Find the best site to hire Instructional Designers

Toptal staff created a highly vetted freelancer marketplace of on-demand, rigorously tested talent. Every instructional designer on the site had to undergo a screening process to prove they possessed hard-to-find skills. Fewer than 3% of applicants make it through. Toptal is our top choice because businesses can access high-caliber, expertly matched talent quickly and easily.

Key Points:

• Toptal offers a two-week trial period to see if your new hire fits the company culture without risk.

• Toptal has the most intricate, professional vetting process of any other marketplace to hire instructional designers on our list.

• A representative will assess your business and need to find the perfect match.

Upwork is the largest marketplace to find freelance instructional designers online. They offer multiple avenues to finding talent. Post a job and wait for talent to respond. Browse projects planned by the professionals who know them best, or take the fast lane directly to the right talent by working with a representative who learns your budget and goals. They connect you with instructional designers suited for the task.

Key Points:

• Upwork has a complex fee system, but they offer fair pricing.

• They make it easy to find freelance jobs and potential clients.

• Upwork handles all contracting, billing, invoicing, and mediation.

Neovation exclusively designs eLearning projects. When you hire instructional designers from their fully-integrated in-house team, they create a custom learning experience and provide project managers to ensure everything runs smoothly. They match you with an eLearning advisor with expertise in your industry, and the booking is free.

Key Points:

• Neovation offers a no-obligation, custom quote for eLearning projects.

• They specialize in developing intuitive training programs, offering a team of instructional designers and managers.

• Neovation consistently wins awards for innovative eLearning design and execution.

Learning Pool is another company offering custom content from award-winning instructional designers and project managers. They provide flexible solutions for training programs and round-the-clock support to help you with compliance, upskilling, onboarding, and more. Learning Pool is a leader in creating game frameworks, offering a unique approach to training.

Key Points:

• They offer translation services for all their learning materials.

• Their diverse team allows you to find instructional designers with skills in animation, marketing, games, and more.

• The Learning Pool Authoring program allows clients access to edit content themselves.

Designhill is a global marketplace catering to businesses’ creative needs, providing an extensive pool to find instructional designers. They offer everything from video training programs to custom graphic designs. You can source high-quality work from a community of professional designers or buy custom projects based on your needs. Use their services and tools to keep all your creative projects in one place.

Key Points:

• Designhill has consistently high ratings from current and former customers.

• They offer free design consultations to help you get started without a commitment.

• They have fewer designers than the larger sites, slowing their response time.

99designs by Vista is another creative content generator where you can hire freelance instructional designers. Search among professionals in over 90 design skill sets to find the right eLearning developer for your project. Many freelancers on the site have backgrounds in branding and marketing, helping you create custom instructional videos that match your company culture.

Key Points:

• 99designs allows you to search for professionals that specifically handle the types of projects you need.

• They offer an easy-to-use platform to search for designers and projects.

• 99designs has several pricing tiers that allow you to stay within your budget and access the needed services.

We chose ELM Learning for its strategic approach to instructional design services. Their team creates holistic learning opportunities that stray from the traditional modules to create unique programs. Hiring instructional designers is easy with their commitment to profound discovery, making finding a team to fit your needs simple and fast.

Key Points:

• ELM Learning excavates your business to learn as much as possible about your design needs and advise you more effectively.

• They offer in-person and online learning experiences.

• They use a data-driven creative process to support their designs, customizing every aspect of the project, from budget to visuals.

Guru is a premier choice to hire freelance instructional designers. Using a simple process to communicate with freelancers, Guru streamlines the steps in hiring and onboarding new team members. With over 20 years of experience in the industry and a roaster of over 800,000 freelancers, you can trust Guru to manage your projects and provide high-caliber talent.

Key Points:

• Guru is one of the most affordable freelance marketplaces.

• They have a near-perfect customer satisfaction rating.

• Guru allows you to ask instructional designers for quotes directly based on the details of your project.

Teamed is a flexible marketplace for hiring instructional designers. They carefully vet digital learning professionals and allow you direct access to their talent pool through your posted job listing. If you need help finding the right fit, a seasoned recruiter will work with you to assess your company's needs and find candidates. The platform uses a simple process to develop contracts and track projects.

Key Points:

• Teamed offers full-service recruitment, promising candidate matching after a 15-minute chat.

• They have a job board with detailed listings to attract more talent.

• The platform provides contractor hiring so that you can onboard an instructional designer for temporary help.

Twine is a resourceful freelancer market trusted by some of the largest companies across various industries. The best instructional designers undergo a heavily vetted process to test their knowledge and ensure they have the expertise for your project. According to client reviews, this global network of informed designers produces quality work at fast speeds.

Key Points:

• Twine offers help with writing job descriptions and managing communications.

• They allow businesses to post a project or job at no upfront cost.

• Twine has a community of over 400,000 freelancers from 190 countries.

If you need to hire freelance instructional designers, Freelancer is an easy-to-navigate platform with a simple four-step process to success. Post a job, choose your freelancers, track progress, and pay safely through the website. With over 68 million users, Freelancer is the largest contract worker marketplace for large enterprises, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups.

Key Points:

• Freelancer allows businesses to read reviews from previous clients of their talent.

• They offer competitive rates for freelancer services.

• Major publications, such as The New York Times, featured Freelancer as a safe space for hiring.