The True Independents position themselves in a niche that most generalist marketplaces overlook: direct connections between clients and qualified freelancers, without commission on the billed revenue. The model relies on profile visibility rather than a transaction fee, which changes the economic logic for both the freelancer and the client.
Architecture of the True Independents platform and internal referencing logic
The site’s structure is based on a directory organized by professional skills, geographical areas, and sectors of activity. Each freelancer’s profile has its own indexable page, with markup oriented towards local queries. A project management consultant based in Lyon appears on keyword combinations associating his specialty and location.
This operation contrasts with matching algorithm platforms, where the freelancer depends on an opaque relevance score. Here, the profile functions as an autonomous natural referencing page, allowing the freelancer to capture organic traffic independently of the platform itself.
We recommend that freelancers who register treat their profile exactly as they would a landing page: profile title containing the job keyword, structured description, and regular updates of achievements. A presentation of the True Independents site allows for visualizing the complete structure and identifying categories already covered by other profiles.
Commission-free business model: impact on average daily rates
On Malt or Crème de la Crème, the commission charged on each assignment ranges from a few percent to a significant portion of the billed amount. This mechanism pushes freelancers to inflate their daily rates to compensate for the deduction, distorting pricing clarity for companies.
The True Independents do not charge any commission on assignments. The freelancer displays their actual rate, the one they receive. For a client comparing several profiles, the pricing grid reflects the actual value of the service, not a price inflated by platform fees.
This model is financed through subscriptions or profile promotions. The freelancer pays for their visibility, not for each contract signed. In practice, this benefits freelancers who secure multiple assignments per month: the fixed cost of presence on the platform is spread over a larger revenue volume.
Electronic invoicing and compliance for freelancers in 2026
As of September 1, 2026, all freelancers, micro-enterprises, and self-employed individuals must be able to receive invoices in electronic format via an approved platform. The obligation to issue invoices for the smallest structures will come into effect on September 1, 2027.
This regulatory constraint changes the game for matchmaking platforms. A compliant invoicing tool becomes a selection criterion for the platform, just like the volume of available assignments.
The True Independents do not natively integrate an invoicing module, which requires each freelancer to pair their profile with compatible third-party software (Pennylane, Tiime, or the public portal Chorus Pro for public contracts). This is a point to anticipate during registration:
- Check that the chosen invoicing software is connected to a partner dematerialization platform (PDP) approved by the tax administration.
- Set up automatic receipt of supplier invoices in Factur-X or UBL format before the September 2026 deadline.
- Maintain compliant electronic archiving for the legal duration, even if the matchmaking platform does not offer this feature.
European regulation on platform work: what freelancers need to watch
The European Union has adopted a text regulating work via digital platforms, with transposition expected in each member state by the end of 2026. Two provisions directly concern freelancers registered on these platforms.
The first is the presumption of employment under certain conditions. If the platform sets rates, imposes schedules, or controls the execution of the service, the worker may be reclassified as an employee. The True Independents, by allowing freelancers total control over their daily rates, availability, and execution conditions, place themselves outside the reclassification criteria.
The second concerns the regulation of algorithmic management systems. Platforms that use algorithms to assign tasks, rate profiles, or suspend accounts will need to guarantee human oversight and a right to review. A directory without algorithmic scoring, like that of the True Independents, escapes this obligation, but multi-platform freelancers must check the compliance of each tool they use.
Profile features and visibility on search engines
A freelancer’s profile on the platform includes several fields that can be leveraged for SEO: job title, long description, secondary skills, portfolio, and area of intervention. Each of these fields feeds into the semantic markup of the page.
To increase visibility, we observe that the best-positioned profiles on Google share three characteristics:
- A profile title that matches the exact query of a potential client (for example, “Symfony developer Lyon” rather than “versatile web developer”).
- A description of more than a few hundred characters, incorporating niche terms and concrete use cases.
- Quarterly updates, with the addition of new achievements, signaling to search engines that the page is active.
The True Independents platform does not offer an integrated client review system. For freelancers used to Malt, where recommendations influence internal ranking, this absence changes the strategy: social proof must be provided via a link to a LinkedIn profile or a personal website listed in the profile.
The choice of a commission-free platform without a sorting algorithm requires freelancers to have more autonomy in their commercial approach. The trade-off is total pricing transparency and real independence from the opaque rules governing most competing marketplaces.