Hi all, I am struggling with getting to MVP on my Saas. My idea is validated and fits a gap in the market (L&D / Learning Tech).
Has anyone used Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, or similar to find people for short term dev work?
I have never used them before but considering it to move the development side of my business along. I am close to MVP using no code tools, but just can’t get it working correctly and need help.
Would love to hear any best practices you can share
Advice on using Fiverr, Upwork, etc
byu/GnFnRnFnG inEntrepreneur
Posted by GnFnRnFnG
5 Comments
As a founder and dev myself, I wouldn’t recommend Fiverr for this.
Upwork can work for small, clear tasks, but for anything long-term it’s better to find someone through referrals or your own network way more reliable.
My approach to upwork has always been to hire 2 or 3 or 4 people for a small task(yes, paid), hopefully one that is also directionally aligned with your projrect, and evaluate after that.
I’ve found great people on upwork, I’ve also found some complete duds. So many people lying about their skillsets.
I haven’t used it as much in the age of chatgpt but for a big project I’d recommend getting on a zoom with them pre contract as well just to make sure they’re not just fully using chat to converse with you.
It’s easy to lie about your location on there. It’s easy to lie about experience. It’s easy to lie about even being the person they claim to be.
Not claiming it’s bad, like I said I’ve had really good people flow through. You just gotta keep your wits about you when hiring.
Used both Fiverr and Upwork, both as a freelancer and as a client. They’re great for general outsourcing, but be aware: consistent quality and on-time delivery can be hit-or-miss.
Fiverr tends to favor clients (refunds, dispute resolution), but wasted time can’t be recovered even if you get your money back.
Do your due diligence, check reviews, portfolios, and actually talk with the freelancer before committing.
Keep scope and deliverables super clear and achievable.
Don’t wait for the full project to be delivered, set stage gates / milestones so you can track progress and course-correct early.
If budget allows, consider hiring a dev + project manager combo. Many freelancers are strong developers but weak on overall delivery/finishing.
So yeah, platforms work, but you’ll save yourself headaches by treating it like managing a mini-project, not just “ordering a gig.”
Hhe struggle is real 😅For Fiverr/Upwork, here’s what I’ve learned:Best practices:Start with super small test projects first ($50-100) to vet developers before committing to bigger workBe crazy specific in your requirements – like mockups, user flows, tech stack preferences, etc.Check portfolios obsessively and ask for references from recent clientsBudget 2x what you think it’ll cost and double the timeline lolRed flags:
I wasn’t going to comment until I saw I wildly disagree with other comments so want to give you my take. I can’t ever get work on upwork. There you have to apply for jobs which takes a long time out of your day scrolling and typing up “why should you hire me” and ever job has 50 people from some third world country who went to college for the needed skill and graduated top of their class and willing to do the project for 1/4 of the real cost. On fiver it’s more targeted to the workers where customers have to go around and search for you, there getting your first job is hard but if you get good reviews they tend to start coming in a bit faster. I used to get 5+ small gigs a month on there. And for refunds it’s not in the clients court at all. They can ask for a refund but if you say no I completed the task as they requested they can’t get their money back it might get investigated but you aren’t in any danger from what I’ve seen. So my stance is I would do fiver over anything else but also it can take really long to get going so if you really need short term maybe a bad idea because it could take you 5 months to even get work in the first place