Freelancer Ltd

Freelancer (GetAFreelancer prior to 2009) is an Australian online job marketplace that provides a platform for freelancers and employers to form mutually beneficial work arrangements. On the platform, employers can post projects for both short and long-term commitments that freelancers submit bids to secure. The highest proportion of completed jobs out of the 1.9 million posted on the platform in 2019 were in design, media, and architecture (30.9% of total completed jobs in 2019) followed by IT and software (30.4%), and writing (12.2%). In February 2021, the company reported that it added 2.1 million new users to its platform in 2020, bringing total registered users to over 50 million.

As of June 2021, the platform offers over 1,800 job categories across sales, manufacturing, biotechnology, website development, graphic design, software development, and more. As of April 2021, Freelancer reports that over 70% of Fortune 500 companies use their platform including Amazon, Deloitte, Intel, and Microsoft. Freelancer recorded its highest Gross Platform Volume (GPV) of AUD 192 million (USD 133 million) in FY2020 reflecting growth of 5.9% YoY. The company reported revenue of AUD 51 million (approximately USD 35 million), remaining flat from a year earlier and implying a take rate of approximately 26%, which is broadly similar to its competitor Fiverr. The stagnant revenue growth was attributed to a slowdown in freelancer services, especially in China, as a result of the pandemic. However, segment revenue saw a slight rebound, growing by 10% from Q2 to Q4, despite the platform’s average completed project size falling by 12.5% to USD 182 from USD 208 a year earlier.

In November 2013, Freelancer Limited listed on the Australian Stock Exchange to raise approximately USD 14.5 million (valuation of USD 206 million).