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Top 11 sites to find and hire CAD Designers

Based on facts publicly available as of 01.01.2024

1. Toptal

Our team found the best CAD designers at the world-class talent-sourcing freelance site Toptal. When you need niche talent fast, Toptal is your go-to site for a smooth, seamless experience. Toptal’s account managers listen to your project’s requirements and work on building a team of freelance pros for you without any extra work on your end.

According to Toptal client Michael Gluckman, “Toptal makes finding a candidate extremely easy and gives you peace of mind that they have the skills to deliver.”

  • Enjoy a risk-free trial for up to 5 days.
  • Completed over 60,000 projects for 25K+ satisfied clients.
  • Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5.
Toptal
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2. Cad Crowd

Cad Crowd is a specialty freelance platform that caters to CAD designers and employers looking for them. You have different options for working with the team at Cad Crowd to staff your CAD project. You can have their account managers run your project and workflow for you, or you can just source hourly freelance designers from their database.

  • Cad Crowd also allows clients to post a crowdsourced design contest for specific jobs and choose a winning entry for on-demand tasks.
  • The site claims clients can save up to 35% by using their hourly freelance designers compared to hiring a design firm.
  • Work from designers through Cad Crowd has a built-in quality control component so customers can feel confident that their chosen freelancer has the necessary skills and talent needed.
Cad Crowd
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3. Fiverr

Fiverr is a cost-effective, flexible and convenient way to source freelance CAD designers. It offers business clients multiple ways to hire talented designers, such as reviewing freelancers’ pre-set design jobs, posting projects or browsing the user database. After hiring a competent freelance designer, clients can use Fiverr’s collaborative tools and secure payment system to complete the project.

  • Clients have to do most of the sorting and vetting themselves if they choose the basic service from Fiverr.
  • Fiverr also offers a curated service for premium freelance talent, Fiverr Pro.
  • The site does not have a strong quality control system, so clients must be vigilant when dealing with unproven talent.
Fiverr
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4. X-Pro CAD Consulting

X-Pro CAD Consulting is an organization dedicated to computer-aided design drafting. This is the place to find CAD designers who have the expertise and knowledge you need for a complex project. Their team can take on an entire project and plan it out with you, including the design details and the finished result, or you can hire one of their freelance designers.

  • This firm and its freelancers specialize in all things CAD, including architectural drafting and design services, 3D printing, 3D modeling, drafting projects, digital projects and industrial designs.
  • X-Pro also offers manufacturing services once your design project is completed.
  • Reviewer Ajvan Soufizadeh says, “I’ve done a couple projects with them in the past and communication and delivery is top quality.”
X-Pro CAD Consulting
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5. People Per Hour

If you want to manage your search for designers yourself, look to PeoplePerHour. PeoplePerHour is a freelance site that hosts millions of members looking for work, including talent in the design industry. If you put in the work to browse profiles and vet them yourself, you can easily hire CAD designers for your project.

  • PeoplePerHour gives you the flexibility to hire entry-level through senior professionals in design.
  • There is a platform on the site allowing clients to message potential design workers and pay them once work finishes.
  • PeoplePerHour does not evaluate potential candidates, so your team will have to take on quality control measures.
People Per Hour
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6. Guru

Another place to find design talent is freelance job posting website, Guru. You can list your job for CAD design on the site for free, or you can post a boosted job listing for a small fee. Freelance designers will respond with bids and give you a quote for their services.

  • Clients have the option to set up their own contract with a freelance for hourly work, a one-time job or a recurring task.
  • Guru offers a simple project management tool called WorkRooms for communication and collaboration purposes once you hire a freelancer.
  • After the freelancer finishes your project, the platform gives you a way to pay through escrow securely.
Guru
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7. Upwork

Guru’s competitor in the freelance marketplace is Upwork, another top site with a large pool of talent. Upwork’s site allows both freelance workers and businesses to post jobs or services. Find freelance CAD designers as well as other tech workers on this platform by posting a gig or browsing user profiles.

  • Upwork charges a percentage on freelancers’ earnings, which may turn off some of the top talent in the industry.
  • You can screen potential candidates by reading reviews from other clients and looking through their portfolios of work.
  • Upwork offers different tiers of membership for employers, including Basic, Plus and Enterprise, depending on the services needed.
Upwork

Key Points

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8. Freelancer

Another type of freelance marketplace site is Freelancer, which also features upwards of 45 million users. The site allows you to post jobs and connect with talented freelancers, who get charged a percentage of their earnings. You have options if you need to hire freelance CAD designers: the standard site users or an upgraded pool of talent with Freelancer Preferred.

  • Freelance workers pay a majority of the costs of using the site and getting paid work, which could keep the best designers away.
  • Users, both freelancers and companies, must do the vetting themselves to ensure a job or a bid is legitimate.
  • Some users have encountered scammers on the website or problems with quality from freelance talent.
Freelancer
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9. Contra

Contra is a differently designed solution for businesses struggling to find on-demand talent. Instead of a marketplace platform, Contra is an online tool that allows companies to source certain types of contract workers, manage the workflow and pay them. Everything you need related to working with your freelancer is in the online application, making hiring and project management much easier.

  • Contra invites the most talented and knowledgeable pros to their premium team of freelancers for priority hiring.
  • The site offers clients templates for contracts for different types of hiring scenarios with freelancers.
Contra
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10. Kolabtree

Next on the list is Kolabtree, an online marketplace that specializes in finding experts for your project. Kolabtree sources expert professionals who have the most impressive credentials, such as an Ivy League education. Hiring CAD designers is as simple as posting a project and reviewing proposals from potential experts.

  • Clients can also browse expert profiles without posting a project and submit a message inquiring about services.
  • Payments happen through a secure escrow system that releases funds once the project finishes.
Kolabtree
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honorable mention

Unicorn Factory

Lastly, check out Unicorn Factory for some high-level talent direct from New Zealand or Canada. Since the site started in 2018, it has helped connect more than 11,000 freelancers with business clients. The Unicorn Factory’s founder got his start as a freelancer and offers a unique perspective in the field.

  • Your team can expect to find a freelancer for your project on the site in about three days.
  • Vetting happens through the Unicorn Factory’s team and via reviews and feedback from former clients.
  • The team at the Unicorn Factory can handle all of the hiring and onboarding for you, or you can opt to do some of it yourself.
Unicorn Factory
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