Fiverr Review: How Does it Work?

What is Fiverr?

Fiverr is a global marketplace connecting individuals and businesses with freelancers who offer a wide range of digital services. It’s one of the biggest freelancing platforms on the market and acts as a middleman between the Seller (freelancer) and the Buyer (client).

When Fiverr was founded in 2010, it had a reputation for selling its services at a low price, with many starting at just $5, hence the name Fiverr. Although some services are still at that price, most sellers have raised their fee and offer customized priced packages to clients. The overall quality is now, probably better too.

When offering their services, sellers have the freedom to pick a starting price and can offer three different priced versions of their services. Its diverse range of digital services covers Graphics & Design, Digital Marketing, Music & Audio and much more. Fiverr’s categories and subcategories continue to grow, leaving plenty of choice for the buyer.

How to sign up to Fiverr?

The sign-up process for Fiverr is free and straightforward. When you create an account, it will automatically become a buyer’s account. If you want to set up a Seller’s account, you’ll need to spend a little more time creating your profile and adding gigs.

To get started, you just need to click ‘Join’ in the top-right corner of the Fiverr homepage (see image below).

Create a Fiverr Account (default buyer)

1. Click ‘Join’ on Fiverr’s homepage
2. Enter your email address and click continue (or join with Facebook, Google and Apple)
3. Choose your username
4. Choose your password and click Join
5. You’re now registered on Fiverr
6. You’ll receive an email to activate your account
7. On this email click ‘Activate your account’

Fiver sign up 

As I mentioned before, a Seller’s account means you can sell your services on the Fiverr platform.

Converting from a (default buyer) to a Seller Account

If you opened your account as the default buyer, you’ll need to access your account and click on your profile picture and select ‘Become a Seller’ from the dropdown menu and then follow the prompts to become a seller (see image below).

What Categories can I find on Fiverr?

Fiverr offers 10 main categories that come under the umbrella of digital skills. The categories include Graphics & Design, Music & Audio, Programming & Tech, Digital Marketing, Business, Writing & Translation, Photography, Data, Lifestyle and Video & Animation. Each main category usually has several subcategories that provide even more specialized services. So if you’re looking to outsource tasks for your business or personal projects, Fiverr has got you covered.

Language Offerings

Fiverr’s Sellers are from all over the world, which not only can be helpful if you are looking for a freelancer in the same time zone as yourself. This is also great for buyers looking for translation work or a native speaker from a particular country.

Fiverr offers a list of 78 languages to choose from in the ‘Articles & Blog Posts’ (see image below).

What Are Fiverr Gigs?

A Fiverr ‘Gig’ is the unique term the platform has coined for the service offered by sellers (freelancers) on the Fiverr platform. A Gig is the opportunity for a freelancer to showcase what services they offer whilst standing out from other sellers.

Each Gig is designed to cover a specific service, what exactly the seller is offering, the pricing, and the time it will take to complete the job. It’s kind of like an à la carte menu for freelance services.

The price of a Gigs range from $5 to $10,000. However, most gigs stay around the lower end of the price scale.

Fiverr sellers offer 3 different packages which vary in price: the Basic, Standard and Premium packages. All freelancers must follow a few guidelines when creating a Gig like creating a title, deciding on the category/subcategory, pricing and packages and, finally, the gig description.

Fiverr Customer Reviews

To help give this Fiverr review a well-rounded perspective, I decided to check out a bunch of the biggest customer review sites, Trustpilot, G2 and Sitejabber. So. let’s see what a bigger pool of Fiverr customers are saying about the platform.

Trustpilot has the largest pool of reviews, with 9,914 users sharing their experience and opinion on Fiverr. The table below shows the breakdown of the reviews from 5 to 1 star. More than 60% of users left a positive 5-star rating, and on the other end of the scale, 26% left a 1-star rating.

I was left curious, so decided to investigate further into Trustpilot’s customer reviews and ratings.

Many of the 5-star reviews were impressed with the quality of work, diverse range of freelancers and competitive prices. “I’ve had ALL positive experiences with Fiverr… the convenience is unmatched. The freelancers I’ve collaborated with have been outstanding”, a five-star reviewer said.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why customers had left only a 1-star rating, I discovered found that many bad experiences come from working with a specific freelancer they had hired, or they weren’t happy with the customer service. “A freelancer caused me huge damage and loss”, a one-star reviewer said.

Other negative reviewers were from sellers who felt they weren’t supported by Fiverr when dealing with buyers. “…lots of competition, rarely gets a chance for newcomers nowadays” a one-star reviewer said.

Over at G2, customers have left 407 Fiverr reviews, with 262 users praising Fiverr with 5-stars and only 11 users leaving a 1-star review. Similarly, many of its five-star reviews complimented the vast variety of services, quality of freelancers and secure payment plan. “I love that Fiverr has a good variety of sellers that are EASY to get in touch with…” a five-star reviewer said.

Sitejabbers overall rating was noticeably much lower than both Trustpilot and G2, which left me curious about its 1-star ratings. As I explored further, I found most of those reviews were left by unhappy sellers and those that had a bad experience with a particular freelancer. “We were scammed on Fiverr by a website developer, who never finished the project”, said a one-star reviewer. I guess this is inevitable when freelancers aren’t vetted by the platform beforehand, like on Toptal.

My Experience as a Fiverr Buyer

As a buyer on Fiverr, I’ve hired a couple of different sellers to help me with a couple of small projects. One was to design a logo and the other was writing an article, and my experience both times was overall a positive one. I will add here that I did spend some time researching and reading reviews on sellers, before I committed to anyone. I also sent messages to a handful of sellers, to see when and how they would respond. This was a little tedious, to be honest, and not everyone would have the time to do all of this.

On both occasions, I didn’t choose a beginner seller or one of the cheaper options. I went for a mid-range price tag and a seller with a couple of hundred reviews. The requirements section of the order is where the seller asks you a bunch of questions about the job, this is your chance to explain in as much detail as possible as to what you are looking for. This is absolutely key as the first time round, I was more vague, and then it required more revisions in the end. It’s also important to consider the package you choose. I opted for a Standard package which gave me 3 sets of revisions as I was confident I’d not need more.

Every time I used Fiverr, I was somehow satisfied with the end results; therefore, I have never had to use their refunds and guarantee policy. But generally speaking, only when you’re 100% satisfied, click ‘Completed’ to finalize your order.

Fiverr For Buyers

Fiverr has made buying ‘Gigs’ a smooth and hassle-free experience for buyers. Alongside that, the platform is intuitive and easy to navigate around, it reminds me of how easy it is to buy on Amazon. Once you’ve picked a freelancer and chosen a Gig package, it may take as little as a couple of days to get your order delivered. Sounds simple enough, perhaps even too easy, right?

Well, before you rush into anything, I thought it would be helpful to share from my own experience, along with the 7 steps (and 1 optional) that can help you have a positive buying experience.

Choose a Category

Once you’re logged in, you can begin by choosing from one of Fiverr’s 10 main categories. I went ahead and selected ‘Writing & Translation’, as I knew I wanted help writing an article.

When you hover over one of its categories, you’ll see a long list of subcategories and a further list of subcategories to choose from. In case you know exactly what you’re looking for, you can type it directly into the search bar.

Use the Filters

To help narrow down your search, you can use Fiverr’s helpful filters to get exactly what you are looking for. You can choose from:

• Service options
• Seller details (which allows you to pick a top-rated seller)
• Budget (choose your minimum and maximum budget)
• Delivery time (there is an option for an express, 24 hours).

One of the filters I particularly like is the ‘Online sellers’, especially if you’re in a bit of a rush, and you want a Seller to get started on your order right away, there is a good chance they might be able to.

Read Seller Reviews

Once your search has been narrowed down by the filters, you can check out the list of sellers and their ratings and reviews that have been left by previous buyers. If you are looking for an experienced and successful seller, then a 5-star rating is something to look out for.

When you are set on your chosen seller and Gig, you can click on them to read in a little more detail about the service they offer, check out their portfolio and compare the different packages available. Most sellers offer 3 packages, which vary in their offering and come with 3 different prices. The Basic is the most affordable, while the Standard and Premium offer more extensive features and come with a higher price tag.

Order & Pay

After choosing your preferred package, you’ll be taken through to the Order Details where you’ll need to add your card details, or you can pay with PayPal if you prefer. Then you select ‘Pay’ in your preferred currency.

If it’s easier, you can store and save your payment details within your Fiverr account, as this will make it easier if you plan to request future jobs or projects.

Submit Requirements

Now that your order has been processed, you’ll need to submit some requirements to your seller, so they can start working on your order. In most cases, the Seller will have a list of questions and the option to upload any files for them to work on. I found that this stage of the ordering process to be vital, the more detail and information I gave, the closer the end result met my expectations. Once you’ve added all the information, you can select ‘Start Order’.

Approve Order

This is the most important part of the ordering process. Only once you are completely satisfied and happy with your order, should you click ‘Completed’. This crucial part of the ordering process is in place to protect you, the buyer. That will then mark the end of your Fiverr ordering journey.

Leave a Review

This is an optional step, but it’s important for sellers to have ratings and reviews. This is also a good way to let the seller know are satisfied with their work. Plus, the more detail you leave, the more helpful it is for future buyers.

Fiverr Pro Account

As a buyer, you have the option to create a Fiverr Pro Account, which you can either merge with your original Fiverr account or you can make two separate accounts. The good news is signing up for it is completely free.

It’s a service that will match you with Fiverr’s top-performing freelancers, help you set up projects and work with your team.

Why Choose Fiverr Pro over Fiverr Marketplace?

1. Track all your business purchasing activity
2. Single shared payment
3. Save and Share your favorite freelancers
4. Tailor made services such as Project Partner
5. Advanced billing and payment options

As a seller on Fiverr, you will need to go through an application process to be accepted as a Fiverr Pro seller.

Fiverr For Sellers

Fiverr allows anyone to sign up as a seller on Fiverr, there isn’t an official vetting process. That said, you will need to spend some time going through the sign-up process and following the steps to create your profile, set up a gig, and decide on your package offerings.

1. Create a Seller’s Account
2. Set up your Profile
3. Create and Publish a Gig

The Fiverr seller community is made up of thousands of freelancers, so it’s important to consider that when you first sign up. It may take some time for you to attract buyers. For starters, it’s important to create an engaging Gig description, include the right tags and keywords, set up a competitive price, and promote gigs.

Getting Paid

As a seller working on Fiverr, you’ll be paid for each separate order you complete. So only once you’ve finished the work or project, Fiverr will release 80% of the funds, as remember each seller is charged a 20% commission for each sale.

Those funds remain under a ‘pending’ status for a 14-day clearing period in case the buyer isn’t satisfied and decides to request a refund. Once that 14-day period is up, the funds will be marked as ‘cleared’ and sellers can withdraw with PayPal, Fiverr Revenue Card or bank transfer if you’re in the US.

Fiverr allows you to withdraw revenue in the following currencies; USD (US$) Australian Dollar (A$), Canadian Dollar (C$), British Pound (£), Euro (€), Israeli Shekel (₪).

How Much Is Fiverr?

The good news is Fiverr is completely free to sign up to for both buyers and sellers. The price that sellers can charge for their gigs can range from as low as $5 and some go all the way up to $10,000, but thankfully most stay around the affordable end. The majority of Sellers offer 3 different priced packages which come with different variations of offerings and revisions.

Buyers & Seller Fees

As a Buyer on Fiverr, with every order you make, there will be a 5.5% service fee added to the total amount. This service fee will be added at checkout, so you’ll see it in the total before you pay. Something else to note is that if your purchase totals less than $75, there will be an additional $2.50 ‘small order fee’ added to the total price.

As a seller on Fiverr, it charges a 20% commission on each sale that is made. So in the end, Fiverr will collect a 25.5% of each order, which when you think about it, isn’t as generous as you may have initially been led to believe.

Refunds & Guarantees

Fiverr also offers refunds, depending on what stage of the ordering process you are at. As a buyer on Fiverr, if you aren’t satisfied during the design process, you’ll have the option to cancel the order and request a refund.

Fiverr will offer you a couple of options:

• It can assist you with finding another seller to complete your project if you wish to continue.
• You can seek out a seller for yourself
• If you prefer to continue with requesting a refund, Fiverr will need to approve it, and if accepted, it will refund the amount to your Fiverr balance within 10 days.

In the case that you request a refund after you have clicked ‘completed’ on the final order. Fiverr will have to review your case and your reasons for cancelling the order after approval. A full or partial refund will be considered and again if approved, it will be returned to your Fiverr account, PayPal or original bank account.

Fiverr In detail

Is Fiverr Legit?

Absolutely, Fiverr is completely legit for both buyers and sellers. The platform has been around since 2010 and has built a solid reputation over the years.

Its customer support team claims to be able to help to resolve any issues you may have and should respond within 24 hours. If a seller doesn’t deliver the work by the proposed day, you’re entitled to a full refund. On top of that, Fiverr has an SSL certificate to protect your billing and personal information from anyone, and a 2-Factor Authentication option to keep things safe.

Final Thoughts: Why Choose Fiverr?

Hopefully, you now have a good overview of whether Fiverr makes sense for you. So if you are an individual or a business looking to outsource a project, let’s summarize below why Fiverr might be right for you:

• Wide Selection of Digital Categories
• Broad range of Global Freelancers
• Competitive Prices
• Secure Payment Methods
• Customer Service

On the other hand, Fiverr may not offer the category or a task you are looking for, or you may want to work with a freelancer who has been previously vetted to ensure they are experienced and trustworthy. If that’s the case, you can check out Toptal or Upwork.

Fiverr Alternatives

Upwork: is a freelancing platform that focuses on building long-term relationships with freelancers and clients. It offers a wider selection of categories than Fiverr and has flexible payment options.

Toptal: focuses on providing top quality freelancers who specialize in specific topic areas like business, design and technology. Unlike Fiverr, Toptals network of freelancers are rigorously tested and vetted to ensure they are the top 3%.

99designs: is a freelancing platform for graphic design, but it’s very similar to Fiverr in terms of the categories that it offers. Each category has different budgets, but the main difference is a much higher price tag than Fiverr, with a starting price of $250+.