/ THE SIDE HUSTLE HONESTY INDEX™ · VOLUME I · 2026
Which platforms actually pay you fair?
Letter-grade ratings for every major freelance, gig, creator, and AI labeling platform in America. 52 platforms scored across Take Rate Transparency, Worker Protection, Payment Reliability, Talent Vetting, and Honest Earning. Sourced from FTC consumer complaints, state attorney general enforcement records, federal court filings, BBB profiles, state labor department data, and Side Hustle's proprietary worker survey. Updated quarterly.
Grade
Platform
Score
Risk Band
C+
Upwork
Freelance Professional
67/100
Mixed
→
C-
Fiverr
Freelance Professional
54/100
Mixed
→
B+
Toptal
Freelance Professional
85/100
Good
→
D
Freelancer.com
Freelance Professional
42/100
High Risk
→
C
Guru
Freelance Professional
62/100
Mixed
→
C+
99designs
Freelance Professional
66/100
Mixed
→
B-
Behance Hire
Freelance Professional
74/100
Good
→
B
Dribbble Hire
Freelance Professional
80/100
Good
→
B+
Contra
Freelance Professional
86/100
Good
→
B
Braintrust
Freelance Professional
81/100
Good
→
B
A.Team
Freelance Professional
83/100
Good
→
C+
Catalant
Freelance Professional
68/100
Mixed
→
B-
Andela
Freelance Professional
75/100
Good
→
B-
Codementor
Freelance Professional
74/100
Good
→
B
Working Not Working
Freelance Professional
80/100
Good
→
B-
Lemon.io
Freelance Professional
73/100
Good
→
C
TaskRabbit
Gig Service
62/100
Mixed
→
C+
Thumbtack
Gig Service
66/100
Mixed
→
C-
Angi (Angie's List)
Gig Service
56/100
Mixed
→
C-
HomeAdvisor
Gig Service
54/100
Mixed
→
D+
Care.com
Gig Service
48/100
High Risk
→
B-
Rover
Gig Service
74/100
Good
→
D+
Uber (Drivers)
Gig Service
48/100
High Risk
→
D+
Lyft (Drivers)
Gig Service
49/100
High Risk
→
D
DoorDash (Delivery)
Gig Service
44/100
High Risk
→
D-
Instacart (Shoppers)
Gig Service
38/100
High Risk
→
D+
Grubhub
Gig Service
47/100
High Risk
→
B
Patreon
Creator Economy
81/100
Good
→
B+
Substack
Creator Economy
85/100
Good
→
B
OnlyFans
Creator Economy
80/100
Good
→
C+
Cameo
Creator Economy
63/100
Mixed
→
C+
Twitch (Creators)
Creator Economy
64/100
Mixed
→
B-
YouTube Partner Program
Creator Economy
74/100
Good
→
D+
TikTok Creator Fund
Creator Economy
46/100
High Risk
→
D
Spotify for Artists
Creator Economy
42/100
High Risk
→
C+
Etsy
Creator Economy
64/100
Mixed
→
D
Amazon Mechanical Turk
AI / Data Work
40/100
High Risk
→
C-
Clickworker
AI / Data Work
54/100
Mixed
→
D
Appen
AI / Data Work
43/100
High Risk
→
D+
Remotasks / Outlier (Scale AI)
AI / Data Work
47/100
High Risk
→
C
Surge AI
AI / Data Work
62/100
Mixed
→
B-
Mercari
Marketplace / Resale
74/100
Good
→
C+
Poshmark
Marketplace / Resale
65/100
Mixed
→
C
Depop
Marketplace / Resale
61/100
Mixed
→
B-
Clarity.fm
Knowledge / Coaching
74/100
Good
→
B
Intro
Knowledge / Coaching
78/100
Good
→
C+
Superpeer
Knowledge / Coaching
68/100
Mixed
→
C
Udemy (Instructors)
Knowledge / Coaching
61/100
Mixed
→
B-
Teachable
Knowledge / Coaching
75/100
Good
→
B
MasterClass (Instructors)
Knowledge / Coaching
80/100
Good
→
B+
Shopify (Merchant)
E-Commerce / DTC
85/100
Good
→
B-
Gumroad (Creators)
E-Commerce / DTC
74/100
Good
→
Stop paying the platform tax.
Every platform takes a cut. Some are honest about it. Some are not. The Side Hustle Honesty Index makes it visible. Pick the platforms that pay you fair, and skip the ones that don't.