About Upwork
Upwork, “the world's work marketplace,” is one of the largest online freelance marketplaces in existence. Clients go here to find global talent while freelancers and agencies use the platform to monetize their digital skills and services.
General Details 📜
| Status: | Active, Legit |
|---|---|
| Helps You: | Make Money |
| Platform Type: | Freelance Marketplace |
| Opportunities: | Administration Audio Production Computing Copy Editing Design |
Details for Freelancers 💰
| Work Type: | Freelance |
|---|---|
| Income Type: | Active |
| Work Schedule: | Flexible |
| Workplace: | Remote |
| Minimum Payout: | $0.01 |
| Payout Options: | Direct Deposit M-Pesa Payoneer PayPal Wire Transfer Note: Some payout options are only available in certain countries. For example, Payoneer is only available outside the U.S. M-Pesa is available in Kenya only. |
| Payout Speed: | 5-19 days Payout speed will vary based on the type of project you're working on (i.e. hourly, fixed-price) and the payout option chosen. |
| Commissions / Fees: | Upwork seller fees vary based on the amount billed to the client (20% for the first $500, 10% for total billings between $500.01 and $10,000, and 5% for total billings over $10,000). Depending on the payout option you choose, you may also be charged a fee for each withdrawal. |
Pros:
- Easy to use.
- Fast withdrawals.
- Lots of clients looking for freelancers and therefore lots of work to be found.
- Variety of jobs and ways to earn.
- Secure and mostly free of scammers or spam jobs (plus payment protection for freelancers)
- Very professional.
- Flexible work. Work when you want, where you want, on what you want, and with who you want.
- Good for finding recurring work.
Cons:
- Lots of competition from other freelancers on the platform. Other freelancers may undercut your prices.
- Upwork takes a large 20% cut of earnings from freelancers.
- Clients can at times be unprofessional (e.g. by changing the scope of work at the last minute).
- Application/site can be glitchy at times.
- You're limited in how many times you can bid on jobs (unless you pay for more connects).
- Account creation and verification can be a hassle.
Tips:
- Optimize your profile (e.g. upload a high-quality headshot as your profile photo, list all your skills, list your educational background, put together a portfolio, etc.).
- Take lower-paying jobs at the start to get your first reviews.
- Apply/bid on jobs as soon as they're posted.
- Before applying to a job listing, read the description carefully and submit a custom cover letter for each job.
- Spend your connects carefully. Only bid on jobs you're fit for.
- Avoid working with clients with poor reviews or non-verified payments.
- Be patient. It can take time to land clients, especially when you're new.
- Find a niche. If you offer a specific type of work and market yourself as an expert, you'll be able to charge more.
- Work hard and deliver high-quality work in order to gain reviews, build strong relationships, and land recurring work.
- Ask clients for reviews after you finish working with them.
Note: The pros, cons, and tips featured above are manually curated summaries and/or direct excerpts from our 30 Upwork Freelancer reviews.
Upwork Freelancer Statistics
We've gathered 30 Upwork Freelancer reviews from 15 unique countries/regions.
Here are some insights and statistics from those reviews:
Reported Hourly Earnings
Reported Monthly Earnings
Reported Time to Reach Minimum Payout Amount (For the 1st Time)
- Unknown (0%)
- <= 5 minutes (0%)
- <= 1 hour (0%)
- <= 1 day (13.33%)
- <= 1 week (26.67%)
- <= 2 weeks (20%)
- <= 3 weeks (16.67%)
- <= 1 month (13.33%)
- > 1 month (10%)
- > 1 year (0%)
Statistics above are based on self-reported data from our 30 Upwork Freelancer reviews.
Help contribute by writing a review!
About the Reviewers
Reviews By Total Earnings
- Unknown (3.33%)
- Less than $100 (20%)
- $100-$999 (56.67%)
- $1,000-$9,999 (13.33%)
- $10,000-$49,999 (6.67%)
- $50,000-$99,999 (0%)
- $100,000+ (0%)
Reviews By Age Range
- Unknown (0%)
- 13-17 (0%)
- 18-24 (50%)
- 25-34 (43.33%)
- 35-44 (6.67%)
- 45-54 (0%)
- 55-64 (0%)
- 65+ (0%)
Reviews By Length of Use
- < 1 month (0%)
- 1-3 months (10%)
- 3-6 months (16.67%)
- 6-12 months (26.67%)
- 1-2 years (23.33%)
- 2-3 years (0%)
- 3-5 years (23.33%)
- 5+ years (0%)
Are you a Upwork Freelancer?
Share your experience with other Upwork Freelancers and help others learn more about the platform!
Rating Breakdown
Filter Reviews
It's a great site
I plan to keep use it for a long time, there is something for everyone. I would recommend it to anyone looking to make money online doing real jobs
Very professional. Lot's of jobs.
Upwork's % is high. Lots of competition.
Cultivate a strong profile and get a good reputation, apply for jobs everyday. Don't be afraid to learn new skills to complete specific jobs. Don't scam anyone, your profile is very important.
You must work hard to be successful
Upwork sucks. I have to constantly look for orders and invest in this time and effort. The higher the price of the services, the more time I have to spend on finding customers
High earnings potential. Simple UI. Service fees is low. More diverse. Flexibility.
Withdraw fees. “Cheap”-ness and scammers. No Support. You need to pay for Connects to apply for jobs.
It’s safer to write memos every now and then when working on hourly contracts
Good but lots of competition
Upwork is a very good marketplace to market your skills. The payments are guaranteed since they are held at escrow. The problem is there are way too many freelancers making the market competitive. They don't have any payment issues.
There is a huge selection of skills for the freelancers to choose from. Payments are secured by escrow so it's guaranteed. You can get repeat clients after you submit quality work.
Very high competition since there are plenty of freelancers available in the platform. Some freelancers bid so low making it hard for freelancers with High level skill to make money.
Have a very impressive profile. This will attract clients. Bid among the first people to increase chances of being hired. Avoid Rushing through projects and deliver quality work instead. Also avoid missing deadlines
It has high quality jobs and clients.
Upwork has quality clients. Best for finding recurring jobs.
The proposal are based on proposal points like coins. Proposal points are bought when exhausted. Like every platform, jobs aren't guaranteed.
Optimize your profile. Bid on jobs you can do.
Very solid way of earning money if you invest in it well.
Sometimes the pay might be low and also Upwork deducts from your earnings, it's a good place to connect with potential clients and build your portfolio.
Some clients pay well. Some projects pay well and are recurring.
High fees. Competition. Low rates sometimes.
Set up a polished and honest profile (and update it when you gain new skills). Pay for a membership plan if you can. Set desirable and fair prices to attract clients.
Account setup and verification process is too strict
I have a favorable opinion of the site but the conditions for setting up and verifying accounts are too stringent which turns away most freelancers.
When you're in, work & pay are pretty straight forward.
Account setup and verification
- Be consistent and finish projects. 2. Stay in constant communication with your employers for long term projects. 3. Writing and transcription pay the least on this site.
Can make you some nice bucks if invested in fully
Variety of clients. Plenty of gigs. Flexibility.
Too much competition sometimes. Especially during high season.
Make a nice presentable profile. Add your skills and education. Pitch aggressively in your skill level. Choose jobs with a higher currency. Be perfect with your client to get a long term gig.
Avoid nagging client's. Avoid work you don't understand.
Don't buy an account, may lead to suspension and permanent blacklisting of your IP.
I highly recommend it for beginners.
There are many tasks the person can do through this website.
I can do anything from converting Pdfs to writing Essays.
I need to make a ID verification. I don't like the green color available on the website.
You need to make a impressive Cover Letter.
Its okay
It has jobs on it already. I can play the boss role and choose who I would like to work with.
Your connects are limited and you have to pay to keep sending proposals.
Charge higher than normal and have a good profile pic. Focus on one niche of skill. Submit scroll stopping proposals!
The best site to make some income
Bidding through connects should be abolished. This scares new applicants away. They should also consider making new applicants qualify for proposals without checking on the reviews earned
You can ask for payment upfront. You can opt to be paid per milestone or per project. It is a legit site, no scammers.
Some clients can change instructions after completing the work with the initial instructions
Patience and keep trying. Make your pitch smart and professional. Bid on newly posted jobs.
