Written by 
Hiring WordPress website designers can be a challenge. You need to find candidates, check their reviews, and see if their design sensibilities match your needs – all of that with a set budget. What’s more, you’ll need to hire them well in advance, so if you have a WordPress project in mind, it’s best to start looking as soon as possible.
A big part of finding the perfect WordPress designer for your projects has to do with looking in the right place. There are a lot of popular freelance marketplaces you can use, but top talent tends to flock to specific platforms. Knowing what those freelance platforms are will make your search a bit easier.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to the five best platforms for hiring WordPress website designers to help you choose the right one for your project. We’ll also talk about why you might want to use a WordPress agency instead of a freelancer. Let’s get to it!
5 best platforms to hire WordPress website designers
If you’re in the market for WordPress designers, the following five platforms offer the best place to look.
1. Toptal
Most freelance marketplaces are not rigorous in selecting who can sign up for their platform. This means almost anyone can apply for jobs or look for work. Toptal does things differently, as it vets the freelancers who join the platform.
Toptal claims that it only works with the top three percent of freelancers to ensure high quality. The platform also offers a service where you can talk to an industry expert so they get a sense of your project. Then, they pair you with a designer that fits your needs. This way, you don’t have to spend time browsing profiles manually.
It’s important to note that while Toptal goes above and beyond in terms of vetting, it’s not as popular among freelancers. This is because the platform typically encourages freelancers to lower their rates and payout terms are a bit on the slow side, which can scare away some of the top talent.
Pricing can also be a bit unclear on Toptal. You’ll need to talk to the team about your needs and they’ll discuss pricing with you before pairing you with a designer. However, you can expect rates to start at around $30-40 per hour.
2. Codeable
Codeable works similarly to Toptal. It vets WordPress developers and designers before they get access to the platform. However, Codeable sets itself apart from the competition by focusing solely on WordPress projects and freelancers.
This means the pool of applicants may be smaller, but you should still get plenty of freelancers to pick from. Codeable makes the process easier by recommending freelancers for each job you post, but you can choose to work with whomever you want.
The platform is also more transparent about pricing when compared to Toptal. It has a section on the website dedicated to sample prices, where you can see estimates of how much each type of project will cost.
With Codeable, prices start around $400 for simple projects with basic scopes. This makes it arguably one of the more expensive platforms to hire developers from, but it’s a fantastic resource if you’re looking for WordPress experts.
3. Cloudways Experts
You may be familiar with Cloudways as a managed WordPress hosting solution. However, it also offers a directory for hiring freelancers, called Cloudways Experts. This is a relatively new launch and the platform is still being tested, but it already boasts a sizable catalog of WordPress designers and other types of freelancers.
Like the other platforms we’ve mentioned so far, Cloudways Experts vets freelancers before they can create a profile. The main difference between Cloudways Experts and other similar platforms is that it doesn’t process payments. Instead, the platform acts solely as a directory. It offers you the option to reach out to any listed expert.
This means extra work for you, as you’ll need to discuss the scope of the project, pricing, and payment methods directly with freelancers. Then, you’ll have to set the terms of your project and create an official contract. Moreover, because of this setup, Cloudways Experts can’t intervene in the case of a dispute. With that in mind, this might not be the best platform for you if you don’t have experience hiring designers.
Since you discuss pricing directly with freelancers, it’s hard to compare costs with other platforms. However, since Cloudways Experts only publishes the profiles of experienced developers and designers, their rates are bound to be high.
4. Upwork
You’ve probably heard of Upwork. It’s by far one of the most popular freelancer marketplaces in the world, which also makes it one of the best spots to look for WordPress designers.
Unlike the other platforms we’ve discussed, Upwork doesn’t vet their freelancers. Anyone can sign up and bid on the tasks that you publish. This system naturally creates a lot of competition among freelancers and drastically drives down prices as a result. So, you may be able to hire a WordPress designer for relatively cheap.
Typically, only highly-rated freelancers can command higher rates on Upwork. You can also reach out to designers directly and offer them jobs, but everything has to go through the Upwork system, including payments.
Its massive directory of freelancers means that you can always find talented designers through Upwork, and sometimes for surprisingly low rates. The downside is that you’ll likely need to spend some serious time filtering through applications and freelancers to find the right one.
5. Fiverr
Right off the bat, it’s important to note that Fiverr has a reputation for low-quality freelance work. This is because the platform largely focused on budget freelance projects during most of its existence. Nowadays, Fiverr gives freelancers much more leeway in terms of how much to charge, which makes it a lot easier to find decent talent there.
With Fiverr, WordPress designers can publish tasks and set prices for them. These tasks can range from full WordPress website designs to simple theme customizations, mobile optimization, and even logo creation. The more focused the task, the more likely it is you’ll be able to find a freelancer who can do it for cheap.
Although Fiverr prices are not as low as they used to be, this is still very much a budget platform for freelance work. If you don’t want to spend too much money on WordPress design but have some small tasks you need help with, you’ll find much better prices here than on the other platforms we’ve explored so far.
The flip side to those low prices is that all the vetting work falls to you. That said, Fiverr makes it easy to find reviews from past clients and freelancers can also showcase some of their past work.
The downsides of hiring independent WordPress website designers
Your experience hiring freelance website designers will change a lot depending on where you look and what your budget is. Aside from that, there are other potential downsides or complications you should keep in mind:
- Intermediary fees. Most of the freelance marketplaces we’ve covered in this list force you to route payments through them (except Cloudways Experts). They take a cut of the costs before paying freelancers, which means you’re paying a premium for the work. Whether this is worth it or not will depend on your project and budget.
- Vetting freelancers. This is the most time-intensive part of the process. You’ll need to browse through freelancer profiles, check their reviews and past work, and generally screen dozens or hundreds of options (depending on which platform you use). Some platforms will recommend freelancers, but you should still check them out independently.
- Dealing with freelance platforms. Most freelancer platforms make it so you can only communicate with workers through their internal messaging system. This can be cumbersome depending on how user-friendly the platform is, but it does provide a degree of added security in case of disputes.
The real value of freelancer platforms is that they make it easier to find candidates for your design projects. While you pay a premium to use them, they also take on a lot of the risk in case you run into issues with a freelancer. Whether that is worth it to you or not depends on your needs and if you’re willing to deal with freelance designers without intermediaries.
Should you use a WordPress web design agency instead?
Considering the downsides we’ve mentioned above, hiring a WordPress web design agency instead of a freelancer is an alternative that’s worth exploring. Agencies offer a lot of benefits over freelancers, including the following:
- Getting access to a team. With an agency, you can get access to a team of designers and WordPress experts instead of just one person. This can make projects move along faster and it also means the team can complement each other’s weaknesses.
- Letting someone else manage the project. If you want to take a hands-off approach with your project, you can tell the agency what you need and let them take the reins. Typically, you’ll deal directly with a supervisor or project manager who will be in charge of managing day-to-day progress and providing you with updates.
- An easier vetting process. It’s much easier to find information about agencies online than it is for individual freelancers. This can make vetting an agency a much simpler process.
The caveat is that working on a WordPress web design project with an agency tends to be more expensive than if you’re dealing with individual freelancers. That means a big part of your decision will come down to budget considerations.
If you’re interested in working with a top-notch agency, Freshy offers WordPress design and development services:
Opting for Freshy means you’ll be able to work with top-rated WordPress website designers. You’ll even get a project manager to help facilitate the entire process.
What’s more, Freshy can handle any type of project. That includes everything from building custom WordPress themes to an entire ecommerce website from scratch. And, if you’re interested, Freshy can also help you with ongoing website maintenance and security services.
Conclusion
Finding the right person to help you design a website can be a challenge. Every freelance marketplace is different, and the quality of the work you’ll find will vary from one platform to another. You’ll also need to consider factors such as your budget, the scope of the project, its time frame, and more.
If you’re ready to hire a WordPress designer, here are some platforms to check out:
- Toptal. This platform vets freelancers and helps pair you with the best fit for your project and budget. However, they also tend to charge more than other similar marketplaces.
- Codeable. This freelancer hub works very similarly to Toptal, but it focuses solely on WordPress projects and freelancers.
- Cloudways Experts. This is a relatively new freelancer directory. It offers pre-vetted designers and developers.
- Upwork. This platform doesn’t focus on WordPress projects or designers, but it offers one of the largest directories of freelancers on the web.
- Fiverr. This is the platform to go to if you’re working with a modest budget. You can typically find great rates for freelance work, but quality can be very hit or miss.
Looking for freelancers and vetting them can be incredibly time-consuming. Working with an agency can be a much more effective option and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Freshy offers web design and development services for all types of WordPress projects. Reach out for a free quote today!
Image credit: Pixabay.