What it is
- Upwork
- An online marketplace for hourly and fixed-price freelance contracts [1]
Freelance work marketplace · About guide
About Upwork
Upwork suits clients and freelancers who want contracts that run for weeks, with escrow on fixed-price work. It suits people less well when bidding costs add up, when a quick first contract matters, or when an account is closed and the appeal is final. Active clients have fallen for two years while the platform's take has risen. [1] [2] [3]
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Upwork at a glance
Who's on it
What it costs
How fast
- Upwork
- No measured figure for a first contract; one new freelancer reports a job with no timeline [10]
Best at
- Upwork
- Fixed-price work with escrow, and contracts that run for weeks or months [1]
Weakest at
- Upwork
- Winning work for new freelancers, the cost of bids, and appeals after account closures [8]
| Question | Upwork |
|---|---|
| What it is | An online marketplace for hourly and fixed-price freelance contracts[1] |
| Who's on it | 763,000 active clients in Q2 2026, down from 851,000 in 2023[2] [1] |
| What it costs | Clients 5% (10% on Business Plus); freelancers 0% to 15% per contract; Connects for each bid[1] [9] |
| How fast | No measured figure for a first contract; one new freelancer reports a job with no timeline[10] |
| Best at | Fixed-price work with escrow, and contracts that run for weeks or months[1] |
| Weakest at | Winning work for new freelancers, the cost of bids, and appeals after account closures[8] |
Upwork in one paragraph
Upwork began as a merger. Elance and oDesk agreed to combine in December 2013, and the combined company became Upwork in 2015, according to Wikipedia. It listed on Nasdaq as UPWK after an IPO filing in October 2018. Clients post jobs or invite freelancers, freelancers bid with Connects, and fixed-price money is held in escrow before the work starts. [4] [1]
What it is like to hire
Hiring on Upwork means posting a job and reading the proposals that come in. A beginner guide says 20 to 50 bids per post is typical, and one client counted more than 30 in 2020. Fixed-price money is escrowed before the work starts, and hourly time is tracked by a work diary. Clients pay 5% on top, so a $2,000 contract costs $2,100. [5] [6] [1] [7]
What it is like to freelance
Freelancing means building a profile, spending Connects to bid, and waiting. One freelancer viewed 5 of 18 proposals in a month, about 28%, according to a 2024 SmartCustomer review. Guides describe a slow first contract without giving a measured timeline. The freelancer's fee is 0% to 15% per contract, and an identity check can close an account. [8] [9] [1]
What people like, and what frustrates them
Trustpilot's featured reviews praise ease of use, reliable payouts and steady clients, including overseas ones. G2 reviewers mention escrow and verified profiles. The frustrations are fees, which seven of 12 featured reviews name, Connects spent on bids that lose, account closures and support that reviewers describe as template replies. Upwork holds 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 16,912 reviews. [10] [7] [8]
Who is on it, and how that has changed
Active clients were 851,000 in 2023, 832,000 in 2024 and 785,000 at the end of 2025. They were 763,000 in Q2 2026. Spending per active client rose 7% in 2025, to $5,129. Fewer clients are spending more on average. The reviews page breaks down how the rating is built. [1] [2]
Who Upwork suits
Upwork suits clients with a defined fixed-price or hourly contract who want the money held, and freelancers who can win bids in a field they know. It suits less well new freelancers who need work this month, clients who want one specialist without a bid queue, and anyone who cannot absorb an account suspension while an appeal runs. [5] [8]
Bibliography
Sources
- Upwork annual report on Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC, Feb 2026) (official)
- Upwork Q2 2026 results release (SEC, 10 Aug 2026) (official)
- Upwork quarterly report on Form 10-Q for Q3 2026 (SEC, 2 Nov 2026) (official)
- Wikipedia, Upwork (independent)
- Hustle Spire, Fiverr vs Upwork for beginners (2026) (independent)
- Hacker News, a client on bid counts for Upwork posts (2020) (independent)
- G2 Learn, "Is Upwork legit?" (Dec 2025) (independent)
- SmartCustomer, Upwork reviews (2024 to 2026) (independent)
- Lemon.io, "Honest Upwork Reviews" (30 Oct 2026; published by a rival hiring marketplace) (independent)
- Trustpilot, Upwork reviews (checked 4 Nov 2026) (platform-hosted)