Upwork Review: Is Upwork Worth It for Freelancers?

Upwork is a freelancing platform where you can pick up gigs in diverse industries. You can find work in one of four ways:

1. Create a profile and wait for interested clients to contact you.
2. Search the marketplace and use Connects (digital tokens that freelancers use to “connect” with clients) to submit a proposal for a gig that interests you.
3. Create a project catalog with premade projects and let clients buy what they need.
4. Become a consultant.

Just be aware that consulting gigs only become available to you when you become a “Top Rated” freelancer.

Can beginner freelancers use Upwork?

In its earlier days, Upwork used to vet all freelancer applicants and only allow skilled or experienced professionals to join. These days, it’s much more beginner-friendly. Anybody can create an account and start bidding on jobs. As such, it’s ideal for freelancers with little or no experience who want remote work opportunities and flexible gigs.

However, many users report that starting out on Upwork is challenging. It’s likely that you’ll need to rely heavily on Connects at first, which will take a chunk of your earnings.

What kind of work can you do on Upwork?

Hourly gigs and fixed-price jobs are the most common, and these mostly involve remote work you can do from home as opposed to on-site opportunities.

Unlike some platforms that cater to specific fields, Upwork has a vast array of categories and jobs available for both entry-level and experienced freelancers.

The table below shows the most popular Upwork categories, along with some examples of jobs that fall within them.

Upwork Freelance Job Categories

As mentioned, freelancing on Upwork has become more challenging in recent years, and this is reflected in reviews from current users on Reddit this month.

One of the biggest talking points is the disparity between seasoned and veteran freelancers’ experiences. Users with four or more years on the platform seem to have more success, with clients often approaching them directly. On the other hand, beginners describe Upwork as increasingly “unforgiving.” Some new freelancers claim that finding gigs on Upwork feels like a “race to the bottom,” where they have to compete for contracts with hourly rates as low as $3–$5.

Another complaint that’s been making the rounds on Reddit involves the purported costs of Connects. Some users claim that applying for a single job can now cost upwards of $3.45 (23 Connects). One user claims to have calculated that if 20 freelancers apply for a job, Upwork generates significant revenue from fees regardless of whether the client actually hires anyone.

Reviews from current freelancers on Upwork

While recent discussions on Reddit paint Upwork in a negative light, many freelancers still consider it worth using. To give you a better perspective of what picking up gigs on Upwork is like, here are a few detailed reviews from current freelancers:

Case A: Upwork is not dead, but it’s difficult to earn on

One user on Reddit didn’t hold back, saying that they’re “not a fan of Upwork.” They even went as far as to say that it’s a “pay-to-play system.”

That said, they did stress that they “can’t agree that Upwork is dead.” They claimed that there’s still a lot of business going through the platform, and that they’ve gotten a few contracts from legitimate companies through Upwork.

The user also stated that you shouldn’t depend on Upwork for freelance work and that whether or not you should use it at all “depends on what kind of work you do.”

Case B: It works, but takes time

Another Reddit user had a slightly more positive take. They stated that they were “quite happy working on Upwork,” using it exclusively.

However, they did confirm that starting out on Upwork isn’t an easy task, writing that “landing first jobs is always tricky,” and that they “spent a fortune” on Connects in their first month.

Still, the user said that it was indeed “worth it,” claiming that they’re making a living through Upwork and are grateful to be on the platform despite its flaws.

Case C: You need to adapt your skills

Another common complaint about Upwork is that AI tools have negatively affected the availability of work on the platform. This is reflected in one Reddit user’s experience, who stated that AI is “changing how a lot of things are done.”

Rather than complaining about AI stealing their opportunities, this user stressed that you need to “constantly learn new skills, apply that to your work, and pivot whenever necessary.”

According to their report, this strategy has allowed them to make “around ~6k per month from Upwork,” while only working 15–20 hours a week.

Case D: Someone will always work for less than you

Upwork is available to freelancers worldwide, which means that freelancers from lower-income countries will often agree to work for far less than you.

One Reddit user stated that it is extremely difficult to make decent earnings by performing tasks that are “cheerfully done by a never-ending flood of people who are grateful for $3 an hour.”

Still, they stressed that “all you can do is try.”

Case E: It’s the best of a bad bunch

There’s no shortage of less-than-complimentary reviews about Upwork. One Reddit user claimed that the Connects system is “unfair” and that Upwork’s “support is useless.”

However, they also said that “it’s still the biggest freelance platform, whether we like it or not.” Despite all of Upwork’s drawbacks, you’ll have a “higher chance of being hired” on it than on any other “free platform that currently exists.”

The user stressed that you’ll need to put in a lot of effort and invest in Connects when you’re starting out to boost your profile.

According to Indeed, freelancers make an average of $46.06 per hour. 1 However, Upwork estimates that freelancers on their platform can make much more than that. The table below shows their salary breakdown for different jobs.

How Much Freelancers Can Make on Upwork

Source: Upwork.

Keep in mind that factors like experience, training and certifications, industry, and where you’re located can impact how much you earn.

How does Upwork pay freelancers?

Upwork freelancers have various payment method options to choose from:

• Bank transfer
• PayPal
• Wire transfer
• Instant debit card transfer
• Payoneer (outside the US)
• M-Pesa (in Kenya)

Transferring payments directly to a US bank is free to do, but you’ll need to pay a transfer fee of $0.99 to get paid into a local bank outside the US or $50 to perform a US dollar wire transfer. If you’re a Top Rated freelancer, you also have the option to receive payments instantly (to a debit card) via Instant Pay for an extra $2 fee per deposit.

Payment schedules vary depending on the type of contract. For hourly gigs, you’ll get paid every week for your hours. For fixed-price gigs, freelancers typically get paid at milestones. How long you’ll have to wait to get your money depends on the type of jobs you do.

Upwork Payment Schedule

Bear in mind that Upwork’s payment processing time may add an extra 7–8 days to your total wait period between when your funds are released and when you actually see them in your bank account. Additionally, you may get faster payouts within just 5 days for hourly gigs if you’re a Top Rated freelancer.

Upwork is free to sign up for as a freelancer. However, Upwork’s pricing system includes several possible fees that freelancers may face when using the platform.

Freelancer Plus plan

When you first sign up for Upwork, you’ll automatically be put on the basic membership plan. Freelancers who want more out of their Upwork experience can upgrade to the paid Freelancer Plus plan.

Upwork Basic vs. Freelancer Plus Plans

Service fee

Previously, every job you completed through Upwork was subject to a standard service fee of 10%.

However, they no longer have this fixed rate. The fee can now range between 0% and 15%, depending on supply and demand, along with other factors, potentially. You’ll find out the service fee amount before you accept a contract.

For example, if you complete a gig that pays $500, Upwork may take anything from $0 to $75, meaning you can earn anything from $425 to $500 on your project.

There are some exceptions, where the service fee may be fixed or may fall outside the 0%–15% range:

• Any Hire or Bring Your Own (BYO): No freelancer service fees.
• Upwork Payroll: No freelancer service fees.
• Direct Contracts: Reduced 5% service fee.
• Enterprises: Service fees vary.

In addition to charging service fees for freelancers, Upwork charges service fees for clients, which vary depending on the type of contract. These fees on the client’s end can impact your earning potential by limiting a client’s project budget.

Upwork Connects

On Upwork, you need to spend money to drum up new assignments. You’ll do this with Upwork Connects. You can buy Connects in bundles or in specified amounts in your account settings.

As an Upwork freelancer, you’ll spend these credits to perform five key tasks:

1. Submit a proposal for an open job.
2. Respond to a direct offer from a client.
3. Boost your profile in search results.
4. Boost your proposal so it sits at the top of the client’s list.
5. Add an Availability Badge to your profile.

Upwork specifies that when you first join the platform, you need to either buy 100 Connects or purchase a Freelancer Plus membership if you want to submit proposals. This can cost you money upfront.

However, discussions in the Upwork community forum suggest that some people get free Connects when they first sign up to freelance on Upwork. Upwork also occasionally awards free Connects to high-performing freelancers.

For example, you’ll get 30 free Connects if you earn a Rising Talent badge for excellent service. You can also earn Connects by winning an interview with a top client, acquiring Upwork skill certifications, or completing trust and safety courses.

Ads

Three of the transactions that you pay for with Connects are considered ads:

• Profile boost
• Proposal boost
• Availability badge

Ads are optional.

Payment transfer fees

While it’s free to transfer your earnings to a US bank account, you’ll need to pay a small transfer fee if you’re moving the money someplace else. Here’s an overview of Upwork’s money transfer fees:

• Transfer to a local bank outside the US: $0.99 per transfer.
• US dollar wire transfer: $50 per transfer.
• Instant Pay: $2 transfer fee per deposit.

Although Upwork is a legit freelancing platform, as mentioned, many users report that scam job postings are prevalent. Upwork doesn’t thoroughly vet clients, and many Upwork freelancers have reported encountering job scams.

This is exemplified by a comment made by one Upwork representative in the community forum:

“While we do take steps to verify that clients who join Upwork are who they say they are and take action when we learn a user is not following our Terms of Service, we are not able to guarantee that the information a client provides in their post is true or accurate.”

Moreover, although scams have been a problem on Upwork for a while, AI has made it much easier for scammers to masquerade as companies.

Still, this isn’t unique to Upwork; most freelancing marketplaces and gig apps have their fair share of scams. The primary difference is that Upwork puts a ton of effort into keeping its freelancers safe. Here are some of the protective measures you’ll receive as an Upwork freelancer.

Payment protection

There are three types of gigs that get payment protection:

• Hourly gigs
• Fixed-price jobs
• Direct contracts

Upwork collects the client payment when the contract is signed and puts it into escrow. The payments are released according to the agreed-upon schedule between you and the client.

Under Upwork’s fixed-price protection policy, you can file a dispute if a client fails to release a milestone payment on a fixed-price contract after you’ve completed a job. If a client stops responding on an hourly contract, you can cancel the contract and get paid for the hours you’ve clocked in.

Many Upwork freelancers love the payment protection, citing it as one of the best features of the platform. “Generally, the rules and regulations help uphold professionalism,” said one reviewer on G2. “Unlike other sites where you can work and not get paid, in Upwork you get paid for a job well done.”

Others, however, feel like it’s not as comprehensive as it could be. “Upwork’s escrow and dispute resolution policies, though meant to promise protection, are woefully inadequate in practice,” one user reported. “Repeated cases of non-payment go unaddressed for far too long, leaving freelancers financially vulnerable with no recourse.”

Connect refunds

On Upwork, you pay for Connects to respond to a potential client. Even if you don’t get the job, that money gets spent.

That said, Upwork will refund the Connects you spent in these specific cases:

• Client-canceled jobs
• Jobs that violate the Terms of Service
• Fraudulent clients or postings

In other words, if a job falls through before the contract is signed or it violates the platform’s terms, you’ll get your money back.

Investigating suspicious activity

If you encounter job postings that seem fraudulent or otherwise suspicious, you can flag them for the Trust & Safety (T&S) team. You can do the same for messages you’ve received from prospective or existing clients if they violate the Terms of Service or Marketplace Standards.

Considering the risks involved for freelancers on Upwork, it’s important to be smart about how you use the platform.

Here are a few expert tips to safely use Upwork and get paid fairly for the work you do.

Be smart about using your Connects

Connects may seem cheap. You get 10 or 100 for free every month, with additional Connects costing $0.15 apiece.

However, each job costs you a different number of Connects. For instance, if you search for “YouTube script writer” jobs as soon as you join Upwork, you’ll see that in many cases, it’ll cost you anywhere from 10 to 20 Connects just to contact the job poster.

If you’re not making money yet, if you’re not charging enough, or if clients are low-balling you, these Connect fees will eat away at your profit margins. So be mindful of which jobs or clients you respond to.

Carefully vet every job and client

Upwork is a great source for finding clients, so long as you know how to find the right ones. Some freelancers warn that getting scammed as a newbie is common.

If you pay close attention to the posting, you should be able to figure out if a job is a scam or if the client is going to try to skip out on paying you. So keep an eye out for suspicious language.

Thankfully, Upwork gives freelancers the opportunity to scope out a client’s track record, as one G2 reviewer pointed out. “You’ll actually get to see how many job offers/projects they have done with other talents and also the amount of money they have paid talents collectively,” they said. “This assures their legitimacy.”

Don’t undervalue yourself

Another tip that Upwork freelancers suggest is to set a competitive rate. Entry-level freelancers have a tendency to undervalue themselves, and those low rates will attract scammers and difficult clients.

“I learnt within a few days how to avoid scams and raised my rates enough that scams don’t target me,” one Reddit user warned. It may be discouraging to see low-rate freelancers getting lots of gigs, but remember that there are clients on the platform who are willing to pay more for high-quality talent.

Be diligent and consistent when you’re starting out

Unless you’ve collected dozens of rave testimonials from former clients, starting out on Upwork is probably going to be a challenge.

There’s a lot of competition. Well-established freelancers who’ve completed hundreds of hours of work and amassed countless 5-star reviews are going to be among the top picks. You also have to contend with freelancers who do this full-time and are able to pounce on jobs immediately after they get posted.

Even if this is a side hustle for you, you need to be willing to put in extra hours to write impressive proposals and convince clients to pick you over them.

“I landed a reliable client after some persistence,” said one Upwork freelancer. “It’s a hustle, but the key is to set clear expectations and communicate well. It might take a bit, but there’s potential for worthwhile gigs.”

Think twice before using Upwork for a side hustle

One common warning among current Upwork freelancers is that you really need to invest a lot of time to make Upwork worth your while. If you just want to fill out a few empty hours in your work schedule, you might not get the results you’re after.

“You have to take it seriously, have great soft skills on top of your experience and spend some time to build your profile and find good clients,” warned one Reddit user.

Another freelancer observed that “People who want a ‘side hustle’ tend not to do very well. Those who are growing and building a business do well.”

Find your niche

In addition to devoting extra time to marketing and selling yourself, Upwork freelancers suggest you find a niche with less competition.

Some categories are oversaturated, with clients receiving hundreds of proposals for any job they post. Niching down and really focusing on your specialty will help you break through the noise and land more gigs.

As one reviewer on G2 noted, “It can be difficult to get started on the platform and build a presence. There is a lot of competition from other freelancers so you need to make sure your skills and work stand out from the rest.”

If you’ve decided that you want to give freelancing on Upwork a go despite the challenges, here’s everything you need to know to get started.

Freelancer requirements

Upwork does have two requirements for its users. The first is that you must be at least 18 years old to use the platform (which rules it out as a way for younger teens to make money on the side).

The second is that you cannot live in one of the following restricted areas:

• Russia
• Belarus
• Crimea
• Iran
• North Korea
• Syria
• Cuba
• Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR)
• Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)

The list of restricted territories changes from time to time, so check the Upwork Terms of Service to confirm that you’re eligible to work on the platform.

Upwork signup process

You need to sign up for Upwork online on their website. To get started, go to the Upwork.com website and follow the steps below:

1. Click “Sign up” in the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Select “I’m a freelancer, looking for work.”
3. Click “Apply as a Freelancer.”
4. Enter your name, email address, password, and country.
5. Agree to the Upwork Terms of Service, User Agreement, and Privacy Policy.
6. Click “Create my account.”
7. Build your profile by uploading a profile photo, writing a bio, and filling out key details like your skills, availability, education, licenses/certifications, and employment history.
8. Go to “Profile Settings” and choose up to 15 jobs you’d like to do.
9. Navigate to the “Get Paid” section and set up your payment withdrawal method.
10. Lastly, go to the “Tax Information” section and enter your taxpayer information so you can start making money.

Upwork currently has no vetting or application review process. You’ll need to undergo ID verification, which can take up to 48 hours. But once you’ve done that, you’re in. You can start applying for jobs immediately.

The more complete your profile is, the better it’ll perform in Upwork’s search algorithm. From your freelancer dashboard, add in as many details as you can about who you are and what kinds of work you’re looking for. Consider including a portfolio, a video introduction, client testimonials, your availability, and any work preferences you have.

Where to download the Upwork app for freelancers

App Store Google Play

To reiterate, freelancing marketplaces aren’t what they used to be. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to rely solely on Upwork for freelancing, especially if you’re just starting out.

However, Upwork is still the best option out of the freelancing marketplaces in 2026. You’ll have a lot of flexibility in terms of what kind of work they do, when they work, and the kinds of clients they work for.

One lesser-known advantage to using a freelancing site like Upwork is that you’ll find job opportunities that you otherwise probably wouldn’t have access to. This is because some companies only hire contractors through major freelancing services.

“Companies must comply with differing labor laws from different states and governments. Upwork tracks those laws and ensures compliance and it decreases risk for the employers,” said one user who hires freelancers through Upwork. This is “why many large corps make it a policy to only hire contractors via places like Upwork.”

Ultimately, your chances of success on Upwork will be higher if you:

• Target a clear niche
• Are willing to put the work in when you’re starting out (e.g., paying for Connects)
• Adapt your skills to what’s in demand

Pros and cons of Upwork

Before signing up as a freelancer on Upwork, weigh the advantages and disadvantages to make sure it’s worth it for you in the long run.

We spoke to Jacqueline Samaroo, a freelance writer who’s been using Upwork for over 10 years, and she says it’s worth trying out. “Upwork is worth using because of the sheer number of opportunities,” she said. This is a big selling point these days since the amount of work on many sites has rapidly fallen in the wake of the release of AI models like ChatGPT.

While some freelancers may feel differently, Samaroo also praised Upwork’s “vibrant, very vocal, and active” community of users, which you can find on the Upwork Community message boards, and the payment protection system and freelancer-client mediation services that the platform provides for workers.

Alternatives to Upwork

There are plenty of other sites like Upwork where digital freelancers, solopreneurs, and agencies can go to find online work:

• Fiverr: This is another gig marketplace, but it takes a 20% cut of your earnings. In addition, $5-per-gig paydays are pretty normal, so earning potential is quite low.
• Freelancer: This platform is similar to Upwork in many ways. That said, the app is less cluttered and easier to use. It also offers contests, which are a creative way for freelancers to make money.
• Guru: There are similar jobs here, but there aren’t as many as on Upwork. In addition to less competition, the quality of the competition seems to be lower as well, so it could be a good place to make your mark.

Samaroo says she prefers Upwork to all the other freelancing platforms she’s tried, including major competitors like Fiverr. But which freelancing site is best for you depends on your field and experience level.

Regardless of which freelancer platform you choose to use, it’s a good idea to diversify your opportunities by trying out several options. If you avoid limiting yourself, it won’t matter too much if things go south on one platform, as you’ll be able to simply switch to another.

Alternatives to freelancer platforms

On top of freelancer websites and apps, you can consider other types of platforms like work-on-demand apps, microtasking apps and websites, or passive income apps.

You can also check out the remote working hub on the SideHustles.com job board to find short-term and long-term remote-working opportunities.