Every work-from-home jobs article starts the same way: a treatise on how telecommuting is more appealing than ever, how you can work from a beach or stay at home with the family, etc. The truth is that if you’re here and you’re reading this, then you probably already have a decent idea of how working from home can serve you, and you already want to explore the option.

So let’s get right into what matters: where to actually find remote jobs. Whether you want more traditional jobs you can do from home for one specific company, or you want to strike out on your own as a freelancer, these 10 legit work-from-home job sites can help you do it.

(P.S. working from a beach is a good way to get sand in your laptop—don’t believe Instagram.)

10 Best Remote Work Websites

Finding online work is about finding your niche. Work-from-home jobs normally fall into several different categories, which include but aren’t limited to transcription, freelance writing, design and development, digital assistance, and data entry.

If you’re lucky, you’ve already got experience in one of these areas. Maybe you’ve done a little graphic design work, or you’re an IT jack-of-all-trades, or writing is your passion. Once you’re confident about what you have to offer, you can use the sites below to find remote jobs within your chosen category.

Telecommuting Jobs Websites

In this half of the list, we’ll look at online job websites focusing on remote employment opportunities (not freelance gig work, which will come later).

1. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is more or less the quintessential work-from-home jobs site. You do have to pay for access, but behind that paywall, you get an extremely well-vetted experience. Every job poster there is serious, and since you’re paying to use it, they know that you’re serious as well.

People across all sorts of niches can find work-from-home opportunities here. If you have a little to invest and something to show for yourself in your niche, this is a good place to start.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is FlexJobs free? No

Is FlexJobs legit? Yes

Is FlexJobs safe? Yes

2. Virtual Vocations

Virtual Vocations is like a free parallel to FlexJobs. Well, more accurately, a freemium parallel. Even though you can access and apply to jobs using the free version, you get full access to the site’s extensive listing database and numerous premium features by upgrading your account.

If you don’t want to spend money yet and are just dipping your toes in the water, Virtual Vocations is a good place to see what’s available. Check out the categories on their Jobs page to see what niches companies are looking for.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is Virtual Vocations free? Yes

Is Virtual Vocations legit? Yes

Is Virtual Vocations safe? Yes

3. Pangian

Like the supercontinent it takes its name from, Pangian is about connecting people across continents. Their mission is not only connecting remote workers with remote companies—but also with each other.

Thus, in addition to job postings you’ll find social support and insider tips on all things related to remote work. You can sign up for free and upgrade to Pro if you want.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is Pangian free? Yes

Yes Is Pangian legit? Yes

Is Pangian safe? Yes

4. JustRemote

One of the newer sites on the list, JustRemote offers the opportunity for remote-job-seekers to search by specific criteria such as time zone overlaps and the proximity of a given posting.

Since some remote jobs require on-site training before the remote aspect kicks in, this can be pretty useful. While it might not be the biggest remote jobs site out there yet, it’s free and postings are vetted so it’s mostly serious employers looking for serious employees.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? No

Is JustRemote free? Yes

Yes Is JustRemote legit? Yes

Is JustRemote safe? Yes

5. Remote.Co

Remote.Co offers a vetted selection of free job postings to people looking to start working remotely. Their job board that lets you quickly find work suited to your niche. It’s much like the former sites in that it offers a wide variety of job categories for both creative and analytic types.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is Remote.co free? Yes

Yes Is Remote.co legit? Yes

Is Remote.co safe? Yes

Remote Freelancing Websites

Different people want different things. Some people want the security of a firm remote job with set tasks and rigid responsibilities. That’s totally valid and is, in a lot of ways, a safer option (sometimes I envy the simplicity of a W2 and work-sponsored health insurance).

But if you’re looking to launch your own business and work with a variety of clients, freelancing is often a smart way to start. In this half of the article, we’re going to talk about sites that you can use to facilitate that vision.

6. Upwork

Upwork is a highly competitive and vetted community of freelancers that will let you seek out work opportunities from a wide range of clients. This is actually where I got my start back in college (although it was called Elance at the time).

Since the freelancers on Upwork are normally of a certain skill level, the rates are often fairer than they may be on other more dubious sites. It can still be hit or miss—I’ve seen my fair share of clients who want to pay writers two cents per word—but since Upwork lists estimated budgets right in the post, you can simply skip over the lowballers instead of applying.

I haven’t been active on Upwork for a couple years, but I know they recently changed to a paid model where freelancers have to purchase credits (called “connects”) in order to apply for jobs.

The rationale is that it weeds out non-serious applicants, but you can decide if that’s a dealbreaker. On the bright side for you, it reduces competition. Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon to see 100+ proposals for a single gig.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is Upwork free? Yes

Yes Is Upwork legit? Yes

Is Upwork safe? Yes

7. Fiverr

On Fiverr, you can set up an account and sell tasks. With a premium account, you can offer various levels of tasks and pricing. While the site is very competitive, one advantage is that it lets the clients come to you, so it saves you time on busywork like applications and proposals.

I probably wouldn’t rely on it as your sole source of income, since clients often come to Fiverr looking for inexpensive labor (the name was born from the idea of five-dollar tasks). That said, you can be paid well and there are definite tricks for succeeding on Fiverr—learn more in our article here.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is Fiverr free? Yes

Yes Is Fiverr legit? Yes

Is Fiverr safe? Yes

8. Freelancer

Freelancer is one of the most frustrating sites for new freelancers, but it’s free and has a low barrier of entry, so you should be able to get started without a whole lot of hassle.

They also offer a free trial on the premium version of the site, which lets you apply to many more jobs than free users and allows you to promote your bids on projects. Don’t throw yourself in the deep end here as a newbie, but the site is worth checking out once you’ve built up some remote work experience.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is Freelancer free? Yes

Yes Is Freelancer legit? Yes

Is Freelancer safe? Yes

9. Reddit

You might be familiar with this forum-style site as a black hole for wasting time online (no one is immune to r/HappyCowGifs), but you can actually be productive here too. Platforms within Reddit offer a great place to find work or advertise yourself.

Subcommunities like r/ForHire, r/HireMe, r/HireAWriter, give you a place to tell people about your services and what you can do, and clients can post about available work. Start an account and browse a little bit, then after a while you’ll be eligible to post about yourself and your skills.

While you’re at it, fill your feed with job advice on subreddits like r/WorkOnline, r/Jobs, and r/CareerQuestions.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is Reddit free? Yes

Yes Is Reddit legit? Yes

Is Reddit safe? Yes

10. WordPress

Our final option may not be a job board in and of itself, but if you’re serious about running a freelance business, this is how you level up. Having a basic website to represent you and your brand is the easiest way for current and future clients to learn about what you do and refer others your way.

Online, your website is your business card. WordPress makes it simple to set up your own site, explain what you offer, and show off some of your work so you can quickly build a place to call your online office. If you know what market you’re targeting, you can even look into advertising via ads and SEO to send search engine traffic your way.

If you’re looking to start working for yourself, then it’s important to remember one simple fact: reputation is everything. The best way to get good work is to do good work. Most of my best clients have come via referrals.

But building your reputation takes time. I’ve known a lot of freelancers and content creators, and all of them started with a frustrating period of feeling underwater—sending tons of applications and getting nothing back. When you’re an unseasoned new freelancer, great clients probably won’t fall in your lap from day one.

To that, the only solution is to keep at it. While you’re in the stage that feels like a slog, work on honing your skills and building a portfolio. If you have a knack for writing but don’t have anything to show for it besides college essays, start out by writing a few articles on Medium or start a blog on a topic that interests you professionally.

If you’ve always liked computers and think you may make a good web developer, or you have an eye for aesthetics and you’d like to get into design, then online course sites like Coursera or Udemy will be a prime place for you to start your education.

Build personal projects or offer your services to a local nonprofit so you have something to show potential clients.

Lastly, if you’re not really sure what kind of remote jobs you want, you can also explore these remote work websites before you get into your niche to discover what’s out there. Then, focus on training yourself in the skills you’re seeing that a lot of the well-paying, legit work-from-home jobs have in common.

There’s a lot of competition for jobs you can do from home, but just like with any job (remote or not), the search won’t last forever. When you find that perfect position or dream freelance client, don’t let them go.

The TL;DR:

Signup required? Yes

Is WordPress free? No

No Is WordPress legit? Yes

Is WordPress safe? Yes

Next, 26 ways to make money from home