Contra vs Guru Comparison 2026
Contra never charges a commission: a flat fee capped at $29 a payment free, $15 on the $29-a-month Pro plan, no percentage either way. Guru always does, starting at 9 percent on its free Basic plan and falling only to 5 percent on the $49.95-a-month Executive tier, never to zero. On a $5,000 project, Guru's cheapest cut is still $250; Contra's fee cannot pass $29.
Freelance profiles and payments with no commission
Freelance marketplace with a lower job fee
At a glance
- Guru starts cheaper, at $11.95.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
- Contra takes no share of what you earn. Guru takes 9%.
Side by side
Contra | Guru | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $29 | From $11.95 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
Contra
Freelance profiles and payments with no commission
Contra takes nothing out of what a client pays you, which is the whole pitch and a real difference from the marketplaces that take ten or twenty percent. What it charges instead is a flat platform fee per payment, capped, and a subscription that halves the cap. The work board is smaller than Upwork's, so most people arrive with a client already.
Our note
On a $5,000 project Contra's capped fee is a rounding error and Upwork's percentage is several hundred dollars. On a $200 one the maths reverses. Work out which side of that line your invoices sit on before picking.
Only on this side
- Covers creator finance
Guru
Freelance marketplace with a lower job fee
Guru is an older freelance marketplace whose job fee drops as the membership tier rises, which is a different bet from the platforms that take a flat cut. Its SafePay escrow holds the client's money before work starts. Volume is well below Upwork's, so it works as a second source of leads rather than as the only one.
Why people weigh these two
- Guru instead of Contra
- Guru is a conventional marketplace competing on a lower job fee, free to start, if you want work brought to you rather than commission-free payments alone.
- Contra instead of Guru
- Contra gives freelancers profiles and payments with no commission at all, against Guru's model of a job fee that shrinks as your membership tier rises.
Which one should you pick
Pick Contra if you want a fee that stops growing once the invoice gets large. It is capped at $29 a payment on the free plan and $15 on Pro, so a big project keeps almost everything, and there is no percentage cut at any tier.
Pick Guru if you want a second source of leads beyond the big marketplaces and are willing to pay a percentage that falls with membership. Basic is free at a 9 percent job fee; Executive at $49.95 a month cuts that to 5 percent, and its own listing states that tier pays for itself around $1,250 of monthly earnings.
Common questions
- Does Guru ever charge zero commission the way Contra does?
- No. Even its top Executive tier at $49.95 a month still takes 5 percent of every job; Guru's listing has no zero-fee option. Contra takes no commission at any tier, only a flat fee capped at $29 free or $15 on Pro.
- When does Guru's paid membership pay for itself?
- Its own listing gives the number: Executive at $49.95 a month saves four points against the free plan's 9 percent, breaking even around $1,250 of monthly earnings. Below that, Basic's free plan and 9 percent fee costs less overall.
- Which is cheaper on a large project?
- Contra, clearly. Its fee is capped at $29 free or $15 on Pro no matter the size, while Guru's percentage keeps taking a cut even at its lowest rate of 5 percent on Executive. On a $5,000 job that is $250 against Contra's $29 ceiling.
- Does Guru offer anything Contra does not?
- SafePay escrow that holds a client's money before work starts, plus bid rollover on annual plans and direct messaging to employers on paid tiers. Contra's listing does not describe an escrow step in the same terms; its focus is the flat fee and the zero-commission payment.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.