Online Job Sites: Guru.com versus Elance.com

Updated: Mar 12th, 2010

Have you been wondering about online job sites Guru.com and Elance.com? They are two of the largest internet sites for finding outsourced (freelance) jobs from nearly every industry. If you have a skill and need work, chances are good you’ll find plenty of opportunities on one or both of these sites. Likewise if you need some work done, you can find someone qualified to do it at one or both of these sites.

But you may have questions, such as: Are these online job sites the same? Do they have any differences? Is one better than the other? We did the homework for you by reviewing both of these sites. The following is a comparison between Guru.com and Elance.com.

Guru.com and Elance.com are both very popular with freelance writers, as there are plenty of writing jobs available on both. You’ll definitely find opportunities to make extra cash and expand your clientele.

Similarities
Here are some similarities between Guru.com and Elance.com.

  • Both Guru.com and Elance.com offer free accounts.
  • Both online job sites offer extended services for a fee.
  • Both offer conflict resolution.
  • Both charge a fee to process payment.
  • Each website has a “tab” for Employers and Freelancers.
  • Both offer employers/clients the ability to rate you and your work. This translates to a “ranking” for you.
  • Both offer 1099 services.
  • Both offer escrow services.

The “ranking” is an important feature – when you do good work, you should get good reviews and thus a good ranking. This helps you to get more work because many potential employers take the reviews and ranking into account when deciding to whom they should award a job.

Differences
Here are some differences between Guru.com and Elance.com.

  • Elance.com has a blog, with good advice intended to help you.
  • Guru.com gives you limited statistics about the site, i.e. how many projects there are to bid on for the day. Elance.com lists statistics such as the number of new job postings, how many experts there are on the website and the earnings of “experts” since 2005.
  • Elance.com’s website has a cleaner and leaner look and feel to it when compared to Guru.com. It could be the choice of colors and design, but it feels easier to use.
  • When you sign up with Elance.com, you must take a test. You can take the test 3 times and there is a 1-hour waiting period before you can retake the test.
  • When you click on “Writing / Editing / Translation” on Guru.com, a list is brought up of the available jobs. However, Elance.com shows Recent Jobs and Skills in Demand. Travel writing is on Elance.com’s list of Skills in Demand. You can go directly to “Travel Writing” versus searching through Guru.com.’s list of writing opportunities.

My Opinion
Guru.com is all right. It’s easy to use and you can easily update your profile just like on Elance. However, Elance is very different; after all, they make you take a test. My profiles are updated on both sites. I had one writing opportunity through Guru.com — I’m not always on it. I have yet to apply for writing opportunities with Elance, but I will. When I do, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Conclusion
It looks like Elance.com has more to offer than Guru.com. This doesn’t mean that you can’t sign up with both of these online job sites. You may find that you have better success with Guru.com versus Elance.com or vice versa. It really is an individual experience. Good luck!

~Rebecca

Do you use Guru.com and Elance.com? Which one do you like better?

About Amandah Blackwell 198 Articles

Amandah Blackwell is a creative, freelance and ghost writer for industries that include but are not limited to the arts & entertainment, travel, publishing, real estate, pets, personal and professional development, and much more.

Amandah's personal writing projects include screenplays, teleplays, YA, non-fiction, short stories, and poetry. 

You can find more of her writing at www.MisticCafe.com, savvywritingcareers.wordpress.com, and www.savvy-writer.com.

You can follow Amandah on Twitter at:  http://twitter.com/savvy_writer

5 Comments

  1. I used Guru.com with some success. I’m not into bidding on jobs. I’d rather network with people, contribute in forums, and go on media trips. Bidding just seems too desperate to me. This is my opinion. I’m sure some people make a ton of cash off of these sites. Kudos to you if you’re one of them!

  2. Hey, I just found Travel-Writers-Exchange.com through a Google search. I’ll take a closer look at the site when I get back.

    Yeah, bidding isn’t fun. I used Guru.com as well and just signed up with Elance. Haven’t done anything with Elance, been busy. I don’t know, the whole bidding thing is interesting. I had a few writing opportunities through Guru, but not many. I’m not giving up yet. I guess I haven’t found the right writing jobs.

  3. Ah, yes! The proverbial bidding on jobs. Do you or don’t you? I started with Guru.com and signed up with Elance.com. I don’t know. I’ve bid on so many writing jobs on Guru that I keep can’t track of them…they do! Not sure what it takes to get a ton of work from these sits. Maybe you have to want it bad enough or just let go of getting the jobs. Hmmm…

  4. Elance only offers 3 free “connects” per month, and they are not given back to you if the project is canceled. With the economy the way it is, projects are getting canceled more and more frequently (2 out of 3 this month!), so it’s not worth it for me to even bother anymore.

    I’ll take Guru and it’s 10 free bids a month over Elance anyday!

    • Kathy, thanks for the update on Elance.com. I signed up but didn’t bid on any of the jobs. Guru.com is a bit easier when it comes to the bidding process. Thanks for clearing up the “connects.” I know I as a little confused by the “connects” that Elance has.

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