Fiverr's fee sounds like the simplest one in freelancing: the platform keeps 20% of every order. That part is true. It's also only the half you can see from the seller's side. The client pays a separate service fee on top, and the two together decide what a gig costs and what it earns.
Fiverr takes 20% of every order from sellers, so you keep $80 of a $100 gig. Buyers pay a 5.5% service fee on top, plus a $3.50 small order fee on purchases under $200, so that same gig costs the client $109. Between the two, Fiverr keeps $29 of the $109, about 27%. Your earnings then clear after 14 days, and withdrawing them costs $0 to $3 depending on the method.
The figures here come from Fiverr's help center, which we re-read on October 30, 2026, and its payment terms.
Photo by Tony Schnagl on Pexels
How much does Fiverr take from sellers?
Fiverr's fees for sellers come down to one number, a flat 20%. Its earnings page guide says that for every order you complete, you earn 80% of the purchase amount, including extras and tips. The 20% doesn't shrink as you level up: a brand-new seller and a Top Rated one pay the same rate.
Tips count too. Fiverr treats a tip as earnings like any other payment, so the same 80% applies: a $20 tip puts $16 in your account. Discounts come out of your side as well. Offer a client a coupon and your 80% is worked out on the discounted price, not the list price.
$100 gig → $80
$500 gig → $400
To keep a set amount, price at that amount ÷ 0.8. Keeping $400 needs a $500 gig.
That's a 25% markup on the number you want to earn, which is exactly the sum our markup calculator does in one step. Hourly contracts, which run through Fiverr Pro, follow the same rule: you're credited 80% of your hourly rate for the hours on each completed weekly report.
Fiverr fees for buyers: what clients pay on top
Fiverr's help center sets the buyer's service fee at 5.5% of the purchase amount, plus a $3.50 fee on orders under $200. Older pages quote other thresholds, including on Fiverr's own site, so check the amount at checkout.
The fee is charged per payment, not per project. Add an extra halfway through and it carries its own service fee. Tip at the end and the tip carries one too.
| Gig price | Client pays | Seller keeps | Fiverr keeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $24.60 | $16.00 | $8.60 (35%) |
| $100 | $109.00 | $80.00 | $29.00 (27%) |
| $200 | $211.00 | $160.00 | $51.00 (24%) |
| $500 | $527.50 | $400.00 | $127.50 (24%) |
At $200 and above, Fiverr's combined cut settles at about 24% of what the client pays. Below $200 the flat $3.50 pushes it up, and on small gigs it's substantial: over a third of what a client pays for a $20 gig never reaches the person who did the work.
Hourly contracts swap the small order fee for a one-time $5 order initiation fee, with the same 5.5% added to the hourly rate.
The $200 price point that makes a cheaper gig cost more
Because the small order fee switches off at exactly $200, there's a strange little band just below it. A $199 gig costs the client $213.45: $199, plus $10.95 in service fee, plus $3.50. A $200 gig costs $211.00. The client pays $2.45 more for the cheaper gig, and you keep 80 cents less for the privilege.
The band runs from about $196.69 to $199.99. Anything priced inside it costs the client more than a flat $200 would. Knocking a dollar off a $200 gig is the rare discount that costs your client money.
It's free to fix: if a package lands in that range, round it up to $200. The same logic makes bundling worth suggesting to clients who order often. One $200 package avoids the $3.50 that two $100 orders would each pay.
Photo by Tranmautritam on Pexels
When you get paid: clearance and withdrawal fees
Completed doesn't mean available. Fiverr holds earnings for a 14-day safety clearance period after an order is marked complete. Top Rated sellers wait 7 days, as do Fiverr Pro freelancers and Seller Plus Standard ($25 a month) and Premium ($49 a month) members, and hourly work clears 7 days after each weekly report.
If you're Top Rated or on Seller Plus Premium, Early Payout can skip the wait for 1% of the earnings being cleared, or $4 on $400, if you meet Fiverr's eligibility criteria. Hourly orders don't qualify. Useful when a bill is due; expensive as a habit.
Withdrawing has its own costs, which depend on the method. Here's what Fiverr lists for each one, PayPal and Payoneer included:
| Method | Fee | Minimum | Arrives in |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal | $0 | $1 | 24 hours |
| Bank transfer via Payoneer | $1 | $20 | 1 to 3 business days, or 5 to 7 for a USD wire |
| Payoneer account | $3 | $10 | Up to 2 business days |
| Fiverr Revenue Card | $1 to $3 | $30 | Up to 2 business days |
Fiverr stopped offering the Revenue Card in December 2022, so that row only applies if you already have one. PayPal may add its own fees depending on your location and currency, and you can withdraw up to $5,000 per transaction.
Your balance is held in US dollars. Withdrawing in another currency means a conversion, and the rate includes conversion fees, but you can always withdraw in dollars and convert somewhere cheaper. And because withdrawal fees are flat, patience pays: $3 is 6% of a $50 withdrawal and 0.3% of a $1,000 one.
Fiverr vs Upwork fees
Upwork works the other way round. Instead of a flat 20%, it charges freelancers a variable service fee of 0% to 15% per contract, plus Connects to send proposals. On a $1,000 job at a 10% fee you'd keep $900; on Fiverr, $800. Our breakdown of what Upwork takes from freelancers covers the rest, and the full Upwork vs Fiverr fees comparison runs both at every project size.
For clients, the two are closer than you'd expect. Upwork's Basic plan adds a 5% marketplace fee plus a $0.99 to $14.99 contract initiation fee; Fiverr adds 5.5%, plus $3.50 below $200. On a $1,000 project that's roughly $1,051 to $1,065 on Upwork against $1,055 on Fiverr. The real difference is which side carries the weight. On Fiverr, it's the seller. Upwork's client fees are broken down separately.
How to keep more of what Fiverr pays you
- Price for the 80%. Decide what you need to earn from a gig, then divide by 0.8. Pricing at your target and hoping is how the 20% ends up coming out of your rent. If that number hasn't moved in a while, see how much to raise your freelance rates.
- Stay out of the $196.69 to $199.99 band. Round those packages up to $200; your client pays less and you earn more.
- Steer repeat clients toward bigger packages. Every purchase under $200 carries its own $3.50, so one larger order is cheaper for them and easier to say yes to.
- Withdraw in fewer, larger amounts. Flat fees shrink as a percentage the more you move at once.
- Save Early Payout for emergencies. 1% each time looks small until you add up a year of it.
How we made this: researched and drafted with AI assistance, with any figures checked against their sources and the post reviewed by Hamza before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage does Fiverr take?
Fiverr takes 20% of every order from sellers, including extras and tips. You keep 80%, so a $100 gig pays you $80. The rate is the same at every seller level, from new sellers to Top Rated.
How much is the Fiverr fee?
On a $100 gig, the seller pays $20 and the buyer pays $9: a 5.5% service fee of $5.50 plus the $3.50 fee on orders under $200. From $200 up, the buyer pays only the 5.5%.
How much does Fiverr charge buyers?
A 5.5% service fee on each purchase, plus a $3.50 small order fee when the purchase is under $200. A $100 gig costs the buyer $109, and a $500 gig costs $527.50.
Does Fiverr take a cut of tips?
Yes, on both sides. The client pays Fiverr's standard service fee on the tip, and the freelancer receives 80% of it, the same as any order. A $20 tip puts $16 in the freelancer's earnings.
How long does it take to get paid on Fiverr?
Earnings clear 14 days after an order is marked complete, or 7 days for Top Rated sellers, Seller Plus members and Fiverr Pro freelancers. Top Rated sellers and Seller Plus Premium members can skip the wait with Early Payout for a 1% fee. Once cleared, you withdraw through PayPal or Payoneer for $0 to $3 per withdrawal.
Is Fiverr cheaper than Upwork?
For freelancers, usually not. Fiverr takes a flat 20%, while Upwork charges a service fee of 0% to 15% per contract. For clients the two are close: Fiverr adds 5.5% plus $3.50 under $200, and Upwork adds 5% plus a $0.99 to $14.99 contract initiation fee.
Sources
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seller share | 80% of the purchase amount, including extras and tips | Fiverr help center |
| Buyer service fee | 5.5%, plus $3.50 under $200 | Fiverr help center |
| Withdrawal fees | $0 to $3 | Fiverr help center |
| Early Payout | 1% | Fiverr help center |
| Clearance | 14 days, or 7 for some sellers | Fiverr help center |
| Seller Plus prices | $25 and $49 a month | Fiverr help center |
| Hourly contracts | 80%, $5 initiation fee, 7-day clearance | Fiverr payment terms, read September 2026 |