According to the research, the number of freelancers is set to rise above 90 million by 2028 in the United States alone. Isn’t it the perfect time to develop a freelancing app seeing the rise in freelancers and the bright future of freelancing platforms? This shows why freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Toptal, and many others are booming.
In this article, we will show you how to develop an app like Fiverr, what features to consider, and how much will it cost you to build one.
First, let’s start with who needs why an app like Fiverr is needed.
Why?
- Access to a network of skilled and experienced developers
- Promising future of freelancing platforms (rise in freelancers)
- Increase in remote working trends
Freelance Marketplace Models
Generally, there are four types of freelance marketplaces.
- Local marketplace
You, as a client, require freelancers from a particular region or a country, then it is best to go for a local freelance marketplace. It is best when you have a language barrier problem and best for those who are having trouble finding talents locally. Freelancers from within your region makes communication easier.
Example: Workroom is a leading freelance marketplace based in Hong Kong that connects local freelancers with clients.
- Global marketplace
If you want freelancers from any corner of the world, then a global freelance marketplace is your best option. It is best when you don’t have any trouble with geographical barriers and best for those who are having trouble to find international talents.
Examples: Upwork, Fiverr, and many more.
- Niche marketplace
If you want freelancers specializing in a particular field like you only need web designers or a QA or a content writer and so on, then a niche freelance marketplace is your best option.
Example: Scripted is a marketplace for copywriters and freelance writers only.
- General marketplace
If you want freelancers from around the world with lots of skilled and experienced talents to choose from, then a general freelance marketplace is your best option. It includes local, international, and niche freelance marketplace in one platform.
Example: Freelancer
What to consider?
If you want to build a freelance marketplace, then there are some features that must be included in the app and such features are very crucial for users to know to start using the services. So, let’s see some of the important features that you need to consider.
Features
Signup/Sign in
Sign up and sign in is important for the registration process. Integrating a sign up form in an app helps users to use the services. Signing in either Facebook or Gmail or Twitter or any other medium is more reliable and faster and more secure.
Users customize their profile which includes very sensitive information like their bank details so sign up and sign in process is very important. This way only authorized users can only access the app preventing breach of data and information.
Authentication and authorization
To make the app more secure, verification is necessary. The users can log in either through their email or phone number or other third-party services. It is a part of security that makes the sign up process complete and it helps to convince the users that their data and privacy is completely in safe hands.
Profile setup
The buyer and seller should be able to set up their own profile so that it makes it easier for both the party to trust each other and contact each other for the project.
The company’s profile includes the name, logo, website, location, and so on.
Freelancer’s profile includes name, skills, experience, charging cost, social media profiles, their works and achievements, and so on.
Reviews and ratings
Reviews and ratings help buyers to choose the best and reliable sellers for their projects. Rating and reviews impacts the purchasing decisions. They help to build trust and loyalty among buyers and sellers.
Work Time Tracking/ Order Tracking
It helps sellers to provide information about the time spent on the project to the buyers. It helps to assure buyers that their project is being done without any delay. It promotes transparency.
Search and filters
Search helps buyers and sellers to search each other on the platforms. On the other hand, filters help to make search easier based on skills, work, experience, cost, and many more. Buyers don’t have to go through all the pages to find the best buyers. They can easily find the sellers with the help of search and filters without any problem.
Payment gateway
Integrating payment gateways is equally important to automate the payment method and make it more simple. You need to focus on the secured payment gateway.
Messenger
Communication is very crucial between the sellers and buyers, so you need to focus on developing an in-app communication feature. Not only does it make communication easier, but it brings both the buyers and the sellers to a common platform that helps them to come to an agreement.
Admin Panel
The Admin Panel is necessary for managing everything on the app. So, some important features to be included on the Admin Panel are:
- Login
- Verification
- Dashboard
- Manage users
- Manage work time tracking
- Manage payment
- Manage jobs
- Manage services
- Manage notification
- Manage reports and analytics
How to build?
Now, it comes down to how you can build an app like Fiverr. Building the app includes:
- Planning
Either you are a freelancer yourself or know about the freelancing platforms and want to build a similar platform, no matter what it all starts with a plan. Without any plans and strategies, it is impossible to move forward. You need to answers some of the questions like:
- Who are your users?
- What are the features of your app?
- What will make your app unique from others?
- Will it solve the problems of users?
You need to remember that there are many reliable, trusted, and popular freelancing platforms already existing in the market like Fiverr, Toptal, Upwork, and many more. The competition is intense since you need to compete with such platforms.
You need to make your app unique from these platforms and gain users’ loyalty.
- Developing an MVP
Before building the final app, it is better to build a minimum viable product (MVP). MVP with sufficient features will help you understand the users’ needs and what features to include to make it more appealing and gain loyal users.
- Launch
Lastly, you launch the MVP and see how users react to it and how the app performs in the market. Users feedback is very crucial to make your final product more appealing, rich in features, and high quality.
Who will build?
Now, it’s time to decide who will build your app.
- Freelancer
You can hire freelancers to build your app. Isn’t it ironic to hire a freelancer(s) to develop a freelancing platform?
- Software company
You can also do your research and contact a software company to get your app done. Go for the trusted and reliable software company that has a history of great work and achievements.
And, you have the options to go for either custom development or ready-made solutions.
1. Custom development
Custom development refers to the development of software according to your needs and specifications. Software development begins from you and the software is developed for you. It begins from requirement gathering to launch of the product.
It is suitable when
- You are in control of your project
- You have the knowledge about the project
- You know what features you need
- You want to build a long-term project
- You have enough budget to build an app
2. Ready-made solution
In ready-made solutions, software isn't built according to your needs and specifications, rather you need to use the already existing software to develop your app.
It is suitable when
- You have low budget
- You want to build an app quickly
- You want to save time
- You want to have an app with less features and functionality
Alternative, if you know how to code, then there isn’t any other better option. However, it will take more time than getting it done from a software company. You need to double your efforts and need more research and problem-solving skills.
Development Team and Technology Stack
Now, let’s look at the development team that will be working on your project from scratch according to your needs and requirements. The development team consists of:
- 1 Project Manager
- 1 UI/UX Designer
- 1 Business Analyst
- 2 Front-end Developer
- 2 Back-end Developer
- 2 Android Developer
- 2 iOS Developer
- 1 Quality Analyst
The technology stack we use to develop software:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- React JS
- Ruby on Rails
- Node JS
- React Native
- Gatsby
- iOS Development
The development team and the technology stack may differ according to the requirements, platforms, and so on.
Additional Factors to consider
There are other additional factors that you need to consider such as:
- Content Writing and SEO
Another major factor to consider is to write content for the app you are building. Without the content, your app will look very plain and dull. Content helps users to provide necessary information related to the app that includes how an app works, app’s features, and so on.
And, another thing is to focus on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO helps to optimize your app and appear in the search results of Google Play Store and iOS App Store.
- Marketing
No one will know whether your app exists or not if not marketed properly so marketing is very crucial. You need to develop strategies to market your app and let users know about your app. Some of the marketing strategies can be social media marketing, search engine marketing, content marketing, and many more.
App Cost
Still, the question remains: how much does it cost to build the entire app? So, everything comes down to the app’s features, the time it takes to develop the app, and the cost per hour.
To develop an app like Fiverr, you need to consider many factors as stated above. So here is a rough estimation considering all the features and factors mentioned above based on 30$/hr in our region.
The time taken here is calculated based on Android and iOS platforms.
| Features | Time Taken (per hour) | Total Cost ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Signup/Sign-in and Authentication | 150 | 4500 |
| Time Tracking | 50 | 1500 |
| Payment Gateway | 80 | 2400 |
| Reviews and ratings | 25 | 750 |
| Messenger | 50 | 1500 |
| Search and filters | 199 | 5970 |
| Content writing and SEO | 6 | 180 |
| Marketing | 12 | 360 |
| Dashboard | 100 | 3000 |
| Notification | 30 | 900 |
| Social media integration | 35 | 1050 |
| UI | 88 | 2640 |
| Admin Panel | 476 | 14,280 |
| Total | 1,301 | 39,030 |
So, the total amount estimated would be $39,030.
We strongly believe in quality and customer satisfaction, so above app cost estimation is based on custom software development.
So, if you want to work with us, we usually charge $30/hr. But, the cost estimation may fluctuate depending on your needs. More the app’s features, high the cost of the app and vice versa.
Why Choose Us?
Truemark Technology is a Software Development Company based in Nepal. Truemark Technology has got a skilled and experienced development team who will help you finish your dream project without compromising on time and quality.
- Well versed in software development
- Affordable app estimation and development
- On-time software delivery
- Long term relationships and happy customers
So, if you want to work with us and want to know more about our work history and achievements, please go through this link Truemark Technology.
We would be glad to work with you and make your freelancing app a reality.