Craigslist is different from other freelance sites, because it acts as a connector, but not really a facilitator. What that means for our "Good" list is that Craigslist is easy to use and access. No registration on the site is required to respond to advertisements (only for advertising services yourself) and new postings appear daily. Additionally, it is cost-free to accept work (no middle-man facilitating fees), and many details (payment, etc.) are determined client-to-provider, giving both parties more control of the process. While other sites control the interactions between freelancer and client on-site for a slice of the fee, Craigslist simply connects the two in a cost-effective manner.

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The Bad

Little facilitation

Unfortunately, the simplicity of Craigslist is a two-edged sword. Craigslist is a great resource for people to find each other, but facilitates very little. While this can be positive for the reasons offered above, it also gives greater responsibility and liability to the clients and writers who use it. Everything from discussing the project to receiving payment for the project must be planned and enforced by the parties involved, which is a responsibility some would rather avoid.

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The Bottom Line

Use Craigslist at your own discretion and practice safe and secure business. While a more of a hands-off service than we prefer, Craigslist provides a decent number of local jobs no matter your location and is a great place to connect with clients.

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User Reviews

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3.5

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21 Reviews

Review Breakdown

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19%

4 grade

38%

3 grade

19%

2 grade

14%

1 grade

10%

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Mason Allen Provo, UT

Craigslist was better five years ago before scamming just took over and ruined the entire platform. Now it is too difficult to promote/sell freelance products from small businesses. Each post brings in at least 50% interest from scammers and it is frustrating that Craigslist has not found a way to fix this yet. I do like the platform though. It is easy to use and organized.

5 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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anna blaser St Louis, MO

I used to love Craigslist but I don’t enjoy it anymore. There are so many spammers on the website that makes it difficult to use. I hate getting spam texts when I’m just trying to look for something.

4 years ago

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Victoria Hahn MN

I feel as though Craigslist is becoming outdated. Their security measures are poor and the format needs to be updated. I don’t recommend Craigslist.

4 years ago

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Kathie Bowman Lakeside, CA

Posting jobs is relatively easy to do. I usually get a decent number of responses, however not everyone responds with a resume which can be frustrating.

7 years ago