At different freelance sites, you may see a option to create a featured project.

At some freelance sites, creating a project is totally free. That is: you do not need to have any money in our freelance account in order to create a project.

On the other hand: there are some freelance sites where one can open a project for a small fee like $5 or less or little greater than $5.

There is also one other kind of freelance sites where buyers can open projects for free but they do need to have some amount of money in their freelance account. Such freelance sites take a refundable Fee from buyers for creating a project. This fee is given back to the buyer after the project is closed, canceled or if the project is awarded to any service provider.

At some freelance site, you may see a option to create featured projects. Creating a featured project is not free and it can cost something like $20 [fee vary from site to site].

What are the benefits of opening a featured project?

1. At GAF: when buyer open a new project, they have to pay a refundable fee of $5 to GAF. This fee will be returned to the buyer after the project gets closed or is awarded to any service provider.

When buyer open featured projects, they do not have to pay this refundable fee.

2. Service providers and buyers cannot post contact information in private massages or in the project description. The only way of communication between buyer and service providers, is GAF PM System. After a non-featured project is a awarded to a service provider, both parties [the buyer and the winning service provider] are then allowed to communicate outside GAF.

But if the project is featured then buyer can ask for contact information of service providers and service providers are also allowed to give their contact information to buyers no matter whether the project is in open or closed status.

3. For a non-featured project, buyer has to pay a small fee if the project is awarded to a service provider and that the project gets completed too.

If the project is featured then buyer no longer has to pay any project fee to GAF.

4. Buyers can only hire one service provider for a non-featured project.

For featured project buyers can hire multiple service providers.

5. GAF show featured projects at the top of their main or home page. This provides some extra visibility for these projects which results in more bids on these projects.

6. If buyer wants to hire a service provider on long term bases or if the buyer needs someone to have partnership with him on some kind of work or if buyer wants to hire the service providers on per sale bases: that is, for commission based payments, then, buyer has to open a featured project.