--- title: "99designs vs Upwork: Which is searched more?" description: "Is 99designs or Upwork more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Freelance marketplaces set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/freelance-marketplaces/compare/99designs-vs-upwork" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # 99designs vs Upwork: Which is searched more? Is 99designs or Upwork more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Freelance marketplaces set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: 99designs and Upwork - **Competitive set**: Freelance marketplaces - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **99designs Share of Search**: 0.76% - **Upwork Share of Search**: 42.3% ## Is 99designs or Upwork more popular in search? - In September 2026, Upwork had more branded searches than 99designs among freelance marketplaces worldwide. Upwork had about 2.7 million branded searches, while 99designs had 49,500. Upwork made up 42.3% of all freelance marketplace searches we track, and 99designs accounted for 0.76%. - Upwork was ahead of 99designs in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, 99designs’ share of searches among freelance marketplaces worldwide moved from 0.89% to 0.76%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 74K to 49.5K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Upwork’s share of searches among freelance marketplaces worldwide moved from 33% to 42.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 2.7M. ## Top freelance marketplaces in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Upwork appeared in all four answers. 99designs was mentioned in three out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. Upwork was listed before 99designs in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Upwork | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Fiverr | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Contra | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Toptal | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Freelancer | 5th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | 99designs | 6th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | PeoplePerHour | 7th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about freelance marketplaces - Asked ChatGPT "Which freelance marketplace should I use?": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Contra, 4. Toptal, 5. Freelancer - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best freelance marketplaces?": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Contra, 4. Toptal, 5. Freelancer, 6. 99designs - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best freelance marketplace for a skilled freelance designer?": 1. Upwork, 2. Contra, 3. Toptal, 4. 99designs, 5. Fiverr, 6. Freelancer - Searched Google, AI Overview "top freelance platforms": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Freelancer, 4. PeoplePerHour, 5. Contra, 6. Toptal, 7. 99designs Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for freelance marketplaces worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Upwork gained share of searches among freelance marketplaces worldwide, from 37.6% to 42.3%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for 99designs worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 74K to 49.5K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | 99designs estimated searches | 99designs Share of Search | 99designs rank | Upwork estimated searches | Upwork Share of Search | Upwork rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 74K | 0.89% | 6 | 2.7M | 33% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 74K | 0.9% | 6 | 2.7M | 33.3% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 60.5K | 0.83% | 6 | 2.7M | 37.6% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 74K | 0.83% | 6 | 3.4M | 37.6% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 74K | 1% | 6 | 2.7M | 37.6% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 60.5K | 0.68% | 6 | 3.4M | 37.9% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 60.5K | 0.68% | 6 | 3.4M | 37.9% | 2 | | May 2026 | 60.5K | 0.83% | 6 | 2.7M | 37.5% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 60.5K | 0.83% | 6 | 2.7M | 37.6% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 49.5K | 0.68% | 6 | 2.7M | 37.6% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 49.5K | 0.68% | 6 | 2.7M | 37.6% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 49.5K | 0.76% | 6 | 2.7M | 42.3% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using 99designs’ and Upwork’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **99designs**: Measured on the search term “99designs”. - **Upwork**: Measured on the search term “upwork”. - [99designs profile](/demand/global-en/brands/99designs) - [Upwork profile](/demand/global-en/brands/upwork) - [All freelance marketplaces worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/freelance-marketplaces): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is 99designs or Upwork more popular in search? In September 2026, Upwork had more branded searches than 99designs among freelance marketplaces worldwide. Upwork had about 2.7 million branded searches, while 99designs had 49,500. Upwork made up 42.3% of all freelance marketplace searches we track, and 99designs accounted for 0.76%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "99designs vs Upwork: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/freelance-marketplaces/compare/99designs-vs-upwork This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/freelance-marketplaces/compare/99designs-vs-upwork. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.