The terms have nothing to do with skill or pay. Freelance means working for different companies as an independent resource or expert, as opposed to an employee

The terms have nothing to do with skill or pay. Freelance means working for different companies as an independent resource or expert, as opposed to an employee. Consultant means someone who offers advice professionally. One can do both at the same time. Orthogonal, as someone else wrote. People who get jobbed out by “body shops” to fill chairs or boxes in an org chart are called temps, or contractors. Contractor can also refer to anyone who works according to a contract rather than an employment relationship. In the real world the terms get used interchangeably.