A freelance order aggregator: how to choose and what to check

How an aggregator differs from a marketplace

A marketplace is where a client and a freelancer meet and close a deal. An aggregator takes no part in the deal. It looks at several marketplaces, channels and chats, collects published orders, brings them to one form and removes repeats. You still reply on the marketplace itself.

So an aggregator does not replace a marketplace, it works on top of it. Its job is to save attention: show the new, hide the useless, say what is worth reading.

What an aggregator cannot do

• It does not read what is closed to automated access. If a site forbids robots or hides the feed behind a login and a captcha, an honest tool stays out.
• It does not guarantee orders. If nothing fits your niche today, the feed is empty.
• It knows nothing about deals agreed in private messages.

Seven signs of a good one

1. A transparent list of sources: which sites, how often, in what way. A vague “hundreds of sites” is a reason to be careful.
2. Filters you set: words, budget, age, blocklist. A universal feed for everyone does not work.
3. Duplicate merging. One order often hangs in several chats, and without merging the feed doubles.
4. A score for each order, not just a list, with risks and questions for the client.
5. A reply at the source: the reply should go on the marketplace or in the same chat, not through a middleman.
6. A clear fate of your data: where orders, keys and chats live, and where your requests go.
7. An honest price: no hidden auto-renewal and no promise of “ten times more orders”.

A cloud service or a program on your computer

A cloud aggregator works around the clock and pings you in a messenger while you sleep. In return your filters, keys and profile live on someone else's server. A desktop program works while the computer is on, but the data stays with you and it reads sites from your own address, like a browser.