Which freelance platform
keeps the most for you?
This freelance fee calculator lets you enter any contract amount and compare exactly how much you keep on Upwork, Fiverr, PeoplePerHour, Freelancer.com, Guru, Contra, 99designs, and Toptal — side by side, in real time.
Quick overview of each platform's fee model, strengths, and caveats. Click any card for the full dedicated calculator.
- ✓ Freelancers keep 100% of contract value
- ✓ Clients pay $2–$29 flat (not your earnings)
- ✓ Optional Pro plan for faster payouts
- ✗ Smaller client discovery pool vs Upwork/Fiverr
- ✗ Best for bringing your own clients
- ✓ Rate shown before you accept each offer
- ✓ 0% on Direct Contracts (Freelancer Plus)
- ✓ Largest active freelance marketplace
- ✗ Rate unpredictable — varies per contract
- ✗ Freelancer Plus costs $19.99/month
- ✓ Fee sharing: clients can cover up to 5%
- ✓ Low/no client handling fee for eCheck
- ✓ Flat fee model — predictable per project
- ✗ Paid plan needed for best rates (Pro: $21.95)
- ✗ Basic+ costs $11.95/mo with no fee reduction
- ✓ Drops to 3.5% above £5,000 per client
- ✓ Strong platform in UK/European market
- ✓ No fee on client side beyond Connects
- ✗ 20% on all new clients (no exceptions)
- ✗ Tier resets per client — not platform-wide
- ✓ Simple, predictable 10% flat fee
- ✓ 0% for self-referred new clients
- ✗ $5 minimum hurts small contracts (<$50)
- ✗ Clients pay additional 3% on top
- ✗ 15% for Recruiter/Preferred Freelancer
- ✓ Top Level designers pay just 5%
- ✓ Design-specialist client base
- ✓ Contest model for client discovery
- ✗ 15% for Entry Level designers
- ✗ Not available for non-design work
- ✓ Easy to set up gigs and start selling
- ✓ Very large buyer marketplace globally
- ✓ Strong algorithmic client discovery
- ✗ 20% flat — no loyalty or volume discounts
- ✗ No discount for repeat clients
- ✗ Most expensive platform for high-value work
- ✓ Freelancers keep 100% of negotiated rate
- ✓ Enterprise clients with premium budgets
- ✓ Premium rates — typically $75–$200+/hr
- ✗ Fewer than 3% of applicants accepted
- ✗ 3–8 week screening process required
- ✗ Client markup undisclosed (est. 20–50%+)
Complete fee schedule for all 7 platforms — verified from official pricing pages, June 2026.
| Platform | Your fee | Structure | Client fee | Key detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contra | 0% | None | $2–$29 flat | Freelancer keeps 100%. Optional Pro at $29/mo. |
| Upwork | 0–15% | Variable per contract | Up to 7.99% | ~10% most common. 0% Direct Contracts with Plus. |
| Guru | 5–9% | By membership plan | 2.9% (0% eCheck) | Fee sharing available. Free plan = 9%. |
| PeoplePerHour | 3.5–20% | Tiered per client | None (Connects) | 20% first £250 → 7.5% to £5,000 → 3.5% above. |
| Freelancer.com | 10% | Flat ($5 min) | 3% or $3 min | 15% Recruiter. 0% for self-referred clients. |
| 99designs | 5–15% | By designer level | 5% + intro fee | Entry 15% → Mid 10% → Top 5%. Design only. |
| Fiverr | 20% | Flat | 5.5% | Flat 20% always. No discounts for volume or loyalty. |
| Toptal | 0% | None (markup on client) | Undisclosed markup | Invitation-only (<3% accepted). Clients billed at higher rate. |
Individual Platform Fee Calculators
Each platform has a dedicated calculator with platform-specific features — reverse calculator, tier breakdown, ROI tools, and more.
Which freelance platform has the lowest fees in 2026?
The answer depends on your situation — but here's how each platform compares:
Contra — 0% (best for self-sourced clients)
Contra is the clear winner on fees alone: zero commission on every contract. Freelancers keep 100% of the agreed project value. Contra earns by charging clients a small flat fee ($2–$29 depending on project size), which doesn't come out of your earnings. The trade-off: Contra is newer and smaller, making it less effective for finding new clients. It works best as a professional layer for managing contracts and payments with clients you already have.
Guru Executive — 5% (best paid-plan value for high earners)
Guru's Executive plan at $49.95/month reduces the job fee to just 5%. At $1,250/month in Guru earnings, you break even — above that, you're paying less than on any other major marketplace. The unique fee-sharing feature also lets you negotiate for clients to cover some or all of your job fee, potentially reducing your effective rate below 5%.
PeoplePerHour — 3.5% for repeat clients
For freelancers with long-term client relationships, PeoplePerHour's 3.5% tier (above £5,000 lifetime billing per client) beats every platform. The problem: you start at 20% with every new client, and the tier resets per-client — not per-platform. High-value, multi-year client relationships are where PeoplePerHour's fee model truly shines.
Upwork — 0–15%, typically ~10%
Upwork's variable fee system (introduced May 2025) means your rate is set per contract. Most freelancers pay around 10%. The unpredictability is a trade-off, but for client discovery — finding and converting new clients — Upwork's marketplace is significantly larger and more active than most alternatives.
Fiverr — 20% flat (highest, hardest to justify for large projects)
Fiverr's flat 20% makes sense for gig-based, high-volume work where its algorithmic discovery is genuinely generating clients you wouldn't otherwise find. For large contracts ($2,000+), the absolute cost becomes difficult to justify: a $5,000 project costs $1,000 in Fiverr fees alone. For freelancers who have already built their client base, transitioning to a lower-fee platform typically pays off quickly.
How to choose the right freelance platform for your situation
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Match platform to use case, not just fee rate. Contra's 0% is only valuable if you bring your own clients. Fiverr's 20% is less painful if the platform's discovery generates consistent work you couldn't source elsewhere. Always weigh fee vs. client flow together.
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Use two platforms strategically. Many experienced freelancers use Upwork or Fiverr for discovery, then migrate long-term clients to Contra (0% fee) for ongoing contract management. This splits the cost optimally: pay for discovery on high-traffic platforms, keep margins on repeat work.
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Fee sensitivity scales with earnings volume. At $500/month on a platform, the difference between 10% and 20% is $50 — possibly worth paying for better client flow. At $10,000/month, the same difference is $1,000/month. High earners benefit most from optimizing platform fees.
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Always factor fees into your rate. A $1,000 project on Fiverr nets you $800. To take home $1,000, you need to charge $1,250. On Upwork at 10%, charge $1,111. On Contra, charge exactly $1,000. Use each platform's individual calculator to find the exact quote for any take-home target.
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Remember client-side fees affect your negotiability. Platforms that charge clients (Freelancer.com: +3%, Fiverr: +5.5%, 99designs: +5%) increase the total cost the client sees. Some clients will resist higher total costs — understanding the client's full cost helps you negotiate rates on platforms where clients are also being charged.