The Top 10 Outsourcing IT Services

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Ordered by market share, the following online outsourcing IT services are some the most popular, based on WhichLance’s Freelance Marketplace Review. Through these outsourcing IT services, you can publicize a temporary job and a maximum amount that you’re willing to pay for that job’s completion.

Check out our Will the REAL ‘Largest Workplace’ Please Stand Up?! article too. Introducing “magic math,” it’s a humorous read!

Within a matter of a few hours, independent contractors, a.k.a. “service providers,” will bid on your job and await your selection based on qualifying criteria. When your job is completed, you pay the contractor, the contractor thanks you, and the sun sets to the tune of “What a Wonderful World.”

Or not…

The reality is that there are some significant variations among these outsourcing IT services that could influence different outcomes. Here, you can get a general idea of what you’ll face later on down the road should you outsource through any of the following outlets.

oDesk

Fees: 10% appended to every project
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour
Escrowing: Available for per-hour projects only
Arbitration: Not available
Guarantee: Available for per-hour projects only
Ratings System: Allows service providers to hide bad feedback

Elance

Fees: $10 to create an account
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Costs $66 – $133.33 for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Guarantee: Available for per-hour projects only
Ratings System: Does not use a double-blind ratings system

Freelancer

Fees: $5 to post a project + 3% of the project to select a provider.
(10% GST tax applied to Australians)
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Available for fixed-fee project’s with milestone payments of more than $30
Guarantee: Available for fixed-fee projects only
Ratings System: Uses double-blind ratings system

PeoplePerHour

Fees: 1.9% – 3.9% of a project in payment processing charges
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee, per-hour, and commission-based projects
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Guarantee: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Ratings System: Does not use a double-blind ratings system

Scriptlance

Fees: $5 to select a service provider
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Not available
Guarantee: Not available
Ratings System: Does not use a double-blind ratings system

LimeExchange (Now, defunct)

Fees: $0 – $20 payment processing charges
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Costs 33% of project for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Guarantee: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Ratings System: Does not use a double-blind ratings system

Guru

Fees: None
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Available for fixed-fee projects
Guarantee: Available for fixed-fee projects only
Ratings System: Allows service providers to hide bad feedback

vWorker

Fees: None 15%
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Freely available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Guarantee: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Ratings System: Uses double-blind ratings system

GetACoder

Fees: None
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee and per-hour
Escrowing: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Arbitration: Available for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Guarantee: Implied for fixed-fee and per-hour projects
Ratings System: Does not use a double-blind ratings system

iFreelance

Fees: None
Job Model(s): Fixed-fee projects
Escrowing: Not available
Arbitration: Not available
Guarantee: Not available
Ratings System: Does not use a double-blind ratings system

From here, you just might get an inkling of which outsourcing service might be a good fit for you. As you continue reading, you may find yourself changing your mind quite often. That’s okay and encouraged. The more you learn about outsourcing, the more your preferences develop. And making informed decisions is the best approach to outsourcing you could ever make.