9 Best Gig/Work-On-Demand Apps for Hiring
This article is part of a larger series on Hiring.
Work-on-demand apps and gig hiring platforms connect businesses with professionals for on-demand, short-term, or freelance work. These cover a variety of uses, including filling in for a shift, doing a handyman or housekeeping job, completing creative or administrative tasks, and even moving. Such platforms differ from temp agencies in that these provide a more direct connection with the person you hire and can often fill shifts on the same day.
We looked at dozens of on-demand hiring apps and platforms, particularly for gig work, and narrowed it to the top nine.
- Upwork: Best overall gig app for hiring creatives and administrative freelancers
- Giggrabbers: Best for startups needing talent for crowdfunding and marketing campaigns
- Handy: Best for housekeeping and handyman tasks, including plumbing and electrical
- Fiverr: Best for quick creative tasks on a budget
- Qwick: Best for the restaurant and hospitality industry for filling shifts fast
- Band of Hands: Best work on-demand app for filling part-time or full-time W2 jobs quickly and without the hassle of onboarding or paying benefits
- TaskRabbit: Best for finding skilled workers for common tasks from housekeeping to minor repairs
- Dolly: Best for delivery personnel and local moves
- Wonolo: Best on-demand app for hiring local workers for short-term work in manufacturing, warehousing, and more
Did you know?
Gig workers and freelancers are not exactly the same. Gig workers are more like flexible or on-demand employees, while freelancers are mostly self-employed business owners.
Best Work-on-Demand Apps for Hiring Compared
Who sets job/shift price? | Company markup | Types of work | Time clock or project management tools | Who handles worker insurance | Vets freelancers | Hiring Time | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Freelancers or you | 3%–5%; Extra services: $49.99–$499/month | Creative, administrative | N/A | Most | Days + | ||
Freelancers or you | None; Extra services: $49.95–$3,499/month | Creative, marketing | N/A | For Enterprise Plans | Days + | ||
Handy | Quote | Housekeeping, handyman | Handy | Sometimes same day, must schedule | |||
Freelancers | 5.5%; $2 for purchases under $50 | Creative, performance, miscellaneous | N/A | Offers 24-hour turn-around | |||
You | 40% | Restaurant work (cook, server, bartender) | Qwick | Same day, if staff available | |||
You | $250 registration + $10 per employee, per week | Labor, call center, service industry, retail | Band of Hands | Days or weeks; you post schedule | |||
Tasker | 7.5% + 3% if using credit card | Handyman, errands, yard work, housekeeping, labor, administration | You or tasker | Sometimes | Discuss day with tasker | ||
Dolly | Quote | Delivery, small moves | Dolly | Can do same day | |||
You | 45%; 1.5% interest on late payments | Labor, food prep, bartend, travel, manufacturing, warehouse, retail | Wonolo | Can do same day, usually longer |
Not what you’re looking for? Check out these articles:
- How to hire from temp agencies
- How to hire seasonal workers
- Best sites for hiring freelancers
- Best job posting sites
Upwork: Best Overall On-demand Hiring App for Creative & Administrative Work
What We Like
- Free to post a job
- Professional, sometimes vetted freelancers with reviews
- Built-in time tracking tools
What's Missing
- More expensive than other sites
- Not for shift work
- Not a same-day process
Upwork Pricing
- Free to register and post a job
- Client Marketplace Plan: 3%-5% transaction fee
- Enterprise Plan: Custom quote
- Contractor Plan: $49.99/month
- Employees Plan: $499/month
- Development and IT
- Design and Creative
- Finance and Accounting
- Sales and Marketing
- Writing and Translation
- Admin and Customer Support
Time to Hire: Varies; can get responses in as little as 24 hours
Upwork is our No. 1 choice for the best freelance websites, so it’s no surprise it ranks so well here. If you are looking for professionals for creative, administrative, or IT-type work, this site does not disappoint. It lets you set up projects to get bids or search for freelancers to contact individually. In addition to time tracking, it offers its Any Hire program, which lets you run payroll and team management from Upwork for all your employees. Upwork is typically used for more involved, longer-term projects; if you need a quick turnaround on a simpler task, try Fiverr.
Upwork earned 4.08 out of 5 in our evaluation. Since it charges the freelancers on its site, the markup to you is small—unless you select the Any Hire program (some freelancers may include their Upwork fees in their bids, however). It’s an extremely popular and highly rated program and did well for job fulfillment and overall functions. You won’t be able to hire same-day in most cases, and not all of its participants are vetted, but you can see their ratings from other Upwork clients.
Upwork Pricing
Upwork has two plans for hiring gig workers through its system—the Client Marketplace and the Enterprise Plan. You can also take advantage of its Any Hire Plan to manage full-time or outsourced employees.
Client Marketplace charges 5% per transaction or 3% per transaction if you are a US business paying through a checking account. This plan gives you a free job post upgrade per month and 30 invites to freelancers.
The Enterprise Plan is custom-priced. It offers unlimited invites, and you can negotiate the number of post upgrades. This plan also includes talent sourcing, program managers, compliance assistance, onboarding, and the option of payroll at 23% of the contracted amount.
The Any Hire program lets you bring in your outsourced freelancers, and full-time employees are available for hire as well. Upwork will then serve as Employer of Record.
- Contractors: $49 per month + 3% transaction fee
- Full-time Employees: $49—$799 per employee per month + 3% transaction fees, and payroll fees of 5%—70%, depending on the employee location
Upwork Features
Upwork is for contractor work only, usually remote. It’s not a good choice for shift work or local labor jobs. If you need a local hire in the creative arena, consider Giggrabbers.
You can create a job post and get bids or search for freelancers. (Source: Upwork)
- Wide range of rated freelancers: Upwork has over 10 million registered freelancers in a variety of fields, from administration to logo design and app development. Freelancers undergo a simple approval process to be on its site, and you can narrow down candidates by qualification, rates, pay, and more. Alternatively, you can have Upwork select a qualified and vetted freelancer for you through its Talent Scout program. Giggrabbers has a similar program but with a focus on online marketing.
- Flexible payment options: You can pay gig workers by the hour or by the project or as they reach milestones. Upwork lets you pay international workers in their own currency (there may be an extra fee).
- Project management: Upwork provides tools for time and milestone tracking, communication, and more. It also has optional payroll with its Any Hire and Enterprise plans. The other providers in our list also have additional features beyond hiring, like Qwick, which has time-tracking, Giggrabbers, with its project planner, and Band of Hands, which gives you a Paychex payroll account.
- Manage employees through Upwork: Upwork recently added Any Hire, a platform that lets you hire and manage your own freelancers and full-time employees through the Upwork system for payroll and team management. This unique tool is very useful if you work mostly with freelance gig workers and only have a few full-time employees.
- Ease of use: Upwork is extremely easy to use, although its how-to articles are somewhat limited. Businesses give a lot of praise for the platform saying they easily found qualified talent. It had the highest user review score of those on our list after Qwick (which only had 2 reviews).
- Mobile App: Like most of the products on our list, Upwork has separate apps for clients (employers) and professionals (freelancers). The client app lets you post jobs, correspond with applicants, and hire and pay them. The professional app is highly rated, although Fiverr’s app has better ratings.
Read our Upwork review for more details.
Giggrabbers: Best for Crowdfunding & Online Marketing
What We Like
- Free to use (freelancer pays fees)
- Can set up crowdfunding in-app for paying freelancers
- Full-service enterprise plans
What's Missing
- No mobile app
- No live support options
- Enterprise plans are costly
Giggrabbers Pricing
- Free to register
- Free to post
- $0 transaction fee (fee is paid by freelancer)
- Account management: $49.95 per post
- Enterprise Plans: $1,999-$3,499 per month
- Graphic arts
- Website design
- Copywriting
- SEO
- Marketing
- Social media marketing
Time to Hire: Varies; can get responses in as little as 24 hours
If you’re a startup or are launching a new product, then Giggrabbers can help you find the talent you need for marketing campaigns. You can even create a crowdfunding campaign that can go toward paying your freelancer. In addition to making it easy to search talent, Giggrabbers offers package deals for marketing materials with dedicated freelancers and set deliverables. As it is a relatively new site, its freelancer base is not as broad as those of Upwork or Fiverr, but it’s growing. It’s also on our list of best freelance hiring sites.
Giggrabbers’ overall score is 3.66 in our evaluation. It aced pricing, but its score took a huge hit in ease of use. The interface itself is intuitive, although not as easy as Fiverr’s. However, it lacks a mobile option, which brought that score down. It has freelancers worldwide, some of whom are willing to work in-office as needed.
Giggrabbers Pricing
Giggrabbers charges its service fee to the freelancers, which means the service is free for you, but the professional may include the fee in their prices. It charges $49.95 per job if you want help hiring a freelancer and setting up your project.
Pricing-wise, however, Giggrabbers stands out in two ways: First, it can help you create a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the freelancer. Second, it offers Enterprise package plans for marketing, where it supplies vetted talent for specific deliverables.
Giggrabbers Enterprise Plans* | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly fee | $1,999 | $2,499 | $2,999 | $3,499 |
Number of freelance specialists | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
5 custom designs/month | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Digital marketing strategy plan | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Social media content | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Keyword research and backend SEO | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
5 research-based blogs | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Email marketing | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | |
4 photo sessions per year | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
1 video project per year | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Website design, development, and monthly support | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
*Customized solutions are also available.
Giggrabbers Features
Unlike Fiverr and Upwork, Giggrabbers gives you the option of hiring local workers or remote ones. It’s project-based only, however. For shift work, consider Wonolo or Band of Hands.
You can create individual projects or use the Crowdfunding option to create a campaign. (Source: Giggrabbers)
- Hire talent: You can find talent in three ways with Giggrabbers: 1) search its database for freelancers, 2) set up a project and take bids, or 3) purchase an Enterprise Plan or Account Management service and have Giggrabbers assign a qualified freelancer to you. This is similar to Upwork.
- Crowdfund your freelancer: Giggrabbers has a unique option to help you develop a crowdfunding campaign to pay your freelancers for the project. Included in the project development tool, it makes it easy to set up a campaign to share with friends, family, or fans through social media. Thus, it’s possible to get your talent completely free.
- Enterprise plans: Giggrabbers’ enterprise plans are unique in that they are package deals focused on marketing campaigns and include graphics creation, web design, and copywriting. You pay a large up-front fee in return for dedicated talent and support from Giggrabbers.
- Mobile App: Giggrabbers lacks a mobile device. If you like the convenience of mobile, consider Fiverr or Upwork.
Read our Giggrabbers review for more details.
Handy: Best for Housekeeping & Handyman Services
What We Like
- Vetted professionals
- Handy handles hiring and insuring employees; pays if the worker needs more time
- Available in nearly 200 cities in the US, plus Canada and UK
What's Missing
- Cleaning services require a contract of at least three months
- Quote-based pricing only
- Cannot choose employees
Handy Pricing
- Call for a quote
- Cleaning
- Installation
- Handyman
- General electric
- Simple plumbing
- Landscaping
- Outdoor projects
- Renovation
- Roof repair
- Decorating (paint, wallpaper)
Time to Hire: Can be same-day
If you have a one-time handyman project that needs completing or need cleaning services for the short term, then Handy is a great gig-on-demand app to look into. Like TaskRabbit, it is best for simple hands-on projects, from mounting a TV to basic landscaping. Handy, however, will provide you with a quote based on your needs and supply you with certified and insured skilled workers according to your schedule.
Handy earned 3.61 out of 5 on our matrix. Its non-transparent pricing lowered its score, but its excellent dispute and rehire/fire tools gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 in that category. It’s also very easy to use. However, its popularity score was lower than most because of user reviews complaining of no-shows as well as confusion over housekeeping contracts and pricing.
Handy Pricing
Handy differs from most of the on-demand work sites on our list in that it does not share its prices online. You will need to fill out a form stating your location, job, expected hours, and start date, and Handy will call you to provide a quote and arrange an appointment.
Housekeeping services may require a contract of three to nine months, with a cancellation fee. Be sure you understand the terms before agreeing to a quote.
Handy Features
Handy is for local labor only. You contact Handy for a quote on services. If you want local labor where you can set your price range, consider TaskRabbit.
Handy provides job-based quotes. (Source: Handy)
- Available professionals worldwide: Handy can connect you with vetted professionals in nearly 200 cities across the United States, Canada, and the UK. While TaskRabbit has a presence in more countries, it’s in fewer specific cities. Rather than seeking out the professional yourself, you tell Handy what you need to be done and when, and it arranges the labor for you.
- Vetted professionals: Unlike TaskRabbit, Handy vets all its professionals (via Checkr). They go through screening for certifications, background checks, and company affiliations. In the case of a company, the company may do tasks even while the owner’s background check is in progress. Handy does not just look at qualifications, but also experience with home service.
- It handles the employees for you: Handy differs from most of the sites on our list in that it handles finding, assigning, and insuring your temp worker for you, including workers’ comp.
- Handy Happiness Guarantee: If you have problems with a worker, you can contact Handy at any time. If you paid for the service and are not satisfied, Handy will send another professional at no charge for your next booking.
- No overtime fees: While you set the number of hours, if your worker needs more time, you can call Handy and approve the extra work. Handy will pay the extra time, so you are only charged the agreed-upon price. This was the only on-demand work service we researched that does this.
- Mobile App: The Handy app for clients lets you track the locations of your professionals, manage booking details, communicate with them, rate and tip them, and more. It’s not well-rated on Android, but it looks like a lot of the low-star reviews were for no-shows during COVID. (The Handy app for employees is called Angi Services.)
Fiverr: Best for Creative Work on a Tight Budget
What We Like
- Pricing starts at $5 per job
- Some sellers offer 24-hour turnaround
- Can subscribe to services for repeat work
What's Missing
- Freelancers are not vetted; not always professional
- Not for W2 workers or shift work
Fiverr Pricing
- Free to register
- 5.5% transaction fee
- Additional $2 fee for jobs under $50
- Graphic design
- Web design
- Voice Over
- Explainer videos
- Social Media
- Copywriting
- SEO
- Illustration
- Translation
- Data entry
- Just ask—you may be surprised
Time to Hire: Varies; can request 24-hour turnaround
Fiverr is also on our list of the best freelance sites, and is even more “gig-based” than Upwork because it specializes in letting clients purchase quick one-off projects at bargain prices. More often than not, you can get quick turnarounds from this site, although you may be charged extra. Originally for creative projects, you can get just about anything on Fiverr, including practical jokes. However, we were more impressed with its offerings for voiceovers, video explainers, translations, DJ mixing, and more.
Fiverr earned a solid 3.59 out of 5 on our list. Naturally, w ith a starting price of $5 per project and low transaction fees, it topped the chart for pricing. It lost some points because of its format, which does not find employees for you and often takes more than a day. If a gig worker disappoints you, there is a dispute function, but you are otherwise on your own for finding a new worker or getting the project done elsewhere. However, it’s easy to use and highly popular.
Fiverr Pricing
With $5 projects, called “gigs,” Fiverr has the lowest entry point of all the freelance websites. However, that is the base price; many freelancers on the site charge extra for faster turnaround or extra features (like multiple image formats). On top of that, you pay a 5.5% service fee on the purchase amount and tips, plus an additional $2 fee for purchases under $50.
Fiverr Features
Fiverr is for quick, on-time projects—although you can rehire a Fiverr gig worker to handle more tasks. For longer-term projects, consider Upwork.
It’s easy to search for the right seller at the best price using the filters. (Source: Fiverr)
- Projects within a day: Unlike Upwork, you can specify that you need a project completed within 24 hours and get sellers who are able to meet that need. Fiverr also flags sellers who are online with a green dot so you can contact them in real time.
- Pay in advance/escrow: Unlike most of the work-on-demand apps and platforms that we reviewed, Fiverr requires you to pay in advance. The payment is put in escrow and paid out to the seller upon completion of the project. You can preload your Fiverr account and use it for more than one seller, a nice feature if you have a budgeted amount for a project needing multiple freelancers.
- Easy talent search: Fiverr sellers offer an incredible variety of projects at budget prices. The filters include project options (such as language for a voice-over), budget, seller level of experience and rating, and how fast you need the project done. Fiverr also lists alternatives in case your first choice does not work out.
- Gig subscriptions: If you like a freelancer’s work, it’s easy to hire them again. Fiverr offers a subscription option for repeat work. No other service on our list offers this option. Alternatively, you can create a list of your favorite sellers to quickly reach them again.
- Mobile App: Fiverr offers only one app for both clients and professionals. The reviews are excellent, but there are complaints about the ability to download finished files. The app lets you find freelancers and communicate with them.
Read our Fiverr review for more details.
Qwick: Best for Restaurants Needing Shifts Filled Fast
What We Like
- 98% fill rate
- Temps are vetted, certified, and rated
- Positions filled as fast as minutes from posting
What's Missing
- Available in 13 states* (plus Washington, D.C.) only
- 40% fee
- FAQ only—no help articles or videos
Qwick Pricing
- 40% service fee based on the hourly wage you set
- Wait staff
- Cooks
- Bartenders
- Line servers
- Concession workers
- Foodrunners
- Food assemblers
- Barbacks
- Bussers
- General labor (hospitality industry)
Time to Hire: As quick as same-day
*Qwick is only available in the ff. states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX
Qwick works much like a temp agency, but with on-demand fulfillment of shift workers for restaurants, hotels, and events. Its workers are industry professionals that work as independent contractors. It has one of the most thorough vetting procedures on our list and offers shifts that its workers choose to pick up. It’s a great way to find someone to fill in a last-minute gap, hire seasonal workers, or surge for a planned event. One drawback to Qwick, however, is that it’s only available in 13 states, plus Washington, D.C.—consider Wonolo if your area is not covered.
Qwick earned 3.56 out of 5 in our evaluation. The 40% markup made it one of the most expensive on our list, but it earned an excellent score for ease of use, in part because it handles insurance and finds employees for you. Businesses give the service and the app high scores as well—4.9 out of 5 stars on the Apple store.
Qwick Pricing
Qwick’s pricing is simple: You set the hourly fee for your worker, and Qwick adds a 40% service fee to that, the second-highest fee on this list (Wonolo is first, at 45%). You can also pay your worker tips, which are not included when calculating the service fee.
Qwick Features
Qwick is for filling shifts in the restaurant and hospitality industry. You can set up for one-time fills, recurring shifts, or seasonal work. For project-based work, consider Handy or TaskRabbit.
To get started with Qwick, sign up online or schedule a call. (Source: Qwick)
- In-depth vetting: Qwick has the most extensive vetting process on our list. They interview employees, quiz them on their knowledge, and make them attend an in-person orientation before bringing them onto the platform. Clients also rate professionals; if someone’s rating falls below 3.5 out of 5, they are removed.
- Certifications: Qwick makes sure workers have the certifications they need for the jobs they accept, such as food handling or alcohol serving. They also have TIPS/Basic Title IV certifications where needed. This helps ensure you stay compliant with local law. For most services on our list, you need to ask about certifications yourself.
- Workers’ Comp: Like Handy, Qwick handles a worker’s insurance, including workers’ compensation.
- Excellent success rate: Qwick boasts a 98% fill rate and says it can find you a temp in a matter of minutes rather than days.
- Rehiring/Firing tools: If you like a worker, you can add them to your favorites to request for future shifts. If you rate them 5 stars, they get dibs on future shifts from you. However, if you have a no-show or a poor worker, you can complain to Qwick within two hours of the shift to get a refund; plus, you can rate them poorly, which affects their future employment through Qwick.
- Mobile App: Qwick has one of the highest-rated apps for employers on our list. The employee app is similarly well-regarded. Managers using the app can view shift rosters, rate professionals, and create a custom pool of favorite workers for filling future shifts.
Band of Hands: Best for Finding Short-term W2 Workers
What We Like
- Handles insurance and benefits
- Can invite your favorite talent back
- Easy to post jobs and set wages for W2 or 1099 work
What's Missing
- Not good for last-minute shift fulfillment
- Registration fee
- You fill out payroll weekly
- Only available in 3 states (Arizona, California, and Minnesota)
Band of Hands Pricing
- $250 one-time registration fee
- $10 per employee per week
- Employer pays workers’ comp and taxes, plus wages
- Warehouse/Distribution
- Hospitality
- Call Centers
- Service industry
- Catering
- Special events
- General labor
- Retail
Time to Hire: Does not say but does not specify same-day fulfillment
Band of Hands offers a “new way” to hire talent. It provides a job board with a ready set of gig workers who are vetted and onboarded into their system. Workers sign up for part-time or full-time jobs with you, but Band of Hands handles all the paperwork and payroll, including benefits for those working over 30 hours a week. You benefit from a ready workforce, while its laborers can select their jobs to suit their schedules. However, the biggest issue is its reach—Band of Hands is only available in Arizona, California, and Minnesota.
With a 3.34 out of 5 in our evaluation, Band of Hands placed above Wonolo, which provides similar services. It earned a top score for pricing, with you setting the worker rate and paying an additional weekly fee. You can choose your workers and make jobs private to invite specific workers to apply. Band of Hands can select workers for you if desired as well.
Band of Hands Pricing
Band of Hands charges a one-time sign-up fee of $250. After that, it costs $10 per employee, per week, or $40 per month. This is less expensive than others that have salary markups and is even cheaper than many payroll software programs.
You set the price you want to pay. You can hire as a W-2 worker or 1099 contractor. You are responsible for workers’ compensation and, for W-2 workers, payroll taxes, including FUTA and SUTA.
Band of Hands Features
Band of Hands is primarily for shift or salary work. If you need local labor for a project, consider Handy or TaskRabbit.
You can quickly post a job with start and end dates or for ongoing employment. (Source: Band of Hands Demo)
- W-2 employees without W-2 hassle: Band of Hands takes care of the onboarding, payroll, and even benefits for the workers it provides. All you do is create the jobs and take them on. This service includes additional onboarding tools if you have specific documents that need to be signed, time tracking tools, and more. The others on our list do not provide as many services.
- Set your company profile: You can attract more workers to your business with a company profile, which Band of Hands lets you create and edit.
- DIY Payroll: Band of Hands uses Paychex Flex for paying employees. It gives you an account for paying your employees. You’ll need to fill out and submit payroll two days before the employee gets paid (usually each Friday). It provides a training video. Most services on our list handle the payments for you, with their markups.
- Invite preferred workers: If you would like to invite a particular person to sign up for a future job, you need to set the job to private, then invite them through the app. Others on our list let you reach out individually to favorites or give them the first right of refusal to new jobs.
- Mobile App: Band of Hands has only one app on Android for both clients and professionals (most other providers on our list offer separate applications). The Google app lets you post jobs and communicate with professionals, while the Apple app seems to be only for accepting work.
TaskRabbit: Best for Skilled Workers of Your Choosing for Short-term Tasks
What We Like
- Highly popular site for filling quick tasks
- Option for same-day service (as available)
- Easy to pay, tip workers
What's Missing
- Taskers are not vetted ahead of time
- TaskRabbit does not insure taskers
- No time clock/project tracking features
TaskRabbit Pricing
- 7.5% “Trust & Support” fee
- 3% credit card transaction fee
- TaskRabbit also charges its professionals 15% commission and a $25 registration fee. These may be considered in the professional’s price
- Handyman
- Delivery
- Cleaning
- Furniture assembly
- Moving
- Yard work
- Organization
- Administration
- Research
- Equipment installation
- Carpentry
- Electrical
- Decorating (paint, wallpaper)
- Events
- Personal assistant
Time to Hire: Varies; taskers allow you to schedule
TaskRabbit is a popular site for finding handymen and skilled labor for simple tasks. This usually covers housekeeping and simple repairs but can include moving, staffing an event, and even personal assistant work. You set the price and task, find qualified workers, and set a schedule with them—which is the major difference between Handy, which provides you a quote and selects workers for you. While intended for personal use, businesses can take advantage of the platform for finding and hiring people for quick tasks.
TaskRabbit has 3.25 out of 5 stars in our evaluation. None of its scores were top-notch, but all of them were average or better. It earned points for having live support, but it has no videos or manual for using its system—granted, it’s intuitive enough. You need to find your own employees, and while it has a rating system, there is no vetting process. Users rated it 3.7 out of 5, although the mobile apps all earned much higher scores than that.
TaskRabbit Pricing
We did not find pricing on TaskRabbit’s site, but third-party sources say it charges clients 7.5%, which funds its Trust and Support program. If you pay using a credit card, expect an additional 3% on top of that. However, for the taskers themselves, you set the price you are willing to pay. (They pay TaskRabbit a 15% commission.)
TaskRabbit Features
TaskRabbit is for hiring skilled workers and professionals on a by-job basis. It is not for filling shifts. For shiftwork, consider Band of Hands or Wonolo.
TaskRabbit makes it easy to find, evaluate, and schedule skilled workers for small or large tasks. (Source: TaskRabbit)
- Find taskers nationwide: TaskRabbit is available in 60 cities across the United States. TaskRabbit is also available in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Compare this to Handy, which claims “hundreds of cities around the United States, Canada, and the U.K.” People on this service (called taskers) generally work local labor, although there are some administrative positions that might be remote as well.
- Search and evaluate taskers: The search is similar to many of the on-demand apps on our list: set your task, price range, and location, and choose from a list of taskers. Anyone can sign up to be a tasker, so you need to check qualifications before hiring if needed. However, they are evaluated by jobs done and satisfaction. Taskers who are especially good are granted elite status, which shows up on their profile. Handy, on the other hand, vets its workers.
- Save your faves: Like many of the gig apps on our list, if you have a good experience with a tasker, you can save them to a list to call upon again.
- Dispute management: TaskRabbit not only lets you dispute taskers who provided a bad service, but it also lets you file a claim for lost, stolen, or damaged items. TaskRabbit will respond in five days. Unfortunately, if your tasker is late or a no-show, all you can do (other than contact them through the app) is give them a bad review.
- Mobile App: Like most of the apps on our list, there are separate apps for clients and professionals. The client app lets you find, hire, chat with, and pay a tasker/professional. It’s one of the higher-rated apps on our list.
Dolly: Best for Last-mile Deliveries & Small Moves
What We Like
- Hire someone in as fast as 90 minutes
- Vetted professionals
- Manage and track deliveries in Lighthouse or other Transportation Management Systems through API
What's Missing
- Not for large-scale moves
- Limited locations
- Complaints of no-shows
Dolly Pricing
- Call for a quote
- Retail store delivery
- Small moves
- Pick ups
- Junk removal
- Donation drop-off
Time to Hire: As quick as same-day
Dolly taps into the gig economy to provide movers for last-mile delivery and one-time moving options for people and businesses. Used by companies like Costco, Big Lots!, and Purple, it’s also available for small businesses. Dolly serves about 50 cities, covering 70% of urban America.
Note: One-star reviews on Yelp, which outweighed the positive reviews by more than two to one, complained of last-minute no-shows. These were almost always private, one-time moves, so consider that when hiring Dolly for a one-off assignment.
Dolly earned a 3.16 out of 5 on our matrix. It’s the only one on our list to earn a perfect score for ease of use, and it did reasonably well on the other criteria as well. The hardest-hit section was rehiring/firing because you cannot choose your professionals, and Dolly has a bad record of finding replacements for no-shows.
Dolly Pricing
Dolly does not list its pricing on its website. You will need to call for a quote. You cannot set your price or price range. Only Handy has similar nontransparent pricing; the rest on our list show prices or at least let you set a range.
Dolly Features
Dolly is for hiring local talent for deliveries or short moves. If they cannot meet your needs or you have a one-time delivery or move, consider TaskRabbit.
You need to contact Dolly for a demo and quote. (Source: Dolly)
- On-demand moving: Unlike TaskRabbit, Dolly specializes only in deliveries, with vetted professionals in branded trucks or cargo vans who do small moves and delivery of items for individuals or retail. You can hire them for ongoing work or one-time deliveries.
- TMS system: While some apps have time or project tracking, Dolly has its own transportation management system (TMS), Lighthouse, which you can use (for a fee) to track deliveries. Alternatively, you can use Dolly’s API to integrate its tracking into your own TMS. This is a great help for knowing where a delivery is and is a plus for your customer service.
- Mobile App: Dolly’s mobile apps are more popular with clients than professionals, which is backward from most. However, since Dolly assigns your workers, this should not be a problem for you. You can easily book a move or delivery on the app.
Wonolo: Best for Hiring Local Workers
What We Like
- Can rehire or hire away workers you like
- Handles insurance, taxes, benefits
- Post jobs, save templates
What's Missing
- Hefty service fee
- No candidate filters
- Limited dispute resolution
Wonolo: Pricing
- 45% markup
- 1.5% interest on late payments
- Hiring fee from $0 to $6,000 depending on how long the Wonoloer worked for you
- Event services
- Food services
- Bartending
- Hotel
- Travel
- Manufacturing
- Retail
- Warehousing
Time to Hire: Varies; as quick as same-day
Wonolo provides a pool of prescreened workers that you can hire within a day. You create and post the job, and the professionals (called Wonoloers) can see and accept it right away. You’ll get a profile of those that accept the shift. If you like a worker, you can invite them for further work or even hire them away from the platform. Wonolo is similar to Bands of Hands in that it lets you post shifts for workers and handles insurance and workers’ comp; however, it is available throughout the US.
Wonolo had the lowest score on our list—3.06 out of 5—but is an oft-mentioned site for gig workers, which earned it a place here. It’s easy to use, but you do have to post jobs to get workers, rather than Wonolo assigning them to you like Band of Hands can. Wonolo handles insuring the Wonoloers so that you won’t need to.
Wonolo Pricing
Like Qwick, Wonolo has a hefty markup fee: 45%. It also charges a late fee of 1.5% interest. If you like a worker you hire and want to take them on full-time as an employee, Wonolo charges a hiring fee based on the hours worked by the Wonoloer:
- 0-200 hours: $6,000
- >200, <520 hours: $3,000
- >520 Hours: $0.
Wonolo Features
Wonolo is for hourly or salary employees rather than project-based contractor work. For project-based work, look at Handy or TaskRabbit.
Contact Wonolo via form or chat with their customer representatives to get started. (Source: Wonolo)
- Vetted local workers: Wonolo handles the interviewing and background checks for its workers, so all you need to do is post the shifts and type of worker you need. Wonoloers can then accept a shift in a matter of minutes. Wonolo is available in over 100 cities across the US. Band of Hands, by contrast, is only available in Arizona, California, and Minnesota.
- Vetted, Insured workers: Like the other shift-handling apps on our list, Wonolo vets its workers and provides insurance including workers’ compensation.
- Path Forward program: If you are interested in helping people who were in jail find employment, you can join Wonolo’s Path Forward program, which provides opportunities to those who were in the criminal justice system. You can customize your level of employment through the program to what you are comfortable with. We did not find this with others on our list.
- Flexible payment: Unlike most of the apps on our list, which require payment in full once a job is complete, you may be able to receive weekly invoices. You need to contact Wonolo to arrange this, and not all businesses qualify.
- Plan ahead: You can post recurring shifts or upcoming jobs with Wonolo, or invite your favorite Wonoloers to sign up for future shifts. This is pretty typical for shift sites, and Qwick and Band of Hands have similar features.
- Mobile App: Wonolo’s mobile app is not often used by businesses; the desktop is easier. However, the professional app is very popular and highly rated. This is good because it means Wonoloers are using it to accept shifts. (Wonolo calls its client app Wonolo Pro.)
How We Evaluated the Best Work-on-Demand Hiring Apps
We looked at over two dozen gig sites, considering them from a business perspective. As such, we gave priority to those that let you hire fast, allow you to see your candidate’s qualifications and ratings, and were easy to use. A few run like temp agencies, while others let you hire freelancers.
For project-based gig work, Upwork takes the lead. With reasonable prices and a wide variety of creative and administrative freelancers, it’s easy to find a contractor. If you need in-person labor, however, such as for putting together office furniture, Handy is your top choice. Finally, we found Qwick the best for filling in last-minute shifts such as for restaurants.
The services vary by what they provide, so we tried to consider features they held in common. Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria:
15% of Overall Score
Most gig sites either let their gig workers set prices, like with Fiverr, or let you set a price, like Wonolo. However, all add a processing fee of some kind. When considering affordability, we looked for markup percentage and transparency. Upwork, Fiverr, Giggrabbers, and Band of Hands earned perfect scores here.
25% of Overall Score
This score covered how you filled a job: whether workers were vetted, how fast you could hire, how you could evaluate candidates, and whether it offered a mobile app for employers. TaskRabbit had the top score, followed closely by Upwork.
20% of Overall Score
Here, we looked at account features like locations, account management, time clock or project tracking, how easy it was to pay workers, and what hiring tools the interface had. Giggrabbers had the highest score with 4.5 out of 5, with Wonolo and Upwork both earning 4 out of 5.
10% of Overall Score
All our research cannot take the place of the experiences of real-world users. Here we consider scoring on popular review sites like Trustpilot, Yelp, and G2. Upwork had a perfect score; most had high user satisfaction scores, but were not popularly reviewed.
15% of Overall Score
We paid special attention to businesses that let you easily hire the same people again, as well as had dispute resolution channels in case you had problems with a worker, such as a no-show or failure to perform well. Handy had a perfect score here because they will get you a replacement worker on the same day if there are problems.
15% of Overall Score
We looked for how easy it was to hire someone, which included whether the service hired for you or if you placed an ad or sought out a person from a group, how easy the interface is, and what help options it has. The top three here were Dolly, Handy, and Quick, which hire for you and handle insurance. Dolly alone had a perfect score.
Bottom Line
The number of people who prefer the flexibility of gig work is growing. This includes project-minded freelancers like you find on Upwork or Fiverr, or skilled laborers who want to pick up shifts as needed and turn to apps like Wonolo or TaskRabbit. If you are in a bind for a quick fill for a shift or need skilled work for a simple project, these on-demand work apps can connect you to the labor you need.
For skilled project work, we recommend Upwork. It offers flexible tools for finding a contractor or posting a job, lets you find hourly or by-project work, and offers other tools for managing your employees—both those you found on Upwork and those you outsourced. Check out Upwork and get started.