Elance or Odesk, which have you found better?

16 replies
I've been using ODesk for about 2 months now.

I must be missing something but I can't find it easy to do project management in it. Everything else seems gr8.

I'm looking into Elance, and the rates seem cheaper at 6% (Odesk is 10%), the fees you pay on top of the workers. I like the intuitive interface, feels better.

My intention is to manage small projects better. And to be easier for me and the worker. Also ability to chose (have access to on their database) good workers is a big plus.

Love to know your experience!
#elance #found #odesk
  • Profile picture of the author GoGetta
    Both!

    I use both and have found outsourcers that have been great on both. The key is to find people that are trustworthy and good at the jobs you give them and then work outside of Odesk and Elance, therefore you cut out the fees!

    GoGetta
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    • Profile picture of the author ivanski
      Thanks, gr8 advice. I do agree, and its hard to find really good workers. Trial and error. My Girlfriend has been doing HR professionally and she gets it wrong too. I have a great worker and feel that it's more honest if i can see their screenshots of them working, and its easier with the payment as its automatic.
      Thanks for the Feedback, and I'm a GoGetta too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rukshan
    ODESK is best in freelancing. They have a nice feedback and rating system.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim Franklin
    You know the hardest thing about outsourcing, at least by the hour, is that unless your dealing with an exceptional company or individual there is not as much incentive to finish in one hour, if you think about, it, what incentive do they have to finish quickly when working by the hour,

    In many ways it is like the old joke, when you see five guys standing around watching one guy with a shovel dig a ditch, you have to laugh and shake your head and say, they must be getting paid by the hour.

    There are some honest outsource partners out there, and just recently I found one on Odesk, this after, ten others, said it would take 30 hours, to do a project.

    30 hours, Ok, get that, I want you to see the difference,

    Later, I found one honest guy, that did the project in one half hour, 30 min,

    That is all it really was going to take, so you see just how dishonest some of these people are, so my advise is to be careful.

    Because for every one good man, there are 100 bad ones.
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    • Profile picture of the author ivanski
      WOW, Thanks a lot Tim. That is CRAZY Simple Advice that I have not thought of. I love it. And what a great way to sift through the bad people. And get Quality people that can do the job quickly for a good price.. I've been hiring per the hour, and getting soso, we'll not the best, but we are not paying much either.
      I'm going to use this next time. Man I so much love your idea!!!!. Thank you SO SO Much.
      I'll have to start giving back to this Forum, you guys Rock!
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  • Profile picture of the author BlazingSwitch
    Both of those are really a crap shoot, and luck of the draw. I typically have used Elance in the past. But the last two times the experience was so bad, I am not sure I would be using them again.

    I will say this... make sure you hire someone experienced, with a lot of good feedback.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill_Z
    I use both and I would recommend paying per project instead of per hour. You will find good and bad workers on both, just make sure you screen the person well and have them do a small portion of the job before you fully commit.
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  • Profile picture of the author kposs
    I've had really good luck with Freelancer.com (formerly GetAFreelancer.com). Although I usually over-hire as there are always drop-outs (literally people I never hear from after sending an assignment) and I then weed out the rest over a week or two.
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    • Profile picture of the author ivanski
      Originally Posted by kposs View Post

      I've had really good luck with Freelancer.com (formerly GetAFreelancer.com). Although I usually over-hire as there are always drop-outs (literally people I never hear from after sending an assignment) and I then weed out the rest over a week or two.
      Thanks!!! I'm liking This website, I'm thinking of creating a few small projects, hire a few, pay per project (I've been hiring per hour), and then use somethign like Box.net to Manage.

      From 5 min snooping around Freelance, I'm gona signup tomorrow, I'm liking it a lot, very intuitive.

      I like your advice, because from experience, the 1 u think is best is super keen to get the job, but not to do the work.

      Thank you so much!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author ivanski
    Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

    There's an application called Huddle that lets you manage your team without going through freelance hell.
    Thanks for your reply. I've signed up to Huddle and also noticed that their competition Box.net also looks good. (I search in google Huddle Vs ........ and it shows me what their competition is)... Microsoft Sharpoint is also another I'm looking at.

    Thanks for mentioning this... I'm highly considering using one of these!!!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author ngash
    Banned
    I have used elance. You are right, you can get very good prices. But watch so that you do not end hiring someone who has no idea what they are doing. Look for people with a proven record of completed jobs, and good earnings
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      I don't use any of them... I built a team slowly and carefully looking at how the people react in time and investing in them my time too.

      there are different elements in service. It is not only about quality, but loyalty and dependability.

      You can have quality pretty easy, but the other two you have to earn them.

      Sandra
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  • Profile picture of the author SoEasyMoney
    I have used both and actually prefer Odesk. I like their interface much better and I seem to have gotten more qualified people from there.

    Just my 2 cents!
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  • Profile picture of the author honeyyoung
    @ivanski

    You can use basecamp for project management. You cam manage multiple projects and workers at the same time.

    As for hiring online, it truly is a trial and error process. To weed out unqualified workers, you can interview them. You can usually tell by the way they answer questions as to whether they are qualified for the job or not. Once you have removed those who are obviously not qualified, you can give them a trial project to see which one submits the best quality work in the shortest amount of time. This may be a tedious process but may be necessary.

    I also advice that you choose Filipino online workers as these people have been known to be hardworking and honest. You can check out EasyOutsource as all of the registered workers there are Filipinos. You also don't have to pay anything to join the site or post jobs. You also don't need to pay the site any percentage of what you pay your workers.

    If you don't want to go through the hiring process yourself, or don't have the time, we offer EasyHire. This service offers to choose and hire a worker for you. You can check it out.
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  • Profile picture of the author JonAlfredsson
    I have used both as well. There are great workers in odesk. But as Tim Franklin said - just be careful. There are people that would say it would take how many hours to dit when they can actually do it at a very short time. This is because they really think that you need them.
    I have a worker from the philippines - From Find a real, online job! | Home - Though there are really bad workers to deal with and many craps with their work - you can go for the prefound and tested workers. I believe that they have undergone some tests to be qualified as prefound workers for online jobs.
    With here - you can ask for a trial week before you go for a full month commitment or contract with them.

    Another suggestion is through Hire Filipinos - Find Online Workers in the Philippines | EasyOutsource - You can communicate directly to the worker and offer the job that you need for.

    But then again, I would really suggest for some sample works - or trial article or anything that can prove you their skills.

    Hope this helps
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  • Profile picture of the author MassiveMarketer
    Both works. It's really up to you when choosing a freelancer. You may find a good or you may not. It's really a risk. You're lucky to immediately find someone you can trust. The best thing I would suggest is make a trial task - a week or two - and see his/her potential. If you like the work, then go for it. If not, it's up to you find something else suitable or let him/her.

    Just a theory... In Elance, a subscription fee is required for freelancers to be able to apply as much as they want while there is none in oDesk. Elancers are much more serious freelancers(again, just a theory) since they are investing to find a job. In oDesk, when you post a job in Admin Support, just wait for a couple of hours and you'll find hundreds of applicants which could be an advantage or a disadvantage to some - give you a lot of options or freelancers to choose from.
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