Freelance writers will often ask me for the best freelance writing sites to find paid work online.
And while there are a ton of sites that can help you find freelance work generally, you’re better served looking to freelance writing sites specifically.
Instead of playing the networking game, waiting for referrals, or playing the content creation game and hoping something comes through eventually, these freelance writing sites put thousands of online writing jobs at your fingertips today.
So let’s jump into my favorites!
Table of Contents
The 15 best freelance sites for writers
1. Contena
Contena is a premium freelance writing website that aims to be more than “just another job board.”
It’s one of my best recommendations for freelance writing sites.
First, they have what they call their “writing job finder” that automatically collects the best freelance writing gigs from around the web.
Then you can search and sort through them to find the best opportunities – whether that’s a $10,000 a month full time eBook writing gig or a one off blog post in the sports niche.
That saves you a ton of time trying to go to a bunch of different sites to find jobs.
But their Alerts emails, sent to your inbox daily, save you even more time by showing you just the jobs that meet your criteria, like rates and niche.
Some of the other features that makes this one of the best freelance writing websites for beginners and veterans alike:
- Courses – learn how to get started freelance writing in a weekend, and continue to grow afterwards
- Coaching – access to pro help in leveling up your freelance writing career
- Pro Rates – shows you the average rates writers earn so you can price your work accordingly
- Publish – lets you build your portfolio with their beautiful and easy to use tools
Even though you need to apply and pay for their platform, they provide such high-quality work that it easily pays for itself.
Pros
- Writing job finder that collects the best available from around the web
- Comes with other helpful tools and courses to get started and grow your freelancing
Cons
- Application required
- Paid service
Check Out Contena
2. Upwork
Back in the old days of online freelancing (aka circa 2015) two of the largest freelance job sites at the time, oDesk and Elance, joined forces.
The result was Upwork, which is now home to over 12 million freelancers, 5 million clients, and 3 million freelance job listings per year.
While the marketplace features freelance jobs of all sorts, there are plenty of freelance writing jobs available – from blogging to resume writing, website copywriting to technical documentation.
They offer short-term contracts, long-term contracts, hourly work, or project-based payments.
If you’re just starting your journey as a freelance writer, you’ll have more of an uphill climb to build a portfolio and your reputation on the site (experienced freelancers can just add their existing portfolio items to get jobs and reviews more quickly).
But the availability of jobs on the site means you’ll always be able to find work if you’re willing to put in the effort to submit proposals.
The biggest downside here is the 20% fee Upwork charges for the first $500 you make with any client. You must also pay up to $0.90 per proposal that you weren’t specifically invited to apply for. So if you’re just getting started, you may have to pay-to-play in order to build your portfolio
Pros
- A seemingly bottomless supply of leads
- Payment management
Cons
- Highest fees for freelance writing sites
- Can take a while to build your reputation on the platform
3. FlexJobs
FlexJobs is an online jobs marketplace both for freelancers and people looking for flexible full-time employment positions.
The biggest difference from the competition?
FlexJobs screens and verifies all their jobs so you won’t find any scams or low-paying gigs.
This is great for more experienced freelance writers since you won’t waste your time filtering through junk. But if you’re just starting out and need to build a portfolio, you’ll have a harder time finding jobs for that purpose.
FlexJobs also makes it easy to find the perfect gig for you with their custom job search.
This lets you select the categories of work (there are several kinds of “writing” jobs available), your preferred work schedule, experience level, and so on so you can see and apply for just the jobs you’re actually interested in.
To get access to the freelance writing jobs available on FlexJobs, you’ll have to sign up for a subscription.
Flexjobs is typically priced at $14.95/month or $49.95 for the year.
But you can try it out with our link for less than $7.
Pros
- Job postings are screened for quality
- Jobs are remote-friendly
- Subscription membership means lower competition
- Exclusive member discounts and deals
Cons
- Requires a subscription
- Not as useful for building a portfolio
Click here to check out FlexJobs
4. Freelance Writing Jobs
Freelance Writing Jobs (FWJ), previously Freelance Writing Gigs (hence the URL) is basically a well-curated job board for writers.
Updated Monday through Friday with gigs from around the web, they’ll save you some of the time and stress of filtering through tons of options (some of which will be bogus) on other freelance writing sites.
That being said, you’ll still need to do your own due diligence when looking to get hired.
And it’s not a platform like FlexJobs or Upwork, so the exact process for applying, landing, and getting paid for a job will vary depending on the specific opportunity.
But they offer an awesome archive of posts offering tips for beginner and expert freelance writers and are definitely worth adding to your “places to find writing jobs” checklist.
Pros
- Freelance job board specific to writing
- Includes jobs from around the web as well as their board
Cons
- Not a platform – no universal way to submit applications/get hired
- Not as many opportunities as other freelance writing websites
Check Out Freelance Writing Jobs
5. Textbroker
Textbroker is a freelance writing website that operates sort of like a large scale agency.
They vet freelance writers (like you) for quality, then give you access to the tons of product descriptions, press releases, web copy, blogs, and other writing jobs their customers post (they claim they deliver on over 100,000 content orders a month).
Signing up as a writer is completely free – just verify your U.S. citizenship and submit a writing sample. They’ll give you a 2-5 star rating and it’s off to the races!
You can get work by jumping into an open order (first come, first serve) which is nice because you don’t have to “sell” a client on hiring you first.
You can also get placed on a team of other writers to be hired together or have clients send you work directly – all while Textbroker does the heavy lifting of managing payments and project workflows.
All of this is great for beginners, though the relatively low pay means more experienced writers will probably want to look elsewhere.
Pros
- Easy to get started – just need a writing sample and you can get freelance writing jobs
- Great for building a portfolio when getting started
Cons
- Work doesn’t pay as well as other freelance writing sites
- Write up front model means you may do work without getting paid
6. Contently
Contently is another agency-style freelance writing site that connects freelancers with bigger brands they might otherwise have a hard time landing gigs with.
To do this, they work hard to screen new freelancers who join their platform and select the right freelancers to invite to the various job opportunities.
What does that mean?
You really have to have a solid portfolio to get started, and you won’t be able to have as active a role in searching for work as you can be on other platforms.
BUT that tradeoff comes with the opportunity to work with big brands on high paying projects.
Which means this freelance writing website is best for experienced writers looking to supplement their other work-finding efforts.
Pros
- Access to projects with big brands like Microsoft and Coca Cola
- Projects tend to pay well
Cons
- Have to wait to receive job opportunities
- Requires a solid portfolio of existing work to be approved
7. MediaBistro
MediaBistro is a solid freelance writing job board for those looking to work specifically with media companies.
Think TV channels like HBO, digital media sites like VeryWell, and old school papers like the Daily Mail.
And they offer a membership that gets you access to online courses to hone your skills, tools to help you pitch editors and showcase your work, and perks like discounts to industry events and a free LinkedIn profile evaluation.
Downsides here are that there aren’t as many freelance writing gigs as other sites because they’re so industry focused.
And because it’s more of a job board for big brands rather than a freelance writing site, you’ll have to do a lot of “resume sending” rather than making connections with clients and relying on the strength of your portfolio.
Pros
- Access to freelance writing jobs with big brands like HBO and PBS
- Focuses specifically on gigs in the PR and journalism space
Cons
- More traditional job board – “submit your resume” rather than have a killer portfolio
- Just a job board – no platform to help with landing jobs/getting payments
8. ProBlogger
With the ProBlogger job board, created by blogging veteran Darren Rowse, you know two things going in: the jobs are probably solid, and they’ll likely be focused on blogging.
When you dig in, you’ll find that largely to be the case…though there are a few copywriting jobs sprinkled in the mix.
The board itself is pretty straight forward – it’s free to browse and apply for jobs as a writer.
No sign up needed, just find a job you’re interested in and apply. But if you want, they have a Candidate dashboard you can join (for free) to add your resume, manage applications and get job alerts.
Downsides here are there aren’t a ton of jobs available. I found 2-6 jobs a day when I was checking, but this is a well known site in the blogosphere so it’s a fairly competitive spot.
And the jobs aren’t screened, so you’ll have to do your own due diligence (though they have tips for that right in the applications).
Pros
- Well-known brand that attracts some solid clients
- Free to use, no sign up necessary
Cons
- Competitive (it’s a well known stop for new and veteran freelance writers)
- No screening
9. Freelancer.com
er.com is an online jobs marketplace very similar to Upwork.
That means you’ll create a profile, apply to jobs, get hired and paid through their platform, rinse, and repeat.
There are thousands of jobs available at any given time (including online writing jobs), both by the hour and fixed project rate.
Freelancer also offers a third “Contest” option where clients post their job needs, freelancers create the requested content, and the client chooses and pays for their favorite(s).
This might not be very attractive for seasoned freelancers who can rely on their existing portfolios, testimonials, and sales skills. But it’s great for new freelance writers as you can build your portfolio while having a shot at getting paid – without needing a ton of experience!
The downsides here are in the fees: you’ll have to pay to apply to jobs after your first 8 bids each month.
And you’ll have to pay 10% for all the hours and project fees you bill through them.
Pros
- Fees are cheaper than Upwork
- Contests offer an interesting way to build a portfolio
Cons
- Only get 8 free bids/month
- Have to pay fees on all the work you find/bill through them
10. Constant Content
Constant Content is a content creation service that’s helped over 50,000 businesses find freelance writers to create all sorts of web content: from social media posts and product pages to blog posts and ebooks.
To get freelance writing jobs through Constant Content, you’ll need to create a profile to showcase your experience and skills, take a quiz, and submit a 100-250 word writing sample.
If you’re approved, you’ll be able to apply to projects that interest you, work by yourself or on a team, and build up a reputation to get clients asking to work with you!
Overall this is a great place to get started and get a baseline amount of work for yourself.
But Constant Content doesn’t allow you to contact the companies you work with at all outside of their platform. So you won’t be able to build your own relationship with clients to expand your role or get referrals.
Pros
- Potential for ongoing work with big brands like Uber and Zulily
- Build up your reputation to get clients requesting to work with you
Cons
- You must be approved to join
- Can’t contact clients outside their platform to build your own relationship
11. Guru.com
Guru.com is another one of the big freelance job marketplaces. You create a profile, apply to jobs, land work, and get paid through the platform just like Upwork and Freelancer.
Unique features here include their “Guru Work Rooms” to help you manage communications on all your projects and their daily job matches so you can spend less time searching for potential jobs and more time applying to, winning, and working on projects.
Guru also offers the most free bids I’ve seen on one of these platforms (10 per month) and the lowest fees on money billed through them (9%).
But, you’re still paying for the privilege of using their platform to land clients and of the big three freelancing jobs platforms (Freelancer and Upwork included), they had the fewest freelance writing gigs available when I checked.
Pros
- Daily Job Match makes it easier to find the right projects to apply to
- Lowest fees/most free matches of the big freelancer jobs marketplaces
Cons
- …still have to pay fees for all your work found/billed through them
- Fewest jobs for writers available among the big three freelancing websites
12. Writer Access
Writer Access is another one of the content creation services that offers writers access to online freelance jobs.
Companies join their platform and commission content of all sorts, from lead magnets to case studies, blog posts and direct mail letters.
To join as a freelance writer, you’ll have to live in one of the following countries:
- United States
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
If that’s you, you’ll start by creating a profile and taking a writing test, which the Writer Access team will then check and give you a star rating from 2-6.
This star rating determines what kind of projects you can work on and how much you can earn through their platform, with 2-star orders paying 2 cents a word and 6-star orders paying 7 cents at minimum (up to $2).
If you don’t start with the star-rating you wanted, you’ll be able to improve it over time by doing great work that gets you great ratings from clients.
The biggest benefit here is access to steady work from big brands like Lids, Carmax, and Microsoft, but even their highest paying projects are on the low end of what you could potentially earn as a freelance writer.
Which is why I’d say this is a great place to find freelance writing jobs online for beginners, but more experienced writers will probably want to look elsewhere.
Pros
- Steady work from big brands like Lids and Carmax
- Can work your way up through their star system to earn more as you improve
Cons
- Have to be accepted onto their platform
- Lower end of the pay scale (most projects offer $25-50 for a 1000 word article)
13. Craigslist
OK, I know that Craigslist might not be the first place you’d think of when looking for the best freelance writing sites. It’s moreso the place you went in college to get that cheap (free?) dusty old couch grandma was giving away.
And I wouldn’t say it’s the highest quality source of freelance writing jobs, either.
BUT with some patience and perseverance, you can find some solid clients here by filtering through the lower-paying jobs and scams.
Or at the very least, this can be a good start if you’re looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners to get your portfolio going.
Definitely recommend searching in bigger cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, etc for more opportunities than may be available in your local area.
Pros
- Very easy to search/apply for jobs
- Familiar user interface
Cons
- More junk jobs to filter through
- Have to search city by city instead of just in one place
14. BloggingPro
The BloggingPro is another free online job board – it’s free to browse for jobs you’re interested in based on the type of job (content writing, copywriting, etc) and type of contract (full time, freelance, etc). and apply to them.
Unlike sites like FlexJobs, there’s no client screening process, though, so you’ll have to be careful to avoid scams. And you’ll apply with potential clients directly so there’s no single process to get hired. Some might ask for a resume, some for portfolio examples, some might have a form, or ask you to email them.
As the name implies, a lot of what you’ll find here are blogging-related gigs, but there are other opportunities as well so it’s worth including on your “to check list” even if blogging isn’t what gets you going.
Pros
- Free to use, no need to sign up necessary
- Includes jobs from around the web as well as those posted to their board
Cons
- Not a platform so there’s no universal way to submit applications/get hired
- No screening of posted jobs – some might be scams
15. FreelanceWriting.com
Founded in 1997, the FreelanceWriting.com job board features journalism, content, copywriting, and blogging gigs from around the web including sites like Indeed, Craigslist, and BloggingPro!
There’s no signup needed, just browse through their handpicked list of available jobs and filter by source, skills needed, location (including remote freelance writing jobs), keyword, and date added.
One other cool thing about Freelance Writing’s site is that they also have a list of writing contests around the web
These are great for beginners wondering how to get started in freelance writing as you can build your portfolio by creating pieces for these contents. You might even win and earn some real cash doing it!
At the end of the day, the only real drawback is one you’ll find with just about any writing job board: there’s not a streamlined process for submitting an application, getting hired, and getting paid.
Pros
- Free to use and no need to sign up
- Saves you time digging for writing jobs on other job boards
Cons
- It’s a popular site so you’ll likely face a good bit of competition for jobs
- It’s just a job board – you must figure out the application and getting hired process on your own.
Tips for finding freelance writing jobs online
Obviously I couldn’t cover every last place to find freelance writing gigs in this post, but even this list of the 15 best freelance writing sites give you the sense that there are a lot of options out there.
How do you know which ones are legit or worth investing your time in?
What does it take to find success (or more success) as a freelance writer?
There’s a lot to say, but here are a few key tips.
1. Pitch and apply every day
This is especially important when you’re getting started, but I really recommend even the most experienced freelancers keep a steady schedule of submitting pitches or applications for new work.
Especially when you’re just getting starting, you’re just going to have to play the numbers game to some extent. Even the best writers in the world won’t have a perfect success rate of turning applications to jobs into work.
The more you pitch, the more the numbers are going to work in your favor, and the more you’ll build the resilience and confidence you need to keep going.
And even when you do have some client work, keep pitching and keep applying.
New jobs are posted every day, and at some point your projects will end or your clients might not need help anymore.
The more practiced you are at pitching, the more used to it you are, the better prepared you’ll be.
2. Niches can be great, but you don’t need one to start
Lots of “how to become a freelance writer” advice you’ll find online will mention picking a niche.
Do you want to write about technology or are you more interested in finance?
Do you want to write blog posts or website copy?
Niches are great, and those are good questions to ask and answer for yourself – they’ll help you sort out which jobs to apply for and where you can find the right clients.
But you don’t necessarily need to pick one to get work, and getting too specific too fast may limit the jobs you’re applying for.
For example, there are a lot of topics you could write blog posts on, and in many cases you can learn what you need to know through research – no background knowledge necessary.
By writing lots of blog posts on a variety of subjects, you might find you don’t really like blog writing but you do like writing for the medical industry.
Now you can look for other kinds of writing projects in that industry, and you have some experience to help you land jobs.
If you start by deciding you want to write email campaigns for law firms that specialize in class action lawsuits for mesothelioma sufferers…
You might find out that there just aren’t any of those jobs available, you picked too small of a niche, and are that much more likely to give up in frustration.
3. “Experience” isn’t necessarily a number of years
If you’re a new freelance writer with no experience at all, you’ll be particularly keen to notice many jobs will include some sort of “experience” criteria, often times in the form of “x years of experience required.”
If you just started freelancing two days ago, there’s no way you could get that job that requires four years of experience right?
Wrong!
There are a few corporate HR departments that will have strict hiring requirements where four years of experience needed literally means you better have four years or you’re not at all qualified.
Most of the time, years of experience just means “we need someone who:”
- Doesn’t need to know much about what they’re doing (“no experience necessary”)
- Needs to know something (“1-2 years”)
- Needs to know a good bit (“3-4 years”)
- Has to know a lot (“5+ years”)
The key phrases here being “needs to know” and “what they’re doing.”
If you know how to write well and can demonstrate that with portfolio pieces and, even better portfolio pieces with testimonials from past clients, you should absolutely apply for the job if you want it.
4. Freelance sites that let you create a profile are worth joining
Some of the best freelance writing sites on our list are just job boards – places you’ll find jobs you can apply to, with no signup required.
These are definitely great to have on your list of places to look for work as they’re easy to use and give you that much more opportunity to find a perfect fit.
But freelance writing sites like FlexJobs and Contena that let you create a profile are worth joining, too, for a couple of reasons.
In the case of FlexJobs, in addition to giving you access to more exclusive freelance writing jobs, you’ll also be able to build a reputation within their platform so that potential clients can find you and reach out to you specifically and directly.
Other sites like Contena do the same, and can also serve as an online home for your portfolio so you can easily share your past work with clients you find on other writer jobs sites.
5. Don’t forget about good ol’ fashioned networking
These freelance writing websites, job boards, and platforms are a great place to start (and continue) to find online writing jobs – but it’s important to also build up other channels throughout your journey!
These days, networking obviously includes social media on top of the old standard, in-person “shake hands and exchange business cards” events.
In the world of freelancing, you’ll also find forums like Reddit’s r/freelance or Freelancing School’s own community can be invaluable resources for you.
Sometimes for finding online freelance jobs, sometimes to make connections with fellow freelancers who you can collaborate with, and sometimes to just share your successes and frustrations along the way.
Freelance writing websites FAQ
What is freelance writing?
A freelance writer is someone who earns an income by writing and is paid as a 1099 misc contractor, rather than a W2 employee.
As a freelancer, you’re a self-employed independent business owner, responsible for finding clients who need help, selling them on your services, completing the work, and ensuring you and your client end the project satisfied.
Check out my what is freelancing post for more info on freelancing as a profession!
What types of freelance writing jobs are there?
Writing is probably one of the most “freelance-able” skills around.
While some companies prefer to hire full time employees, all kinds of writing are also done by freelancers.
A few examples of freelance writing jobs you can find online for inspiration:
- Blog writing: creating content for business blogs
- Copywriting: creating sales pages, landing pages, product pages, or emails designed to sell products and services
- Content writing: creating content for white papers and ebooks; overlaps with blog writing and social media writing
- SEO writing: creating blog posts and website copy focused on ranking in search engines like Google
- Web content: writing for website pages; overlaps with blog writing, copywriting, and SEO writing
- Social media writing:creating written content to post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
- Video script writing:creating scripts for videos
- Email writing:creating email newsletters and sales emails
What are the highest paying freelance writing jobs?
The amount you’ll earn depends on a few factors like:
- Where you’re finding the writing job
- What type of freelance writing job you’re applying for
- What industry your potential client is in
- How much revenue your potential client’s business generates
- Your level of writing skill
- The quality of your portfolio and testimonials
- Your sales skills
That being said, I took a look through Upwork to get you some more concrete numbers.
Here are a few ranges I’d estimate for the most popular kinds of online writing jobs:
- Landing/Sales page writing: $100 – $1,000 per page
- Website content writing: $50 – $250 per page
- Blog Post writing: $25 – $250
- Ebook/white paper writing: $100 – $1,000 each
- Email writing: $25 – $250 each
- Social media writing: $1 to $10 per post
Which sites have the best freelance writing jobs for beginners?
The most important thing for beginners looking to land freelance writing jobs is to know that it’s a numbers game. You’ll have to apply to a lot of jobs before you land one, and after that it’s still going to take a lot of work.
As a reference point, you’re absolutely crushing it if you get a response to 3 out of every 10 applications you send. And if 1 of those 10 turns into a freelance writing gig, that’s a win.
It takes time and persistence to get started and keep going as a freelance writer.
While all of the freelance writing websites I included above are worth checking out, I’d most recommend:
- Contena – the additional support and resources you get on top of their online writing job board (the coaching, courses, rates tool, etc) are super valuable to help you get your freelancing legs under you.
- Textbroker – you won’t be able to earn a lot in the grand scheme of things through this site, but it can be a good place to earn your first few freelance writing dollars while you start to build a portfolio you can use to get better/higher paying work.
- Upwork – I have a few friends who have had a lot of success with this platform, even though the fees aren’t great. They’re the biggest freelancing marketplace which means there’s always plenty of work available, and the fact that you can get testimonials to build up your credibility and eventually have clients find and reach out to you is super valuable.
- FlexJobs – This is a fantastic, vetted alternative to Upwork. And the subscription will cost you less in the long-run than the cost of applying for projects. These jobs are high-quality and flexible.
How do I start freelance writing if I have no experience?
Check out my how to start freelancing article for the complete 9-step plan I recommend (tons of actionable details in there for you.
Some particular tips for how to become a freelance writer:
- Your portfolio and testimonials are two of the most important tools you’ll have for getting online writing jobs. Create a few samples for the kind of writing work you want to do, then use them to land more work. Always ask your clients for a testimonial!
- You’re going to have to pitch a lot, no matter which freelance writing website you use. Set a goal to send so many applications/proposals out every day and stick to it. Only scale back when you start to run out of time to actually do project work.
- Blog writing is probably the best/easiest type of freelance writing to start with. Plenty of people want to pay freelancers for them, they’re relatively small projects (so there’s less risk for your clients if things don’t work out – that makes them easier to sell), and they’re a good stepping stone to start client relationships, and branch off into other kinds of online writing.
