In this article, I’ll present an unbiased review of Ziptask.com. Ziptask is a relatively new player in the online freelance marketplace niche. The online freelance marketplace niche is huge and growing exponentially (Freelancer alone has combined posted jobs worth over $1.1 billion) with recent advances in technology. While micro-freelance marketplaces like Fiverr or Microlancer certainly have their advantages, they don’t cater to the same crowd as sites like Ziptask.
This crowd of small businesses with freelance projects ranging from a $100-$10,000+ has a greater demand for serious freelance services (although who wouldn’t want a silent Charlie Chaplin short film for just $5 ).
If you have a knack for creating compelling content, know a programming language, or have any talent in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) related field, read on to see if Ziptask would be a good work at home job for you.
What is Ziptask
Ziptask is a fully managed work platform with experienced project managers who will guide you through your project, oversee freelancers, and ensure high quality work every time.
That excerpt is from Ziptask’s site. Founded in 2010, Ziptask really took off in 2012 when it was funded by Techstars, a venture funding organization specializing in cloud based companies and services.
Ziptask specializes in jobs ranging from $1,000-$10,000 which makes it an ideal marketplace for small and medium sized businesses looking to outsource any work functions they don’t want to focus on. Ziptask hasn’t disclosed the total number of freelancers it has in its network, although in certain interviews, they’ve mentioned it ranges in the “thousands” which makes it significantly more exclusive than leading freelance sites (Freelancer has over 8 million worldwide).
So with such a size difference, what differentiates Ziptask from just another Freelancer or eLance clone site?
The Ziptask Difference
Here’s where Ziptask really sets itself apart from other freelancing sites.
Let’s say you’re a customer with a budget of $1,000 looking to have some code written for a CRM database you’re wanting to upgrade.
If you go to sites like oDesk, Elance, or Freelancer, you would submit your job with specific project requirements and budget, and freelancers would bid on it. When you find a freelancer that met your criteria, you would deal with them directly (via the freelancing site), until the project was completed or cancelled.
With Ziptask, you simply enter your project requirements and budget into their project management tool and they take care of the rest.
They assign a dedicated project manager to sift through their network of freelancers that have the necessary skills to complete your project within the budget you specify. The below image is from Ziptask’s site and presents a clear overview of how their site differs from other online freelancing marketplaces.
The advantage with this approach is that your project becomes truly outsourced. You simply enter the details and pay at specific project milestones. If there’s an issue with an unresponsive freelancer, your assigned Ziptask project manager deals with it – no headaches, and no hassle.
Earning Money With Ziptask
Ziptask is definitely more selective in accepting freelancers into its network than other sites. For example, sites like oDesk and Freelancer will accept virtually anyone and don’t have any verification efforts in place to ensure that potential freelancers actually have the experiences they claim.
If you apply at Ziptask, you’re required to upload a resume in addition to filling out a standard skillset questionnaire which is typical of other freelancing sites. Assuming your resume is acceptable, Ziptask will contact you within a few days of submitting your application to let you know you’ve been accepted and give you details about how to use their freelancer platform.
Work done for Ziptask is treated as independent contracting work so you’ll want to save a portion of any earnings for taxes.
So how much money can you actually make freelancing for Ziptask?
Like any freelancing site, it just depends on what skill you can bring to the table. According to the Freelancer, creative skills like writing content or video production/editing, along with IT & programming skills are the highest in demand. You have the ability to enter whatever pay scale you’re willing to work for when you first apply.
Ziptask charges the employer a flat 3% fee for their services so no additional fees are deducted any of your earnings.
Summary
Unless you have an in demand skill like Windows Azure programming, or know how to create epic infographics you probably won’t be able to make a full time living exclusively at a site like Ziptask.
Although given its higher project price points, and smaller freelancer network, you can certainly earn extra income if you have existing skills to offer.
Do you have experience with Ziptask either as a freelancer or client? I’d love to hear from you, leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought of your Ziptask experience!