If you work freelance, you don’t need us to tell you the struggles. Long hours, writing invoices, chasing invoices, and of course finding new work! Well this week, we are reviewing a potential solution… Contra, the new professional network for independent workers. Their remit is ‘work the way you want’ by monetising your projects, directly through their site, very smart and very intriguing!

To access Contra, you need to sign up, which is straightforward enough, just add your name, job title, your roles, and a nice photo of yourself (professional of course!) Once in, you can start by monetising your work and looking for commissions, or by developing an online portfolio to showcase to potential clients. For this review, we chose the latter to see how you can build up your new profile. Project creation is easy. Start with your project title and the client/company, then add the tools and collaborators used in the project, i.e. Figma, Notion It’s all very simple but very thorough. For those of you who have read these reviews before, (thank you) you will know we are very keen on layouts and designs. Well Contra looks great, white text on black background is timeless, and with some nice coloured details to go with it, it's stylish, modern and feels like the right place to host your work. 

The service also includes a bio page (your new CV effectively). Contra considers itself as an interactive CV in general, but you can still make one for the old school in all of us! Once your profile is complete, click the globe icon in the top left and begin finding work that fits your skills! Amazing! 

Now you must be wondering how much this service costs… well it’s not crazy money. £21 a month will grant you access to Contra’s extensive business network, analytics and communities. Unlike its competitors Fiverr and UpWork, Contra won’t take a cut of your earnings, the subscription is your sole expenditure to Contra - and even though they’re tightlipped on their network, its rumoured to be in the six figures, so there will definitely will be work out there that matches your skills! LinkedIn is an obvious major competitor, especially now with their development of a freelance hub called ‘Marketplaces’, but Contra has a style and a subtle confidence that feels less corporate and more ‘fun’, they recognise the wants and needs of independent workers and the individuality that comes with it. 

So all in all, we would definitely recommend Contra to any established or budding freelancers out there, it certainly feels built for purpose, and with a headache-free subscription-based account, your earnings are rightfully yours and chasing invoices might just be a thing of the past. Don’t just take our word for it, create your own online portfolio and see for yourself.  

Contra, you get 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼/5!