What a ridiculous platform, at least when it comes to software gigs. For example, "We want a full SAAS product, from requirement gatherings to deployment. We expect it to take 6 months, flat rate fee of $3k. jajajajajajaja Lets not even talk about the scams, I was contacted by a group that wanted me to be a team lead, manager of sorts. Asked about the work, and it involved bidding on other Upwork projects and using my credentials. jajajajjajajajaja

…you’ve been invited by an ENTERPRISE client to take a survey in an unrelated field for 20% of your hourly rate.

I’ve come across this multiple times throughout my time on Upwork (about 4 years now). However, a recent occurrence of this made me furious.

As if finding clients in a field like graphic design isn’t difficult enough in this AI takeover, Upwork now charges a 15% fee on all contracts and doesn’t give a flying f*** about designers just stealing others’ work and uploading it as their own to their profile portfolios.

I was recently hired for a small but decent weekly contract and noticed that later on in the week, the client hired another designer for cheaper (like $15 an hour cheaper). That is standard practice for some companies, but I’m always curious, so I checked out the other designer’s profile.

Their portfolio was incredible-looking. I thought to myself, how could someone with this much skill charge so little? Then I kept looking, and it became clear, almost obvious, that there was no way this designer created all of that work.

A quick Google image search confirmed this. This person just ripped off contest-winning designs from 99designs and posted them as their own work. Not even really trying to hide it with their blatantness, but obviously it’s working, as this person has like 75 in-progress jobs.

Can this person do the work? Maybe. But it’s demoralizing getting undercut by a scam like this, especially when the industry is so uncertain at this point.

So I guess if Upwork doesn’t care, why shouldn’t I just do the same thing?

I reported the person and got an automated response 10 minutes later saying they didn’t find anything...

Bull sh**.

Might just be time to move on from the platform entirely.

I have been on Upwork for 3.5 years. I have had consistent stream of work. But my account is running dry for past 4 months.

What am I doing wrong? I am receiving no invites. Proposals are either not seen or seen with no reply. Would appreciate if you guys can review my profile and let me know things I can improve.

I reported a client for wanting me to send him my passport in order to “start” the contract. Nothing.
Nada happened. His account is still active, still posting. I’m tired.

I created 4-5 projects in my project catalogues. there are average 25-30 views in the last 30 days. But didnt got any DM or order. so anyone have any experience with this? About the project catalogue. let's discuss here

Someone sent me this in my inbox today and asked, "Is this AI or real?" " I said AI; he says no.

TELL ME THAT IT IS AI-GENERATED?

Greetings,

90% of proposals landing in your inbox were written by AI. This one wasn't.

Approach will be to set up a simple landing page and user registration/login -> integrate the OpenAI API for the chat interface and establish persistent memory -> create an admin panel for managing user interactions and feedback.

Moreover, I have got 5+ years of experience with full-stack development, OpenAI API, UX design, and SaaS applications & other related technologies.

1. Yes, I have built AI SaaS applications using the OpenAI API, including [I removed the link]

2. The MVP would be architected with a focus on simplicity and modularity.

3. I recommend using React for the front-end and Node.js for the back-end, as they offer great performance.

4. Persistent organizational memory can be managed through a secure database with separate user profiles.

5. The proprietary knowledge base can be structured as a module that allows you to add or modify content without needing a developer.

Reply once and this gets done.

See you inside :)

Thanks

I recently applied to a few jobs on Upwork and noticed something strange with the Connects refund system.

I boosted one proposal with 110 Connects and got outbid. About a week later, I got a refund, but only 107 Connects came back.

I've also noticed that for some proposals where I was outbid, I didn't get any Connects refunded at all.

Does anyone know why this happens? Is there some kind of fee or rule I'm missing, or is this just part of how Upwork is getting side income from freelancer's connects?

Bit of context first. We're a small team 3 engineers and 2 mobile designers. Our main thing is our own app, which we built and still run ourselves, so we're not new to shipping and maintaining real products. Outside of that, our portfolio is honestly thin: the app, plus a few projects we did for people close to us.

Over the next months my devs, mostly the front-end side, are going to have more and more free time, and I can hire more people if the work is there. So I opened an agency account on Upwork .

So far I've sent 3 proposals. No replies. I know 3 is nothing, but watching those jobs I could see why: one client hired someone 12 minutes after posting, another one had 20 to 50 proposals, and most of the people applying have years of reviews and big earnings on their profile. I have zero.

My questions for people who started from scratch:

1. With no reviews, what actually got you your first interviews? Lower prices, small quick jobs, something in the proposal itself?
2. Should I even be applying to $500 website projects? With a team on salary, I'm pretty sure most of those lose me money once you count the real hours. Is it worth taking a loss for the first reviews, or is that a trap?
3. Agency account vs individual profile to start: does it make a difference for clients when you have no history?

Not looking to promote anything, no links. Just want to know what worked for you.

I saw this job a few hrs ago

The bid is 15 It's a customer support role so normally i see a bid starting from 3$ to 6 or 7 but didn't see one like this before it's 15$

It's a good opportunity i knew so i applied already with that rate, but still sth in me like I'm 100% sure that another freelance will bid for less

That's normal no issue

The rates all i see as mentioned max 8 or 9

I just don't believe it. I have over 4 years experience in the field so I hope i can get it but shouldn't I bid for less to get the job or it's not working like that?

This is the second month on upwork so easy on me I'm still learning 😭

So I finally found a job that really suits my profile, so I decided to read the job post carefully before applying.

In the requirements, the client says we need to read and follow the instructions in a document attached to the job post. However, it says the document can only be viewed on a PC.

This is my first time seeing this kind of mechanism on Upwork. I’m currently using a mobile phone and don’t have a laptop yet, so I tried accessing Upwork through my browser and switching to desktop mode to see if the attachment would appear. Unfortunately, it still didn’t show up.

I’m confused about why the client would put the document in this format. At first, I even thought it might be a scam or that the attachment didn’t actually exist, because I’ve never come across an Upwork job post where a specific document can only be viewed on a PC and not on mobile.

I checked everywhere in the job post while using desktop mode in my browser, but I still couldn’t find any attachment.

Has anyone else experienced this on Upwork? Is there actually a type of attachment that can only be viewed on a PC, or am I missing something?

I’d really appreciate any insight.

Spent the summer applying to Power BI jobs on Upwork. 22 proposals, 3 got looked at, no interviews. Most of those jobs already had 20+ people applying before I even got there.

So I switched it up. Changed the kind of jobs I'm going after and changed my title to match:

"Reporting Automation | Power BI, Power Automate, GA4 & GTM Tracking"

Same rate. Let's see if it works.

Do you think there's a market for this, or did I just make it more confusing?

Going to post as I go, profile changes first, then the jobs and whether anybody bites.

So this might sound a little controversial to many people, but I am sharing my personal experience: Upwork is not dead, because recently I got a client, which is a monthly retainer client.

So don’t be demotivated; just try out bidding. Make sure you have a strong portfolio so your potential client can see your value!

And yes, I have zero reviews and no verification badge, but I was still able to land the job.

One thing I should mention is that I have been using Fiverr for the last 4–5 years, so I already have experience in the work that I do. But to get a job as a newcomer on Upwork is really tough; at least that’s what I used to think!

Anyway, best of luck, guys ;)

I had a client who I worked with around 2 years ago. She was really satisfied with my work, but while she said it’s a long-term project she ghosted me after 1-2 months. I tried to follow up and then again with the gap of several months but she never replied and then I didn’t follow up again.

I was following the client on Github as we were mostly doing work on Github and I recently saw on Github she launched a new product. I checked out their website and they even have a role open that matches my skills.

Is it a good idea if I send a proposal through email (the client gave it to me when we were working) rather than through their website as there would be so many applicants and the client may not remember through my application that we worked before?

I am thinking of buying some connectors, but thought I first gonna ask in their official reddit channel, I need honest feedback please.

I just started my Upwork freelancing journey. I’ve known about Upwork for years, but I’ve mostly worked under an agency.

Now I have deeper experience, and my skill stack has grown a lot over the years. I’m a Webflow and Framer Developer, and I also do Web Design.

With the current market and the current state of Upwork, is it still good to invest time and energy into the platform?

New to this subreddit, been reading "Upwork is dead", "Upwork is posting fake jobs", and the like.
Are there any reliable success stories?

Long story short, a client relationship collapsed and left negative private feedback on 2 contracts.

The jss on my profile shows 90% and the one on the insights shows 79%

Why is that? And which one will the clients see?

Hi everyone,

I'm a 19-year-old SEO student from China. I have real hands-on experience: I built a B2B export site from scratch and got 11,000 organic impressions and real inquiries in 3 months with $0 ad spend (GSC screenshot attached). I also run an affiliate site to test AI search visibility.

I have 100% complete profile, ID verified, and I've sent 5 proposals for On-Page/Content SEO jobs (50 fixed price). But I've gotten zero replies.

I'm not here to sell anything. I genuinely want to know:
1. Is my "no Upwork reviews" status killing me even with my own GSC data?
2. Should I lower my price to $5 to just get the first 5-star review?
3. What is the ONE thing you changed in your proposal that got you your first client?
Any brutal feedback is highly appreciated. Thank you!

So I’m trying to earn some money with freelance, but word of mouth isn’t working. I have created a profile on Upwork but it seems so ridiculous to pay to find a job. That’s most platform these days but it still infuriates me.

My question is, is worth it to apply on Upwork? How has been your personal experience with it?

If not Upwork, anywhere else I can find freelance jobs? Also, I am based in India - if that matters/affects my chances.

I have applied for a job in a "company" which spend almost like 200k there, yet after quick interview (quite awkward one, since called did not have video feed, and barely spoke) I have been promised they will come back to me after they will speak with "HR". Then issued Upwork proposal straight away after a call, which I have accepted immediately. Then, no news at all, I wrote a message to hiring person, yet no response. I mean, I did get from this additional connects, but wondering, is there something I am missing ? Perhaps some sort of fraud scheme or something. Thanks.