client base and grow their small business. The apps that provide the service take care of the marketing and even customer acquisition, which eliminates the burden of establishing a business in the real-world along with the cost and distress that comes with it.

Freelancer Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "20 More Platforms for Workers in the Gig Economy" was first published on Small Business Trends