LimeExchange was purchased by Freelancer.com in December 2010.
LimeExchange is a part of Lime Labs LLC, the same people behind the hugely popular Lime Wire P2P music downloading network. With $5,680,500 worth of Jobs Posted, 63,814 Freelancers from 181 Countries on file, and over 20,000 unique visitors per month, LimeExchange is an established player among freelance job markets. The site has over 5,000 active projects available for bidding, putting it well up there in the top 10 freelancing sites in terms of buyer activity. A strong management team, a powerful 'engine' and strong PR efforts make LimeExchange one of the best up and coming sites.
Site Fees
Posting projects is free for buyers.
For Providers
Tthere is a free Basic membership which allows you to bid on 5 projects per month and charges a 5.25% transaction fee plus a payment fee of 2.75% or 4 USD whichever is higher Paid memberships go from $9.99 to $49.99, featuring a variety of interesting benefits. For the top Vantage membership plan, the transaction fee is reduced to 2.25%
Provider Tips
An interesting feature offered by LimeExchange that I haven´t seen a lot, though it is a brilliant idea, is that it allows providers to showcase the reputation they have earned working through other sites. This option is, however, only available for Vantage members.
Buyer Tips
The site offers a system of Billing cycles for hourly/pay-per-task projects, which includes the periodical release of escrow payments. This will increase your guarantees of getting the job done, especially in the case of long-term engagements.
Our Verdict
With a good reputation and sufficient activity, this site seems like a good option, if you don´t mind paying their fees. I frankly don´t know if there is a lot of sense in paying $10 per month and only having access to bidding on 15 projects. It is sites like Freelancer.com, which understand that they can make much more money on transaction fees, that grow the fastest.
