Microlancer.io: Microtasks Freelancing For Bitcoin

Microlancer is a crypto freelance platform that allows you to earn cryptocurrency through microtasks. The crypto that you earn such as Bitcoin can be exchanged for US dollars, euros, and many other national currencies or invest in crypto.

Originally knows as “Ask for Bitcoin,” Microlancer was launched in October 2018 by Tim Horie for Bitcoin enthusiasts to help make freelancing for bitcoin a more open and free place.

Why Microlancer

Microlancer.io benefits both crypto askers, those who list tasks on the site and taskers, those who take up tasks. The site has a chat feature for customer support and extensive FAQs page.

How to Start

Sign up process takes only a few minutes. After signing up, you will receive an email with a link that you need to click in order to verify your email address. You will then be asked to login. Once you login, you can use filter feature to search for tasks. You can search by payment amout, text, user or tag. If you are a tasker, you also have an option to submit a new task.

Crypto Tasker

microtasks for bitcoin
Some of the tasks listed on Microlancer.

To perform a task, make an offer on the listing page. You can negotiate a higher payment (or even lower, if you’re willing!) than the one being asked. You’ll be notified if it is accepted or declined. If it is accepted, payment is in escrow and you can go ahead and perform the task.

Crypto Asker

Go to the new task page, and submit the task you wish to have done. Be sure to provide a good set of tags to help people find your task. If anyone is subscribed to a tag, they will be notified immediately of your new task.

Most Important FAQs About Microlancer

What Do I Do After I Finish My Task?

Back on the listing page, mark the task as complete. This will notify the asker, and they will verify your work. If it’s valid, they will release the payment. You can then withdraw your earnings.

If There’s a Dispute What Do I Do?

If there is any dispute, please contact support immediately. Microlancer will determine if the work was done and decide how the funds in escrow shall be divided. All decisions made by Microlancer are final, per the terms and conditions agreement.

What Kind of Tasks Can I Post on Microlancer?

You can post any kind of task, question, or any kind of request on Microlancer. The tasks can be very tiny (micro) or large-sized such as contract projects. However, Microlancer encourages breaking up large projects into smaller subtasks to make it easy for multiple people to work on them.

How Does Escrow Work?

Standard escrow protects both the asker and tasker. Tasks secured by standard escrow are protected by collecting the funds for payout in advance from the asker, before the work is started.

Note that it is important to start work only after an offer is accepted. If an offer is accepted, the funds are held by Microlancer and only released if the asker accepts the results of the tasker’s work. In the case of a dispute, such as the tasker’s results not meeting the requirements, or the asker failing to pay on properly delivered results, Microlancer will arbitrate and will distribute the funds in escrow in a way deemed suitable by Microlancer.

Remember, decisions made by Microlancer are final. In addition to using escrow, Microlancer recommends carefully choosing who to work with based on their reputation and reviews.

How Does a Non-Escrow Peer-to-Peer Payment Work?

Tasks using non-escrow peer-to-peer payment are the responsibility of the asker and tasker to coordinate how payment will happen outside of Microlancer. If there is a dispute, Microlancer will not be able to arbitrate. The advantage of non-escrow is that Microlancer does not collect any fees from the task.

Is There a Minimum I Need to Earn to Withdraw My Funds?

There is no minimum earnings you need to have to withdraw. You can withdraw as little as 1 satoshi.

Are There Any Fees to Withdraw Funds?

There are no fees when you withdraw. However, be aware that creating and closing channels to finalize may cost on-chain fees charged by the Bitcoin network.

Types of Offers on Microlancer

In-proposal Offer

A proposed offer is a tasker’s proposal to do the task (including a pitch and amount) submitted to an asker. The offer in this state is waiting for a response from the asker to either accept or reject the proposal. It is still in a negotiation phase, and the work should not be started yet.

Accepted Offer

An accepted (or work-in-progress) offer has been approved by the asker to go ahead and start working on the task. If the task is using the standard escrow option, the offer is only approved when the asker has sent payment to Microlancer and has 100% funded the escrow. At this point, it is safe for the tasker to begin work. For peer-to-peer (non-escrow) tasks, this does not apply. The offer in this state is waiting for the work to be delivered from the tasker to the asker.

A Delivered Offer

A delivered (or in-review) offer is when the work for the task has been completed by the tasker, following all the steps or instructions. At this point, the tasker should have communicated or submitted the results of the work to the asker. The offer in this state is now waiting for the tasker’s work to be verified by the asker.

A Completed Offer

A completed (or delivery verified) offer is when the results of the work done by the tasker has been verified to be satisfactory to the asker. This step confirms that the work was done per the requirements. If the task is using the standard escrow option, the escrow payment has been released at this point, and the tasker is paid. The funds should now appear in the tasker’s account balance for withdrawal. For peer-to-peer (non-escrow) tasks, this does not apply. The offer in this state is ended and closed.

freelancing bitcoin payment
Microwork is a term that was developed in 2008 by Leila Chirayath Janah.

Withdrawing Your Bitcoin

How do I Withdraw my Bitcoin?

To withdraw your earnings, simply go to the withdrawal page on your account. You will need to provide what is known as a Lightning Invoice which is generated by your Bitcoin wallet software. When you submit the invoice to the system, it will be paid to you and your balance should appear on your wallet.

Which Wallet Should I Use?

There are many different wallets you can use, but the Lightning Network is fairly new technology so many of them are still in beta. If you’re on Android, it is recommended that you use Muun wallet or Breez. Other wallets that support the Lightning Network that you can use are listed in our in-depth article about the Lightning Network.

What is the Lightning Network?

The Lightning Network is a secure, real-time system for transferring very small amounts of Bitcoin (micropayments). Normal on-chain Bitcoin transactions can have high fees and long confirmation times. Lightning Network makes it possible to have instant Bitcoin confirmations and extremely low (less than a penny) fees. That makes it perfect for microtasks, and the reason Microlancer supports the use of Lightning Network transactions for Bitcoin.

Microlancer.io Fees

ActionMicrolancer fees
Posting a taskFREE
Submitting an offer for a taskFREE
Crypto Asker: Accept an offer without escrowFREE
Crypto Asker: Accept an offer with escrow1% of the accepted offer amount
Crypto Tasker: Complete a task without escrowFREE
Crypto Tasker: Complete a task with escrow1% of the accepted offer amount
Mutually cancelled task100% refund to asker
Withdrawal via + Bitcoin Lightning NetworkFREE

Upon any payment or withdrawal, Lightning Network fees collected by node operators will also apply. This can vary, but is typically less than 1 cent USD.

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