Upwork vs PeoplePerHour

Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of The 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent. Last verified June 17, 2026.

The short answer

Upwork ranks higher on Top 11 (#2 vs #10) for Startups and SMBs hiring freelancers for design, dev, and marketing. The biggest marketplace with the widest talent variety and budget flexibility.

At a glance

UpworkPeoplePerHour
Top 11 rank#2 / The 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent#10 / The 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent
Score (out of 9.4)97.4
Best forLargest talent marketplaceFlexible UK/EU marketplace
Pricing$$ (5% fee on payments)$$ (Tiered service fees)
HQSan Francisco, USALondon, UK
Founded20152007

Upwork

The biggest marketplace with the widest talent variety and budget flexibility.

www.upwork.com

See full entry in The 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent

PeoplePerHour

A flexible marketplace combining project posts and fixed-price offers.

www.peopleperhour.com

See full entry in The 11 Best Freelance Platforms for Hiring Talent

Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.