Fiverr seller levels explained for buyers: Level 1, Level 2 and Top Rated
Short answer
Fiverr seller levels are performance tiers - New, Level 1, Level 2 and Top Rated - that sellers earn by meeting published thresholds for rating, response rate, orders, unique clients and earnings. Level 2 needs 20 orders and $2,000 earned; Top Rated needs 40 orders, $10,000 and a manual review. Levels prove a track record, not a fit for your project.
Key takeaways
- Fiverr has four levels: New, Level 1, Level 2 and Top Rated.
- Level 1 needs 5 orders and $400 earned; Level 2 needs 20 orders and $2,000; Top Rated needs 40 orders, $10,000 and a manual review.
- Minimum ratings rise with each level: 4.4 for Level 1, 4.6 for Level 2 and 4.7 for Top Rated.
- Sellers who slip below the bar get a 30-day grace period before demotion, so a level can lag recent performance by a month.
- Buyers see the level but not the success score, which Fiverr keeps visible only to the seller.
- In our September 29, 2026 sample of 509 shortlisted gigs, non-Pro Top Rated gigs started at a median $60, twice the $30 of Level 2 gigs; Pro gigs started at $140.
Every Fiverr gig card shows a small label next to the seller’s name: Level 1, Level 2 or Top Rated. It is the single most visible quality signal on the platform, and it is based on real numbers, which is more than most marketplaces offer.
Knowing exactly what those numbers are tells you how much weight to give the label, and when a lower level is the smarter hire.
What are the Fiverr seller levels?
Fiverr’s seller levels are four performance tiers: New, Level 1, Level 2 and Top Rated. Fiverr’s help center says the level is visible to clients on gig cards, gig pages and the freelancer’s profile.
Sellers move up by hitting thresholds across six measures: success score, rating, response rate, completed orders, unique clients and earnings. The first three measure quality. The last three measure volume.
What does each Fiverr seller level require?
Each level requires a minimum on all six measures at once, and the bar rises steeply from Level 1 to Top Rated. Here are the thresholds from Fiverr’s help center:
| Measure | Level 1 | Level 2 | Top Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Success score | 5+ | 7+ | 9+ |
| Rating | 4.4+ | 4.6+ | 4.7+ |
| Response rate | 80% | 90% | 90% |
| Completed orders | 5 | 20 | 40 |
| Unique clients | 3 | 10 | 20 |
| Earnings | $400 | $2,000 | $10,000 |
| Manual review | No | No | Yes |
Two details matter for buyers. First, Top Rated is the only level with a manual evaluation by Fiverr, so it carries a human check on top of the math. Second, the thresholds are minimums. Plenty of Level 2 sellers are far past them and simply have not been reviewed for Top Rated.
What does the New freelancer label mean?
The New freelancer label means the freelancer has not yet reached the Level 1 thresholds. That could be a beginner, or it could be an experienced professional who just joined Fiverr and has fewer than five orders.
For small, low-risk jobs you can judge yourself, such as a single social graphic or a short audio cleanup, a new seller with a strong portfolio can be good value. For work your business depends on, the lack of a Fiverr track record is a real gap. There is simply less evidence to go on.
What is the success score, and can buyers see it?
The success score is Fiverr’s internal rating of each gig across six areas: client satisfaction, communication, conflicts, cancellations, on-time delivery and value. Buyers cannot see it. Fiverr’s help center says only the freelancer sees the score and clients see the overall level.
That matters because the level folds the success score into a single label. A Level 2 seller has at least a 7 and a Top Rated seller at least a 9, but beyond that you have to read reviews to find out about deadlines, communication and disputes.
How quickly do levels change?
Levels change fast on the way up and slowly on the way down. Fiverr says sellers who meet the criteria move up automatically within 24 hours, and sellers who fall below get a 30-day grace period before demotion.
The grace period protects sellers from one bad week, which is fair. For buyers it means a level can lag reality by up to a month. If the last several reviews mention late deliveries, trust the reviews over the badge.
Which seller level should I hire?
Hire the level that matches the risk of the job, then choose within it on relevant reviews. A simple rule of thumb:
| Order type | Sensible minimum | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quick, low-cost task you can judge yourself | New or Level 1 with a strong portfolio | Low downside, often good value |
| Typical first order ($50 to $500) | Level 2 | Proven volume and a 4.6+ rating |
| Brand-critical or client-facing work | Level 2 with deep relevant reviews, or Top Rated | Consistency matters more than price |
| High-stakes project or team rollout | Top Rated or Fiverr Pro | Manual review or Pro vetting on top of the numbers |
Category matters too. In our September 29, 2026 check of well-reviewed gigs (4.7+ stars, 20+ reviews) on the first page of each category, Top Rated sellers made up 89% of the voice over sample but only 6% of the data entry and virtual assistant samples. In categories like those, insisting on Top Rated leaves almost nobody. Our guide to finding good sellers shows the full table.
Do Top Rated sellers charge more than Level 2?
Yes, usually about twice as much at the starting package. Across the 509 gigs we shortlisted from the first page of 44 Fiverr categories on September 29, 2026 (all rated 4.7+ with 20+ reviews), the median starting price rose with each tier:
| Seller tier (shortlist sample) | Gigs | Median starting price | Median delivery of starting package | Median review count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 20 | $35 | 2.5 days | 567 |
| Level 2 | 188 | $30 | 2 days | 710 |
| Top Rated (not Pro) | 186 | $60 | 3 days | 1,125 |
| Fiverr Pro (any level) | 115 | $140 | 3 days | 629 |
Top Rated’s median starting price was higher than Level 2’s in 20 of the 23 categories where we had at least three gigs of each. The exceptions were email marketing, video editing and UGC videos, where the two tiers priced about the same or Level 2 was higher. These are starting prices of the cheapest package, not project totals, and the sample only includes well-reviewed gigs, so it describes the good end of each tier.
The practical read: a Top Rated seller costs more mainly because of a longer record, not a faster delivery. If your job is small and easy to judge, a Level 2 seller with relevant reviews is often the better value. The methodology page describes how the sample was collected.
What levels do not tell you
Levels do not tell you whether the seller has done your kind of work, is available this week or delivers source files in your format. They measure overall performance across all of a seller’s orders.
Three checks fill the gap:
- Relevant reviews: recent reviews that mention work like yours.
- The package details: deliverables, revisions, file formats and days. See how to compare gig packages.
- A pre-order message: a two-line question reveals availability and how the seller communicates. See how to message a seller before ordering.
How do Top Rated and Fiverr Pro differ?
Top Rated is earned inside the standard level system on performance numbers plus a manual review. Fiverr Pro is a separate program where, in Fiverr’s words, industry experts evaluate every Pro freelancer before they are accepted.
The two can overlap. Fiverr’s levels article says Pro freelancers can be part of the level system too. Pro gigs carry their own badge and usually cost more: on September 29, 2026, the Pro gigs among well-reviewed Google Ads listings had a median starting price of $295, against $140 for the full sample. For work where vetting is worth paying for, Fiverr Pro Paid link is the place to look. The Fiverr Pro vs Fiverr comparison covers the trade-off.
What about Fiverr’s Choice?
Fiverr’s Choice is a badge on a specific service, not a seller level. Fiverr describes it as recognition of outstanding quality and client satisfaction for select services.
Treat it as a tiebreaker between two gigs you already like. It tells you Fiverr’s systems rate that gig highly, but it says nothing about fit for your brief.
Once you know which level fits your job, filter the category and shortlist five gigs. The first-order checklist covers the rest.
Filter sellers by level on Fiverr Paid linkSources
- Understanding Fiverr’s freelancer levels - Fiverr help center
- Success score - Fiverr help center
- Fiverr’s search and recommendation system - Fiverr help center
- How to become a Fiverr Pro freelancer - Fiverr help center
- Fiverr Pro - Fiverr
Frequently asked questions
Is a Level 2 seller good enough on Fiverr?
Is Top Rated the same as Fiverr Pro?
How fast can a seller move up a level?
Is level 1 or 2 better on Fiverr?
Do higher-level sellers always charge more?
