The concept of being location independent and making money online has always appealed to me. And ever since 2020, I've been living as a digital nomad, making money with my laptop as I travel the world.
And thanks to technology and the remote work revolution, it's never been easier to find a location independent job and to begin doing the same thing.
However, navigating the job market can be tough. Thankfully, there are plenty of legit remote job websites you can use to find part-time, full-time, and freelancing opportunities.
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FlexJobs is a well-known platform offering plenty of full and part-time jobs as well as remote side hustles in 50+ industries.
If you're looking for a website that has sheer volume in terms of the job listings, FlexJobs is it. The website was created in 2007 and currently hosts over 45,000 job listings for over 50 categories, showcasing companies from around the world that are looking for telecommuters.
Now, FlexJobs has a $2.95 14-day trial so you can test it out. Afterwards, you have to pay $23.95 per month if you pay monthly.
This might sound steep. However, a subscription unlocks the entire job board, email alerts, and the ability to create a personalized profile that lists your skills, experience, and resume. Plus, FlexJobs hand-screens jobs to remove scams which is why it's my favorite remote job board.
👉 Sign up for FlexJobs today!
If being a digital nomad sounds like a dream come true to you, Working Nomads is hands down the job board you need to be looking at.
Working Nomads curates 100% remote jobs that can be done from anywhere on earth, with thousands of jobs currently listed under a variety of fields. Some of the most popular industries on Working Nomads include development, marketing, design, freelance writing, and management.
Setting job alerts or applying to jobs is very straightforward, and Working Nomads is definitely a great place to start in your job hunt!
Upwork has a plethora of fans and haters, and that's to be expected from one of the largest freelance marketplaces on the internet.
I've also used Upwork for years and have over $10,000 in platform earnings. And it's an amazing marketplace for beginner and experienced remote workers alike.
From graphic design to content writing, Upwork has plenty of industries where companies are looking for work. Building up a solid profile and testimonials is paramount for being discovered by employers, so you may have to price yourself competitively to gain experience/clients.
Just note: Upwork takes a percentage of all transactions, so this is a major downside compared to negotiating directly with employers.
Extra Reading – How to get started on Upwork as a beginner.
On Fiverr, a ‘gig' is sold every 4 seconds. That's absolutely insane.
If you aren't looking for a full-time remote job, Fiverr might be the perfect platform to supplement your income. There are plenty of Fiverr buyers and room to make money in almost any industry, and you can even turn to some creative money making ideas and build out your own niche services on Fiverr.
As with Upwork, developing your reputation will be important, so you'll have to market yourself accordingly. You can read our post – is Fiverr worth it? – for a full breakdown.
👉 Get started with Fiverr!
If you want a simple but straightforward remote job website, Remote OK is a great contender to add to your list.
Remote OK states it is the #1 remote job board in the world that is trusted by 1,000,000+ digital nomads and freelancers, and the site is certainly packed with companies looking for fresh talent.
It also costs $299 to post a job on Remote OK, which I find immensely appealing from the freelancer side of things…you won't be getting any spam or low-baller job offers if you apply through Remote OK.
You can sign up for a daily or weekly report of new jobs on Remote OK, so this is a nice feature to stay on top of new companies that are looking to hire.
👉 The Best Free Legit Jobs That Pay Daily.
With more than 10,000+ freelancers on the platform, Jobspresso is one of the leading job boards for digital nomads and anyone looking to escape the office.
Jobspresso hosts job offers in a variety of industries such as tech, digital marketing, and customer support, and many major companies work with the website; Shopify, Stripe, WordPress, and Indeed.com are just a few that I noticed when browsing.
Like Remote OK, it costs $249 to post a job for 90 days on Jobspresso, so the quality is certainly there.
Jobspresso is free for freelancers. You can even upload a resume to your profile page to stand out to potential employers.
While Remotey might only post 5-15 jobs a day, this is still a reputable remote job site that offers ample opportunity to find work.
Remotey lists ‘vacancies' for companies that are solely looking for telecommuters, covering industries like sales, IT, human resources, and customer service. Remotey primarily serves the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, so keep this in mind when considering your eligibility to work for foreign companies.
As a plus, Remotey offers a mixture of full and part-time work, so this can be a great way to generate extra income if you can't commit to 40 hours a week.
If you want to land a contract job instead of a full-time position, you need to check out SolidGigs.
SolidGigs is a membership based platform that curates the top remote contract jobs and sends them right to your inbox. No need to waste time searching hundreds of sites or replying to terrible leads!
If you want to get the top 1% of freelance gigs sent to your inbox everyday, this is the best way to accomplish that.
SolidGigs costs $2 for your first month and $21 every month afterwards, so it's definitely worth trying out for at least 30 days!
👉 The Best Online Jobs That Pay Weekly.
99Designs is one of the most popular platforms for hiring graphic designers, and this website is a great way to get hired for logo work, design gigs, branding help, or other projects.
While many of the ‘jobs' listed on 99Designs are gig jobs, you can find longer contracts on the website or high paying jobs, at the very least.
99Designs has grown in popularity over the past few years so the platform is quite competitive. I'd suggest building up your portfolio before posting your services on 99Designs to ensure you can stand out from the crowd.
One of the first freelance writing jobs I ever landed was through Media Bistro, so I definitely have a soft spot for this platform.
Media Bistro enables freelancers to ‘build their media career,' and lists a variety of jobs for marketing, writing, editing roles, transcription jobs, and more.
A free membership on Media Bistro enables you to browse and apply for job, and a paid membership unlocks a variety of online courses and resources for aspiring freelancers.
Remotive is another robust job board where you can find your usual array of remote jobs: IT, marketing, customer support, ecommerce, and development offers are aplenty.
Unlike other websites that may charge mothly fees, Remotive is a one time payment of $99.
This fee unlocks all features of the job board. It also grants access to the Remotive community, which is a hub of informative webinars, resources, and friendly digital nomads who can lend a helping hand and offer advice.
Hubstaff Talent is a mix between LinkedIn and a freelance job board, but it's a great way to become a freelancer if you're relatively new to this type of work.
On Hubstaff Talent, users can create profiles and access a healthy job board where many major companies look for talent.
Hubstaff Talent is free to use, and currently lists more than 600 jobs across 195 countries!
We Work Remotely is one of the largest remote job sites according to their website, and hosts a variety of listings for freelancers working in programming, design, finance, copywriting, and much more.
Posting a job to We Work Remotely costs employers $299, so you'll find the same level of quality in job posts as you would with other premium freelance websites.
Members of We Work Remotely also gain access to some nifty community resources, like this list of the top 100 remote companies that are hiring, a slack group, and a job RSS feed.
👉 The Best Work From Home Jobs Without Phone Calls.
While Remote.co isn't the largest player in the freelance website space, it's still a robust platform that receives plenty of job postings every day. Jobs are organized into easy to use categories, and timestamps are included (so you can truly know if you are one of the first applicants in the pool).
Remote.co works with many major companies. Its blog also hosts plenty of informative articles that can assist people on their path to becoming a freelancer.
If you're a fan of filtering out job results and receiving curated emails to assist you in your job hunt, Skip The Drive might be a perfect fit.
Remote jobs are organized into categories, and the internal search engine on Skip The Drive makes finding your dream job that much easier.
Additionally, the platform is free to use, and offers both full and part-time listings. Jobs are also syndicated from other major job boards like ZipRecruiter, so you won't have an issue with volume.
With over 680 jobs added every day and 18,000+ companies/job boards searched for curation, Virtual Vocations is a great tool for anyone looking for freelance work or full time employment.
Virtual Vocations offers a ‘freemium' model. Free members can browse and apply for some jobs, but paid members gain features such as unrestricted access, email alerts, online courses to help with securing a job, and the ability to create a profile/upload a resume.
Virtual Vocations costs $15.99/month, or $59.99/year. So, it's not the best free remote job site out there.
Extra Reading – The Top Work From Home Jobs That Provide Equipment.
If you want to find remote work at a startup, Angel List in the website to turn to.
Angel List isn't explicitly for people looking to become a freelancer, and the platform has plenty of in-office jobs. However, many startups aren't afraid of hiring telecommuters, and Angel List has an impressive array of companies to choose from.
Users can also see salary and possible equity information upfront when applying for jobs, and you can apply privately to job postings without other employers knowing.
Remote4Me is an aggregation of remote job opportunities in tech and non-tech roles, helping to simplify the job search process for freelancers.
Since Remote4Me pulls data from over 40 other job boards, you'll find there's a decent inventory of open positions at any given time.
Jobs are categorized for easy lookup, and every listing is 100% remote; no occasional or “work from home friendly' offices on the list. Remote4Me is also free to use, so be sure to bookmark this one!
Workew is a free remote jobs website that has listings from major companies like Spotify, WordPress, Amazon, and more.
Everything you need for finding freelance work is on Workew…you can create a profile, post a resume, and easily browse for job opportunities. Plus, you can join the Workew Facebook group for helpful tips or setup Twitter alerts to be notified when jobs matching your search criteria are posted!
If you're looking for a curated list of freelance job opportunities delivered right to your inbox, Remote Jobs Club is for you.
Remote Jobs Club only has 7,500 members, but it's a nice community that is dedicated to helping digital nomads find work. Emails are sent out on a bi-weekly basis, so this can be a nice laid-back way to start contemplating your future career path.
While Authentic Jobs isn't a pure remote job board, you can still find plenty of freelance opportunities on this site. Plus, Authentic Jobs is primarily designed for developers, designers, and anyone with a creative touch, so this is a great resource for anyone in those specific fields.
Authentic Jobs has listings from plenty of Fortune 500 companies, and you can easily enable a remote job filter to find out of office work.
Dribble is another website that caters to designers and creative freelancers, so if you have a portfolio to showcase, this is a great way to get started. You can find both in-office or remote jobs on Dribble, and you can even create or join ‘design teams' if you're part of a larger organization.
If you're on the lookout for freelance software engineering work, Gun.io is a perfect place to begin your job search.
According to their website, Gun.io has a tough vetting process which includes a professional review, a technical/character assessment, and a reference check.
If you have the skills to be in the top percentile of software engineers, Gun.io might be an appealing option since the competition level will prevent the platform from being saturated with applicants.
24. Ruby Now
Ruby Now is a job website that caters to Ruby developers (big surprise), and while this is certainly a niche website, it's the place to be if you're in the space.
Ruby Now aggregates hundreds of job postings across many top job boards, so you'll never have a shortage of companies that you can apply to.
LinkedIn might be your go-to website for networking, but did you know LinkedIn is also a great job search engine?
You can use the LinkedIn search bar to look for companies hiring within your area or abroad, and you can also add a ‘remote' filter option to narrow down the list.
Considering you already have a decent LinkedIn profile that highlights your accomplishments and previous experience (if you don't, get on it), LinkedIn is an effective option for finding your next remote job.
Indeed.com is one of the largest job engines in the world, and while it doesn't explicitly serve people looking to become freelancers, there are still plenty of work from home opportunities.
On Indeed you can upload a resume, easily find salary information, and create email alerts to notify you of potential job matches. Using the ‘remote' filter on the Indeed sidebar will still return hundreds of job opportunities for most industries, so it's easy to start your job hunting process on Indeed.
Guru is a popular freelance marketplace where companies can post job offers for free and browse from 3 million+ workers. Signing up for Guru is free, and when you find a job offer you like you can send the employer a quote for your work.
Guru does take a 2.5% transaction fee on any completed invoices, but this isn't anything out of the ordinary when you compare the pricing model to websites like Upwork. If you like the idea of sending quotes to your potential employer, check out Guru!
Reddit's r/ForHire is without a doubt my favorite under-the-table way to get into freelancing. With 136,000 members and dozens of job listings/offers posted every day, r/ForHire is a surprisingly active community with ample opportunity to find work.
Employers have to post payment information on their listing, and any posts that pay under $15/hour or have ridiculous requests/expectations for their payment terms are promptly removed. You need a Reddit account with some history to comment on posts, but this is a useful anti-spam measure.
Just be sure to be wary of scammers on the sub and to review a user's post history before proceeding with work.
Extra Reading – How To Make Money On Reddit.
29. Your Own Network
If none of the aforementioned remote jobs websites pique your interest, you can always turn to your network for opportunity.
Up to 28% of hires are done internally and 48% are done through employee referrals according to a 2017 Global Recruiting Trends report, and this isn't likely to change. People prefer to work with people they trust, so reaching out to your network can be an effective way to land an interview with a potential employer at the very least.
Using my own network to secure freelance writing gigs was a vital part of how I made money during college, and all it took was a few emails and some hard work.
Tips For Landing Your Next Remote Job
Now that I've highlighted some of the top remote job boards, here are a few tips that I've found helpful during my own online career:
Update your resume before beginning your job hunt
Ask your own network for referrals or inside opportunities
Consider “upskilling” and take professional development courses to improve in your chosen career
Start a digital side hustle that can help you gain experience in your chosen field
Practice online interviews with a friend or interview practice service
Final Thoughts:
Well, there you have it! If you have ever wondered how to become a freelancer, you now know how to begin the process! Work hard to gain some experience, build up your portfolio, and gradually apply to higher paying jobs with recognizable companies to grow your online income.
Before you know it, you might just be a full-time digital nomad!
Looking for even more ways to make money? Checkout:
Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and making money online. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Forbes, and more.
Tom also founded the blog This Online World - a finance site dedicated to helping people make money online - in 2018. After 6 years, that site merged with WebMonkey, with the goal of helping even more people earn their first dollar of online income.
Setting job alerts or applying to jobs is very straightforward, and Working Nomads is definitely a great place to start in your job hunt!
As with Upwork, developing your reputation will be important, so you'll have to market yourself accordingly. You can read our post – is Fiverr worth it? – for a full breakdown.
👉 Get started with Fiverr!
Jobspresso is free for freelancers. You can even upload a resume to your profile page to stand out to potential employers.
If you want to get the top 1% of freelance gigs sent to your inbox everyday, this is the best way to accomplish that.
SolidGigs costs $2 for your first month and $21 every month afterwards, so it's definitely worth trying out for at least 30 days!
👉 The Best Online Jobs That Pay Weekly.
99Designs has grown in popularity over the past few years so the platform is quite competitive. I'd suggest building up your portfolio before posting your services on 99Designs to ensure you can stand out from the crowd.
Hubstaff Talent is free to use, and currently lists more than 600 jobs across 195 countries!
Members of We Work Remotely also gain access to some nifty community resources, like this list of the top 100 remote companies that are hiring, a slack group, and a job RSS feed.
👉 The Best Work From Home Jobs Without Phone Calls.
Remote.co works with many major companies. Its blog also hosts plenty of informative articles that can assist people on their path to becoming a freelancer.
Virtual Vocations offers a ‘freemium' model. Free members can browse and apply for some jobs, but paid members gain features such as unrestricted access, email alerts, online courses to help with securing a job, and the ability to create a profile/upload a resume.
Virtual Vocations costs $15.99/month, or $59.99/year. So, it's not the best free remote job site out there.
Extra Reading – The Top Work From Home Jobs That Provide Equipment.
Users can also see salary and possible equity information upfront when applying for jobs, and you can apply privately to job postings without other employers knowing.
Since Remote4Me pulls data from over 40 other job boards, you'll find there's a decent inventory of open positions at any given time.
Jobs are categorized for easy lookup, and every listing is 100% remote; no occasional or “work from home friendly' offices on the list. Remote4Me is also free to use, so be sure to bookmark this one!
Authentic Jobs has listings from plenty of Fortune 500 companies, and you can easily enable a remote job filter to find out of office work.
If you have the skills to be in the top percentile of software engineers, Gun.io might be an appealing option since the competition level will prevent the platform from being saturated with applicants.
Ruby Now aggregates hundreds of job postings across many top job boards, so you'll never have a shortage of companies that you can apply to.
You can use the LinkedIn search bar to look for companies hiring within your area or abroad, and you can also add a ‘remote' filter option to narrow down the list.
Considering you already have a decent LinkedIn profile that highlights your accomplishments and previous experience (if you don't, get on it), LinkedIn is an effective option for finding your next remote job.
Guru does take a 2.5% transaction fee on any completed invoices, but this isn't anything out of the ordinary when you compare the pricing model to websites like Upwork. If you like the idea of sending quotes to your potential employer, check out Guru!
Setting job alerts or applying to jobs is very straightforward, and Working Nomads is definitely a great place to start in your job hunt!
As with Upwork, developing your reputation will be important, so you'll have to market yourself accordingly. You can read our post – is Fiverr worth it? – for a full breakdown.
👉 Get started with Fiverr!
Jobspresso is free for freelancers. You can even upload a resume to your profile page to stand out to potential employers.
If you want to get the top 1% of freelance gigs sent to your inbox everyday, this is the best way to accomplish that.
SolidGigs costs $2 for your first month and $21 every month afterwards, so it's definitely worth trying out for at least 30 days!
👉 The Best Online Jobs That Pay Weekly.
99Designs has grown in popularity over the past few years so the platform is quite competitive. I'd suggest building up your portfolio before posting your services on 99Designs to ensure you can stand out from the crowd.
Hubstaff Talent is free to use, and currently lists more than 600 jobs across 195 countries!
Members of We Work Remotely also gain access to some nifty community resources, like this list of the top 100 remote companies that are hiring, a slack group, and a job RSS feed.
👉 The Best Work From Home Jobs Without Phone Calls.
Remote.co works with many major companies. Its blog also hosts plenty of informative articles that can assist people on their path to becoming a freelancer.
Virtual Vocations offers a ‘freemium' model. Free members can browse and apply for some jobs, but paid members gain features such as unrestricted access, email alerts, online courses to help with securing a job, and the ability to create a profile/upload a resume.
Virtual Vocations costs $15.99/month, or $59.99/year. So, it's not the best free remote job site out there.
Extra Reading – The Top Work From Home Jobs That Provide Equipment.
Users can also see salary and possible equity information upfront when applying for jobs, and you can apply privately to job postings without other employers knowing.
Since Remote4Me pulls data from over 40 other job boards, you'll find there's a decent inventory of open positions at any given time.
Jobs are categorized for easy lookup, and every listing is 100% remote; no occasional or “work from home friendly' offices on the list. Remote4Me is also free to use, so be sure to bookmark this one!
Authentic Jobs has listings from plenty of Fortune 500 companies, and you can easily enable a remote job filter to find out of office work.
If you have the skills to be in the top percentile of software engineers, Gun.io might be an appealing option since the competition level will prevent the platform from being saturated with applicants.
Ruby Now aggregates hundreds of job postings across many top job boards, so you'll never have a shortage of companies that you can apply to.
You can use the LinkedIn search bar to look for companies hiring within your area or abroad, and you can also add a ‘remote' filter option to narrow down the list.
Considering you already have a decent LinkedIn profile that highlights your accomplishments and previous experience (if you don't, get on it), LinkedIn is an effective option for finding your next remote job.
Guru does take a 2.5% transaction fee on any completed invoices, but this isn't anything out of the ordinary when you compare the pricing model to websites like Upwork. If you like the idea of sending quotes to your potential employer, check out Guru!
