PeoplePerHour.com Review – Legit Freelancer Platform or Scam?

Thanks for stopping by and reading my People Per Hour Review.

If you'd like to make money online, freelancing is a great place to start. It offers the flexibility and freedom most people dream of and whether it's to pay bills or save a little extra for retirement… freelancing is a great solution. 

But where do you start?

This is where platforms like PeoplePerHour can help. 

I’ve worked with similar sites before, and it's always interesting when I find another one. Unfortunately, not all freelance platforms are created equal. Some are just flat-out scams.

Is People Per Hour legit? Let's dig in and find out. 

I know the ups and downs of being a freelancer, and like you, I'd rather not waste my time if I don't have to. So you've come to the right place.  

In this review I'm going to discuss how PeoplePerHour works, what they do and whether they're legit. Specifically, I’m going to cover the following topics:

• What is People Per Hour?
• Is People Per Hour a Scam?
• How Does People Per Hour Work?
• People Per Hour Reviews and Complaints
• What I Like About People Per Hour
• What I Don’t Like About it
• Where Do You Go From Here?

Disclaimer:
Please note, I am not a member or an affiliate for People Per Hour. This review has been researched with information and/or testimonials that are available online in the public domain. Any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not apply to, or agree with, all persons or situations. See full disclaimer for more info

What Is People Per Hour?

People Per Hour is a freelance platform that connects businesses with freelancers around the world. They were founded in 2007 by Xenios Thrasyvoulou and Simos Kitiris and they are currently headquartered in London, UK. They also have an office in Athens, Greece.

Freelance platforms like People Per Hour are great marketplaces where businesses and freelancers can find each other, but they're not without problems. 

Similar platforms like Wonolo, Shiftgig and Care.com are constantly dealing with scammers who exploit these marketplaces posting fake jobs and opportunities. 

There's also a cost to using them (both as a freelancer and a client), and I'll get more into the specific fees below.   

Having said that there are many benefits to using a freelancer platform, the obvious one being that People Per Hour connects you with potential employers much faster and easier than you could on your own.

Another, less obvious benefit, but one most freelancers are familiar with, is getting paid. Not having to chase down and invoice clients. 

Today, People Per Hour is one of the most popular freelance job sites and when you search for best freelance marketplaces on the internet, you’ll often see PeoplePerHour.com ranking among the top 10. 

Is People Per Hour a Scam?

As mentioned earlier, freelance marketplaces like People Per Hour are often riddled with scams, spam and fake projects…

But, to be clear, this is not unique to People Per Hour. 

I'd take the above review with a grain of salt as there are many clients and freelancers who are happy with PeoplePerHour, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. 

The point here though, is that all marketplaces struggle to filter out “bad actors” so to speak. Even platforms like Facebook with it's massive resources claims it's next to impossible to monitor every deceptive post. 

To be fair, their challenge is far greater than anything People Per Hour has to deal with, but it's a challenge nonetheless. And just because someone chooses to use People Per Hour as a platform to perpetuate their scam, does NOT mean People Per Hour is a scam.

In fact, according to Wikipedia, People Per Hour recieved an award from Wired UK as one of Europe’s 100 Hottest Startups of 2012. 

Of course, I’ve seen both positive and negative reviews about People Per Hour and it won't come as a surprise that there’s no such thing as a perfect company 😀

You may even have some choice words for the company you currently work for, lol.

People Per Hour was created as freelance platform from the very beginning, with their goal being to connect clients to freelancers all over the world. They've achieved that goal and they are definitely legit.

People Per Hour is not a scam. 

Another common issue with freelance platforms however, is frequency of work. They are usually quite competitive and while there are currently a lot of People Per Hour jobs listed, it may not always be the case. 

It's a good idea to have an “overall” freelance strategy and not limit yourself to a single client, project or platform if possible (unless of course you've landed a long-term or permanent gig). 

If you're between gigs though or looking to fill in some down time, you can also earn money doing online surveys with sites like surveyjunkie.com and ​​​​inboxdollars.com.

The won't make you rich of course, but they can be a good way to earn a few extra bucks in your spare time and lead to something bigger down the road like an online business. 

You may be at home because of difficulties with your health for example, or young ones to look after and looking to establish a long-term income online. 

If that’s the case and something long-term is what you want, knowing how and where to get started is what you need in order to get what you want.

Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here

How Does People Per Hour Work?

The following steps are how you register to be a freelancer with People Per Hour… 

1. Register on their website and open an account (keep in mind, you’re only allowed one account).

2. Create your Profile page.

For this, you’ll need to upload your picture and write a description of yourself. Your description will include your skills as well as your hourly rate. Remember, the purpose of you profile is for potential clients to be impressed, so it needs to be presentable and impressive. You can show your previous work there (descriptions and samples) and also showcase endorsements/testimonials from other clients.

Here are some things to take note of:

• At the back-end of your account, you’ll need to provide your payment details (such as where you want your payment to be withdrawn).
• As you get jobs done on the People Per Hour platform, you’ll get reviews and ratings. Again, your potential clients will see this when they visit your Profile.

3. Find Jobs.

You can start looking for jobs once you’ve set up your Profile. Just go to the search box and look for available projects. At the time of this writing, there are more than 5,000 job posts available for freelancers.

4. Bid on jobs.

At People Per Hour, you apply for jobs by bidding on them. You can bid to up to 15 job posts in a month, but should you require more, you can do so for a fee.

In my experience, 15 bids per month should be enough but it depends on your situation and how many hours you're hoping to work.

Just choose those that you really REALLY like.

In my opinion, applying to all the jobs you see will tend to lower your chances of getting accepted because your application letters will not be as focused (they’ll most likely be generic because you’re applying to a lot of jobs at the same time).

Clients can sense sincerity, I think, and most of them will only entertain those that took the effort to create a personalized letter of application.

Editors Note: This strategy of writing a personalized letter specific to her application is what stood out most and set this article's author (Angela) above hundreds of other applicants when we were hiring here at GigHustlers. As a result she is now our main content writer.

​Aside from bidding, you can also list the services you’re offering on your Profile page. This will give interested buyers a chance to go through your offers and consider them as well.

5. Wait for your potential client’s response.

Your client/buyer can choose to accept or decline your bid (they could also just ignore it).

However, should your potential customer decide to consider your offer, you’ll have the chance to communicate with each other through the platform’s messaging system called workstream.

PeoplePerHour actually encourages their users to use their built-in messaging system for everyone’s protection. In case of disputes, the conversations on your workstreams will be looked into and investigated.

Here are some additional notes:

• Buyers can invite you to bid on their projects if they think you’d make a good fit for their job post. It’s for this reason why it's critically important to create a professional-looking profile.
• Repeat customers/buyers have the option of posting job offers that are specifically intended for you. That’s why maintaining good working relationships with your buyers is always a must. If they like you and your work, they’ll probably hire you again for more work (and that would be nice!).

6. Get paid for completed jobs

Right now, you can get paid in the following currencies:

• USD
• GBP
• EUR

You can also choose direct deposit to your bank account, PayPal, or Payoneer.

Some things to keep in mind:

• Payments for your work (jobs completed) should always be done inside the People Per Hour Platform.
• Milestone payments can be made (these are partial payments for jobs that are ongoing), but this should be agreed upon by you (freelancer) and the buyer (your client) before starting the job (not during).
• You can’t keep funds in your People Per Hour account for more than 30 days. If this happens, they’ll consider your account dormant and they’ll charge you admin fees for using their system.

7. Get ratings for completed jobs.

Your buyer has the option to rate and leave a review for your work. You want 5-star ratings as often as possible as this will affect your overall standing as a freelancer at People Per Hour.

Here are some things to remember:

• Always strive to over-deliver on your job to get 5-star ratings. Communicate well with your client so that you’ll have perfect knowledge of what’s being required of you.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions.
• At the end of a job, you’ll also have the opportunity to rate and review your client. Both of you have reputations to maintain. 

PeoplePerHour Payment System

If you’re going to work at People Per Hour as a freelancer, you’ll have the option to get paid by the hour or per project (at a fixed rate). 

Your payment will depend on the amount agreed upon by you (the freelancer) and the client/buyer.

Upon purchasing your service, money from the buyer’s funds will be placed in an escrow account for safety. This means your payment will be held by the system until such time that the job is completed.

This is an extremely important advantage to using a platform like People Per Hour (versus finding your own clients).

Your client will need to accept your work for it to be marked as completed. And then money will be released to you as payment.

Do note that People Per Hour has a policy of allowing at least 2 revisions for unsatisfactory work. This will ensure that buyers are getting what they’re paying for (which is only fair, of course).

Here are some of the fees you need to be aware of:

• Currently, for earnings below $700 (per client), you’ll be charged a 20% service fee excluding VAT.
• When earnings are between $700-$7,000 (per client), you’ll be charged a 7.5% service fee excluding VAT.
• If your earnings are more than $7,000 (per client), you’ll be charged a 3.5% service fee excluding VAT.

VAT (Value Added Tax) is remitted to the government, and this is not yet included in the above service fees. Therefore, expect more deductions from your earnings come payout time and pf course, tax laws differ depending on where you are from. 

You’ll also see from their payment system, they are encouraging their workers to work for the same clients (repeat buyers). Doing so will lower the service charge as you reach a certain amount.

Here are some additional notes:

• There are withdrawal fees when you transfer funds to your account. This will depend on your currency and withdrawal method.
• As you can see, People Per Hour has a lot of fees in their system. So do consider these fees when computing your net pay.
• It’s the buyer’s prerogative to set the currency for a particular job. So make sure that you read job posts carefully.
• Payment disputes can go either way (it depends on PeoplePerHour’s investigation). I think if you’re going to decide on getting jobs on their platform, you should trust them in some way.

People Per Hour Jobs

As a freelance job platform, you can find all sorts of jobs at People Per Hour. Their jobs can be found in the following categories:

• Technology and Programming
• Writing and Translation
• Design
• Digital Marketing
• Video and Images
• Business
• Music and Audio
• Marketing, Branding and Sales
• Social Media

As you can see, most types of online jobs can be found at People Per Hour. Unlike the low paying gigs you'd find on sites like Remotasks, you can apply here for a real jobs from data entry to web designing, writing to SEO, and from Social Media management to music and audio production…

For People Per Hour Employers/Buyers

To be fair, I’m providing a section for the employers/buyers who are also using the People Per Hour platform. Without clients of course, People Per Hour would be a sad place to look for work 😀

Just so you're aware, employers are paying fees as well. People Per Hour is a business after all, and they’re providing services to both freelancers (sellers) and customers (buyers) at a cost.

I’m asking you (and all freelancers) to be considerate of your clients because I’ve worked for these types of platforms many times and I've met a lot of good people (clients) who are more than willing to pay fair.

Of course, I’ve also dealt with scammers before. Because like I said, this type of platform is not perfect, but at least it has some level of protection for both buyers and sellers because the site itself is legit.

I think the trick is to choose your clients wisely. Don’t worry, you’ll know who the nice ones are as you go. And then I suggest staying with the reputable ones and simply decline offers from those you don’t like working with (for one reason or another).

In time, you’ll develop an instinct for good clients.

It’s also important to keep a good reputation as a freelancer (please don’t burn bridges). As you build your portfolio and samples of your work, you’ll attract good clients not only in the People Per Hour platform but on other job sites as well.

If your current situation makes committing to PeoplePerHour's projects or clients difficult, you can also earn some extra money with online survey sites.

Market research companies like Survey Junkie are a simple way to get paid for your opinion. ​​​​Inbox Dollars is another site that pays for doing things you may be doing online anyway like visiting websites, playing simple games and searching the web.

Of course, sites like these won't make you rich, but if you've never made money online before, they can be a good place to start.

For something more significant, an online business may be what you're looking for.

Making money from home might be something you need because of medical issues, children to look after, or maybe you're just tired of working for a boss. 

If that’s the case, knowing how (and where) to get started is what you need in order to get what you want.

Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here

People Per Hour Reviews and Complaints

People Per Hour has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5 at Glassdoor. I know, its not the best. However, I found that many of the reviews that contribute to this score are from People Per Hour employees and not from freelancers and buyers.

And, to be fair… it's not unusual for employees to be less than happy about their place of work.

The positive reviews came from satisfied employees who are happy working for PeoplePerHour…

The negative reviews I found were mostly from people mad at the company. It’s just too bad that most of the negative reviews are one-liners, so we really don’t know the story behind their comments (and why I wouldn't put too much stock in them).

They didn’t explain in detail why they gave bad reviews about People Per Hour, which is often a sign of a negative review campaign (a disgruntled employee for example, or a competitor spreading disinformation)…

There were more reviews from freelancers and clients on TrustPilot and out of more than 2,000 reviews, they were rated better. People Per Hour’s rating ont TrustPilot averaged 4 out of 5 stars, which is above average.

According to the freelancers who gave positive reviews, they’re satisfied with People Per Hour and think it’s a great platform. One reviewer commented that the clients are awesome and customer support was helpful.

Having a hassle-free payment system is also a plus.

The negative reviews, on the other hand, were comprised of complaints about the high fees that People Per Hour charged. There were also some reports of people experiencing poor customer support.

Again, for a more complete and balanced review, I took screenshots of some reviews that were not as friendly.  

In the images below, you’ll see that some of them also got scammed. And then some complained of poor customer support. 

Again, People Per Hour's reviews and complaints are indicative of what you'll generally find across all freelance platforms and similar job marketplaces. 

And considering it's more likely someone will write a bad review than they would a good one, the fact that People Per Hour has a strong rating and a high ratio of good to bad reviews is positive.  

What I Like About People Per Hour

• Free and easy to join.
• Lots of job opportunities (worldwide clients).
• Protection from not being paid and having to chase down clients.
• They are legit. That may seem like a pretty low bar when it comes to a list of pros and cons, but with the number of online scams out there (and growing daily), being legit is a big plus. 

What I Don't Like

• As many of the negative reviews and complaints said,  People Per Hour does have quite a few fees. Even if you're just keeping money on their platform, you have admin fees (after 30 days). This is usually not the case with job sites I've joined before…
• Like any marketplace, it's competitive and not every job you find will be as great as it's advertised.
• Freelance work does not provide passive income. Even though there are many benefits to working whenever (and wherever) you want, you are still trading hours for dollars.

Where Do You Go From Here?

I think People Per Hour is a good place to start for freelancers. I also think it’s a good platform to scale your freelancing career.

People Per Hour is legit. It’s not a scam…

If you find yourself getting scammed within their platform, you should report this immediately to their support team. Scammers are everywhere, and unfortunately, according to various reports, they are at PeoplePerHour as well – both on the buyers’ side and the freelancers’ side.

Also, know that there are other legit freelance platforms out there – so you really do have a lot of opportunities to work from home.

You may be a single parent at home, or struggling with health issues that make regular work difficult. You might just be sick and tired of the daily grind. 

If that's the case, in addition to freelancing, an online business may be what you want. 

With all the scams and schemes out there though, knowing how and where to get started the right way is what you need in order to get what you want. 

Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here

If you're just looking for a simple way to make some extra spending money, online survey and get-paid-to sites are also a good way to get started. 

They don't pay a lot, but sites like Survey Junkie and ​​​​Inbox Dollars are a good way to earn money in your spare time without having to commit to anything serious, and can be a stepping stone to something bigger down the road.

I hope my People Per Hour review has been helpful and if you have any comments, questions, or experience with PeoplePerHour, please share in the comments section below.

Learn more about PeoplePerHour and search jobs here.