Hi, this is Nicole from Rent a Coder.Rentacoder provides access to programming, writing, illustration, even data entry jobs. (You can get a sense of the broad scope of work available here: http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/SoftwareCoders/BrowseWo...)

I'd like to point out a few differences between our service and services like Elance since those differences could influence the success of an outsourced project.

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Employing a new worker that you don't yet know/trust:
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When you don't yet know if a worker is productive, both Elance and Rent A Coder let you employ them in the safest way possible: by paying them a fixed price for the final deliverables (called pay-for-deliverables). However, if there is a problem, Elance charges you for the arbitration process necessary to get a refund (while Rent A Coder does not), and the process can take much longer if the worker is abusive. Elance, also does not offer a forfeitable on-time delivery guarantee.

1) Money-back Guarantee
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If a worker doesn't deliver what they agreed to, both sites will step in and give you a refund via arbitration. However Rent A Coder does this for free. If a worker doesn't deliver what they agreed to, both sites will step in and give you a refund via arbitration. However Elance charges you $66-$133 to do this. This may also make it impractical to get a refund on smaller projects. Rent A Coder, on the other hand, does this for free.

2) Arbitration
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On Rent A Coder you can start arbitration immediately. A worker intent on abusing the system can stall the start of arbitration on Elance for 21 business days and during this period your money is not available to you. During the first phase (dispute assistance), the worker has up to 3 business days to respond, and can make this phase last up to 12 additional business days (15 business days total). After this, the arbitration phase "begins", but does actually start because the worker is given 3 business days to acknowledge the notice of arbitration, and the another 3 business days if they did not acknowledge the first notice. Only at this point is arbitration actually started. See the Elance contract for more information.

3) On-time Delivery Guarantee
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Some workers are better at meeting deadlines than others, and when you have a critical and time-sensitive project you need a way to quickly differentiate between the two. The most effective way to do this is to require the worker to guarantee on-time delivery with a deposit (which they only get back if they make the deadline). This signifcantly discourages less qualified workers from bidding on your project, and financially aligns the worker you do select more closely with your own situation, resulting in a better partnership.

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Employing a familiar worker that you've worked with before:
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Once you know the worker is productive, both Elance and Rent A Coder let you employ them more flexibly and cheaply by paying them by the hour (called pay-for-time). However there are important differences in how Elance and Rent A Coder provide this service.

1) Over-billing Safeguards
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Rentacoder requires all workers to punch-in and out of the AccuTimeCardT in real time, to prevent them from fabricating hours. To allow you to monitor their presence and productivity, it also records their webcam and desktop. Elance workers bill you using a traditional, old-fashioned time-card. As a result they may freely record hours that they did not work, and you cannot monitor their productivity. This is not the case with Rent A Coder workers.

There are other differences as well. I invite everyone to compare the 7 major services through this link to learn even more: http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/DotNet/misc/CompetitorI... (Short version: http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/DotNet/misc/CompetitorI...)

If you have any questions, please let me know. You can also call in to talk to a facilitator 7 days a week, or email us (see http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/misc/Feedback.asp).

Nicole
www.rentacoder.com