Project Payment Models (for Employers)
(Click here to see this information for workers)

You pay the worker by the hour and they log their time using the AccuTimeCard™. If for any reason they:

• Fudge their clock-in/clock-out times
• Bill you for time they weren't working (like unauthorized breaks, playing games, unauthorized talking on the phone, and sleeping on the job)

we'll credit your money back. We also give you the ability to view images of their desktop (and optionally their webcam) as they work, so you always know what they are doing.


Click here to read more about the AccuTimeCard™.

• Advantages:
  • Handles both large and small projects, as well as weekly recurring work, very well.
  • Cheaper (28-40%) and lower project failure rate (1-5% versus 11-27%) than fixed-price.
• Disadvantages:
  • Requires you to have the time and ability to regularly review their work, and approve their weekly timecard. (However, if you can't or don't want to do this, you can hire a Sherpa for a few hours a week to do this for you. The combined cost of doing both, is often cheaper than using standard fixed-price for all but the smallest projects).

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The worker bids an hourly rate to work on your project. You select them, then escrow a week's worth of time with vWorker.com and they begin work. To bill time, they log into the AccuTimeCard™ which records their webcam and computer desktop, so that you know they are truly working on your project. At the end of the week, you approve the timecard and they are paid. If the webcam or screenshots show they weren't working, then you receive a refund via arbitration. Click here for visual step-by-step details on how this works.   Advantages The vWorker.com fee to the worker is lower (due to arbitration costs), which means they will tend to charge you less for the same job. The worker is guaranteed to receive payment for each hour worked, and has an incentive to prioritize your project higher than fixed-price projects. (This makes it a good way to reward and maintain a loyal worker). You don't have to define the work up front. This allows for a more experimental or discovery-oriented process. Hourly is also ideal if you need a quick-question answered, desire live technical (or other) support, or are using spiral / Agile development methodologies. You can terminate the project at any time and for any reason, without receiving a poor rating from vWorker.com. (Note: the worker is paid for the work they completed before termination). If your company's policy requires you to pay in this way, you can do so. Recommended if you have a pre-existing employee working remotely, and you need a way to ensure his/her productivity. Disadvantages If the worker underestimates the amount of effort the project will take, you will pay for more hours than you initially expected. There is no guarantee that you will receive the deliverables you desire...only that the worker will work a certain amount of time on your project. Requires close supervision of interim work and timecards to avoid cost overruns.

You pay the worker a fixed price for the entire project (or for each portion of it, if you prefer to pay with milestone payments). They must deliver the project:

1. To-contract (100% as described in your contract, and meeting industry-wide expected standards).
2. On-time
3. On-budget

or we credit your money back.

• Advantages:
  • Strongest protection of your money. It will not be lost if the project fails.
  • Works best on small projects and the first time you are working with a new worker.
• Disadvantages:
  • More expensive (28-40%), and higher project failure rate (11-25% versus 1-5%) than hourly.
  • Not recommended for larger projects or weekly recurring work.

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The worker bids a fixed price to deliver your entire project (or portions of it, if you setup paid milestones). You select them, then escrow funds with vWorker.com and they begin work. When they deliver the project (or milestone) and you're 100% happy with it, you release the funds to them. If for some reason they didn't deliver as promised, you receive a refund of escrowed funds via arbitration. If you have a crucial deadline, you also have the option of requiring the worker to put up an Expert Guarantee deposit.  To receive it back, they must finish your project on-time. Otherwise they forfeit the deposit to charity.   Advantages You are guaranteed to receive either the completed deliverables or your money back. If the worker underestimates the amount of effort the project will take, they are responsible for absorbing the extra cost. You can set a deadline and if the worker agrees to it and misses it, you can terminate the project and receive back unawarded funds. Disadvantages The vWorker.com fee to the worker is higher (due to arbitration costs), which means they will tend to charge you more for the same job. You commit to completing the entire project (assuming the worker works competently). If you pull out prematurely, the worker is paid for the work they completed and you receive a poor rating from vWorker.com. You must take the time to define your entire project up front so that the worker can bid.  If this is too time consuming or if you cannot do this, then you should choose hourly instead. Since the worker is not guaranteed to be paid for each hour of work, he/she may prioritize your project lower than hourly projects. Your company's policy may not allow you to use fixed-price and only allow paying for time.

Workers compete to complete your contest for a prize. If you do not get any entries that you like, we credit your prize money back to you.

• Exception: If you choose to guarantee to award a prize, then you must do so, and cannot exercise this guarantee.
• If you exercise this guarantee, all contestants retain all copyrights to their work. In other words, you cannot use any work submitted to you.

Click here for more information on crowdsourcing and trialsourcing.