# ErdiBuilds vs Malt: fees and how it works (2026)

> ErdiBuilds charges clients nothing and takes its fee from developers. Malt lists client service fees by plan, according to its English help page checked on 6 November 2026.

Canonical: https://erdibuilds.app/compare/erdibuilds-vs-malt
Last updated: 2026-11-06 (November 6, 2026)

Both platforms work with independent professionals in Europe. Fees are the clearest difference, and they depend on region at Malt, so treat the Malt figures below as those on the English help page we checked.

## At a glance

**ErdiBuilds and Malt compared**

|  | ErdiBuilds | Malt | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fee for clients | Free for clients. | Service fees of 10% on the Starter plan and 15% on the Advanced plan, with custom fees on Enterprise (the English and German help pages agree, other regions can differ) | [Malt Help: service fees and offers (English)](https://help.malt.com/hc/en-150/articles/29567589850002-What-are-Malt-service-fees-and-offers), checked 2026-11-06 |

Malt shows different percentages for some regions. Check the plan page for your country.

For the other side of the market: Malt states service fees of 5% excluding tax, with certain projects in France, Spain and Belgium starting at 10% and dropping to 5% after 6 months. On ErdiBuilds the fee works like this: Developers pay 8 percent plus payment processing.

## Choosing between them

- If you want a project written down as fixed price milestones that are funded one at a time, ErdiBuilds is built for that.
- If you already know which freelancer you want to work with, compare the total each platform would add to the quote.
- Ask each platform when money is released and who owns the result.

## What you get with ErdiBuilds

- Free for clients.
- Milestones are from 50 to 2,000 each in your project currency.
- Each milestone is funded before work starts and runs 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 weeks.
- Developers come from the 27 EU countries. Clients can join from anywhere in the world.
- Unless both sides agree otherwise in writing on the platform, the rights to the result of a milestone pass to the client once that milestone is paid in full.
- Developers are independent professionals, not our employees.

## How it works on ErdiBuilds

1. Describe your project: the kind of project, the kind of help and your goals. You can start without an account.
2. Review proposals: independent developers who match your project send proposals with fixed price milestones, sorted by match score with plain reasons.
3. Fund one milestone at a time. Each milestone is funded before work starts and runs 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 weeks. You approve the delivery, then the developer is paid.

## Sources and notes

> Malt is a brand of Malt Community Ltd, the operator named in its own terms or legal pages. ErdiBuilds is not affiliated with Malt. Information checked on 2026-11-06, see sources.

- [Malt Help: legal information](https://help.malt.com/hc/en-150/articles/29568867949586-What-is-Malt-s-legal-information), checked on 2026-11-06
- [Malt Help: service fees and offers (English)](https://help.malt.com/hc/en-150/articles/29567589850002-What-are-Malt-service-fees-and-offers), checked on 2026-11-06
- [Malt Help: service fees for freelancers](https://help.malt.com/hc/en-150/articles/29539691425938-How-do-the-Malt-service-fees-work-for-freelancers), checked on 2026-11-06

## Frequently asked questions

### Is ErdiBuilds free for clients?

Free for clients. You pay the milestone amount you agreed on.

### Where are ErdiBuilds developers based?

Developers come from the 27 EU countries. Clients can join from anywhere in the world.

### What do developers pay on ErdiBuilds?

Developers pay 8 percent plus payment processing. Applying is free, with no paid bids.

### Who owns the result of a milestone?

Unless both sides agree otherwise in writing on the platform, the rights to the result of a milestone pass to the client once that milestone is paid in full. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

## Related

- [Upwork alternatives for app and SaaS builds](https://erdibuilds.app/compare/upwork-alternatives): Upwork alternatives for app, SaaS, website and game projects: ErdiBuilds, Fiverr, Toptal, Malt, Freelancer.com and Contra, with sourced facts.
- [ErdiBuilds vs Upwork: fees and how it works](https://erdibuilds.app/compare/erdibuilds-vs-upwork): A factual look at fees, applying and payment on ErdiBuilds and Upwork, with sources and check dates, for people hiring an app or SaaS developer.
- [Pricing](https://erdibuilds.app/pricing): What ErdiBuilds costs for clients and developers.
- [How it works](https://erdibuilds.app/how-it-works): From idea to finished project, step by step.
- [For developers](https://erdibuilds.app/developers): How independent developers join and get hired.