As more and more people have moved online for work, school, and daily tasks like buying groceries, listings for freelance developer jobs have been growing. That’s because many developers are responsible for creating and maintaining the technology where all of that stuff happens.
Companies need to make sure their digital products are reliable, functional, and keeping up with the competition. That’s where developers come in.
But how do you find legit job listings and avoid scams? That’s exactly what I’m going to help you with today. I’ve researched and found the best places for freelance developers to find work.
Some of these places are traditional job boards, some are freelance platforms, and we’ll even get into a few less conventional methods that can actually pay off.
11 Best Places to Find Freelance Developer Jobs
1. Upstack
Upstack is an online network of freelance developers. Companies use Upstack to list jobs and find qualified candidates. There’s a fairly serious vetting process to go through before Upstack will let you join their network, and they claim that they only work the top 1% of freelance devs worldwide.
The screening process goes like this:
- You’ll sign up for Upstack and submit your application
- Your application will be reviewed by their team
- You’ll have to pass a screening interview to ensure you have stellar English language communication skills
- Pass a coding challenge to test your dev skills
- You’ll be tested and scores for each skill you want to include in your profile
- Interview with a senior member of the Upstack team
- If you pass all of that, you’re invited to join Upstack’s network
Even after joining Upstack, you’ll have to pass regular assessments to test your skills on changing technology.
Companies who’ve listed freelance web developer jobs on Upstack include Microsoft, Lego, McDonalds, Toyota, IBM, The Chive, Squarespace, IKEA, and more.
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2. Authentic Jobs
Authentic is more of a traditional job board where companies pay a fee to list on the site. Anyone can browse listings, and if you see a listing you’re interested in, you can click on the “Apply” button. You’ll be taken to the company’s website to complete an application.
There are more than just freelance developer jobs on Authentic, and at the time this article was published, there were active listings for:
- Full-stack developer
- Senior product designer
- Principal product manager
- Software engineer
- UI engineer
- UX designer
- Backend WordPress developer
Their job database is easy to search through. You can search based on category and what kind of position you’re interested in, like freelance, part-time, full-time, etc.
3. Toptal
Toptal is an online job network to find freelance developer jobs, and a whole bunch of other jobs in product management, UX/UI design, product design, and more. There are also jobs for finance experts in fields like consulting, analysis, modeling, and more.
To find jobs on Toptal, you’ll have to apply as a freelancer, and Toptal claims they only work with the top 3% of freelance talent. The application process involves a screening call and a few tests of your skills.
Once you’re accepted, you’ll get matched with clients. The freelance jobs vary in length, but once you’ve finished a job, Toptal will match you with another one.
4. Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow is an online job board, but it’s also an open community where developers can chat with others in their industry in public Q&A forums. The job board is free to use and regularly updated. You can find listings for part-time web developers, software engineers, backend developers, frontend developers, site reliability engineers, full stack-engineers, and more.
The job listings on Stack Overflow can be sorted by which companies are looking for remote work, the kind of background and experience you have, compensation, perks, and more. You’ll be taken off-site to apply for jobs.
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5. RemoteLeads
RemoteLeads is a platform that aggregates job leads from more than 500 sources and sends them to you directly. The goal is to save you time browsing tons of different job boards.
The job leads you get are emailed directly to you, along with instructions for applying for each position. The emails may also include tips for writing a successful application, like how to craft a strong cover letter.
The leads you get depend on the information you enter when you signed up, including the languages and frameworks you want to work with and the kind of freelance commitment you can make to the job.
RemoteLeads makes it clear that they aren’t a middleman – you do not apply for jobs through its site. Instead, you apply to the company that’s posted the job listing. Based on their analytics, they say most freelancers who use their site get hired within 30-60 days.
6. We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely (WWR) is both an open job board, which means that anyone can search job listings, and a membership-based community that helps you find jobs. There are freelance developer jobs, copywriting jobs, design work, jobs in sales and marketing, and more.
Paid members of the WWR community can have their profiles sent to companies they get matched with. You also get access to webinars and live events, one-on-one coaching, discounts, career advice, and more. It costs $9/month or $79/annually.
7. VueJobs
VueJobs is a niche job board for Vue.js jobs where companies pay to have openings listed on the platform. You can apply for jobs directly, or you can create a developer profile and be matched with jobs.
When you’re searching for jobs, you can find jobs based on full-time, part-time, or freelance basis. There are currently lots of listings frontend developers and engineers. Each listing describes the job, tools, required skills, and application instructions.
VueJobs also has a course platform where developers can sharpen their skills and learn new ones. There are free Vue.js and JavaScript courses, or you can pay for a monthly, yearly, or lifetime membership and gain access to higher-level courses.
8. FlexJobs
FlexJobs is an online job platform for freelance work, remote work, and part-time positions. The majority of the work on FlexJobs is remote, and the site also offers members one-on-one coaching, resume assistance, discounts, skills assessments to promote your skills, and job search checklists.
There are developer jobs for languages and frameworks like Python, Java, Android, .NET, iOS, and more. Along with freelance developer jobs, there are over 50 different job categories for everything from customer service, graphic design, project management, and more.
FlexJobs is membership-based, costing $14.95/month, $29.95/quarterly, or $49.95/year.
9. Twitter
So Twitter isn’t a job platform, but you can use it to find freelance web developer jobs by searching for different iterations of terms like:
- Front-end freelance
- Remote front-end freelance
- Frontend freelance
- Backend freelance
- Back-end freelance
Here are a few of the job opportunities I found by searching some of those terms:
By searching those terms, you can also find industry pages that you can follow. Some of these are freelance platforms, groups for developers, specialists, consultants, and more. Ultimately, there are lots of free networking opportunities on Twitter.
Because Twitter moves so quickly, you can search those terms almost daily and find new results.
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10. Reddit
Reddit is similar to the last idea. It’s not a freelance job board, but there are jobs posted and it’s a way to connect with other freelance web developers in subreddits that are dedicated to the industry.
You can do a generic job search by going to www.reddit.com/r/forhire. Here’s one of the first listings I found:
You will want to look for listings tagged as “Hiring,” because there are also a lot “For Hire” listings from people who are actively looking for work on Reddit.
On the for hire subreddit, there’s a link on the sidebar for related communities. You can join these subreddits to find more options.
There are even subreddits for specific coding languages and frameworks. A lot of the content is industry talk, but you can occasionally find listings. Before you promote yourself in any of those subreddits, be sure to read the board rules because some communities don’t allow self-promotion.
11. Facebook Groups
Facebook is another massive resource for website developer jobs if you join industry-specific Facebook groups, like:
Below is a listing in that last group. You’ll notice it gives clear requirements and expectations, and even though I blurred it out, there was an email address you would use to apply for the job.
Those are just a handful of groups you can try, and because there are so many out there, you’ll want to make sure the group is active before joining. Some groups are private, and they all have rules for posting and responding to requests. You can get kicked out if you don’t follow the rules.
The best places to find freelance developer jobs: The final word
Actively looking for work can feel like a full-time job in itself, but website developers are in especially high demand right now.
To stand out you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a polished resume or CV and know how to write a strong cover letter. Also, be willing to develop other skills related to your field.
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