Braintrust in 10 slides
A user-owned talent network that connects vetted freelancers with enterprise clients. Talent pays 0% fees and earns ownership in the network through tokens.
- Talent network
- Freelance sites
- Based in San Francisco, California, United States
- Vetted: providers are screened
What you do on Braintrust
How the money is made: freelance services
- Build a profile
- Win a client
- Deliver the work
- Get paid
A user-owned talent network that connects vetted freelancers with enterprise clients. Talent pays 0% fees and earns ownership in the network through tokens.
Founded 2018 · next to 57 other freelance sites
Work and topics
Good for
What Braintrust takes
Guess first: how much of every $100 you earn does Braintrust take?
0% for talent, clients pay 10%
From the published fees, before payment-processing, currency or withdrawal charges. Work out your own amount →
How the money reaches you
From sign-up to payout
- Sign upFree
- Application and vettingIncludes an ID check
- Do the work
- Earnings clearAfter the client pays, bank transfers take a few hours to a few days
- Withdraw2 ways to withdraw
2 ways to withdraw
- Bank transfer
- USDC
Can you join?
Yes, if you pass its application.
You need a computer, reliable internet and a webcam. You have to verify your ID.
What you need
- A computer
- Reliable internet
- A webcam
- An ID checkBefore you can work or withdraw
- Free to joinSign-up cost
- Application and vettingHow sign-up works
What people actually earn
Braintrust's homepage says clients can access 2M+ vetted professionals across engineering, design, product and operations (a company claim about its talent pool…
Source: usebraintrust.com ↗Braintrust's network documentation says it charges talent no fees and lets them keep 100% of their earnings, versus the 20% to 40% it says other marketplaces ta…
Source: docs.usebraintrust.com ↗How it scores
Strong on fees and access.
- Fees4.5
- Getting paid3.0
- Access4.5
- Track record3.0
- Proof of earnings3.0
- Verified earnings
- Open worldwide
- Free to join
- Clear fees
- Low cut
- Payment protection
- Fully documented
Braintrust against its peers
Guess: next to the 29 other freelance sites that charge a percentage, is Braintrust…
The cut of all 30 freelance sites that charge a percentage
| Platform | Fee |
|---|---|
| Freelancehunt | 2.5% |
| Worksome | 4% |
| Braintrust | 5% |
| Comet | 5% |
| Mihuashi | 5% |
| Guru | 7% |
| Upwork | 7.5% |
| GoLance | 8% |
| Freelancer | 10% |
| 99designs | 10% |
| Malt | 10% |
| Terawork | 10% |
| Codeable | 10% |
| PeoplePerHour | 11.8% |
| Fastwork | 12% |
| CrowdWorks | 12.5% |
| Wishket | 12.5% |
| Kmong | 13% |
| Sribu | 15% |
| 99Freelas | 15% |
| Projects.co.id | 15% |
| Lancers | 16.5% |
| Mostaql | 17.5% |
| Fiverr | 20% |
| Ureed | 20% |
| Bionluk | 20% |
| Kolabtree | 20% |
| Comeup | 20% |
| Khamsat | 20% |
| Coconala | 22% |
- At 0%–10%, Braintrust takes a smaller cut than 25 of the 30 freelance sites we track that charge a percentage fee (median 12.3%).
- Braintrust is the only one of the 55 freelance sites we track that pays out via USDC.
- Braintrust is one of 9 of the 58 freelance sites we track with built-in payment protection (Client-funded invoices through the platform).
- Launched in 2018, Braintrust is newer than most freelance sites — 48 of the 58 we track were founded earlier.
How much we know
We have 11 of the 17 things we track for every platform. Fees, payouts, join rules, countries and real earnings count most.
What we have
- What kind of platform it is
- Year founded
- Headquarters
- Fees
- How fast you get paid
- Withdrawal methods
- Payment protection
- Join requirements
- Countries it accepts
- Real earnings figures
- Support channels
Still missing
- Plain-English overview
- Minimum payout
- Review ratings
- Wikipedia or reference page
- Mobile apps
- Social accounts