---
title: "African alternatives to Upwork"
description: "A freelancing marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals for contract work and project-based hiring."
canonical_url: "https://liners.com/african-alternatives/upwork"
markdown_url: "https://liners.com/african-alternatives/upwork.md"
type: "african-alternatives"
language: "en"
image: "https://assets.liners.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/popular-products/upwork/favicon.png?v=1785668876713"
updated_at: "2026-09-14T03:56:17.316Z"
---

# African alternatives to Upwork

A freelancing marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals for contract work and project-based hiring.

## Breadcrumbs

- [Alternatives](/alternatives)
- [Upwork](/african-alternatives/upwork)

## Summary

A freelancing marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals for contract work and project-based hiring.

## About these alternatives

Upwork is a freelancing marketplace from the United States that connects businesses with independent professionals for contract work and project-based hiring.

If you are searching for the African Upwork, you are usually trying to hire in-market talent with fewer cross-border frictions. African marketplaces often focus on [Recruitment](/tags/recruitment) and [Marketplace](/tags/marketplace) workflows that fit how clients and freelancers actually get paid and supported in places like [Nigeria](/countries/nigeria), [Kenya](/countries/kenya), [South Africa](/countries/south-africa), and [Zimbabwe](/countries/zimbabwe). You will also see more emphasis on [B2B](/tags/b2b) hiring, verified profiles, and [Escrow](/tags/escrow) style controls for fixed-scope work, with some platforms also serving [B2C](/tags/b2c) freelancers looking for verified gigs.

## What to Compare Before Switching From Upwork
- **Where it operates today**: start with country availability, for example [AfriBlocks](/afriblocks) is available in Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, while [TERAWORK ](/terawork) focuses on Nigeria.
- **Vetting depth and role coverage**: check whether the platform specialises in certain talent pools, such as tech and design, or supports broader professional categories.
- **Escrow and contract type fit**: if you run fixed-price projects, prioritise marketplaces that explicitly support escrow-based payments, like [AfriBlocks](/afriblocks).
- **Hiring mode options**: some marketplaces support freelance, outsourced teams, and full-time hiring in one place, for example [TERAWORK ](/terawork) includes freelance, outsourced teams, and full-time staff.
- **Payout flexibility**: if you pay across currencies or have distributed contractors, look for multi-currency payout support, which [TERAWORK ](/terawork) calls out.
- **Client-side workflow support**: if you want help beyond matching, look for job posting plus project management support, which [AfriBlocks](/afriblocks) includes.
- **Two-sided marketplace strength**: if you are both hiring and also want a place to apply for verified work, consider options that serve both sides, like [Growwr](/growwr).

## Compare by Need
- **If you are hiring in Nigeria**: [TERAWORK ](/terawork) and [Growwr](/growwr) are available in Nigeria, and both focus on vetted African talent for freelance and longer-term roles.
- **If you are hiring across Kenya, South Africa, or Zimbabwe**: [AfriBlocks](/afriblocks) is available in [Kenya](/countries/kenya), [South Africa](/countries/south-africa), and [Zimbabwe](/countries/zimbabwe), and positions itself around vetted tech and design freelancers with escrow-based fixed-price payments.
- **If you need escrow plus hands-on delivery support**: [AfriBlocks](/afriblocks) includes project management support alongside hiring and escrow.

Scroll to explore apps like Upwork below, then filter by [Recruitment](/tags/recruitment), [Marketplace](/tags/marketplace), [B2B](/tags/b2b), [Escrow](/tags/escrow), or [B2C](/tags/b2c) to find what fits your hiring style. You can also browse by country, including [Nigeria](/countries/nigeria) and [South Africa](/countries/south-africa), to shortlist options you can actually use instead of Upwork.

## African alternatives

| Name | URL | Tagline | Country | Rating |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pnet | /pnet | Search and apply for jobs across South Africa | South Africa |  |
| Careers24 | /careers24 | Search and apply for South African jobs on the go | South Africa |  |
| MyJobMag | /myjobmag | Find verified job vacancies across Nigeria by role and location | Nigeria |  |
| TERAWORK | /terawork | Hire vetted African talent for freelance and full-time work | Nigeria |  |
| AfriBlocks | /afriblocks | Hire vetted African tech and design freelancers fast | Zimbabwe |  |
| RemoteAfrica | /remoteafrica | Find overseas remote roles curated for African talent | Nigeria |  |
| Jolancer | /jolancer | Hire Nigerian freelancers or sell services in Naira | Nigeria |  |
| Growwr | /growwr | Hire vetted African talent and find verified freelance work | Nigeria |  |
| FreelanceLocals | /freelancelocals | Find and hire South African freelancers with zero commission | South Africa |  |
| ProjectBist | /projectbist | Connecting Research Talent Wordwide | Nigeria | 5 |
| Bordawave | /bordawave | Hire and pay independent contractors globally in one place | Nigeria |  |
| TASA Africa | /tasa-africa | Hire verified professionals and sell skills with protected payments | Nigeria |  |
| Upkazi | /upkazi | Hire African freelancers with upfront pricing and approval-based pay | Uganda |  |

## Related pages

- [All alternative guides](/alternatives)

## Access and citation

- [Canonical HTML page](https://liners.com/african-alternatives/upwork)
- [Markdown route index](/sitemap.md)
- [Agent access guide](/llms.txt)