Guru.com
Freelance platforms
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$8.95 per month
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
Small
Medium
Large
- Construction
- Real estate and property management
- Retail and wholesale
What is Guru.com
Guru.com is an online freelance marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals for project-based and ongoing work. It supports sourcing, messaging, proposal review, contracting, and payments within the platform. The product targets small to mid-sized businesses and teams that want a self-serve way to hire freelancers across multiple skill categories. It differentiates through built-in workroom-style collaboration features and platform-managed invoicing and payment options.
End-to-end hiring workflow
Guru.com supports key steps from posting work and receiving quotes to awarding projects and managing payments. The platform includes messaging and a shared workspace to centralize project communication and files. This reduces reliance on external tools for basic coordination. It also provides a structured process for clients comparing candidates and proposals.
Integrated invoicing and payments
The platform provides invoicing and payment handling as part of the engagement workflow. This can simplify administration for clients managing multiple freelancers and deliverables. Payment features help formalize milestones and billing events. For freelancers, it provides a consistent mechanism to request and receive payment through the platform.
Broad freelancer category coverage
Guru.com lists freelancers across a wide range of professional categories, enabling generalist sourcing from a single marketplace. This can be useful for teams that need multiple skill sets (e.g., design, development, writing, admin) without maintaining separate vendor pools. The breadth supports ad hoc hiring for varied project types. It also helps smaller organizations that do not have dedicated talent acquisition resources.
Marketplace quality variability
As an open marketplace, candidate quality and responsiveness can vary by category and region. Buyers may need to spend time screening profiles, validating portfolios, and running paid tests. This can increase time-to-hire compared with more curated or pre-vetted networks. Outcomes depend heavily on the client’s selection and management process.
Limited enterprise governance features
Guru.com is primarily oriented toward self-serve hiring rather than enterprise procurement and workforce governance. Organizations with strict requirements may find gaps in areas like advanced vendor management controls, standardized onboarding, or deep compliance workflows. Reporting and controls may not match what larger companies expect for contingent workforce programs. Teams may need supplementary processes outside the platform.
Fees and platform dependency
Using the platform typically involves service fees and encourages keeping communication and payments within the system. This can raise total cost versus direct contracting for repeat engagements. It may also create dependency on platform rules for dispute handling and payment timing. Some teams prefer tools that separate sourcing from contracting and payment operations.
Plan & Pricing
Freelancer membership (tiered plans):
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | 10 bids/month (120/year); Job fee: 9%. |
| Basic+ | $11.95 per month (monthly) / $8.95 per month (annual) | 50 bids/month (600/year); Job fee: 9%; Premium Quotes cost 6 bids; Search Boost: $1,000; (no annual bid rollover). |
| Professional | $21.95 per month (monthly) / $15.95 per month (annual) | 50 bids/month; Job fee: 7%; Annual bid rollover: 100; Premium Quotes cost 5 bids; Search Boost: $2,000. |
| Business | $33.95 per month (monthly) / $24.95 per month (annual) | 50 bids/month; Job fee: 6%; Annual bid rollover: 200; Premium Quotes cost 4 bids; Search Boost: $4,000. |
| Executive | $49.95 per month (monthly) / $39.95 per month (annual) | 50 bids/month; Job fee: 5%; Annual bid rollover: 300; Search Boost: $8,000. |
Employer / Buyer fees (usage-based):
Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (per-invoice handling fee) Free tier/trial: Employers can sign up, search and post jobs for free. Fees: Employer payment handling fee: 2.9% of the invoice amount. eCheck/wire transfer payments receive cashback that effectively reduces the handling fee to zero (100% cashback/3% instant cashback as stated).
Seller details
Guru.com
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
1998
Private
https://www.guru.com
https://x.com/Guru_com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/guru-com/
