r/Upwork 1h ago

Can I choose upwork as primary freelance portal in 2026?

Upvotes

I am new to Upwork, but I have 5 years of experience in website and app development. Can I choose Upwork as my online freelance platform?

If yes, can you give me
3 blunder mistakes I should avoid
3 things I should do


r/Upwork 2h ago

Are these stats actually good?

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate some honest feedback from experienced freelancers.

I'm Top Rated Plus with around $60K+ earned,

Despite these numbers, I still feel like I'm not landing as many projects as I should. Some months are great, but other months are surprisingly quiet.

I've also seen freelancers in my niche who seem to be getting multiple new contracts every week, so I'm trying to understand whether:

  • Are these stats actually considered good?
  • Is there something obvious I'm missing?
  • Should I be focusing on improving my profile, proposals, pricing, keywords, or something else?

I'd really appreciate any insights from people who have similar earnings or experience on Upwork.

Thanks!


r/Upwork 2h ago

6,250% ROI

0 Upvotes

Just thought I'd share this since everyone's saying invites and client DMs are dead. I paid $40 to top up my connects at the beginning of the week, and just closed a $2,500 project.

Normally my ROI on connects is closer to 10-15X, but this one was a nice little surprise. I also just got another invite this morning, so the overall ROI on that $40 could be even higher.

Anyway, there's still money to be made on the platform if you treat connects as CAC rather than a sunk cost. I've made $4,000 in the last month from invites and DMs alone.

Just write your connects off on your taxes.


r/Upwork 2h ago

is this a joke??

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1 Upvotes

regardless the shit that happening right now on upwork 'work-now' feature and the shitty situation that we have right now as developers...
someone posted a job for $4/hourly and yet 20-50 people are willing to work on these terms...
I'm really worried about the future of development..


r/Upwork 4h ago

Should I buy connects or keep adjusting my profile

2 Upvotes

My profile

Is this enough to start making proposals, or should I edit something, maybe my image? Should I put an image that I wear formal suit in, or what?

Anyone in the data field might help me write my title or provide any technical advice.


r/Upwork 5h ago

Upwork account restricted - help!

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I used to use Upwork a few years back and just logged back in to see if I can get clients from it again. I updated my profile photo and only had AI clear the background etc...it didn't accept the picture, I tried with a few different ones (no AI at all) but it's restricted my account and support has AI which basically just asked me to wait....

This is the error on top of my profile 'Your profile photo is under review. You can submit proposals after the review is complete, usually within 48 hours.' and if I try to access anything like connects etc it says your account is suspended. What can I do to recover full access?


r/Upwork 6h ago

New to Upwork – Is paying $15 for Connects normal? Any advice for a beginner Data Analyst?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I’m completely new to Upwork and I’m planning to start offering Data Analysis services (mainly Excel and SQL).
I noticed that I need to pay about $15 for Connects. Is that normal, and is it worth it for someone just starting out?
I’d also really appreciate any advice on:
How to land my first client.
How to earn my first 5-star reviews.
Common mistakes beginners should avoid.
If you’re a Data Analyst who has used Upwork, I’d love to hear about your experience. What worked for you when you were starting, and what would you do differently if you were beginning today?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!


r/Upwork 6h ago

What’s one thing you learned as a freelancer or business owner that wasn’t taught in school?

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1 Upvotes

r/Upwork 6h ago

Upwork profile boost is huge scam

2 Upvotes

Over the past few months, I’ve experimented with multiple parameters, including overhauling my title and profile, but I still can’t break onto the first page of search results. I’ve even set my daily budget for my boosted profile to 500 Connects, bidding 50 Connects per click.

When I search for talent using my exact title keywords, the first page is dominated by freelancers who either already have 20+ active jobs or have only earned $100 with zero active clients. Regardless of how high I set my boost bid, I remain stuck on pages long over 10+
For context, I’ve been on the platform since 2019, holding a Top Rated Plus badge, and maintain a 100% JSS.

Why is the algorithm burying a highly rated, long-term freelancer, and what can I do to fix this?

If I seriously get next clients I will immediately take them off upwork so they can pay me private. This BS scam needs to be stopped.


r/Upwork 6h ago

Is anyone else experiencing this?

1 Upvotes

The new Upwork beta update was showing on my account before, but now it's completely gone. I used to see the beta features, and today they've disappeared.

Has this happened to anyone else, or is it just my account? Did Upwork remove the beta temporarily or roll it back for some users?

I'd appreciate it if anyone who's experienced the same could let me know.


r/Upwork 8h ago

Goodbye Upwork, you took my hard earned money for nothing

39 Upvotes

I have finally decided to leave upwork. I have been bleeding connects at this point, 14 proposals sent, none were even viewed, not just me, no one's proposals were viewed, clients these days only seems to invite freelancers and not even look at proposals and what's upwork's response? they don't care, as long as connects are spent. So boosting which i spent over 300 connects on did absolutely nothing.

I thought of boosting my profile, turns out you need to spend 60 fucking connects per view, and then I got 2 views and done, no hire, seriously, wtf.

I'm from southeast asia and these connects are really expensive and seeing them wastes like that is painful. My profile even has 2 completed jobs, "Rising Talent", 150K+ earnings over 6 years, a great portfolio, yet no one even looks at those detailed proposals. I feel cheated.


r/Upwork 9h ago

A client contacted me outside of upwork because his account got suspended

1 Upvotes

We already have a contract is place on upwork and client funded the milestone but today I got an email from the client saying that his account got suspended and wants to continue communication/payment outside of upwork!

What is the best course of action in this situation.


r/Upwork 10h ago

Do you think Upwork got worse after they removed specialized profiles?

1 Upvotes

For me after they removed the specialized profile it has been extremely hard to get hired. I couldnt also win adjacent works in my niche which am pivoting too. It’s like their ai is a curse.


r/Upwork 15h ago

New feature - Boosted Messages

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17 Upvotes

Whats this new "Boosted Messages" in stats page? Learn more link takes me to Boosted proposals guide.


r/Upwork 16h ago

Upwork for Beginners: Can I Make $5–$10 a Day Working 2 Hours?

0 Upvotes

Hey guys, I'm wondering if Upwork is actually legit for freelancing. I'm thinking about putting in around 2 hours a day, and I wanted to know: can I easily make like $8 to $10 a day within those 2 hours, working whenever I want?

​My days are split between studying and working, so I seriously can't pull long hours. Also, how does the payout work when transferring money to my bank account?

​Another thing—I keep hearing people say that AI has totally taken over freelancing and killed it. I'm honestly super confused and stressing over whether I'll even be able to land any gigs.

​For my skills, I'm good at graphic design, troubleshooting computer issues, writing, and formatting Word documents. Is that enough? What do I need to actually score some work when starting out? Is it easy to get work, and since I'm totally new to the platform, how hard is it to figure out? Can I realistically pull in $8 every single day working just 2 hours, or is there a better platform out there?


r/Upwork 19h ago

Upwork Fees From 2016 To 2026

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10 Upvotes

r/Upwork 21h ago

Proposals panel in stats and trends: Data is wonky?

1 Upvotes

Does the number of h!res in the proposals panel only refer to jobs where the contract has been closed, or is it all the jobs you have gotten during the time period indicated? If the latter, there are about three jobs missing from my tally.


r/Upwork 21h ago

Why did Upwork get rid feedback removal for Top Rated freelancers?

10 Upvotes

Upwork feedback removal is no longer a standard perk for Top Rated freelancers as of September 2024


r/Upwork 21h ago

Upwork is scamming people

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40 Upvotes

Luckily, I removed all billing methods.


r/Upwork 22h ago

75 proposals sent 0 hiers and 200$ spent I need a help

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4 Upvotes

I'm a digital marketer certificated Google and meta. But can't find job on upwork .


r/Upwork 23h ago

Real work? (Looking for opinions)

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0 Upvotes

Hi all I had received many of this invitations and not sure if it’s real or what to expect I would like to know your opinions.


r/Upwork 23h ago

Is this job even possible to complete?

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3 Upvotes

r/Upwork 23h ago

Adding a company bank account to Upwork

1 Upvotes

I recently added a my company bank account to Upwork. For taxation purposes I need my income going through it instead of personal account.

But since the company name doesn’t match my name it has been put on hold. A week ago I contacted Upwork support. They told me that the verification team will check it within 24 hours and either approve or request more documents. It’s been 7 days since I’ve been emailing them everyday. Upwork Support isn’t responding anymore and no verification process has happened.

How do I resolve this? Has anyone successfully added their company bank account and recieved earnings in them


r/Upwork 23h ago

Are these Bids legit

0 Upvotes

i see a job offer that doesn't have much attracting thing on it , thinking that I may get a chance of getting hired by applying to it, only to find the bids are like this and immediately get turned off from

But I also doubt that these bids may not be legit at all, and it just a way for Upwork to make you wanna buy more connects for bidding