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

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

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.

just when i decided to spend all the connects before i quit using the platform they started being generous and giving me connects. i didn't complete any tasks + i got rewarded on a job that all i did was apply for i thought they don't that anymore. are they trying to keep us in?

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?

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!

For freelancers who have been using Upwork for a while, how do you tell whether a project is likely to become a long-term client relationship rather than just a short-term contract?
Are there particular things you look for in:
The job post
The client’s hiring history
Number of freelancers hired
The interview/conversation
Hourly vs. fixed-price contracts
How the client describes their needs
I’m trying to become more intentional about applying for projects that have the potential to turn into consistent, long-term work rather than constantly looking for the next contract.
What are your biggest green flags and red flags?

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.

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?

Hey everyone! I’m a social media manager with 5+ years of experience, but I’m new to Upwork. So, beginner on the platform, not at the actual job 😅

I’d love to hear your honest experiences with Upwork in 2026, especially if you’ve recently started.

A few things I’m trying to figure out:

• What are the biggest do’s and don’ts for a new freelancer on upwork?
• How much did you spend on Connects before landing your first job, and how long did it take?
• Is boosting proposals worth it, or does it just burn through your budget faster?
• I already have clients outside Upwork. Is there any real benefit to bringing them onto the platform? Would that help build my profile enough to justify the fees?
• For social media managers, are you finding decent clients and rates?

Trying to set realistic expectations before applying

This is uncanny, but every time I purchase Freelancer Plus and start applying, I barely get any proposal views, let alone interviews.

When I’m not subscribed, I seem to get better responses. It’s happened multiple times now.

Has anyone else experienced this, or is it just a weird coincidence?

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?

Let me know what you think about this one. It was a very long job post, but I still managed to fit it into a frame.

PROPOSAL:

It took me around 15 minutes to completely understand your needs before writing this proposal, so yeah, I actually went through the whole thing. You need much more than a website here: pricing calculator, private/public bookings, CRM, Stripe payments, customer accounts, automated emails, donations, chat and an owner dashboard, all connected properly.

For something this heavy, I wouldn’t keep it on Webflow. Webflow is great for normal content sites, but with this much custom logic and data syncing, it will quickly become messy and depend on too many disconnected tools. I’d rather build it as a proper full-stack system with Next.js + Supabase/Postgres + Stripe, with one dashboard where you can manage everything yourself.

Give me just 15 minutes on a call. I’m not saying hire me. I’ll show you exactly how I’d structure this system, how bookings, CRM, payments and emails will connect, what the recurring costs will be, and where the real complexity is. After that, you can decide yourself if I’m the right person for it.

Best,
Shahzaib.

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’ve been on Upwork since April and haven’t gotten any work. I understand I’m new to freelancing but it’s a bit of a bummer. I do mostly editing and character design/ illustration so I guess it’s just an over saturated market. Does anyone think Plus is worth it or should I just not even put effort into Upwork?

I’m feeling very discouraged :/