Malt
Malt is a comprehensive freelancer marketplace and management platform that connects businesses with independent consultants, developers, and creative professionals to streamline project sourcing, administrative tasks, and secure payments.
Upwork
Upwork is a global freelancing platform that connects your business with independent professionals and agencies for specialized projects ranging from software development and design to marketing and administration.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Malt | Upwork |
|---|---|---|
| Website | malt.com | upwork.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France | San Francisco, USA |
Overview
Malt
Malt is a centralized platform designed to help you find, hire, and manage independent talent for your business projects. Instead of juggling multiple job boards and manual invoices, you get access to a curated community of over 700,000 freelancers across Europe. You can search for specific skills, view detailed consultant profiles, and initiate projects directly through a secure interface that handles the administrative heavy lifting for you.
The platform simplifies the entire lifecycle of working with external talent by automating contracts, insurance, and payments. Whether you are a small startup looking for a part-time designer or a large enterprise managing hundreds of independent consultants, you can track all your external spend and project progress in one dashboard. It eliminates the compliance risks often associated with freelancing by providing standardized legal frameworks and automated tax documentation.
Upwork
Upwork is a comprehensive marketplace that helps you find, hire, and manage specialized talent from around the world. Instead of traditional recruiting, you post specific jobs and receive proposals from verified freelancers or browse a pre-priced project catalog. You can manage the entire lifecycle of a contract—from initial interviews and file sharing to time tracking and automated payments—all within a single dashboard.
The platform solves the challenge of scaling your team quickly without the overhead of full-time hiring. You can hire for short-term tasks or build long-term relationships with experts in over 12,000 skills. Whether you are a solopreneur needing a logo or an enterprise managing a global contingent workforce, the platform provides the infrastructure to collaborate securely and pay talent in multiple currencies.
Overview
Malt Features
- Direct Talent Search Find the perfect expert by filtering through 700,000+ profiles based on skills, experience, and real-time availability.
- Malt Strategy Access a curated network of high-level independent consultants specifically vetted for complex digital transformation and management projects.
- Automated Contracting Generate legally compliant contracts automatically for every project to protect your business and ensure clear deliverables.
- Centralized Payments Pay all your freelancers through one system with consolidated invoicing to simplify your accounting and tax reporting.
- Project Management Tools Communicate with your freelancers, share documents, and track project milestones directly within the secure platform workspace.
- Professional Insurance Protect your projects with built-in professional liability insurance provided through Malt's partnership with Hiscox for every mission.
Upwork Features
- Talent Marketplace. Post your job requirements and receive tailored proposals from top-rated freelancers within minutes to start your project faster.
- Project Catalog. Browse and buy predefined projects with clear scopes and upfront pricing to get immediate results without the negotiation.
- Upwork Messages. Communicate with your team in real-time through secure chat and video calls to keep every project moving forward.
- Work Diary. View hourly progress through periodic snapshots of your freelancer's screen so you only pay for time spent on your work.
- Secure Payments. Pay your global team easily with protected escrow services for fixed-price jobs or automated weekly billing for hourly contracts.
- Advanced Search Filters. Filter talent by Job Success Score, location, and earned amount to find the exact level of expertise you need.
Pricing Comparison
Malt Pricing
- Free account creation
- Access to 700,000+ profiles
- Direct messaging with talent
- Standardized legal contracts
- Secure payment processing
- Professional liability insurance
- Everything in Community, plus:
- Centralized dashboard for teams
- Advanced spend reporting
- Custom onboarding workflows
- Dedicated account management
- Consolidated monthly invoicing
Upwork Pricing
- Post unlimited jobs
- Access to global talent pool
- Secure payment protection
- Built-in collaboration tools
- Standard reporting and logs
- Everything in Marketplace, plus:
- Customized onboarding workflows
- Dedicated account management
- Consolidated monthly billing
- Advanced talent sourcing services
- Compliance and worker classification
Pros & Cons
Malt
Pros
- High-quality talent pool with verified reviews
- Streamlined administrative and payment processes
- Excellent customer support for project mediation
- Intuitive interface makes searching very simple
- Automatic insurance coverage provides peace of mind
Cons
- Service fees can be high for clients
- Primarily focused on the European market
- Limited features for very small budgets
- Search filters can sometimes be too broad
Upwork
Pros
- Access to a massive global pool of specialized talent
- Secure escrow system protects your payments until approval
- Easy to track hourly work with visual snapshots
- Simple interface for managing multiple active contracts
Cons
- Client marketplace fees can add up over time
- High volume of low-quality proposals on popular jobs
- Dispute resolution process can be slow for complex cases