Ask HN: Intern or freelance - which is better on the resume?

[stevejobs]

If you had a choice of interning at no pay for a respectable firm or getting a freelance gig at a similarly situated company what do you think would look better on a resume if your goal was to get a permanent job later on? (not necessarily at the same place)

[chanian]

If the option to get a paid internship exists I'd do that. I've always had problems with the idea of big companies offering unpaid internships, however depending on the industry/competition, I get why they exist.

But to echo baggins, employers have rarely cared about my freelance work.

[baggins]

In my experience looking for work, almost no one I've interviewed with asked or cared about my freelance work.