I stumbled on Contra a few weeks ago while reading reviews about freelancing platforms on Reddit. I went ahead and signed up for a Contra account and having experienced the platforms for a while, I actually like it!
Key Takeaways
- Contra’s payments are commission-free
- You can get paid more than on Fiverr and Upwork for similar work.
- There is an option to be paid in Crypto (USDC).
- Easy creation of contracts and portfolio management.
- The client’s pool is yet to grow big enough.
Contra says that its core mission is to provide freelancers (called independents) with the tools and opportunities to grow. They seem to take pride in being owned by independents and focused on the needs of a freelancer.
One of the key distinguishing factors for Contra is however their commission-free payments. Unlike Fiverr, Upwork, and virtually most other freelancing platforms, Contra does not deduct a commission. This is obviously great because you retain all of your earnings.
Here, they solve a critical problem – the need for freelancers to take clients off the platform. I believe this is a persistent issue with Fiverr and Upwork where freelancers tend to want to engage with repeat and trusted clients outside the platforms because they would make more in the process.
I found that there are a few things that Contra enabled me to do well. (Think of these points as the advantages of using Contra).
Create a Portfolio Intuitively
Freelancers get hired based on their portfolios which is great especially if they can effectively display their best past work. Within an hour or so of joining contra, I had my portfolio up with everything included – samples, links, writeups, etc.
While you can do the same on Fiverr and Upwork, Contra just seemed much more intuitive with better features. Intuitive is actually a consistent theme for their onboarding process. I was guided progressively after sign-up which made adding my information simple. (At the portfolio level, I could swear they have integrated a Notion Board to help with the content arrangement.
So, on matters of Portfolio, Contra is competing – or replacing – Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Carrd, and similar platforms.
As you can see below, Contra allows you to create a Website-like portfolio. You are able to choose between different themes and each theme pulls your information from the Contra profile and arranges it intuitively. You then get a personalized link to this website that you have created. If someone wants to hire you, they are then directed to your Contra profile. It is like you’re using Squarespace but with a direct link to your Fiverr with seamless integration of contracts.
Create and Manage Contracts (Seamlessly Maybe?)
I don’t know if contracts are a problem for many freelancers but they are for me.
Having worked with a wide range of clients, I often hate creating contracts and having to go back and forth on simple details. I actually have wished severally that there were specific contract templates for freelancing niches.
So, when I found that Contra has this feature built-in, it was a relief (and actually why I said I liked the platform from the onset).
In short, on contracts, Contra is doing what Bonsai offers as a stand-alone product. Therefore, Contra could be viewed as competing with Bonsai, Docusign, Wave, and HoneyBook.
Find Clients and Grow (A bit of an ish here)
Arguably, the biggest value proposition of any freelancing platform is to help freelancers find new clients and scale up their businesses. Does Contra do this well? At the current moment, I would say no.
Don’t get me wrong, they have a consistent flow of work but compared to Fiverr and Upwork, they are still yet to get to a decent number of clients.
Also, it might be too early to judge them on this because they are fairly new to the market and hence have a lot of room for growth.
Earn More for Similar Work (Better clients)
I was pleasantly surprised that Contra has clients that pay comparatively more than Fiverr and Upwork.
I got a lot of listings that paid $25 to $50 per hour or $250+ per job for blogging tasks. This is very different from say Fiverr where competition has eroded the prices down to $5 as a starting figure.
So, while you might get more clients on Fiverr, you are more likely to earn more per job on Contra.
Get payments done via Crypto (an okay benefit really)
Contra has different ways one could get paid and Crypto is one of them.
You can set up a wallet and connect it to your USDC wallet (which is hosted on the Ethereum Blockchain). I honestly do not think this might be a selling point for a lot of freelancers just because Crypto has had bad PR in the last three years.
It felt like one of those things that you are glad to have but would not find them a deal-breaker were they absent.
It is worth noting however that there surely exists a group of freelancers who operate from parts of the world in which setting up digital payment can be a nightmare and so Crypto would serve them very well.
I bet to such a group, Contra is way ahead of Upwork and Fiverr.
(Read my Tips on Getting Ahead on Fiverr in this article “5 Simple Gig Tips for Fiverr”).
If you are in Kenya, you can also read on “How to withdraw money from PayPal to M-pesa” once you get paid for freelancing.
What else?
The platform has a very aesthetically-pleasing interface. From the first time I saw their website, I remain impressed by how well it is designed and how well they execute the futuristic design.
One complaint I have though is that they do not have a mobile app. (I looked around on their website, the Play Store, and the iOS store and did not find any reference to the Contra App).
Fiverr and Upwork both have apps and I use them regularly to check in with clients on the go.
Maybe hop in and try Contra for yourself? Here is their official link – https://contra.com/sign-up
