Freelancer.com joins forces with LimeExchange

Australian start-up Freelancer.com has acquired online service LimeExchange.com, increasing its global pool of professionals to almost two million.

LimeExchange.com, which has attracted more than 80,000 freelancers from 223 countries and regions, has been added to Freelancer.com’s talent pool. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Freelancer.com connects small businesses with independent service providers and freelancers based around the world, primarily in India, enabling firms to get small jobs done at a fraction of the price of hiring locally.

According to Freelancer.com, skill sets offered range from programming, web and graphic design, SEO, SEM, science, engineering, writing, data entry, accounting and legal services.

Freelancer.com will migrate LimeExchange’s users to the Freelancer.com platform, as well as provide two months of free gold membership. Ongoing projects on LimeExchange will also be migrated to Freelancer.com on request at no charge.

Matt Barrie, chief executive of Freelancer.com, says the deal will provide continuity to businesses and freelancers currently utilising the platform.

“Lime Exchange employers can now access a talent pool of almost two million professionals globally, and freelancers can access a project pool with 870,000 projects completed to date,” Barrie says.

According to a company spokesperson, Freelancer.com is extremely effective for small businesses, including start-ups, because they often need a wide variety of jobs done but cannot justify the expense of hiring full-time.

“Almost any job can now be sourced online… Freelancer takes many measures to ensure your safety and security on the site. There is a secure milestone payment system and an online dispute system to protect your interest,” the spokesperson says.

Peter Strong, executive director of Australia’s Small Business Council, described the amalgamation of Freelancer and LimeExchange as a victory for small businesses.