Introduction: The Hidden Irony of “Helping You Hire”
Let’s be blunt: If you’ve ever tried to hire a freelancer through a traditional platform and been hit with a random 3–5% “client fee,” you’ve probably asked yourself one thing—“What exactly am I paying for?”
A glorified job board?
An inbox?
The privilege of giving someone work?
Welcome to the modern freelance marketplace, where many of the so-called “top freelancing websites” have turned hiring into a pay-to-play scheme. Businesses are charged for posting jobs, communicating, or – best of all – for paying someone else.
Meanwhile, the platforms pocket their “service fee,” do very little to add long-term value, and call it innovation.
Let’s be clear: Clients shouldn’t be charged on freelance platforms. Ever. It’s inefficient, unnecessary, and—if we’re being honest—a little absurd.
In this article, we’ll dissect why client fees don’t make sense, how they hurt both sides of the marketplace, and how platforms like Forhopp are leading the shift with a more ethical, growth-oriented, and frankly smarter model that puts businesses and freelancers first.
A Quick Reality Check: Who Actually Brings the Money?
Clients are the fuel of any freelance economy. No clients = no work = no revenue.
And yet, somehow, many platforms have decided to tax the fuel.
Imagine walking into a grocery store, filling your cart, and being told you have to pay a “customer convenience surcharge” at the checkout. You’re not even the one eating the food—you’re just buying it. That’s exactly what platforms like Upwork, Fiverr Business, and others do.
You show up, provide the opportunity, and they slap on a fee.
Why? Because they can.
5 Reasons Why Client Fees Are a Terrible Idea (No Matter How You Spin It)
1. It Discourages the Very Behavior the Platform Needs: Hiring
Most platforms survive by taking a cut of each job completed. That means they should want as many jobs posted and filled as possible. But by slapping on client-side fees, they’re essentially saying:
“We want your business, but not without punishing you a little for showing up.”
Client fees add friction. They increase the cost of experimentation. And for startups, solo founders, or small businesses, every unnecessary percentage point can mean the difference between hiring and ghosting.
Let’s not pretend: if you’re charging someone to spend money, you’re doing it wrong.
2. It Encourages Off-Platform Deals (Which Kills Platform Value)
Clients aren’t stupid. Freelancers aren’t either. When a platform inflates the cost of doing business with arbitrary add-ons, both sides start whispering:
“Hey… want to take this off-platform?”
Which, of course, defeats the entire purpose of the platform—trust, security, workflow management, payment protection, etc.
Platforms that charge clients create the very behavior they claim to prevent. Irony, meet capitalism.
3. It Hurts Long-Term Relationships
Let’s say you hire a great freelancer and want to work with them long-term. Every time you renew a contract, the platform steps in and takes another chunk – from both sides.
Over time, this starts to feel less like a partnership and more like a digital landlord who wants rent every time you send a message.
Great freelance platforms should foster ongoing work—not punish it.
4. It Erodes Trust and Transparency
Here’s how most platforms roll:
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Show one price during the proposal
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Reveal another price at checkout
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Add a vague “processing fee” that no one can explain
That’s not a business model – it’s a bait-and-switch.
If your pricing only makes sense after reading three help docs, it’s probably designed to be confusing on purpose.
Clients respect honesty. They don’t respect being nickel-and-dimed for the joy of paying someone else.
5. It’s a Lazy Revenue Model
Let’s be honest: charging clients is just easy money.
It’s not tied to performance, match quality, or even platform value. It’s just a default line item in the invoice that says:
“Platform fee: because we said so.”
A better strategy? Provide actual value—premium tools, AI-powered matches, support, success management—and charge for that.
Enter Forhopp: A Freelance Marketplace That Actually Gets It
At Forhopp, we asked a basic question:
What would a freelance platform look like if it were designed by people who actually use freelance platforms?
The answer: no client fees, no fine print, no nonsense.
Forhopp is a next-generation AI-powered freelancing platform that puts people over percentages.
Here’s how:
1. No Fees for Clients — Ever
That’s right. Forhopp doesn’t charge clients anything to:
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Post jobs
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Hire freelancers
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Manage contracts
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Pay invoices
Clients pay only what they agreed to pay the freelancer. That’s it. No “platform maintenance fees,” no “transaction bonuses,” no silent partner taking a cut.
This lowers the barrier for small teams, agencies, startups, and enterprise clients alike.
2. Designed for Long-Term Hiring, Not One-Off Gigs
Most platforms optimize for churn. Post a job, finish it, start over.
Forhopp was designed for actual business growth. Our tools help clients build freelancer rosters, create project templates, and scale teams over time. And when clients aren’t being taxed at every step, guess what?
They stay longer. They hire more. They build better relationships.
Who knew fairness could be good business?
3. Powered by Smart Matching, Not Paywalls
Forhopp uses AI to match clients with top freelancers based on skills, availability, price range, and past performance.
Other platforms make you dig through hundreds of proposals—then charge you to message the good ones. We skip the busywork and focus on results.
Again: no hidden fees. Just better matches.
4. Built for Global Growth and Access
With localized onboarding, payment infrastructure, and regional support, Forhopp is expanding in key emerging markets—MENAP, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa—while serving clients across the US, UK, and Europe.
We’re not just removing client fees. We’re removing barriers entirely.
But Wait—How Does Forhopp Make Money?
We knew you’d ask.
We charge a minimal fee to freelancers, and we offer optional premium tools—for those who want them.
The difference? We earn revenue by helping people succeed, not by taxing their interactions. It’s a model based on growth, not friction.
And the freelancers? They’re happy too, because Forhopp’s fees are among the lowest in the industry (but that’s another article).
Conclusion: Don’t Pay to Hire. That’s Not Innovation. That’s Exploitation.
We live in a world where businesses need fast, flexible talent pipelines. Freelancers need stable, fair income. Platforms should enable this—not monetize it to death.
Charging clients for the privilege of giving someone work? That’s a bad joke that’s gone on too long.
Forhopp doesn’t charge clients. Period.
Because when you build a platform that actually helps people do business, you don’t need to invent a fee for every button click.
So the next time a platform throws a 5% surcharge at you for daring to hire someone, ask yourself:
“What would Forhopp do?”
Probably the opposite. And that’s why we’re leading the future of freelance marketplaces—with AI, fairness, and common sense.