GrowTal Review: An Honest, Expert Opinion [2024 Update]

A Decent Alternative to Traditional Digital Marketing Agencies

GrowTal isn’t the cheapest or most flexible choice for hiring marketing experts. That said, the community’s still growing, and you can hire some highly talented individuals in several digital marketing fields (UX design, email marketing, SEO, and social media marketing).

If anything, GrowTal feels and works more like a traditional digital marketing agency than a modern freelance website. You fill out a form, and GrowTal’s team handpicks a couple of freelancers for you. It’s then up to you to consider your options and make a sensible choice.

Since you can’t directly access the platform’s talent pool yourself, there’s also an element of luck to the whole process – which isn’t ideal. Can you trust GrowTal to match you with the most capable expert? Sure, all freelancers pass specific assessments, but they’re not vetted as rigorously as the platform’s high price tag suggests. Fortunately, you can always request to hire someone else if you’re not 100% satisfied with your freelancer’s work.

GrowTal’s hiring procedure is relatively straightforward but somewhat slow – especially if you’re used to hiring people through Fiverr and getting things done in an instant. However, if you don’t want to deal with traditional marketing agencies and don’t mind paying a premium, GrowTal might work for you. Read on to find out if that’s the case.

GrowTal’s Expert Marketers Don’t Come Cheap – But They Deliver

GrowTal is designed with growing businesses in mind. If you can handle the cost, chances are you’ll find the right professional for the job. The hiring process is relatively easy, all freelancers working on the platform are tested, and there are many marketing categories to choose from.

Marketing Experts for All Kinds of Jobs

From SEO consultants to UX designers and Google Ads specialists, GrowTal has the talent needed to get things done. Full-time hiring is common on the platform, so you can hire experts in demanding roles often missing from other freelance platforms (e.g., interim CMOs, full-stack marketers).

GrowTal also operates its own freelance creative studio, known as “Creative on Demand.” It’s worth noting that, like with most of the platform’s services, these creatives aren’t meant for small businesses. The homepage lists partnerships with giants (e.g., Nissan, Nike, Meta, NBC), and some budgets of featured projects exceeded $80,000.

Multi-Step Screening Process

GrowTal takes pride in its rigorous vetting process. It handpicks potential candidates based on their experience and credentials. Before joining the platform’s growing network, freelancers must pass several assessments that put their skills and services to the test.

That is excellent news, especially for teams unwilling to compromise on quality. You might have to pay a premium, but at least you know you’ll only be dealing with experienced professionals.*

No Commitments

Despite all the tests and assessments, you can’t know how well someone will fit into your team until after you’ve worked with them. GrowTal doesn’t offer many choices initially, but it at least makes it easy for clients to switch freelancers.

While you’re required to pay a $500 deposit to hire freelancers through GrowTal, you don’t need to commit to your match if you’re not 100% satisfied with their work. You simply communicate your worries to the GrowTal team, and they quickly find a replacement.

As long as you don’t have any outstanding payments, you can also get your deposit back if and when you decide to leave the platform.

Custom Teams

Custom teams can benefit directors managing large projects under tight deadlines. Suppose you’re just about to launch a new website, but half of your marketing team decided to take their annual leave at the same time. Given the short notice, turning to a traditional digital marketing agency would be too expensive.

In cases like this, GrowTal can help you fill gaps quickly. Taking your project’s scale and specific requirements into account, its team can connect you with the right paid media specialists, email marketers, and creative writers. If you’re hiring multiple people at once, you can save quite a bit by purchasing one of the Accelerator Packages.

Accelerator Packages

If you need help with a specific project (and you’re not necessarily looking to hire individuals), GrowTal’s Accelerator Packages are worth considering. Although not cheap, their prices are fixed, making it much easier to calculate costs and stay on budget.

There are over 50 bundles to choose from, including strategy consultations, SEO audits, social media content support, ad setup, and more.

GrowTal Features at a Glance

GrowTal’s a Bit Slow, But It Gets the Job Done

Hiring expert marketers through GrowTal is easy and convenient, but it’s not as quick as I would like. Once you fill out the form and contact the management team, the hiring process can take up to 10 days (in some cases, even more than that).

That’s always the case with agencies and intermediaries. That’s why we here at Website Planet prefer freelance platforms that feature detailed profiles and allow users to contact freelancers directly (e.g., Fiverr). GrowTal is unlikely to solve your problem if you’re in a real hurry.

Hiring Experts on GrowTal Is Straightforward

If you possess the necessary funds and have ample time, GrowTal’s hiring approach might be suitable for you. Despite its gradual nature, the procedure remains uncomplicated: You communicate your requirements to GrowTal, they conduct the screening and furnish you with several options, enabling you to make the ultimate decision.

It takes less than 5 minutes to fill out GrowTal’s contact form on the main website. All their team needs from you is some basic contact information plus a few more details about your industry, the scope and size of your project, your goals, budget, etc. If you submit your form during business hours, a representative will reach out to you shortly after.

GrowTal Gives You the Help You Need

You can contact the GrowTal customer support team via live chat and email. No phone number is listed on the website, but the sales team will call you during business hours once you’ve filled out the website form. GrowTal is headquartered in Los Angeles, so I did some quick math and ensured my message reached their team late in the afternoon.

I asked a couple of questions about the platform’s vetting procedures. The Terms and Conditions had given me a good scare, and I wanted to know precisely how GrowTal brings more freelancers into its network. The automated system warned me the typical response time is a few hours, but I received a reply in less than 3 minutes:

Bryan was quick to answer, and he even asked a few questions about the purpose of my visit, too. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and eager to help, even though I was annoying him with queries about company procedures.

GrowTal does assess freelancers that want to join the network, but it doesn’t perform background checks – nor is it legally responsible for the deliverables and the quality of work its freelancers provide.

A couple of days later, I stumbled upon an article about GrowTal’s launch from 2020. A few Google searches later, I discovered the Bryan I chatted with was Bryan Karas, GrowTal’s founder and CEO. That’s an absolute first for me! I knew GrowTal was a new platform, but I wasn’t expecting that. Maybe it’s not Karas himself, and they’ve cleverly used his face and name, but for a second there, I was impressed.

I then sent an email asking more questions about the $500 deposit. I received a reply a few hours later:

I was relieved to find out you can actually request your deposit back after paying your first three invoices.

GrowTal’s support is excellent. You might have to spend more to benefit from its experienced marketers, but you know you’ll have an expert team guiding you through the hiring process.

GrowTal’s Costs Aren’t as Transparent as I’d Like

GrowTal doesn’t offer any plans. There are no discounts or refunds available either.

Like most freelance platforms, GrowTal allows marketers to set their rates. Your quote will vary greatly depending on the project’s requirements, the number of freelancers you’re hiring, and their expertise. For simple one-off projects (e.g., logo design), you can expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $1,000. Long-term projects can set you back tens of thousands of dollars.

That said, keep in mind that GrowTal is a freelance platform designed with businesses and larger teams in mind. It offers premium services at a premium price.

While it’s impossible to give you a proper estimate, you should expect to pay at least $40–50/hr when hiring content marketers, UX designers, and social media advertisers. The minimum rate for CMOs, brand consultants, and full-stack marketers is about $80–90/hr. GrowTal charges an extra 30% commission fee on top of each freelancer’s rate, so you’ll probably end up paying quite a bit more than the market’s average going rate.

If you have a clear idea of your project, you can save quite a bit by purchasing one of GrowTal’s Accelerator Packages. Starting at $299, these are complete bundles that often include work by several experts.

GrowTal requires clients to pay a $500 deposit before hiring their first freelancer. You’ll receive the deposit back after paying your first three invoices or if you decide to leave the platform. $500 isn’t a big deal if you’re planning to spend tens of thousands of dollars, but it isn’t a feasible fee for those looking to complete smaller projects.

Unfortunately, GrowTal isn’t upfront with its costs. Sure, freelancers charge different rates, but why can’t clients access a table with average expected costs? As things stand, you need to be quite deep into the hiring process before you can finally receive quotes from potential freelancers. What if no candidate is a good fit? That would translate into a whole lot of wasted time.