Gone are the days when you have to hire an in-house employee for every task in the company. These days, crowdsourcing companies allow ventures to become more agile and have a broader range of options while lowering costs. If you’re new to the world of crowdsourcing, here are some of the companies you may want to consider.
1. Unsplash (Images)
First on our list of crowdsourcing companies is Unsplash – one of the best resources for royalty-free photos. In fact, the platform not only offers over two million high-resolution images from expert photographers, but they do so for free.
Pricing: Free
2. Penji (Graphic Design)
Despite the presence of free stock photo websites, it’s quite impossible to operate a modern business without custom graphic design. For example, you’ll need everything from logos and marketing assets to pitch decks and merch. In addition to that, you’ll need an expert to handle these creative tasks unless you want to look like an amateur. That said, Penji offers custom graphic design for a monthly subscription. That means you won’t have to hire an in-house designer to get great visuals.
Pricing: $399 per month for Pro subscription, with a 15-day money-back guarantee
3. uTest (Usability Testing)
Whether you’re launching a new product or adding a new feature, it’s crucial to ensure its usability. That said, uTest offers software testing through a global community to help ventures tweak their product for the best user experience.
Pricing: Pricing depends on the complexity of the product, number of testers, duration, and number of test cycles.
4. Guuru (Customer Interaction)
Guuru is one of the public crowdsourcing companies you need to check out if you’re looking to optimize customer service. That said, this platform offers first-level online support through an AI cloud-based tech.
Pricing: Guuru offers customized subscriptions based on features and the number of customer interactions per month.
5. Squadhelp (Branding)
If you’ve got an awesome idea for a business but don’t know how to name it, then Squadhelp could assist. After all, it boasts of the largest naming platform and the “world's largest community of naming experts.” With that in mind, the platform can help you in a couple of ways. First, you can hold a naming contest on the platform. On the other hand, you can also buy existing names.
Pricing: Branding packages range from $299 to $1,199, based on features.
6. Amazon Mechanical Turk (Content Creation)
Despite the abundance of products that offer automation, there are still a lot of aspects that need human intervention. For instance, there are tasks that need a keen eye to perform within a certain context. If such is the case, you can try Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), which offers discrete on-demand tasks that computers are unable to do.
Pricing: The pricing consists of two factors: first, the payment to workers. Aside from that, there’s also an MTurk fee based on the former.
7. Trendwatching (Market Analysis)
Part of doing business online entails keeping up with the trends. That said, crowdsourcing companies like Trendwatching helps turn trends into business opportunities. For example, you can turn to them for data that will allow your product to become a purpose-driven tech. In addition to that, making sure that you’re pursuing the right trend helps ensure that your brand will make an impact not only today but also in the coming years.
Pricing: Packages start at $248 per month.
8. Yoobic (In-Store Monitoring)
If you want to strengthen your frontline teams with a streamlined process, then Yoobic is one of the crowdsourcing companies you need to check out. After all, the platform offers not only task process features but also mobile learning and chat tools. That said, their features can make your process smoother and less tedious.
Pricing: The platform offers tiered pricing upon request.
9. Trax (Analytics)
Next on our list of popular crowdsourcing examples is Trax, which combines physical and digital aspects to gear retail brands for success. For instance, one of its main features is not only digitizing and analyzing retail space but also gearing it for maximum impact. But aside from this, the platform also includes other solutions. For instance, they also offer online fulfillment, supply chain, and marketing.
Pricing: Pricing depends on the features you choose, so you may want to request a demo. However, the platform offers an ROI calculator on its website for a quick quote.
10. Ponoko (Product Design)
Sometimes, you have an awesome idea for a product, but you don’t have the means to produce the actual product. In such cases, you can turn to Ponoko, which offers on-demand prototyping through laser-cut custom parts.
Pricing: The fee depends on the product you want to produce. You can get an instant online quote by uploading an EPS, SVG, DXF, or AI file on their website.
FAQs
What is a crowdsourcing company?
In a nutshell, crowdsourcing pertains to getting work or info from people who turn in their ideas through the internet. Often, people who submit crowdsourcing data or info are freelance workers who are paid for the tasks. However, there may be instances when volunteers also participate in crowdsourcing. For instance, asking followers for their feedback or holding contests are common examples of crowdsourcing in social media.
Why is crowdsourcing so popular?
One reason why the crowdsourcing model has been so popular is that it allows an entity to distribute work remotely. That means the venture gets a wide range of expertise and skills to fulfill tasks. In the same vein, the crowdsourcing business model also helps lower overhead costs. After all, it allows ventures to get projects done without in-house workers.
