See what you actually keep.

Freelance platform fees: what each one actually charges

Every freelance platform calculates fees differently — and the spread is wider than most freelancers expect. Fiverr charges a flat 20% on every completed order with no exceptions: new sellers, Level 2, Top Rated Sellers all pay the same rate. Upwork simplified to a flat 10% in May 2023, replacing its old sliding scale. Freelancer.com charges 10% or a $5 minimum per milestone, whichever is higher. PeoplePerHour uses a tiered model — up to 20% on your first earnings with each new client. Malt inverts the model entirely: the ~10% commission is added on top of your rate and charged to the client, not deducted from your earnings. Contra charges no commission at all.

On a $1,000 project, that's a take-home range from roughly $800 (Fiverr) to $1,000 (Contra) — before payment processing or taxes. A $200 swing on a single invoice.

The hidden costs that stack on top

Platform commission is the fee quoted everywhere. It's rarely the only one you pay.

Payment processing adds 1–3% depending on withdrawal method: PayPal charges around 2%, Wise and Payoneer typically 0.5–1.5%, and international bank transfers may add flat fees of $1–3. If your client pays in USD but you withdraw in EUR, a currency conversion spread of 1–3% compounds on top.

Then there's tax. Freelancers in the EU typically reserve 19–25% of every invoice for income tax or VAT before it can be touched. In Germany that's 19% MwSt. In France, 20% TVA. In practice, most self-employed freelancers set it aside immediately.

On a $500 project on Fiverr: the 20% fee leaves $400. Two percent processing leaves $392. A 1.5% FX spread leaves $386. After a 19% tax reserve, $313 arrives in your account — a 37% total reduction from what the client paid. FairFee stacks all four layers simultaneously so the number you see is what actually lands in your bank account.

Pricing your work backwards from what you need to earn

The most common pricing mistake: deciding you need $800 for a project, quoting $800 to the client, and receiving $640 after Fiverr's 20% fee. The $800 was never your take-home — it was the gross.

Working backwards changes every proposal. If you need $800 net on Fiverr, you need to charge $1,000. The same $800 net on Upwork requires an $889 quote. On Contra — with no platform fee — $800 is $800.

The same applies to hourly rates. A $50/hr Upwork rate becomes roughly $34/hr effective after the 10% platform fee, 2% processing, and a 19% tax reserve. If $40/hr is your actual floor, your minimum viable quote is $59/hr gross. FairFee's reverse mode works the calculation in both directions: enter your gross to see the net, or enter your target net to see the gross you need to charge.

Which platform actually pays better — and when that changes

Freelancers active on multiple platforms face a real optimization question. The same $1,000 project routed through different platforms nets a meaningfully different amount — after platform fee, 2% processing, and a 19% tax reserve: Contra ~$794, Upwork ~$714, Fiverr ~$635.

The $159 difference between Upwork and Fiverr on a single project becomes $7,950 per year across 50 similar projects. Platform fee is the single largest variable you can actually control.

The lowest-fee platform doesn't always win. Contra's marketplace skews US-focused and senior-level — lower volume for most non-US freelancers. Fiverr's global demand generates orders that Upwork's proposal model wouldn't surface. The right platform depends on your niche, location, and client type. But the decision should start from the net number, not the headline fee.

See what you keep — no account, no bank access required

Whether you're pricing a logo, a development sprint, or a 6-month consulting contract, the question is the same: what actually lands in your bank account after everything is taken out?

FairFee calculates in real time across Fiverr, Upwork, Malt, Freelancer.com, PeoplePerHour, and Contra. Switch between USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, CAD, AUD, and INR — live exchange rates update every 4 hours. Add your withdrawal method, toggle a tax reserve, and the result adjusts instantly.

No signup. No bank access. No ads. Just the number.