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Verified #8 in Freelance Marketplaces

Guru

Long-running US freelance marketplace with low fees: 2.9% for clients, 5-9% for freelancers, SafePay escrow and flexible payment agreements.

1.7 (210 · Trustpilot) From $8.95/mo (billed yearly) Free plan
↗ guru.com Listed Nov 2, 2026 Freelance Marketplaces
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Guru at a glance

Guru — Long-running US freelance marketplace with low fees: 2.9% for clients, 5-9% for freelancers, SafePay escrow and flexible payment agreements. It has a free plan, with paid plans from $8.95/mo (billed yearly) and a free trial (Free plan for freelancers; free posting for clients). Rated 1.7/5 from 210 reviews on Trustpilot. Best for US clients who want the lowest marketplace fees for coding, writing or design and will vet carefully. It ranks #8 of 9 in our Freelance Marketplaces guide.

Rating
1.7/5 Trustpilot
Starting price
$8.95/mo (billed yearly)
Free plan / trial
YesTrial: Free plan for freelancers; free posting for clients
Guide rank
#8 of 9 Freelance Marketplaces
Best for US clients who want the lowest marketplace fees for coding, writing or design and will vet carefully Web · iOS · Android

About Guru

Guru is a freelance marketplace based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It started in 1998 as eMoonlighter.com and was renamed Guru.com in 2004. It reports 800,000 employers and USD 250 million paid to freelancers (vendor-reported), with programming, writing and design as its largest categories.

Clients post jobs for free and receive quotes, then work with the chosen freelancer in a shared WorkRoom. Guru supports four payment agreement types: fixed price with milestones, hourly with a time tracker, task-based, and recurring payments on a weekly, biweekly, monthly or quarterly schedule. Payments go through SafePay, a shared account the client funds before work starts; funds are released by agreement, and either side can ask for arbitration while money is still in SafePay.

Guru's main draw is cost. Clients pay a 2.9% handling fee per paid invoice, which Guru says is effectively zero when they pay by US eCheck or wire because of a 3% cashback. Freelancers pay a 5% to 9% job fee depending on their membership; the free plan has the highest fee and a small monthly bid allowance, and paid memberships start at USD 8.95 per month on annual billing. The trade-off is reputation: Guru's Trustpilot score is very low, and its talent pool and apps are smaller than Upwork's.

Guru pros & cons

What's good
  • Low freelancer fees of 5% to 9%, below most large marketplaces.
  • Low 2.9% client handling fee, effectively zero by US eCheck or wire.
  • Four payment agreement types, including recurring payments.
  • SafePay escrow with arbitration, plus WorkRoom collaboration tools.
Watch out for
  • Very poor Trustpilot rating of 1.7 from 210 reviews, mostly 1-star.
  • The free plan has the highest fee (9%) and only 10 bids per month.
  • Memberships are non-refundable.
  • Smaller talent pool and weakly rated mobile apps.

Key features

SafePay
Client-funded shared account; funds are released by agreement, with arbitration available.
Flexible agreements
Fixed price with milestones, hourly with time tracking, task-based and recurring payments.
WorkRooms
Shared workspaces for messages, files and payments with each freelancer.
Low client fee
2.9% handling fee per paid invoice, offset by 3% cashback on US eCheck or wire payments.
Freelancer memberships
Paid plans lower the job fee from 9% toward 5% and add more monthly bids.
Enterprise options
Options for agencies, enterprises and purchase-order based billing.

Guru pricing

Starting at
$8.95/mo (billed yearly)
Free to post; clients 2.9% fee; freelancers 5-9% job fee
  • Free planYes
  • Free trialFree plan for freelancers; free posting for clients
  • CurrencyUSD

Prices change — confirm on Guru's site before you buy.

Guru alternatives

All Freelance Marketplaces tools

How Guru stacks up against the tools readers weigh it against.

Tool Rating From Free plan Endorsed Compare
Guru Guru This page 1.7 $8.95/mo (billed yearly) Yes 0
Freelancer.com Freelancer.com Named by readers 4.4 $4.99/mo Yes 0 Compare
P
PeoplePerHour Named by readers 		4.1 Free Yes 0 Compare
U
Upwork Named by readers 		4.2 Free Yes 0 Compare
Fiverr Fiverr Named by readers 3.4 $5/gig Yes 0 Compare
Kmong Kmong Best for korean businesses buying fixed-p... 4.9 Free Yes 0 Compare
Toptal Toptal Best for companies hiring senior, pre-vet... 4.8 $79/mo No 0 Compare
Compare Guru with… Guru vs Freelancer.com Guru vs PeoplePerHour Guru vs Upwork Guru vs Fiverr Guru vs Kmong Guru vs Toptal

Frequently asked questions

What is Guru?

Guru is a US freelance marketplace, based in Pittsburgh and running since 1998, where clients post jobs, receive quotes and pay freelancers through SafePay escrow.

How much does Guru charge clients?

Clients pay a 2.9% handling fee on each paid invoice. Paying by eCheck (US only) or wire earns 3% cashback, which Guru says effectively reduces the fee to zero. Posting jobs is free. Fees as of November 2026.

How much does Guru charge freelancers?

Freelancers pay a job fee of 5% to 9% of each paid invoice depending on their membership plan. The free plan has a 9% fee and 10 bids per month.

What is Guru SafePay?

SafePay is a shared account the client funds before work starts. Funds are released when both sides agree, and either party can request arbitration while money remains in SafePay.

Is Guru better than Upwork?

Guru is cheaper for both sides, but Upwork has a much larger talent pool, more categories and stronger review data. Guru suits cost-sensitive clients who vet freelancers carefully.

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