Model Mayhem alternatives and sites like Model Mayhem for paid modeling work

We run PostModels, so read this with that in mind. We have tried to be fair about where the other sites win, because the right one depends on what you need this month. A model building a first portfolio needs something different from a model with a strong book who wants three paid e-commerce days a month.

Pick by goal before you read the details.

• Paid commercial, e-commerce, UGC and event work from US brands: a casting platform built around paid bookings, such as PostModels
• Test shoots and portfolio building with photographers: Model Mayhem, where many US photographers and stylists already have profiles
• A UK-based freelance network: PurplePort
• A broad free directory listing next to Model Mayhem: One Model Place
• Commission-based fashion bookings with an app: Swipecast
• Acting roles, film and theater: Backstage, which is built for actors rather than models

If you are new and still unsure whether to pay for any site, start with our guide to modeling jobs with no experience.

Model Mayhem has been around since the mid 2000s and built a huge community of models, photographers, stylists and makeup artists. The complaints we hear from models who move on are consistent, and they are mostly about paid work rather than the community itself.

• Paywalled reach. The membership page lists a free Basic account, Premium at $6 a month and VIP at $10 a month. Basic is limited to about one casting call a week, so models who want to apply often end up paying anyway.
• Mostly unpaid shoots. A large share of posts are time for prints, where both sides get images and nobody gets paid. That suits portfolio building but not rent.
• No paperwork or payment on the platform. Rates, usage and payment are agreed in messages and settled off the site, so nothing protects you if a client pays late or uses your photos in an ad you never agreed to.
• Mixed safety. Profiles are reviewed before approval, but clients are not identity checked the way a payment platform checks them. Our guide to fake casting calls covers the red flags.

None of this makes Model Mayhem a bad site. It makes it a portfolio network, and models who want bookings need a booking platform next to it.

The table compares the sites US models ask us about most. Prices are only shown where we could confirm them from the site's own pages or consistent public sources, and they change, so check each site before you pay.

PostModels is a casting platform where brands, agencies and studios pay a subscription to post castings, so every client on the board has a verified business behind it. You build one profile with photos, a short video, measurements, sizes, skills and the rates you set, then apply to castings that show the rate, date, city or remote, and usage before you apply.

When a brand books you, both sides sign a booking agreement with the fee and usage, the payment is held, and it is released to you after the job. The model plan is $9 a month billed yearly or $19 monthly and includes up to 60 applications a month, a comp card PDF and ID verification. Bookings paid through PostModels carry a 10 percent platform fee, deducted from the payout. Our breakdown of how much brands pay a model shows what that looks like on a real fee.

Where it is weaker: it is a newer marketplace, so the number of castings varies by city, and it does not cast unpaid test shoots or acting roles.

Keep your Model Mayhem profile if you still shoot tests. It is where many photographers, makeup artists and stylists in your city already are, and a good test shoot gives you the images that win paid castings elsewhere. Pay for Premium or VIP only if you actively use the extra casting calls and messages.

PurplePort is a friendly community that freelance models recommend, but most of its members are in the UK, so it adds little for US paid work. One Model Place is a long-running directory with a free basic listing, useful as an extra place to be found rather than a booking tool. Swipecast takes a commission on each booking instead of charging a subscription, which suits models with an editorial or fashion book. All three are worth comparing on their own pricing pages, since their terms change.

Backstage is the default for actors, with vetted notices for film, TV, theater and some commercials. If you want acting work as well as modeling, it is worth the subscription. For print, e-commerce and UGC, the volume of modeling castings is lower.

Run any site through these five checks before you pay for it.

1. 1Do clients pay or verify before they can post? Free posting is where most fake castings come from.
2. 2Does every casting show the rate, date, location and usage before you apply?
3. 3Is there a written agreement with the fee and the media your photos can be used in?
4. 4Does payment go through the site, so you are not chasing an invoice after the shoot?
5. 5Is there enough paid work in your city, or remote UGC work you can do from home?

A site that passes all five is built for paid work. Most portfolio networks pass none of them, which is fine as long as you know what you are using them for.

Once you take paid jobs from more than one site, keep every payout in one income tracker for creators so your quarterly estimated taxes are not a guessing game. If remote work interests you, our UGC jobs page shows what brands pay creators to film products at home.