On a £2,000 job, the platform you choose can cost you £30 or £402. This guide compares every verified freelance platform fee in 2026, Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, PeoplePerHour, PayPal, Stripe and Wise, side by side, and shows what you actually keep on £500, £2,000 and £5,000 projects.
Fees last verified: October 2026, against each platform’s official fee, pricing or terms page. See the methodology below for sources, assumptions and the one rate no platform publishes.
Which freelance platform takes the least in fees in 2026?
Direct payment is cheapest: Wise charges no fee to receive a domestic payment, Stripe takes 1.5 percent plus 20p on UK cards, and PayPal takes 2.9 percent plus 30p. Marketplaces cost far more. Fiverr takes a flat 20 percent, while Upwork and Freelancer.com take around 10 percent on a typical new-client job.
That ranking answers the search in one paragraph, but the headline rate is never the whole story. Withdrawal fees, VAT added to commission, bidding costs and currency conversion all sit on top, and two platforms change their rate depending on how much you have billed the same client before. The rest of this guide shows the full cost, in pounds, at three real project sizes.
If you already know your platform, run your own job value through the matching tool: LancerBill’s Upwork fee calculator, the Fiverr fee calculator, the PayPal fee calculator or LancerBill’s Stripe fee calculator.
How we compared the fees: method and assumptions
Most comparison pages stop at the headline commission. This one models the total cost of getting paid, using the same assumptions for every platform so the numbers are comparable:
- Perspective: a UK-based freelancer receiving payment from a new client.
- Marketplaces (Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, PeoplePerHour) are modelled at their new-client rates. Repeat-client rates are shown separately in the scenario section.
- Payment rails (PayPal, Stripe, Wise) are modelled as a direct client payment in pounds, with no marketplace involved.
- Currency: platforms that charge in US dollars are converted at an illustrative £1 = $1.35. That is a stated assumption for the worked examples, not a market quote.
- Upwork: the fee varies from 0% to 15% per contract. The comparison uses 10% as the typical rate and shows the 15% worst case separately.
- Withdrawals: the cheapest commonly available verified method per platform is included.
- One honest gap: Upwork applies a currency conversion fee when you are paid in a non-USD currency, but it does not publish the rate. No rate is stated for it anywhere in this guide, and any guide that gives you one is guessing.
Every figure below comes from the platform’s own pages: Upwork’s support pages and FY2025 Form 10-K, Fiverr’s Payment Terms of Service (last updated September 2026), Freelancer.com’s Fees and Charges page, PeoplePerHour’s Terms and Conditions (section 8.2, last modified 11 September 2026), PayPal’s UK merchant fees page (last updated 1 October 2026), Stripe’s UK pricing page and Wise’s UK business pricing page.
The headline fees, side by side
| Platform | What the freelancer pays | Withdrawal | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiverr | Flat 20% on all earnings, including tips and extras | PayPal $0; bank transfer via Payoneer $3; Revenue Card $1 to $3 | No volume discount, ever. Buyers also pay 5.5% plus $3.50 on orders under $200 |
| PeoplePerHour | 20% on the first £250 billed per buyer, 7.5% up to £5,000, 3.5% above that, all plus VAT | Varies by method | 20% VAT is added to the commission for UK freelancers |
| Upwork | Variable 0% to 15% per contract, shown before you bid and locked for that contract; 10% used here as typical | Direct to Local Bank $0.99; US dollar wire $50 | Connects cost $0.15 each to bid; conversion rate not published |
| Freelancer.com | 10% of each payment, or $5 on fixed-price work, whichever is greater | Express, PayPal and Skrill $1; international wire $25; $50 minimum withdrawal | Preferred Freelancer Recruiter projects cost 15%, not less |
| PayPal (direct) | 2.9% + £0.30 on UK domestic commercial payments | Free to a linked UK bank account | International payments add 1.29% (EEA) or 1.99% (rest of world), plus 3% if currency is converted |
| Stripe (direct) | 1.5% + 20p on standard UK domestic cards; 2.5% + 20p on EEA cards; 3.15% + 20p on international cards | Payouts to your bank are the standard route | Converted card payments add 2%; Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice |
| Wise (direct) | No commission. Receiving domestic payments in GBP, EUR, USD and other major currencies is free | Your money is already in your account | USD wire and SWIFT receipts carry small fixed fees, for example $6.11 for a USD wire. The sender pays the transfer fee, from 0.24% on business pricing |
For the deep dive on any single platform, read our guides to Upwork fees, Fiverr fees and PayPal fees for freelancers.
What do you actually keep on a £500, £2,000 and £5,000 job?
Here is the worked example first, for a £2,000 project, then the full table. Assumptions: new client, UK freelancer, £1 = $1.35, cheapest verified withdrawal method.
Fiverr, £2,000:
- Step 1: Commission. 20% of £2,000 = £400.00.
- Step 2: Withdrawal by bank transfer. $3 / 1.35 = £2.22. (Withdrawing to PayPal costs $0 from Fiverr’s side, which would save this £2.22.)
- Step 3: Total fees = £400.00 + £2.22 = £402.22.
- Step 4: You keep £2,000 – £402.22 = £1,597.78.
Upwork at the typical 10%, £2,000:
- Step 1: Convert. £2,000 x 1.35 = $2,700 contract value.
- Step 2: Service fee. 10% of $2,700 = $270, which is $270 / 1.35 = £200.00.
- Step 3: Withdrawal. $0.99 / 1.35 = £0.73.
- Step 4: Total fees = £200.73. You keep £1,799.27.
Direct by Stripe, £2,000: 1.5% of £2,000 = £30.00, plus 20p, gives total fees of £30.20. You keep £1,969.80. The same client, the same work, £372.02 more than Fiverr.
| Platform | Fees on £500 | You keep | Fees on £2,000 | You keep | Fees on £5,000 | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise (direct) | £0.00 | £500.00 | £0.00 | £2,000.00 | £0.00 | £5,000.00 |
| Stripe (direct) | £7.70 | £492.30 | £30.20 | £1,969.80 | £75.20 | £4,924.80 |
| PayPal (direct) | £14.80 | £485.20 | £58.30 | £1,941.70 | £145.30 | £4,854.70 |
| Upwork (10%) | £50.73 | £449.27 | £200.73 | £1,799.27 | £500.73 | £4,499.27 |
| Freelancer.com | £50.74 | £449.26 | £200.74 | £1,799.26 | £500.74 | £4,499.26 |
| PeoplePerHour (new buyer) | £82.50 | £417.50 | £217.50 | £1,782.50 | £487.50 | £4,512.50 |
| Fiverr | £102.22 | £397.78 | £402.22 | £1,597.78 | £1,002.22 | £3,997.78 |
Two details in that table deserve a second look. First, PeoplePerHour overtakes Upwork and Freelancer.com at £5,000, because most of a large first project is billed at the 7.5% tier rather than 20%. Second, Upwork at its 15% worst case would cost £75.73, £300.73 and £750.73 at the three sizes, which drops it below PeoplePerHour at £5,000. Always read the rate on the proposal screen before you price the job.
Watch out: These are domestic, best-route numbers. An international client changes them. PayPal adds up to 1.99% plus a 3% conversion spread, which can push its effective take above 7%. A US card paid through Stripe costs 3.15% + 20p, plus 2% if converted. Cross-border work narrows the gap between direct payment and marketplaces, so check the international figures before you quote.
Why does PeoplePerHour get cheaper the longer you keep a client?
PeoplePerHour charges 20 percent on the first 250 pounds you bill each buyer, 7.5 percent up to 5,000 pounds, and 3.5 percent above that, all plus VAT. A new buyer is therefore expensive, but a long-term buyer past 5,000 pounds costs just 4.2 percent including VAT, cheaper than PayPal.
PeoplePerHour is the only platform in this comparison whose rate rewards loyalty automatically. That flips the ranking for repeat work. Here is the same £2,000 job, this time with an established client relationship where the platform allows one:
| Scenario on a £2,000 repeat job | Arithmetic | Total fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct by Stripe | 1.5% x £2,000 + £0.20 | £30.20 | £1,969.80 |
| PayPal direct | 2.9% x £2,000 + £0.30 | £58.30 | £1,941.70 |
| PeoplePerHour, buyer past £5,000 lifetime billing | 3.5% x £2,000 = £70.00, plus 20% VAT on the fee = £14.00 | £84.00 | £1,916.00 |
| Upwork Direct Contracts (a client you brought yourself) | 5% x £2,000 = £100.00, plus £0.73 withdrawal | £100.73 | £1,899.27 |
| Fiverr, any client, any history | 20% x £2,000 = £400.00, plus £2.22 withdrawal | £402.22 | £1,597.78 |
Use this decision framework when you choose where to work:
- New client, small job: the marketplace is buying you discovery and payment protection. Fiverr’s 20% hurts least in pounds on a £200 gig, and it brings buyers to you. Price the fee in and move on.
- New client, large job: a 20% fee on £5,000 is £1,000. Prefer Upwork or Freelancer.com at around 10%, check the exact Upwork rate before bidding, and gross up your quote.
- Repeat client: PeoplePerHour’s 3.5% tier and Upwork Direct Contracts at 5% (0% with an active Freelancer Plus membership) exist for exactly this case. Use them rather than paying new-client rates forever.
- Client you found yourself: skip the marketplace cut entirely. Invoice directly and take payment by Wise, Stripe or PayPal. That is what the fee calculators linked throughout this guide are for.
- International client: model the conversion cost before you choose. A cheap headline rate with a 3% conversion spread is not cheap.
What hidden fees sit on top of the commission?
On top of commission, expect withdrawal fees from 0 to 50 dollars, bidding costs such as Upwork Connects at 0.15 dollars each, VAT added to PeoplePerHour commission, and currency conversion spreads. PayPal adds 3 percent above the base exchange rate, and Stripe adds 2 percent on converted card payments.
The bidding cost is the one most freelancers forget to count. If you send 20 Upwork proposals at an average of 10 Connects each, that is 200 Connects x $0.15 = $30, or £22.22 at the assumed rate, spent before any paid work starts. Add that to the £50.73 platform cost of a £500 job at 10% and your effective fee rate is 14.6%, not 10%.
Tip: Batch your withdrawals. Ten Upwork withdrawals by local bank cost $9.90 in total. Ten US dollar wire transfers cost $500. On Freelancer.com, remember the $50 minimum withdrawal before you plan your cash flow around a small balance.
How do you keep more of what you earn?
Three moves cover most of the money on the table:
- Gross up your quotes. Divide the amount you want to keep by one minus the fee rate. To keep £2,000 on Fiverr, quote £2,000 / 0.80 = £2,500. At Upwork’s 10%, quote £2,000 / 0.90 = £2,222.22. Build your base rate properly first with our guide on how to calculate your freelance hourly rate, then apply the platform fee on top.
- Match the channel to the client stage. Pay marketplace fees for discovery, then use the legitimate cheaper routes the platforms themselves offer for repeat work: loyalty tiers, Direct Contracts, or direct invoicing. Do not take a marketplace client off-platform to dodge fees; that can breach the platform’s terms and cost you the account.
- Choose your withdrawal method once, properly. The difference between a $0.99 local-bank transfer and a $50 wire, repeated monthly, is over £430 a year.
Rule of thumb: a marketplace fee is a marketing cost, and a payment fee is a banking cost. Pay the marketing cost only when the platform actually markets you.
Key takeaways
- Direct payment is cheapest by a wide margin: Wise £0 to receive domestically, Stripe 1.5% + 20p, PayPal 2.9% + £0.30 on UK payments.
- Fiverr is the most expensive route at every size tested: £402.22 in fees on a £2,000 job, and its flat 20% never falls for repeat clients.
- Upwork (at a typical 10%) and Freelancer.com (10%) are nearly identical in total cost: about £200.73 on a £2,000 job including withdrawal.
- PeoplePerHour starts expensive (20% plus VAT on early billings) but its 3.5% tier makes an established buyer cheaper than PayPal at 4.2% including VAT.
- Hidden costs change the answer: Upwork Connects, withdrawal method, VAT on commission and conversion spreads of 2% to 3% all sit on top of the headline rate.
- Upwork does not publish its currency conversion rate. Any exact figure quoted for it elsewhere is unverified.
Frequently asked questions
Which freelance platform has the lowest fees?
Of the payment routes compared here, Wise is lowest: receiving a domestic payment is free. Among marketplaces, Upwork and Freelancer.com are cheapest for a new client at around 10% in total. PeoplePerHour beats both for an established buyer, at 3.5% plus VAT once lifetime billings with that buyer pass £5,000.
How much does Fiverr take from a £1,000 order?
Fiverr takes a flat 20%, so £200 of a £1,000 order, including on tips and extras. Withdrawing by bank transfer via Payoneer adds $3 (about £2.22 at £1 = $1.35), so you would keep roughly £797.78. Withdrawing to PayPal costs $0 from Fiverr’s side, so you would keep £800 before any PayPal charges.
Is Upwork cheaper than Fiverr?
Usually, yes. On a £2,000 job, Upwork at its typical 10% costs £200.73 including a local-bank withdrawal, against Fiverr’s £402.22. But Upwork’s fee varies from 0% to 15% per contract, and Connects spent bidding add to your real cost. At 15% plus heavy bidding on a small job, the gap narrows a lot.
Why is PeoplePerHour expensive for new clients?
Because its fee starts at 20% on the first £250 billed to each buyer, and 20% VAT is added to the commission for UK freelancers. A £500 first project therefore costs £82.50 in total fees. The rate falls to 7.5% and then 3.5% as lifetime billings with that buyer grow, so long-term clients are far cheaper.
What is the cheapest way to get paid by a direct client?
For a domestic client, a Wise account costs £0 to receive the payment. If the client wants to pay by card, Stripe at 1.5% + 20p is cheaper than PayPal at 2.9% + £0.30. For international clients, compare conversion costs as well: PayPal adds 3% above the base exchange rate, and Stripe adds 2% on converted card payments.
Do freelance platforms charge VAT on their fees?
PeoplePerHour does: its service fees are quoted excluding VAT, and 20% VAT is added for UK freelancers, so a 3.5% fee is really 4.2%. The marketplace percentages for Upwork, Fiverr and Freelancer.com in this guide are the rates the platforms state; your own VAT position depends on your registration status and country, so check before you price.
Fees last verified: October 2026. This guide is for general information only and is not financial, tax or legal advice.