How I Get Freelance Clients as a Developer (Without Upwork or Fiverr) The big platforms take 20% fees AND flood you with race-to-the-bottom competition. Here's how I found clients on my own. Why I Avoid the Big Platforms Upwork/Fiverr problems: 20% platform fee (Upwork) or $5/month subscription (Fiverr) Race to the bottom on pricing ($5 for a website?!) Algorithm controls your visibility Reviews gatekeep everything — hard to start without existing ones Clients who choose you based on price, not quality My experience: Applied to 30+ gigs on these platforms over 2 months. Got 2 responses. Both ghosted after I sent a quote. Verdict: For established freelancers with reviews? Great. For starting out? Brutal.…