Today’s post highlights the 50 websites to hire new product design freelancers for product prototype services. Back in the old days, before all the rage about AI and web and mobile applications hit their peak, the term “product design” almost exclusively referred to the development of physical or hardware goods such as appliances, electronics, furniture, clothing, jewelry, vehicles, and so forth. Things have changed now that people who develop apps, software, and all sorts of digital products also regard their professions as product designers, app developers, and engineers.
What this change means to employers is that they now have to be much more diligent when hiring freelance or remote professionals because of the layer of ambiguity that’s sometimes not clearly defined by the candidates themselves. We’ve arrived at a point where if people say they’re product designers, it’s safe to assume that they mainly make digital products (such as the front-end and back-end of a computer program), unless otherwise noted. This is pretty much the usual practice nowadays, especially when you’re hiring (physical) product designers on online talent marketplaces.
Even many that claim to be “design-specialized” or “tech-focused” platforms don’t always make clear the distinction between physical and digital product designers. One of the few exceptions is Cad Crowd, where all the freelancers’ skills and services are grouped into specific categories, making it almost impossible to hire the wrong professionals, regardless of how complex your products and prototypes might be. More about Cad Crowd and all the other alternative platforms are listed below.
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Specialized platforms for product designs and prototyping
The following platforms focus on providing access to talents specializing in product designs and related skills, including but not limited to mechanical engineering, electrical/electronic engineering, packaging design, CAD applications, 3D visualizations, and prototyping.
1. Cad Crowd
A massive highlight of Cad Crowd comes from how the platform neatly categorizes all the services it offers into dozens of subsections, so that clients can find the right product concept design freelancers quickly and easily without having to go through a lot of unnecessary clicks. It might seem simple enough at a glance, but the clever interface does have a big impact on overall site usability. For example, the “Product Design” category is filled with such services as:
- Open Innovation
- Concept Design
- Custom Cast Urethane Molding
- Product Engineering
- 3D Product Demo
- Internet of Things
- Design for Assembly
- Industrial Design
- Prototyping
Cad Crowd has a separate “Consumer Products” category, where you’ll find design services for products like homeware, furniture, toys & games, wearables, fashion, electronics, etc. You can also purchase additional packages to complement your product design projects, such as IP protection (mainly through trademarks and copyright registration, licensing, patents, and NDA) and manufacturing-related services, including DFM services and injection molding design.
It is simply an all-in-one freelance hub for design and engineering projects, backed by more than 100,000 pre-vetted and pre-qualified professionals from all over the world. As far as talent-finding goes, Cad Crowd gives you the option to either hire an expert freelancer recommended by the platform based on your project requirement, launch a public contest and provide a financial reward to the winning design, or purchase an hourly on-demand service. Cad Crowd is based out of California, United States, and Alberta, Canada.
Website: Cadcrowd.com
2. Coroflot
While not a direct alternative to Cad Crowd in terms of range of services and hiring options, Coroflot is nonetheless an effective platform to connect with creative professionals, including product designers and fabricators. It’s primarily a job board with a pretty comprehensive Design Employment Network that encompasses reputable platforms like IxDA, Yanko Design, Core77, Design Observer, and iDSA, among others. This means when you post a job to Coroflot, the project is distributed throughout the network to attract more candidates. A job post on Coroflot costs $295, and it will remain online for 90 days. Discounts are available for multiple posts. But unlike typical job boards, the platform actually allows you to browse for available freelancers, sort the profiles based on types of services (product design, prototyping, consumer goods, industrial, etc.), and contact them through the built-in messaging feature.
Website: Coroflot.com
RELATED: Top Product Usability Factors for Good Product Design Services & New Prototypes
1. Design Match
You probably won’t get ready-to-manufacture CAD files when working with professionals from Design Match, because the main focus here is on design consultancy rather than actual design work. Design Match is unlike most design-specialized freelancing platforms out there, where you can hire a talent to develop your idea into a viable product. Every talent on the platform acts as a consultant to advise you on a product development roadmap and clear workflows based on design constraints (budget, complexity, etc.) and market research. The consultancy itself is done remotely, and Design Match promises that you’ll have a clear overview of the project within 90 minutes of the session. A single session costs $499, and that’s just for the initial discussion.
Website: Designmatch.io
3. Behance
When browsing for 3D product design freelancers on Behance, use the filtering option on the left-hand side of the screen and make sure to check the “Industrial Design” option. The platform grew big as a repository of graphic design assets where members share their projects and showcase their creative works in general. Behance currently has more than 50 million members, and more importantly, you have full access to all the registered freelancers on the site. You can browse their profiles (or “creatives” as Behance calls them), contact them directly, and invite them to work on your next project. There’s also a “Services” search feature in case you want to purchase pre-planned project packages. The usual job posting option is still available, too.
Website: Behance.net
4. DesignCrowd
Think of DesignCrowd as a smaller-scale Behance. For a platform that’s almost entirely revolving around graphic design projects, it’s a pleasant surprise to see how it still offers physical product design and prototyping services. Mind you, the types of products are very much limited to apparel, stationery, product catalogues, or marketing merchandise. The platform works in a crowdsourcing model, meaning you post a contest and pick a winning design or the best prototype, depending on the project, at the end of the period.
Website: Designcrowd.com
5. 99Designs
Running in the same vein as crowdsourcing as DesignCrowd, the priority projects in 99Designs are graphic designs. Both DesignCrowd and 99Designs might not be the product design freelancing platforms for everyone, but if what you need is something along the lines of business cards, tote bags, stickers, or product packaging design services, you probably don’t need a more complex platform in the first place. Mind you that the prototypes will be in the forms of CAD files, images, illustrations, or even PDF documents. If you want to skip the public contest part, 99Designs allows you to pick/invite a designer or two to work on your design project.
Website: 99Designs.com
6. Crowdspring
If you’re fond of crowdsourcing-based design projects, Crowdspring can make for a viable alternative platform. The platform promises that any design you receive (in digital format, of course) is original and editable. Posting a design contest costs at least $299, for which you should receive up to 60 original designs. The price already includes a $200 award for the winning design. Crowdspring promises to deliver dozens of original designs within 7 days or less, and there’s a full money-back guarantee, too.
Website: Crowdspring.com
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Direct design and prototyping services
All the names listed in this category aren’t exactly freelancing platforms, but businesses offering product design and prototyping services on a per-project or contractual basis. And if you think about it, these are essentially freelancers; they work for you as external employees, although most of them are composed of teams rather than one-person business entities like many freelancers are. Direct services might, in fact, be some of the best choices for product development thanks to their in-house design expertise and prototyping capabilities. But at the same time, direct services are often much more expensive than hiring freelancers for the same projects.
7. Kickr Design
Like a lot of product design and prototype design firms, Kickr Design offers turnkey product development services as a freelance partner. It takes rough sketches, or even a mere idea of a product, and develops it further through CAD modeling, design analysis, virtual prototyping, and physical prototyping. There’s no fixed price for any of the services, which makes sense because the cost always depends on product complexity. It can be either pretty affordable for a simple mechanical product or extensively pricey for a sophisticated device. Kickr Design guarantees the confidentiality of all your conversations about product ideas with the company through an NDA, and that you get to keep 100% of the IP throughout the process. Kickr Design is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Website: Kickrdesign.com
8. CADmore
The main design services from CADmore include all the major steps in product development: research, ideation, physical mockups, three-dimensional visualization, and prototyping. CADmore can work with just about every product category, even electronics. If you already have a CAD file generated, they re-analyze everything to make sure that the design is indeed ready for prototyping and production. As for the prototyping, the company will first produce initial models for testing and evaluation before moving on to low-volume production intended for pilot runs. It even offers post-launch support to help you address any issues that may arise once the product enters the market.
Website: Cadmore.com
9. Fictiv
Custom manufacturing is the only service Fictiv provides. This includes 3D printing, injection molding, compression molding, die casting, urethane casting, sheet metal, and CNC machining. It all sounds business as usual, until you realize that Fictiv has no minimum order quantity, meaning you can have any physical product design prototyped without having to pay the full price of low-volume manufacturing. Fictiv doesn’t generate CAD or offer design services of any sort, but it can connect you with professional engineers and industrial designers in case you need design help.
Website: Fictiv.com
10. Protolabs Network
There isn’t much of a difference between Fictiv and Protolabs Network, as both are primarily prototyping services that offer limited assistance in product design. In essence, they don’t generate the CAD file or work on the design from the ground up on your behalf. You have to provide a ready-to-fabricate design in the first place, but they may recommend minor changes to streamline the workflow for efficiency. Protolabs Network has a DFM tool to help analyze your design and optimize it for manufacturing purposes. The idea is to retain the intended design features and function while minimizing production cost as much as possible. In addition, the platform makes sure that at every stage of the prototyping or manufacturing process, you always have access to a team of mechanical engineers and technicians in case you need project-related advice.
Website: Hubs.com
RELATED: How Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Services Help with New Product Design at Your Startup
11. SyBridge
A design-to-manufacture company, SyBridge takes your product ideas and runs them through a whole series of optimization processes, all the way to production and quality control. Parts of this optimization include simulation analysis (such as computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis), DFM approach, and prototyping. The company doesn’t specify in detail the extent of its product design capabilities, but you can book a consultation with their in-house expert to get assistance in matters related to your design, materials, or manufacturing. Whether SyBridge considers this part of the prototyping workflow or a separate service isn’t explicitly mentioned. The scope of services covers such product categories as consumer goods, health and beauty, industrial, life sciences, and aerospace.
Website: Sybridge.com
12. Star Rapid
Among the few differences between Star Rapid and SyBridge is that the former also caters to the agricultural industry (although this might be covered in the latter’s Life Science category). Everything else is just about the same. Both are mainly prototyping or low-volume manufacturing companies that also offer an assortment of additional services, such as surface finishing or light assembly, to refine the final prototype. Star Rapid also doesn’t provide a stand-alone product design service, but it does offer DFM (Design for Manufacturing) reviews to optimize the CAD file and improve manufacturability. Star Rapid is based in Guangdong, China, so you can probably get cheaper prices for plastic injection and CNC-machined parts compared to suppliers in North America or Europe.
Website: Starrapid.com
More Design and Prototyping Firms You Might Want to Check Out:
13. IDEO
With more than 40 years of experience, IDEO has now positioned itself as a top product development and prototyping firm that specializes in industrial design and mechanical engineering. One of the firm’s biggest strengths is the ability to quickly produce prototypes and blaze through the entire iterative process while ensuring manufacturability.
Website: Ideo.com
14. Frog Design
A global product design firm, Frog Design, has its studios located in major cities all across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Most (if not all) projects are handled with a true adaptive approach by implementing client-specific development methodologies that work best for your products, your business, and your customers. Frog Design is known for its tendency to test product design early on in the process, often involving real users, as a guide to implement iterative improvements over the original idea.
Website: Frog.co
15. Speck Design
Based in Silicon Valley among dozens of well-established tech companies, Speck Design specializes in the product development of consumer electronics and medical devices. It provides an end-to-end service including industrial design, mechanical engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing support. Speck Design has been around for more than 25 years, collaborating with clients from all backgrounds, including startups and Fortune 500 companies alike.
Website: Speckdesign.com
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17. Delve
A multidisciplinary design firm with over 55 years of experience in the business, Delve has so far earned 200 design awards and, along with them, 1,500 patents to its name. It offers turnkey product development services, which include a whole range of prototyping processes done inside a massive 7,000 square feet facility filled with a fleet of the latest manufacturing tools.
Website: Delve.com
18. Design 1st
It’s a pretty modest 3D design firm powered by no less than 35 professional engineers and designers. Design 1st specializes in the development of consumer electronics, especially those that require advanced sensor technologies and wireless connectivity features. Over the last 25 years, the firm has managed to transform at least 1,000 ideas into manufacture-ready products, partly thanks to its state-of-the-art rapid prototyping techniques.
Website: Design1st.com
19. MAKO Design + Invent
Now part of the TriMech Group, MAKO Design + Invent remains a reliable option to handle your product development project. It also maintains a full suite of services, including industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing liaison. It’s good to know that the firm still retains its business focus on collaborating with inventors and startups rather than with big corporations.
Website: Makodesign.com
20. Product Ventures
Here’s something a little bit different. Product Ventures doesn’t actually develop physical products of any kind, but it designs product packaging. If your product is categorized under food and beverage, household goods, personal care items, cleaning supplies, or basically consumables of any sort, the packaging is just as important as what’s inside. While the design process might not sound as complicated as the development of wearable devices or consumer electronics, it still takes a great deal of market insight and engineering to create innovative and effective packaging. Product Ventures especially focuses on creating sustainable packaging solutions.
Website: Productventures.com
21. Beyond Design
Every product development firm is supposed to excel at CAD implementation, and Beyond Design is no exception. The firm highlights its expertise in SolidWorks and PTC Creo, more specifically in their Design for Manufacturing (DFM) applications, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). All those software tools are among the best to help engineers determine material selection, design simulation, test environments for the products, and optimize performance in general. Beyond Design also has an in-house rapid prototyping facility for 3D printing and CNC machining purposes.
Website: Beyonddesign.com
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22. Smart Design
Starting out in 1980, Smart Design has now completed more than 1,000 successful projects. The vast majority of those projects are physical product developments, but the firm is no stranger to digital designs as well. Much of their product development process emphasizes in-depth research, engineering design services, and rapid prototyping.
Website: Smartdesignworldwide.com
23. NewDealDesign
If you’ve been keeping up with the news from the design world for the last several decades or so, the name Gadi Amit should probably ring a bell. Regarded as a “Master of Design” by Fast Company Magazine, he’s the person behind the designs of Fitbit, PalmOne Zire 21, and Netgear Platinum II, among others. Gadi Amit, who received a National Design Award in 2013, is currently the President and Principal Designer of NewDealDesign.
Website: Newdealdesign.com
24. RKS Design
Every product development project in the hands of RKS Design is handled with a “Psycho-Aesthetics” approach. In essence, the principle revolves around the idea of understanding how a design affects human emotion and perception to the point where it doesn’t just attract consumers, but also fosters trust and long-term adoption. According to RKS design, the method also minimizes the risk of loss throughout the product development process.
Website: Rksdesign.com
25. Porticos Inc.
An all-encompassing design firm, Porticos provides new product development services that include post-production support. As part of the package, the firm also delivers failure analysis, cost engineering, design review, and even component obsolescence. It collaborates with Porticos Asia to source any custom part and subassembly (in case your product needs them).
Website: Porticos.net
26. Teague
The integrated design services from Teague span from initial concept development and prototyping to virtual design simulations and final production. Teague caters to the development of physical products as well as transformative digital services, or a hybrid design that integrates both forms. Over the course of its long history, Teague has partnered with such major brands as Kodak, Texaco, Microsoft, Boeing, and even NASA to develop a broad range of innovative, sophisticated design solutions.
Website: Teague.com
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27. Ammunition
The recipient of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Product Design in 2016, Ammunition developed a range of notable designs, such as the Polaroid Cube, UNICEF’s Kid Power Band, and Beats by Dr. Dre, among others. You can find more samples of the firm’s designs on their Behance page. Ammunition is best known for its creative ways to connect with clients and innovative methods to develop meaningful products.
Website: Ammunitiongroup.com
28. Karten Design
The first thing you need to know about Karten Design is that it specializes in medical device design & development services and digital health solutions. Unless your product has anything to do with the health industry or medical application of any sort, look elsewhere. On the other hand, if the product in question can be categorized as a medical device, Karten Design should be one of the first firms you need to consider.
Website: Kartendesign.com
29. Nectar Product Development
An appealing aspect of Nectar is that it always prioritizes cost-efficiency when creating a design meant to be mass-produced. This is not because the design firm skimps on quality assurance, but thanks to its ability to implement a DFM approach while expertly navigating the supply chain intricacies. Nectar’s facility is situated in Long Beach, California, and equipped with cutting-edge rapid prototyping technologies, including laser cutting tools, 3D printers, and CNC machines.
Website: Nectarpd.com
30. PENSA
The NYC-based design firm has so far accumulated more than 100 design awards to its name as a testament to its professionalism and quality. PENSA is composed of an integrated team of engineers, researchers, and designers with a combined expertise to assist you with mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, design for manufacturing and assembly, manufacturing strategy, and design analysis.
Website: Pensa.co
31. Brash Inc.
For more than a decade now, the team at Brash Inc. has helped startups, inventors, entrepreneurs, and even established companies develop physical products, especially IoT devices and consumer electronics. The design firm currently has more than 40 patents registered in its name. Its fields of expertise include mechanical design, part analysis, PCB layout and schematics, component sourcing, rapid prototyping, and product certification.
Website: Brashinc.com
RELATED: Why Your Business Needs Product Engineering Services to Innovate & Accelerate
32. AJProTech
The team behind AJProTech is composed of 45 full-time engineers, who have so far executed 55 projects with a 100% success rate. Known for its IoT designs, the firm excels at developing consumer electronics, including wearable devices, audio equipment, and electric vehicles. In 2025, the firm is recognized as a Top Product Design Company and a Top IoT Company by Clutch. AJProTech is situated in Calabasas, California.
Website: Ajprotech.com
33. Synapse
A turnkey product development firm, Synapse provides such expert services as industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software for embedded systems, and manufacturing support. It has been around for more than 20 years with over 1,500 completed projects in its portfolio. The firm is based out of Seattle, Washington, and San Francisco, California.
Website: Synapse.com
Design job boards
Most job boards do not specialize in any type of profession or skill set. They only provide a space for employers to post projects and allow job seekers to apply for the required roles. That said, the job boards below focus on tech and creative talents, albeit broadly, and may include product designers.
34. The Dots
A point of highlight for The Dots is how it claims to maintain a database of more than 750,000 candidates from diverse professional backgrounds, all related to the creative and tech industries. But posting a job here isn’t free. A single job post costs £195 (around $265), for which the post remains active for 30 days. You can extend the post afterward, but then you have to pay the same amount for it. Almost all other features, such as advanced profiles search and filtering, direct messaging, custom shortlist, and availability view, are part of the premium subscription package that costs £75 (slightly more than $100) per month.
Website: The-dots.com
35. Archinect
You can tell by the name that Archinect is a platform that focuses on the architectural industry. It brings you news about the latest developments in the field of study, architectural competitions, events, and emerging trends. Archinect also has a job board, although nearly every feature is locked behind a paywall. And you should only consider this option if your product ideas are architecture-related, for example, 3D furniture rendering services, home fixtures, HVAC equipment, and so forth. Posting a job on the platform costs $125 per project; it will remain online until a maximum of 90 days, after which you must renew the listing. The “Talent Finder” feature is available only to subscribed members, but it doesn’t clearly say how much the subscription fee is, at least without logging in.
Website: Archinect.com
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36. Engineering.com
It’s a digital publisher whose main site is filled with news of the latest advances in the world of manufacturing and product innovations. The “Communities” section hosts a few links leading to other forums for design and electrical/electronic professionals; one of those links takes you to the “Engineering Jobs” page. Registered users are welcome to post a job to the site, although it’s unclear whether the feature is available for free. Based on the currently available listing, it might serve you well to be very specific about the role you seek when posting a job. Instead of using the terms “product designer” and “prototype fabricator,” try some other relevant keywords like mechanical engineer, electrical/electronic engineer, industrial designer, or even engineering manager, depending on the type of product you’re making.
Website: Jobs.engineering.com
37. GrabCAD Community
Posting a job to the GrabCAD Community doesn’t cost any money. It’s a free and open forum, frequented by professional engineers, STEM students, manufacturers, and designers to share CAD files, take part in design challenges, post tutorials, and essentially build their online networks. Unfortunately, the “Jobs and Career Opportunities” section doesn’t have separate sections for job posts by clients looking to hire CAD design freelancers and threads by members promoting their services. But it isn’t all that bad, considering the fact that everything is free, and you get to collaborate with the freelancers directly without having to worry about service and commission fees at all.
Website: Grabcad.com
General freelancing platforms and job boards
As far as talent diversity and availability are concerned, general freelancing platforms almost always have someone in their database willing to take your project. And you can probably say the same thing about job boards. One of the biggest concerns about many (but not all) of these general talent marketplaces is the low barrier to entry, meaning anyone can register as a freelancer and apply to your projects.
While it’s not actually a problem because you can always review their profiles and portfolios before you make the hiring decision, the fact that the platform offers very little assistance in screening the candidates isn’t best for employers. Some platforms, especially the premium ones, promise to only approve the most qualified, experienced, and skillful freelancers with proven track records. Among the most popular general freelancing platforms and job boards are as follows.
38. Toptal
A big selling point of Toptal is the claim that it only accepts fewer than the top 3% of the thousands of talents registering on the platform every month. This ensures that regardless of whom you end up hiring, you get some of the best available freelancers specializing in the skills you need. It currently focuses on six different profession categories, including new product designers, Product Managers, Project Managers, Marketing Experts, Developers, and Management Consultants. As of 2023 (the latest available data from the platform itself), Toptal had more than 2.7 million talents in its database. It’s not a free platform; you need to pay a flat monthly subscription of $79 to gain full access to the talent search feature. And that’s only for the search, excluding the pay rate charged by the freelancer if you end up hiring one from the platform. But there’s a refund offer in the event you can’t find the talent you need from the database.
Website: Toptal.com
RELATED: Prototype Cost Vs. Production Cost – Prototyping Services Rates and R&D Pricing for Firms
39. Kolabtree
Nearly all freelancers in Kolabtree have a PhD in their respective fields of expertise. While the platform largely focuses on scientific research and writing in the medical industry, it also has a respectable number of experts on product designs and prototyping who offer their services for relatively affordable prices. Most freelancers charge an hourly rate. Apart from that, Kolabtree works pretty much the same way as any typical freelancing platform. You can post a project and wait for the freelancers to apply to the job, or invite individual freelancers to provide quotes.
For every project, there’s a dedicated account manager to help you throughout the process. Kolabtree says you will get guaranteed quotes within 24 hours of posting the job on the platform. As for the candidate screening process, you can ask the platform to conduct a profile verification before you hire any freelancer for a project. Everything sounds like a premium feature, but Kolabtree is actually a free platform for employers. It doesn’t even charge you a payment processing fee when the project is done.
Website: Kolabtree.com
40. Freelancer
There are more than 82.5 million clients and freelancers registered on the platform. The number of jobs posted to the site thus far has reached over 24 million. It certainly is a massive talent marketplace, but with a fairly low usage fee. For every project done through the platform, there’s a processing fee of 3% or $3 (whichever is greater) on every payment to the freelancer, and that’s about it. All other features are available free of charge. This means you can post jobs, receive bids from freelancers, and review their portfolios at zero cost. Freelancer (the platform) also provides a Live Chat feature to help you communicate directly with freelancers, and a mobile app to manage your projects on the go.
Website: Freelancer.com
41. Truelancer
All communications between clients and product modeling freelancers on the platform are manageable from the “Workflow” dashboard. This is where you post projects, receive bids or proposals from freelancers, review freelancers’ profiles, and monitor progress. Truelancer is free to use, but it charges a processing fee of anywhere from 2% to 3.9% on payments you send to freelancers. If you’re using a bank transfer in USD currency, the platform waives this fee.
Website: Truelancer.com
42. Upwork
One of the world’s largest general freelancing platforms, Upwork offers access to a massive talent database containing millions of freelancers’ profiles from a broad range of skill categories. While there’s no monthly subscription fee, the platform takes a commission fee of anywhere from 3% to 10% on every payment to the freelancers. Upwork also charges a contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99 for every project valued under $100. There are two basic client account options, including Marketplace and Business Plus; the former allows you to send up to 30 invites per project post, whereas the latter comes with 60 invites that you can send to freelancers to bid on your project.
Only if you opt for the Enterprise account with a custom pricing structure will you get all the premium features, zero commission, and no contract initiation fee. You also get to purchase pre-planned service packages directly from product concept development freelancers, allowing you to hire them without going through the back and forth between bidding, proposal reviewing, and screening processes.
Website: Upwork.com
RELATED: 3D Rendering Artists: What Sets Apart CGI Specialists & Talented Freelance Experts
Other General Talent Marketplaces to Consider:
As mentioned earlier, many general talent marketplaces operate in a similar fashion to each other. Here are some additional platforms you might want to consider.
43. Guru
Yet another alternative in the general freelancing platform category, Guru operates in a largely the same business model as Truelancer. You get to post an unlimited number of jobs and receive quotes from freelancers at no cost at all. There’s a 2.9% processing fee, but you’ll receive a full refund of the fee if you’re using a wire transfer or an eCheck.
Website: Guru.com
44. PeoplePerHour
You’ll find a lot of similarities between Guru and PeoplePerHour. Both are general freelancing platforms, connecting clients with freelancers from all over the world to collaborate on projects of any category, including product designs and prototyping. Even the hiring workflow is pretty much the same, in which you post a project and choose a freelancer based on the incoming proposals/bids.
Website: Peopleperhour.com
45. RemoteHub
You’d probably think of RemoteHub as just another job board where you can post a project and expect 3D product rendering freelancers to apply for it within the next few days. RemoteHub does provide all the features you can expect from a typical job board, but it also allows you to purchase services directly from freelancers. The basic membership plan is free.
Website: Remotehub.com
46. All Remote
It’s a job board that operates more like a staffing agency. Once you post a job and receive applications from job seekers, you have the option to “only” shortlist the candidates and ask All Remote to step in for the pre-screening process. The platform works together with you to prepare the technical assessment based on the project requirements and questions for the candidates’ interview. All Remote can also help you negotiate salary with the candidates.
Website: Allremote.jobs
47. Worksome
The entirety of Worksome encompasses a pretty comprehensive talent management platform. Among all the solutions it offers, the “Omni-Channel Sourcing” is the one that works most similarly to a job board. It allows you to post a job and distribute it to a range of talent marketplaces, including staffing agencies, from a single central place. The feature (or rather the app) comes with advanced skill filtering and a built-in messaging system to communicate with the candidates in real-time.
Website: Worksome.com
RELATED: How to Choose Between Competing Concept Design Proposals with Product Design Firms
48. Fiverr
The most notable distinguishing factor of Fiverr is that the platform doesn’t actually let you post a project. It doesn’t allow freelancers to send bids, but they can offer pre-planned service packages. Clients browse for freelancers’ profiles (of gigs) and purchase any package for a fixed price. However, you can contact a freelancer and ask for a custom offer (like a proposal filled with the scope of work and price). The standard service fee is 5.5% of the project purchase price and an additional $3.5 for projects or orders under $100; all billed to the client.
Website: Fiverr.com
49. Contra
You might want to try searching for industrial designers (instead of product designers) in Contra for the reason mentioned in the very first part of this list. You can post a project on the platform or browse and hire freelancers directly via the built-in messaging feature. Posting a job is free, but there is an optional $199 boost feature to highlight your project on the platform.
Website: Contra.com
50. Jooble
An international job board visited by 90 million job seekers every month, Jooble makes for a nice alternative to help spread the word about your hunt for qualified product designers and prototype makers. While direct job posting isn’t available for businesses based in the US, you can share the XML link (of the original job post) to the platform.
Website: Jooble.org
Takeaway
Physical Product designers and prototype makers are highly specialized fields of expertise that require multidisciplinary skills, including industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, embedded software, design analysis with CAD applications, and prototyping experience. Certain products, for example, medical devices and consumer electronics, might also need safety certification support. Direct services are always good options, especially if you have the budget to cover the typically high price tag.
This is part of the reason why specialized platforms like Cad Crowd remain the most recommended option to source the right talent for your product development projects. Not only does it provide access to pre-vetted design talents, but it also offers complementary services, including IP protection, certification assistance, and manufacturing support at a relatively affordable rate. Get a quote today!
