Why are many brands switching from Fiverr to HICARI as their UGC platform?

Over the past few months, we have spoken with dozens of brands, agencies and marketing managers who have tried different ways of hiring content creators.

One of the platforms that comes up most often in these conversations is Fiverr. And although Fiverr can be a useful tool for certain one-off services, many brands tell us it falls short when they need to manage UGC content professionally and at scale.

These are some of the reasons we hear most often.

The main problem is quite simple: Fiverr was not created to manage campaigns or UGC content creation.

On Fiverr, you can find designers, developers, voice-over artists, translators, video editors and thousands of different profiles. UGC content is just one more category within a huge marketplace.

This creates several problems:

• It is harder to find creators who are genuinely specialised in UGC.
• Profiles are not always optimised to showcase examples of content created for brands.
• The filters are limited for specific marketing needs.
• The experience is designed for hiring individual freelancers, not for managing content campaigns.

When a brand needs 5, 10 or even 50 UGC videos per month, it usually looks for a solution specifically designed for that process.

When a problem arises during a campaign or with a request, most companies do not want to rely solely on automated tickets or generic responses. Sometimes they receive replies within days; sometimes, never.

Some common examples:

• A creator disappears halfway through the project.
• The content delivered does not meet the brief.
• There are delays to the delivery dates.
• Questions arise about usage rights or licences.

On Fiverr, the relationship is usually limited to the client and freelancer.

Many brands tell us they feel alone when any issue arises. This has happened with major brands that now come back to HICARI every month (you can see some of them here)

By contrast, on a platform specialised in UGC, they usually expect:

• Human support.
• Conflict resolution.
• Mediation between both parties.
• Project follow-up.

And when there is advertising spend involved, this becomes especially important.

Another common problem appears as a company grows.

At first, hiring a creator from a single account may seem simple.

But when several departments are involved, complications begin:

• Marketing.
• Social Media.
• Paid Media.
• Procurement.
• Management.

Many brands need:

• Different access levels.
• Several users within the same organisation.
• A centralised campaign history.
• Shared budget management.
• Approval control.
• Different payments and the chaos of not having spending categories and allocations under control.

Fiverr is primarily designed for individual hiring, not collaboration between teams.

Finding a creator is just one part of the process.

Many brands have no previous experience working with UGC and need help answering questions such as:

• How many videos do I need?
• What type of content works best?
• Which profiles do you recommend?
• Which formats tend to convert best on Meta Ads?
• How do I write an effective brief?

On Fiverr, the platform connects supply and demand.

But the strategy usually falls entirely on the brand. 0 Support.

That is why many companies end up looking for partners who can support them throughout the entire process.

One of Fiverr's biggest advantages is the enormous number of professionals available.

But that same advantage can become a drawback.

Quality can vary enormously between creators.

Brands often have to invest time in:

• Reviewing hundreds of profiles.
• Analysing portfolios.
• Comparing ratings.
• Running tests.

And even then, the final result may not match expectations.

This creates a hidden cost that is often overlooked: the marketing team's time.

Hiring one video is relatively straightforward.

Hiring dozens of videos every month is another story. Running a UGC campaign to publish on creators’ profiles is impossible.

When a brand starts investing seriously in UGC, it needs:

• A recurring base of UGC creators.
• Clear processes.
• Delivery tracking.
• Version control.
• Rights management.
• Campaign organisation.

Many companies discover that Fiverr works for one-off needs, but not as well for building a long-term content strategy.

Another aspect that frequently comes up is licensing.

Not all brands understand the differences between:

• Organic use.
• Advertising use.
• Whitelisting.
• Perpetual rights.
• Time-limited rights.

When hiring is carried out directly with individual freelancers, misunderstandings may arise about which uses are actually included. That is why many companies prefer to work with platforms or partners that establish these conditions clearly from the outset or advise them on what is included, as HICARI does.

Fiverr’s promise is that you can find any professional quickly.

However, many brands tell us that the actual process is different:

• Searching profiles.
• Comparing portfolios.
• Reading reviews.
• Contacting several candidates.
• Negotiating terms.
• Reviewing proposals.

When this is multiplied across several creators, the time invested can be considerable. And for a marketing manager, time also comes at a cost.

On Fiverr, anyone can create a profile and offer services.

This has advantages because there is plenty of choice, but it also means that brands have to take on much of the selection work.

In practice, this means:

• Reviewing dozens or even hundreds of profiles.
• Manually analysing portfolios.
• Verifying genuine experience in UGC campaigns.
• Checking whether the creator understands marketing and advertising concepts.

Many companies prefer to work with pre-validated creator communities where there is a minimum quality and experience filter. This considerably reduces the time spent finding talent and increases the likelihood of finding profiles aligned with the campaign from the outset.

Furthermore, when a platform specialises in UGC, there is usually an active community of creators accustomed to working with brands, following briefs and producing content optimised for social media and ads.

When a company hires one or two videos, administrative management is usually straightforward.

But when a brand needs to work with multiple creators on a recurring basis, additional tasks start to arise:

• Budget management.
• Payment tracking.
• Campaign expense control.
• Downloading and organising invoices.
• Reconciliation with the finance department.

On generalist platforms, these processes are not always designed around the needs of marketing teams or procurement departments.

That is why many companies value solutions that centralise all financial management in one place.

In addition, many specialised platforms offer prepaid balance systems or hiring packages that simplify the management of recurring campaigns, provide access to better pricing and significantly reduce the team’s administrative workload.

Having invoicing adapted to the Spanish market and local support is also often an important factor for brands and agencies that regularly work with domestic suppliers.

This is where many brands start to clearly see the difference. Fiverr is a global freelancer marketplace. Its aim is to connect the supply and demand of digital services across a broad range of categories.

Specialised UGC platforms, by contrast, are designed specifically for one type of need: creating user-generated content for brands.

The main differences are usually:

• Fiverr: generalist, with multiple service categories.
• UGC platforms: exclusive focus on UGC content and marketing.

• Fiverr: open registration, without in-depth curation.
• UGC platforms: filtered communities focused on performance.

• Fiverr: direct client–creator relationship.
• UGC platforms: support, mediation and issue resolution.

• Fiverr: individual projects.
• UGC platforms: complete campaigns with multiple creators.

• Fiverr: limited for recurring production.
• UGC platforms: designed for volume and repetition.

• Fiverr: individual use.
• UGC platforms: multi-user, departments and workflows.