WriterAccess Review – Worth It? (Learn the Truth)

There’s a website called WriterAccess that claims you can earn good money as a freelance writer.

But is it legit? And if it is, is it worth it?

I've researched and tested this platform extensively. In this WriterAccess review, you will learn the truth about whether it's legit and, more importantly, whether it's actually worth your time as a writer.

I have examined its earning opportunities and looked at its payment structures to give you the full picture. That way, you can easily decide whether WriterAccess is for you. So, let’s dive in.

What is WriterAccess, and what does it offer?

WriterAccess is a content creation marketplace that lets you earn as a freelance writer. Think of it as the “Upwork of content writing” where businesses post writing jobs and freelance writers compete to complete them.

And yes, it is indeed legit, because they really offer paying opportunities. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is worth it. The only way to find out if you should apply for it is to understand how it works. To do so, we must examine the earning opportunity it offers, so you will have a clear picture of how good it really is.

So, here’s how to earn from WriterAccess.

The earning opportunity – Job orders

Once you become a WriterAccess freelancer, you can log in to the member dashboard to view all the available job orders. Take note that this platform is not only for writers, but also for designers, illustrators, photographers, videographers, and other freelancers as well.

But to avoid any confusion, we’ll focus more on the writing aspect of the platform because the overall earning process is relatively the same (except for the work you must do to get paid).

Once you see a job order you are interested in, you can click it to view the full details. To apply for the job, you must click “View” and then “Checkout this Order.” Then, you must send your pitch for the topics to be written. When the client approves your pitch, you can start working.

One thing you need to know is that WriterAccess has a checkout rule stating that a freelancer has one hour to review the instructions for an order and determine whether they can complete it. If the order is unreserved past the one-hour grace period, a penalty may be applied.

All order cancellations beyond the grace period are reviewed by WriterAccess and potentially penalized as a “dropped order”, which can result in a star rating reduction or termination of your account. That’s why you should only claim the order if you know you can do it properly.

The number of job orders you can claim simultaneously will depend on your experience as a WriterAccess freelancer. Initially, you can only claim one job order. Once you’ve completed at least 10 job orders, your limit, which they call “garages”, will be increased to 5.

It’s a bit confusing, in my opinion, but this will be explained thoroughly during the onboarding process. When you successfully claim a job order, all that’s left to do is deliver what the client is asking for before the deadline.

You can request an extension ahead of time if you need more time to complete it. The important thing to remember is to submit your work before the deadline. Otherwise, you’ll run into certain problems like not getting paid, getting your rating reduced (more on this later), or worse, your account getting terminated.

The client also has the right to request revisions if the requirements are not met. The number of free revisions allowed will be stated in the job order. Anything beyond that will have to be renegotiated. If there is a revision request, you are given 48 hours to complete it.

When you are ready to submit your work, just go back to the Job order page and click the button that says “Save and Submit”. Now, as a freelancer, you can use WriterAccess’s content creation platform, or you can use your own word processing software (like Microsoft Word) to write the article.

You can just paste the content into the site’s content creation platform when you submit your work. After you submit your work, the client will review it, and if everything is in order, the job order status will be changed to “Completed”.

If there are revisions required, as explained earlier, you just have to complete the request within 48 hours, and a new review process will be initiated after you submit your revised work. Once the client is satisfied, the payment will be released to your account. Later, I will discuss how you will get paid.

Based on what I observed when I was testing it, the whole earning process is a bit more complicated than on other freelance platforms. This is both good and bad, in my opinion. It’s good because it helps with transparency and dispute mediation. It’s bad if you are new to this field, because you’ll have to keep track of a lot of things.

But once you get used to it, you’ll find that these guidelines are actually beneficial to you.

As for the number of job orders available, there is a decent number available based on what I observed during testing. But according to feedback from other writers, the availability of job orders has taken a significant hit ever since the boom of AI, which is to be expected, in my opinion.

Recommended: Check Out the Best Freelance Sites You Can Join

How do you get paid?

Every time you complete a job order, the payment will be credited to your WriterAccess account balance. Then, it will process withdrawals twice a month via PayPal. All approved job orders are tallied up on the 4th and 19th day of the month.

This covers orders that were submitted by the end of the preceding half-month. Once the earnings are tallied, WriterAccess will transfer the funds to your PayPal account. It can take a few days for the amount to be credited to your PayPal account.

Based on my testing, you can typically receive your earnings between the 7th and 9th for the orders you completed before the end of the previous month, and between the 22nd and 24th for those submitted by the 15th.

You also have the option to withdraw your earnings immediately, but this will incur a flat $7 fee. So, if you want to maximize your earnings, I suggest you avoid doing so, because $7 is quite a significant amount, in my opinion.

Overall, its payout system is relatively straightforward. I like the fact that it processes payouts automatically, and you don’t need to reach a threshold to receive your earnings. I also like that it uses PayPal as a payment method because it is one of the more convenient payment gateways available, in my opinion.

If you are interested in more sites that use a convenient payout method, I recommend you also check out the top sites that pay via PayPal.

How much money can you make?

The amount you can earn from WriterAccess will mostly depend on your skills as a freelancer. As mentioned earlier, it has a rating system that will affect the frequency of jobs you can complete.

Every time you complete a job, your client can rate your work as Met, Below, or Exceed Expectations. As a freelancer, your goal is to maintain a rating of Met or Exceed Expectations. By doing so, your chances of getting constant job orders will be significantly higher.

In other words, you must always guarantee that you submit quality work, because if you don’t, no client will hire you. Now, regarding the amount you can earn per project, it varies, so I can’t provide an exact figure; it depends on the type of job you are working on.

As shown in the photo above, the amount you can earn can range from $0.02 to $0.10 per word for writers, and $25 to $200 for designers, depending on the star rating of the job order. It’s not the best rate, in my opinion, compared to other writing-focused freelance platforms.

What I can clearly say, though, is that you will earn 70% of the amount a client pays for an order. The remaining 30% will be WriterAccess’s share, which is to be expected, since they do offer this service to you for free.

But regardless, it’s still quite a high rate, in my opinion. That is why I can’t classify its earning potential that high. If the rate were to be significantly lowered, then its earning potential would be quite decent, in my opinion. As it is now, I would say that its earning potential is just mediocre.

If you are new to freelancing, then that might suffice, but if you are an experienced freelancer, then you are better off joining other freelance sites that offer lower service fees. You can also just get clients directly to avoid splitting with a 3^rd party platform. Later, I will tell you how you can do so.

Can you use it on mobile?

Due to the nature of the work that needs to be done, the answer to this question is NO. The only thing you can do on your mobile is to browse for new job orders. Anything else requires a computer.

Aside from that, I also recommend that you use a computer when claiming job orders to avoid any typing errors when submitting pitches. That’s the best thing you can do to increase your chances of landing job orders, based on my experience.

Who can join WriterAccess?

To be eligible as a freelancer, you must reside in the US. If you live somewhere else, then this is not for you. As mentioned earlier, it also accepts other types of freelancers, such as designers, illustrators, photographers, and videographers. So, it’s not an exclusive site for writers.

That being said, writers will have more opportunities to earn based on what I observed.

To sign up as a member, you’ll need to register using your LinkedIn profile. Then, you’ll have to fill out the profile form, which will include providing a link to your LinkedIn profile and uploading a copy of your resume.

After submitting the form, all you have to do is wait for WriterAccess to finish reviewing your application. It typically takes up to 7 business days to hear back from them, so if you are looking to immediately earn, this is not for you.

If you get accepted, you’ll have to go through the onboarding process, where everything you need to know about the platform will be explained. Once you are done with this step, you can start claiming job offers to earn.

Can you get support?

WriterAccess has a comprehensive FAQ section that discusses most (if not all) of the important topics you need to know about the site. So, if you have questions, you can check that out first. But if you can’t find the answers you need, you can contact its customer support department instead.

You can do so through its Help Desk by submitting a support ticket. If your concern is about the job, you can always message the client through WriterAccess's message feature.

In fact, they urge you to always communicate with your client regarding concerns about the job. That’s the best way to resolve your job-related inquiries.

Overall, I would say the site does provide decent support to its members since it offers convenient ways for you to ask for help. Plus, they do help mediate disputes, which is a good thing, because not all freelance sites do so.

Final Verdict

WriterAccess is a legit freelance platform that lets you earn by working as a freelancer. It has a couple of good features, but it also has a few drawbacks you must consider.

To wrap up this review, here’s a summary of its pros and cons, so you can clearly see an overview of what it offers. Then, you can decide if it is a good fit for you or not.

In my opinion, WriterAccess is not a bad freelance site. However, it’s not that great either. Its biggest disadvantage is the long application time, so if you are looking to earn immediately, this is not for you.

If you are new to freelancing, it can be worth trying. It's easier to get started here than pitching clients directly, and you can build some portfolio pieces while learning the ropes of freelance writing. But if you are an experienced writer, you can probably make better money with direct clients or higher-paying platforms.

If you are the latter, one good way to earn a full-time income (or at least something close to it) is to set up your own online business. If you want to learn how to do so, I suggest you check out this guide on how to build your own online business. It will teach you how to set up an online business from the ground up, so you don’t have to rely on 3^rd party platforms to get clients.

If you have any comments, questions, or experience with WriterAccess, I would love to hear from you in the comments below.