If you are a model who is looking to get hired for a paid job, the Model Mayhem platform will be the first thing that comes to mind. Almost all models, both new and experienced are there on this platform. If you are a photographer looking for work or models, the site is also for you.
Because of this, the competition will be really fierce on such a popular platform, especially if you are a newbie. It is always a good idea to look for Model Mayhem alternatives to increase your chances of finding what you are looking for.
I have done extensive research and found several other websites that offer comparable service to the Model Mayhem platform. Out of these sites, some are really good. I will share the 10 best alternatives to Model Mayhem that you can consider to showcase your portfolio.
1. Swipecast
Ranking: 5/5
The Swipecast platform is one of the best Model Mayhem alternatives. This platform is useful for models (male and female), hair stylists, rental studios, photographers, videographers, makeup artists, and influencers. If you are into any of these professions, I recommend you register in Swipecast.
You can check the job listing section for different job requirements posted by various clients. You can apply for the jobs that you find interesting. I really liked their easy-to-use interface.
One thing that I liked about the Swipecast platform is its pricing. Most platforms take 30 to 40 percent of the amount as commission. Thus, the model is left with only 60-70 percent of the payment. Here, they charge only 10 percent as the commission. It is an attractive and helpful feature for the models.
Swipecast is also known for its fast processing of payments. Many agencies take 1 week to 1 month for processing the payment. But, Swipecast does the processing within a couple of days. You will get the payment fast.
The rating system is really a useful feature. It helps agencies and brands to pick the best models. If you are interested to get more paid work from this platform, you must try to get the best ratings from your clients.
The thing that I did not like much is their in-depth verification process, but that is a small price to pay.
2. One Model Place
Ranking: 4.5/5
The One Model Place site is another great platform for models and photographers. You can sign up on this platform for free. The free plan comes with certain restrictions. The maximum number of photos allowed in the free plan is 21 and only 3 conversations are allowed in the platform for a year in the free plan.
They offer 3 premium plans- Silver, Gold, and Platinum. If you are interested in using more features of this platform, you need to purchase one of these plans. In my opinion, you will need to purchase the Silver plan at least if you are really serious about getting hired through this platform.
You can check their “Jobs and Casting Calls” section to find the current opportunities. You don’t need to sign up to see this listing. The rates offered by the clients are also displayed along with the listing. Apart from models and photographers, actors, artists, hair stylists, makeup artists, influencers, agencies, and fashion designers can also use this platform to get paid work. They have provided multiple filter options in their search panel. It really helps to narrow down the results.
One thing I liked about this platform is that it is available as an app for your smartphone. It is available on both Android and iOS platforms. Many other platforms do not provide an app to browse model and photographer portfolios.
The one thing that the One Model Place platform could have improved is its customer support. It is pretty slow.
3. Portbox
Ranking: 4.5/5
Portbox is another popular platform like Model Mayhem. I really liked their easy-to-use interface. You can see portfolios of both beginners as well as professional models on this platform. It is quite easy to navigate the model profiles on this platform. One feature of this platform that has really impressed me is the availability status. You can see this status against each model profile. Thus, you don’t have to interact with all the models to know their availability.
You can always check the entire work history of the model through this site. Models from different parts of the world use this platform. If you are interested to hire a model of any particular region or ethnicity for the photo shoot, you can easily pick one through Portbox.
I also liked their precision search feature. It really helps to narrow down your search preference for selecting a model. It helps to save a good amount of search time. The booking system of the Portbox platform is also an easy-to-use section.
The only thing that I did not like about this platform is that you can sign up only through an invite system. So, you need to have the invitation to join this platform. If you don’t have anyone in your social circle who can invite you, you won’t be able to join this site. If you are a beginner, you may find it difficult to join Portbox. I wish they had removed this invite only option.
4. MuseCube
Ranking: 4.5/5
MuseCube is another popular Model Mayhem alternative. It is a social networking platform for photographers and models. If you are a model looking for a job, you can share your portfolio over here. It will help to increase your chances of getting hired. You can create your account for free there.
This platform is not only for models and photographers, it is also for stylists and makeup artists. One thing I liked about MuseCube is that their team reviews and rates all the portfolios. So, as a model or photographer, you need to ensure you upload your best works here. Otherwise, your rating will go down. This reviewing process by their team also helps to eliminate fake profiles in the system. Thus, clients can approach the models listed on this platform with full confidence. Also, Musecube is a completely free service. You don’t have to pay them anything. Your chances of getting hired will be low if you are inactive on the MuseCube platform for a long time.
The whole verification process takes a lot of time. It can be irritating at times. I hope they can make it a bit faster.
5. Model Management
Ranking: 4.5/5
If you are a model, photographer, or agency, the Model Management platform will be a good choice. You can easily find models or photographers from different parts of the world through this site. There are around 2,000,000 plus models, 330,000 plus industry professionals, and 2000 plus agencies on this platform.
Models and photographers can list their pricing and location on this platform. It makes life easy for the agency or the brand to choose one according to their budget. The pro directory is also a useful feature. It allows you to select the best premium models and photographers. The casting section will be really useful for models who are looking for a paid job. You can find different casting posts here. Model Management also provides an easy-to-use online booking tool. Once you book a model or a photographer through this tool, a smart contract is sent to the model.
The signup process is simple and easy. You can sign up on this platform with your email, Facebook, Apple, or Google account. Once the photoshoot is over, the client can give a review for the model and the photographer on this platform. Positive reviews will help you to gain more work.
They also offer an app for Android and iOS platforms. So, you can easily check for paid work opportunities on the go.
6. The Fashion Model Directory (FMD)
Ranking: 4/5
The Fashion Model Directory, popularly known as FMD is another great platform for models, photographers, and agencies. They have been operating this platform for more than 20 years now. In my opinion, it will be a good alternative to Model Mayhem.
They have many members. So, as a model or photographer, you will find this platform very useful in my opinion. The registration process is quite simple in FMD. During the online registration process, they give you the option to select your type of account. It includes normal users, agencies, models, magazines, designers, brands, and photographers. Thus, they have got a proper grouping of members according to type. So if you are a photographer or a brand looking for a model for a photo shoot, you can find them easily from the models section. Also, they have the biggest database of members. So, you don’t have to look anywhere else for hiring a model.
They also follow a strict verification process for the users. I like this part of the platform. It will ensure that there are no fake accounts or profiles. If you are a model looking for a paid job, you can be pretty sure that you are dealing with an actual person and not a bot.
One feature of FMD that has really impressed me is the option to give comments for the models. If you have worked with any of the models on this platform, you can share your feedback here. It will help the models to get more work. I also liked the fact they give the option to the user to rank the models for their professionalism. It will make the hiring process much easy for the agency, brand, magazine, or photographer.
7. Models.com
Ranking: 4/5
The Models.com platform is not only for photographers and models. A magazine, casting director, production company, hair stylist, makeup stylist, or ad agency can also use this platform. The signup process is quite simple. You can sign up using your email, Facebook account, or Twitter account.
You can find some of the best models around the world from this platform. It is one of the popular websites for models. If you are a beginner looking to build a career in modeling, this platform is for you. After signing up, make sure to upload very high-quality pictures.
Also, all models who sign up on this platform will not get a dedicated page for themselves. Only a few get this golden opportunity. In most cases, models who get an invitation from this platform will be showcased on a separate page. They have a better chance of getting hired through this platform.
I liked the Pro search feature of this platform. If you are an agency or brand looking for a model, photographer, or other associated professional, this Pro search will be very useful. The filter options in it are designed in such a way that you can pick the best according to your requirements. There are many agencies that like to recruit models who are popular on social media platforms like Instagram. On Models.com, you can see the number of Instagram fan followers of each model. It will easily show you the popularity of the model.
I wish they have provided an app for this platform. It will be really useful in this digital age where agencies, clients and professionals prefer such apps.
8. Purpleport
Ranking: 4/5
Purpleport is one of the best places for freelance models. Apart from models and photographers, many other professionals can also use this platform. It includes makeup artists, photo retouchers, hair stylists, shoot stylists, artists, cloth designers, photography tutors, and studio owners.
The signup process is pretty easy on the Purpleport platform. You just need your email to do the signup process. They don’t provide any other options for sign-up. Around 300,000 plus casting calls were listed on this platform.
Purpleport offers different types of tools too. It includes online booking tools, away and travel notices, a full-featured calendar, studio events, casting calls, and many others to help both the models and the hiring agencies. This platform allows you to work directly with the models. Thus, you don’t have to spend extra money on the middleman. Also, the client can give a review of the model and the photographer. Positive reviews from the client really help to get more paid assignments. It is also useful for other clients while choosing their model/ photographer.
Another feature of this website that I found useful is the availability of plenty of useful resources for both models and photographers. These guides and articles will help you kick-start your career as a model/ photographer. Such resources are not available in many other similar modeling sites.
But I still feel that they can bring some more improvement in the user interface to make it more appealing to the users.
9. Go Models
Ranking: 4/5
Go Models is another good Model Mayhem alternative that you can consider to take your modeling career to the next level.
An interesting feature that I liked about this platform is its variety of models. They have got male, female, baby, child, 50 plus, plus size, fitness, and tattooed models. Many other modeling websites just offer male and female models. If you are looking for a baby, aged, or plus size model, you can definitely find them here. Also, if you are a model in this category, it will be easy to get paid work from here, provided you have a good portfolio.
You just need to enter your name and email details to sign up on this platform. You can sign up as a model or client. If you are a client looking for models, you can use the Go Models platform free of charge. You don’t have to pay any commission.
10. Instagram
Ranking: 4/5
Instagram is a social media platform where you can post pictures and videos. But it is also one of the platforms where you can find models and photographers. Almost all models will have an Instagram profile. If you are a person who is interested in entering the modeling industry, you must start an Instagram profile. Make sure to upload high-quality images and videos to your Instagram account.
If you are a person who is interested in taking up a career as a fashion photographer, you must also consider setting up a good portfolio on Instagram. Nowadays clients and brands look for models and photographers on Instagram too. Just uploading your images and videos won’t be sufficient.
You need to do appropriate marketing of your portfolio of images. Only then will your photos be seen by agencies and brands. It will increase your chances of getting hired. Also, make sure not to mix your professional profile with your personal one. Keep both separate.
One thing about Instagram is it takes some time to get established on this platform. If you are a beginner, you may find it difficult. If you have already worked with popular agencies and brands, it will be a little easier for you. An Instagram profile will be beneficial for models in the long run. Make sure to post pictures and videos on a regular basis. Also, make sure to use the right hashtags. If you are very interested to work with any particular brand, tag them in your posts.
I hope this article gave you many possible options to Model Mayhem to choose from. Consider reading this article if you are interested to learn about shooting fashion models.
