Our commitment to commission-free Independence, and 2024 preview

A letter from our CEO, Ben Huffman, as we wrap a great 2023 for the independent community. And a look ahead to what's in store for 2024.

We launched Contra in 2020 with a simple mission: to empower the future of independent work. That means providing freelancers with the tools they need to launch, build, and grow an independent business and get paid commission-free—always.

Independents on Contra can, and always will, keep 100% of what they earn through our platform because we believe it’s only right: you did the work, so you should take home every cent of what you get paid.

2023 Lookback

It was another big year of growth for the global freelance community with more and more professionals turning to independent work. It was also a big year for us, where we saw major growth across our marketplace on Contra:

• Freelancers earnings increased 6x YoY on Contra (and all commission-free).
• Our community grew 2.5x YoY, and we now have independents earning in over 100 countries!
• Across the marketplace, over 367,000 portfolio projects were created, over 240,000 services were listed, and we exceeded over 2 million project views.

Of course, we also introduced new tools and services to make it even easier for you to jump-start independent work:

• Launching Portfolio Magic, AI-powered tools that let you make customized portfolios fast, designed to get you discovered and grow your business. With Portfolio Magic, you can launch a portfolio in minutes (not months), then get to work growing your freelance business.
• Introducing free invoicing for your clients (even for projects off Contra), so you can get paid commission-free, all in one place.
• And much more: we rolled out more ways to set up your projects and get paid, expert certification programs with partners like Framer, and even more analytics functionality (with advanced analytics for Contra Pro members).

2024 is looking bright

We have some exciting announcements up our sleeves that we’re excited to share with you over the coming weeks. But here’s a sneak preview of what’s to come with Contra in 2024:

More high-quality jobs

Some of the most innovative brands like Framer, Figma, and Webflow are hiring on Contra today. Going into 2024, we’re doubling down on bringing even more of the best clients in the world to hire on Contra through deeper investments on client-side product development and marketing efforts. That means more high-quality jobs and opportunities for our community.

More ways to earn

We’re introducing new options for you to package and sell your services (like the ability to add a Quick Hire option to a service so clients can purchase pre-packaged projects in one click). And we’re expanding our Services Marketplace and launching new ways to show off your best work that will enable clients to more easily browse and discover what you have to offer.

As always, you’ll earn commission-free. Here’s to another good year down and a great year ahead. 🥂

Cheers!

Ben

Contra CEO and Co-founder

PS. If you have any feedback, please share it here and I’ll be sure to review it in the new year!