Workana
Workana is a two-sided freelance marketplace founded in 2012 connecting over 600,000 businesses with approximately 3 million Latin American freelancers for project-based and full-time remote work, monetized via freelancer subscriptions, project commissions, and enterprise developer placement.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersBuenos Aires, Argentina
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Workana does
Workana is a two-sided freelance marketplace operating since 2012 and headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with legal entity Workana LLC domiciled in the USA. The platform connects businesses with remote freelancers — primarily sourced from Latin America — across eight categories including IT & Programming, Design & Multimedia, Writing & Translation, Sales & Marketing, Admin Support, Legal, Finance & Management, and Engineering & Manufacturing. As of the latest reporting, the company claims more than 3 million freelancers, over 600,000 businesses/startups using the platform, and 25,000+ new projects posted monthly. The platform also operates a separate Certified IT Developer Program that pre-vets full-time remote developers for placement with US companies on USD-denominated contracts.
Workana's core technology consists of a self-serve marketplace web platform with escrow-based protected payments, a skills certification system, video-call integration on higher-tier plans, and integrations with PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Mercado Pago, Payoneer, AstroPay, PayU, and direct bank transfers. Revenue is generated through three streams: freelancer subscription plans (Free; Beginner at $4.90/month; Professional at $16.90/month; Explorer at $24.90/month, with 20% discounts for quarterly billing), service commissions on completed projects, and enterprise fees for certified developer placements. Distribution combines product-led self-serve sign-up, an enterprise sales motion for developer placements, and an international partner network with SEEK, JobStreet, Catho, OCC Mundial, Bdjobs, and Jora.
The company employs 51–100 people (60% remote) and has raised approximately $10.15M in disclosed funding across nine rounds, with the largest being a $7M round from Seek Investments in 2018 and recent activity including BDev Ventures (2024) and Endeavor Miami (2023). Workana operates across 8+ Latin American countries and expanded into Southeast Asia (Malaysia) in 2019, positioning itself as the largest dedicated remote-work platform for Latin American talent serving US and global buyers.
Workana firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Workana
- Legal name
- Workana LLC
- Website
- https://workana.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Workana is a two-sided freelance marketplace founded in 2012 connecting over 600,000 businesses with approximately 3 million Latin American freelancers for project-based and full-time remote work, monetized via freelancer subscriptions, project commissions, and enterprise developer placement.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Workana industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Freelance Marketplace
- NAICS
- Temporary Help Services (56132), Payroll Services (541214)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Contractor / Freelancer Payments (FSAMAKAC)
Keywords
Where Workana is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Buenos Aires
- HQ country
- Argentina
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Workana business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Freelancer Subscription Plans: Freelancers pay monthly or quarterly subscription fees for tiered membership plans (Free, Beginner $4.90/mo, Professional $16.90/mo, Explorer $24.90/mo) that provide different levels of access to projects, contacts, and features.
- Service Commission on Projects: Platform charges a service fee on completed projects. Clients post projects for free but Workana earns revenue when freelancers complete work and get paid.
- Enterprise Developer Placement: Revenue from connecting businesses with certified full-time developers for longer-term engagements, earning placement fees from enterprise clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier for freelancers focusing on one project at a time |
| Subscription | Quarterly | Beginner plan for occasional side projects |
| Subscription | Quarterly | Professional plan for constant project seekers |
| Subscription | Quarterly | Explorer plan for significantly increasing projects |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Workana product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Workana operates a two-sided online freelance marketplace that connects businesses with remote freelancers and certified IT developers, with a strong focus on Latin American talent. Clients post projects for free and receive proposals; the company monetizes via service commissions on completed projects and tiered subscription/membership plans sold to freelancers. It also offers a curated Certified IT Developer placement service for full-time, long-term remote engagements.
Product overview
Workana is a freelance marketplace platform operating as the largest remote work platform in Latin America with strong presence in Southeast Asia. The platform consists of two core services: the Freelance Marketplace enabling businesses to hire freelancers for project-based work across 8 major categories (IT & Programming, Design & Multimedia, Writing & Translation, Sales & Marketing, Admin Support, Legal, Finance & Management, and Engineering & Manufacturing), and the IT Developer Program offering long-term full-time remote positions with US companies. The platform includes a protected payment system with escrow functionality and tiered membership plans (Free, Beginner, Professional, Explorer) for freelancers. Since 2012, Workana has connected more than 600,000 businesses with over 3 million freelancers, processing payments through integrations with PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Mercado Pago, Payoneer, and other regional payment providers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Workana Freelance Marketplace Two-sided online marketplace where businesses post projects for free, receive proposals from vetted remote freelancers, and pay through Workana's escrow-protected payment system. The platform is offered to companies seeking flexible, project-based remote talent and to freelancers seeking paid engagements.
- Workana Certified IT Developers (Long-Term Hiring)
- Hire Certified Freelancers (Project-Based)
- Workana Freelancer Profile & Work Search
Quantifiable outcome
- 25,000+ new projects posted every month on the platform
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Workana
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Workana technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature4 records
Workana partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- SEEKminorInternational partnership for cross-platform talent discovery. SEEK (Australia) is one of Workana's international partner platforms helping connect freelancers and companies across regions.
- JobStreetminorInternational partnership with JobStreet (Southeast Asia) for cross-platform recruitment and talent discovery services.
- CathominorPartnership with Catho (Brazil) as international partner for Brazilian market talent recruitment and job matching services.
- OCC MundialminorPartnership with OCC Mundial (Mexico) as international partner for Mexican market talent acquisition services.
- BdjobsminorInternational partnership with Bdjobs (Bangladesh) for cross-regional job and talent matching services.
- JoraminorWorldwide job aggregator partnership with Jora for extended reach of job postings and freelance opportunities.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Workana competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fiverr: Fiverr operates a global marketplace for freelance services with a project-based gig model, directly comparable to Workana's project posting and proposal flow. Both monetize via commissions on completed transactions and offer tiered seller subscriptions.
- Upwork: Upwork is the largest global freelance marketplace, connecting businesses with independent professionals across software, design, marketing, and writing. It is Workana's most direct global competitor, with overlapping service categories, transaction-fee revenue model, and enterprise offerings.
- Freelancer.com: Freelancer.com runs a global freelance marketplace with project bidding and contest features, overlapping directly with Workana's core marketplace mechanics. It has historical strength in LATAM and competes for the same cross-border contract flow.
- Toptal: Toptal is a vetted freelance network specializing in software developers, designers, and finance experts. Its enterprise 'hire pre-screened talent' motion closely mirrors Workana's certified IT developer program, and it competes for the same US enterprise buyer.
- Guru.com: Guru.com is a freelance marketplace for programmers, designers, writers, and consultants with a project-posting and proposal model similar to Workana. Both charge transaction fees and serve SMB and mid-market buyers looking for flexible talent.
- 99designs (by Vista): 99designs is a global marketplace for freelance design work, operating contest-based and direct-hire models. While narrower in category than Workana, it competes head-on in design and multimedia, one of Workana's eight core categories.
Emerging players
- Arc.dev: Arc.dev is a curated marketplace for remote software developers that explicitly caters to US startups and enterprises hiring globally, including LATAM talent. It is an emerging competitor in the same 'hire vetted remote developers' lane as Workana's IT developer program.
- Lemon.io: Lemon.io matches startups with pre-vetted freelance developers from Latin America and Eastern Europe. It is a more focused, emerging competitor targeting the same US-to-LATAM developer placement use case that Workana's enterprise program addresses.
Regional players
- PeoplePerHour: PeoplePerHour is a UK-rooted freelance marketplace with similar project-posting mechanics, primarily serving European and UK clients. It is a regional peer with comparable transaction-fee monetization but a different geographic focus.
- Catho: Catho is a leading Brazilian job and recruitment platform that is also a Workana distribution partner. It serves as a regional peer in Brazil for both employment and freelance matching, with overlapping buyer audiences in the Brazilian market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Workana social profiles
Digital presenceWorkana financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Workana leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Workana funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Workana M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Workana
What does Workana do?
Workana operates a two-sided online freelance marketplace that connects businesses with remote freelancers and certified IT developers, with a strong focus on Latin American talent. Clients post projects for free and receive proposals; the company monetizes via service commissions on completed projects and tiered subscription/membership plans sold to freelancers. It also offers a curated Certified IT Developer placement service for full-time, long-term remote engagements.
Is Workana a public or private company?
Workana is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Workana founded?
Workana was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Workana based?
Workana is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the Latin America region.
How does Workana make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Freelancer Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are service Commission on Projects and enterprise Developer Placement.
Who are Workana's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer.com, Toptal, Guru.com and 99designs (by Vista). Emerging players are Arc.dev and Lemon.io. Regional players are PeoplePerHour and Catho.
Does Workana have an API?
No public API is recorded for Workana.
What industry is Workana in?
Workana's product category is Online Freelance Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAIAB, Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS), with a secondary code of FSAMAKAC, Contractor / Freelancer Payments. Its NAICS code is 56132 and its SIC code is 7361.