"Sir, Fiverr better hai ya Upwork?" If you are learning web or app development in Pakistan, you have probably asked this question, or watched a YouTube video that promises one of them is the easy way to start earning in dollars.
I have been freelancing on Fiverr since 2019 and on Upwork since 2020, I teach MERN stack as a Lead Trainer at SMIT (Saylani Mass IT Training), and today I run 12Monday Technologies with my partner. My students ask me this almost every week. So here is my honest answer, including the part most people do not like to hear.
The short answer: both are very hard right now
I will not pretend one of them is easy. Fiverr and Upwork are both very difficult at the moment, and the industry is in a bad state. There are far more people trying to start than there were a few years ago, and a beginner profile with no reviews is competing with all of them.
On Fiverr, if your chance comes, it comes. On Upwork, you pay for Connects to apply, so it gets costly very quickly. That is why my advice for someone who is still learning is not "pick Fiverr" or "pick Upwork". It is this: while you are learning, work on your own projects, build real projects you can show to clients, and keep posting on social media. Then work keeps coming to you through references.
Fiverr vs Upwork for a beginner
Before I explain my view, here is how the two platforms actually work for someone starting out. The prices and fees below are from Fiverr's and Upwork's own help pages, and the sources are linked at the end.
| Fiverr | Upwork | |
|---|---|---|
| How work reaches you | You publish a gig and wait for buyers to find it and message you | You search job posts and send proposals to clients |
| Cost to start applying | No cost to publish a gig | Most proposals need Connects, which cost $0.15 each, and every job post shows how many it needs |
| Limits for new accounts | New sellers can keep up to 4 active gigs | Basic accounts may get 10 free Connects a month, which runs out fast |
| Fee on what you earn | 20% of each order, including tips and extras | A variable fee from 0% to 15% per contract, shown before you apply |
| The hard part for a beginner | Getting noticed at all. It often comes down to luck | Paying again and again to apply, with no reply guaranteed |
Fiverr: your chance comes when it comes
On Fiverr you do not apply to jobs. You create a gig, and buyers search, scroll and choose. Publishing a gig costs nothing, which sounds great for a student. The problem is that as a new seller with zero reviews, your gig sits behind thousands of others offering the same service, and you have very little control over when a buyer finally clicks on yours.
I am being honest about my own experience here: my first real chance on Fiverr came after about one and a half to two years. Not two weeks, not two months. I kept going and it did work out later, but if you are counting on Fiverr to pay your bills next month, that is a risky plan. I wrote about what you can control on a new gig in how to get your first order on Fiverr as a developer, but even with a good gig, luck plays a big part.
Upwork: you pay to apply
Upwork works the other way around. You find a job post and send a proposal. Most proposals need Connects, Upwork's tokens, and each Connect costs $0.15. Every job post shows how many Connects it needs, and that number changes with the size of the project and how much demand there is. A basic account may get 10 free Connects a month, which disappears after a couple of proposals.
For a beginner, this adds up. You send proposal after proposal, most clients pick someone with reviews, and every rejected proposal is money spent in dollars. When you are a student in Pakistan, that cost is real.
What I recommend instead while you are learning
If both platforms are this hard, what should a learner do? My answer: spend your learning time on things that will bring work to you, whichever platform you use later.
Build real projects you can show clients
Do not stop at tutorial clones. Build real-time projects that solve an actual problem: a booking app, a store dashboard, a small CRM for a local shop. Deploy them so a client can open a link and try them. When a client asks "have you done something like this before?", you want to send a live demo, not a certificate.
A real project also makes your Fiverr gig and Upwork profile stronger later. Your portfolio stops being empty, and your proposals and gig descriptions can point to something you actually built.
Keep posting on social media
Every time you finish a feature or a project, post about it. LinkedIn, Facebook groups, X, wherever the people around you are. Keep it simple: what you built, what you learned, and a link. Something like this:
Built this week: a clinic appointment app (React Native + Node.js + MongoDB)
What it does:
- Patients book a slot and get a reminder
- The doctor sees today's queue on a simple dashboard
What I learned:
- Handling time slots so two people can't book the same one
- Sending push notifications with Expo
Live demo: https://your-demo-link.com
Code: https://github.com/you/clinic-app
Open to small React Native or MERN projects. DM me.One post will not change much. Posting consistently for months is what makes people remember you as "the React Native person" or "the MERN developer".
Let references bring the work
This is where it pays off. When people see your work regularly, they remember you. A friend's cousin needs an app, a past classmate's company needs a developer, someone you helped in a group needs a website. Work starts coming through references, from all sides, and you did not spend a single Connect on it.
| Where your time goes | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Real projects | Proof you can build, something to show every client, and confidence in your own skills |
| Posting on social media | People see your work regularly and remember you when they or someone they know needs a developer |
| References | Work that comes to you through people who already trust you, with no Connects and no waiting for a gig to rank |
| Fiverr and Upwork profiles | A bonus channel that gets much stronger once you have real projects to put in your portfolio |
Should you still make Fiverr and Upwork accounts?
Yes, keep them, but do not make them your only plan while you are learning. Set up your profiles properly, add your real projects to your portfolio as you build them, and treat any order that comes as a bonus, not as the thing your whole month depends on.
If you are close to finishing your course, I also shared what I think the first step after a course should be in finished your SMIT course? Get a job first. And when the first payment does come, here is how to receive freelance payments in Pakistan.
Common mistakes I see from beginners
Buying Connects before you have a portfolio
Spending dollars on proposals when your profile has nothing to show is the most expensive way to learn that clients want proof. Build first, then apply.
Building quietly and never sharing
A great project that nobody sees does not bring references. Share your work, even when it feels small.
Wrapping up
Fiverr and Upwork are both hard for beginners right now. On Fiverr your chance comes when it comes, and on Upwork every proposal costs money. While you are learning, build real projects you can show clients and keep posting about them, so work starts coming to you through references.
If you are learning and want honest feedback on your projects or your profile, send me your GitHub or your portfolio link. I am happy to tell you what to build next.
You can find me at bilalattari.com, email me at attari1235@gmail.com, or message me on LinkedIn.
