Elance
Elance, founded in 1998, merged with oDesk in 2013 and now operates as Upwork Global LLC, a global freelance marketplace connecting businesses in 180+ countries with millions of independent professionals across AI, development, design, marketing, and other skill categories.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Elance does
Elance, founded in 1998, was a pioneering online freelance marketplace. In 2013, Elance merged with oDesk, and the combined entity rebranded as Upwork in 2015, operating today as Upwork Global LLC, a Delaware LLC headquartered in San Francisco. The platform connects businesses with freelance professionals across more than 180 countries, spanning categories including AI services, development and IT, design and creative, sales and marketing, writing and translation, admin and support, finance and accounting, legal, and engineering and architecture.
The platform is built on a cloud-based marketplace architecture with native iOS and Android apps, an AI-powered talent matching layer, an always-on AI hiring agent called Uma Recruiter, integrated collaboration and project tracking tools, and a milestone-based payment protection system. AI-powered job post generation and curated shortlist delivery (within 6 hours via Uma) are positioned as core product capabilities, particularly for the Business Plus tier.
The business model is a transaction-based take rate: posting jobs is free, and clients pay a service fee only after hiring and approving completed work - 5% on the Basic plan and 10% on Business Plus. Revenue accrues on milestone completion and payment release. Go-to-market is a hybrid of product-led self-serve (free job posting, no-commitment hiring), freelancer-side profile-led acquisition, and an enterprise sales motion for Business Plus that targets growing businesses needing specialized teams. Before the 2013 merger, Elance had raised approximately $94.8M across rounds from 2000 to 2012, with Kleiner Perkins and New Enterprise Associates as repeat backers.
Elance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elance
- Legal name
- Upwork Global LLC
- Website
- https://elance.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Elance, founded in 1998, merged with oDesk in 2013 and now operates as Upwork Global LLC, a global freelance marketplace connecting businesses in 180+ countries with millions of independent professionals across AI, development, design, marketing, and other skill categories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Elance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Elance 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
- Service fees on completed work: Transaction-based take rate charged to clients after hiring freelancers and approving completed work. Two tiers: Basic plan at 5% service fee, Business Plus at 10% service fee. Revenue accrues when work milestones are completed and payments released.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Basic plan for starting out with 5% service fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Business Plus for growing businesses with 10% service fee |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Elance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Elance operates an online freelance marketplace connecting businesses with independent professionals across more than 180 countries, spanning skill categories such as AI, development, design, marketing, writing, and admin support. The platform offers free job posting, AI-powered talent matching, milestone-based payment protection, and tiered service plans (Basic at 5% fee, Business Plus at 10% with access to pre-vetted top 1% talent and the Uma Recruiter AI hiring agent).
Product overview
Upwork is a freelance marketplace platform that connects businesses with independent professionals across multiple skill categories. The platform offers a Talent Marketplace for hiring freelancers, Business Plus for premium vetted talent access with AI-powered features and Uma Recruiter agent, Project Catalog for pre-defined services, and Enterprise solutions for larger organizations. The Basic plan provides AI-powered features and collaboration tools with a 5% service fee, while Business Plus offers 10% service fee with instant access to pre-vetted top 1% talent.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Business Plus: Premium hiring tier offering instant access to pre-vetted top 1% talent and Uma Recruiter, an AI-powered hiring agent.
- Freelancer Plus
Products and services
- Talent Marketplace (Basic plan) Self-serve online marketplace for clients to post jobs, browse freelancer profiles, submit proposals, and hire independent professionals across categories including development, design, marketing, writing, and admin support. Targets SMBs and individuals with a 5% service fee on completed work.
- Business Plus Premium enterprise tier providing instant access to pre-vetted top 1% of freelance talent, Uma Recruiter always-on AI hiring agent delivering curated shortlists within 6 hours, Teams controls, and a 10% service fee on completed work.
- Uma Recruiter AI-powered hiring agent that interprets job requirements and delivers a curated shortlist of top freelance candidates within 6 hours, included with the Business Plus premium tier for enterprises.
- Project Catalog Catalog of pre-defined, fixed-price freelance services and project packages that clients can purchase directly without a custom job post.
- Enterprise Solutions Customized solutions for large organizations and enterprises requiring dedicated account management, specialized teams for complex projects, and workforce solutions at scale.
- Freelancer Plus Premium subscription offering for freelancers including exclusive resources, promotion tools, and ads to help freelancers attract clients and win more work on the platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Curated shortlist of top freelancers delivered within 6 hours via Uma Recruiter
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Elance
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Elance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Elance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- MicrosoftminorMicrosoft logo appears in client logos section on Upwork homepage, indicating use of Upwork platform by Microsoft team.
- AirbnbminorAirbnb logo appears in client logos section on Upwork homepage, indicating use of Upwork platform by Airbnb team.
- BissellminorBissell logo appears in client logos section on Upwork homepage, indicating use of Upwork platform by Bissell team.
- GlassdoorminorGlassdoor logo appears in client logos section on Upwork homepage, indicating use of Upwork platform by Glassdoor team.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Elance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- A.Team: A.Team is an invite-only platform for forming product, design, and engineering freelance teams. It overlaps with Elance/Upwork's enterprise motion and Business Plus tier by offering curated, team-based freelance engagements rather than individual contractor matching.
- MarketerHire: MarketerHire is a curated marketplace focused exclusively on pre-vetted marketing freelancers. It is a category-specific peer that competes with Elance/Upwork's Sales & Marketing segment for clients seeking higher-vetted marketing talent.
- 99designs: 99designs (by Vista) is a design-focused freelance marketplace offering contests and direct hire for logo, web, and graphic design. It overlaps with Elance/Upwork's Design & Creative category as a category-specialized alternative.
- Catalant Technologies: Catalant operates an enterprise-focused marketplace for independent consultants and expert talent across strategy, operations, and technology. It competes with Elance/Upwork's higher-end consulting and project-based engagements on the enterprise side.
Direct peers
- Guru.com: Guru.com is a long-standing freelance marketplace connecting businesses with professionals across programming, design, writing, and business services. It mirrors Elance/Upwork's marketplace model with a similar service-fee revenue structure.
- PeoplePerHour: PeoplePerHour is a UK-based freelance marketplace offering project-based hiring across web development, design, marketing, and writing. It competes with Elance/Upwork in the SMB and European segments with similar escrow-based payment and category coverage.
- Toptal: Toptal is a vetted freelance marketplace focused on the top 3% of software, design, and finance talent. It competes most directly with Upwork's Business Plus pre-vetted tier for enterprise clients needing premium, screened freelancers.
- Fiverr: Fiverr is a global freelance marketplace operating a similar two-sided model where buyers post projects and sellers offer gig-based services across categories like development, design, and marketing. It directly competes with Elance/Upwork on price point, freelancer pool, and category breadth.
- Freelancer.com: Freelancer.com operates a global freelance marketplace with bidding-based job matching across 1,800+ skill categories. It is one of the largest direct competitors in the horizontal freelance marketplace category alongside Elance/Upwork.
Broad incumbents
- Deel: Deel is a global HR and payroll/EOR platform that also supports contractor engagement and compliance across 150+ countries. While broader than a pure freelance marketplace, it intersects Elance/Upwork in the cross-border hiring and contractor management layer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Elance social profiles
Digital presenceElance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Elance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elance 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 Elance
What does Elance do?
Elance operates an online freelance marketplace connecting businesses with independent professionals across more than 180 countries, spanning skill categories such as AI, development, design, marketing, writing, and admin support. The platform offers free job posting, AI-powered talent matching, milestone-based payment protection, and tiered service plans (Basic at 5% fee, Business Plus at 10% with access to pre-vetted top 1% talent and the Uma Recruiter AI hiring agent).
Is Elance a public or private company?
Elance is a public company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Elance founded?
Elance was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Elance based?
Elance is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Elance make money?
One revenue line is on record: service fees on completed work.
Who are Elance's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are A.Team, MarketerHire, 99designs and Catalant Technologies. Direct peers are Guru.com, PeoplePerHour, Toptal, Fiverr and Freelancer.com. Deel is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Elance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elance.