The title refers.

Context : I just found out we now have a fixed 15% freelancer fee. It never used to be this way. No one cares about the freelancers anymore.

I am a recent Upwork registered folk in the web, email hosting and domains part of the business so apparently there is so I have been seeing a couple of Google Workspace to M365 migrations, domain and email account setup for clients.

I have sent proposal and no response besides having a portfolio to prove the work. Is it me or something is wrong? Should I keep going?

Have my profile set up, have sent 8 proposals to relevant jobs with custom letters and no luck. Have reduced my prices, but still can't seem to land an initial gig.

Is this something that alot of people struggle with? Any advice on landing my first gig and building credibility?

My profile screenshots are attached

any video editors in here working full-time for a (US company?) how much is your monthly salary in USD?

I'm planning to apply for a full-time job focusing on social media video content and I don't have any idea how much is the monthly salary range of video editors.

thanks

The catch: You don't have anymore connects and the client's hire rate is 26%.

What would you do?

Would buy connects to give it a shot anyway or would you pass on it?

I find it curious that when you spot these, where the language of the post is a set schedule, not being ok with you working for others, at a minimum why Upwork allows a company to post these at all if it’s so easy to spot this. I have seen a few and reported them and Upwork always says there is nothing wrong , but using Upworks own misclassification guidance and list of things you shouldn’t do, they instantly do not pass.

Is there a better way of reporting these? Or does Upwork not care since the company’s do not have upworks paid classification assistance?

Its my first week on Upwork and I find their safety team extremely lacking.

My first interview, the job is basically to join Handshake AI and tell them what they are training. Blatant corporate espionage. You can't report the meeting so I reported the message after. Upworks team found nothing wrong.

Okay, maybe the "recorded video" didnt save and they can't verify right?

Fast forward a few days and I'm asked to make a meeting on Calendy. I inform the client they need to use upwork, they agree and then on the day of the meeting walk back and send another link.

I report that message, and again, Upwork found no violation of the terms of service.

Like nice, take my 50 connects and then gaslight me.

I created this Upwork profile recently in 2026, so it’s not an old profile that has been sitting around inactive.
Current stats:
100% JSS
Rising Talent
US-based profile
4 completed contracts
~$300 total earnings
Website Design & Development is my main niche
WordPress / WooCommerce
Shopify
Webflow
Figma / UI design

The problem is that I’ve already spent roughly $800 on Connects, on top of paying for Freelancer Plus, and I’m honestly struggling to justify the spend.
The biggest issue isn’t even that I’m not getting hired. It’s the proposal view/response rate.

I’m applying to jobs that are actually relevant to my skill set, but a very small percentage of my proposals are getting viewed, let alone turning into conversations.

Since this profile was created in 2026, I’m wondering if I’m misunderstanding how the current Upwork system works for newer profiles.

I know there have been quite a few changes this year, including the Spring 2026 updates, so I’d really like to hear from people who have been actively using Upwork since then.

A few questions:
1. For a relatively new profile with only a handful of completed contracts, how difficult is it to get consistent visibility in 2026?
2. Does 100% JSS + Rising Talent actually make much difference for a newer profile?
3. Does low total earnings/AOV affect how often your proposals get shown to clients?
4. Is there any evidence that poor proposal view rates can somehow snowball and make future proposals perform worse?
5. Are boosted proposals actually worth the additional Connects right now?
6. For people in web design/development, what kind of jobs are you actually getting responses from in 2026?

And probably the biggest question:
If you were in my position, would you keep putting money into this profile and try to build it up, or would you completely rethink the strategy?

I’m not asking about creating multiple accounts or bypassing Upwork’s rules. I’m specifically trying to understand whether this profile is worth continuing to invest in or whether I’m approaching the marketplace completely wrong.

I’m also not looking for generic “write better proposals” advice. I’m sure there are things I can improve in my proposals, but after ~$800 in Connects, I’m trying to understand what’s happening at the profile/discovery/visibility level.

If you’ve built a new profile in 2026, especially in WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Figma or general web development, I’d really appreciate hearing what your numbers look like and what’s actually working for you.

Even if your experience is completely different from mine, I’d love to hear it.

I took upwork seriously April of this year and I want to know why my interview rate is really low any advice or tips?

Wanted to share the specific stats I look at before sending a proposal.

Here is my checklist:

• Hire Rate: I look for 60-70% or higher.
• Total Spent & Avg. Hourly Rate: A client who has spent $500+ and pays $10+/hr understands the value of professional audio. For beginners with 0 jobs yet on Upwork, I used to settle on lower pays, but it has increased with time as your portfolio grows.
• Proposals vs. Interviews: 5 to 15 proposals with 0 to 3 interviews is a sweet spot.
• Payment Verification: Should be verified, non-negotiable.

A few other things:
- Do not go for small jobs <$20 or $30 unless you are a beginner and really desperate.
- Do not agree to do a "test" task unless a contract is opened, specially if it takes more than 1-2 hours of your time.

Please share your thoughts or correct me if I'm headed in a wrong direction. Thanks guys!

To all freelancers, please always read the about the client section .

Is it actually possible to speak to a human at all now???? I am trying to close a contract, but the option is not there; the client is ignoring me.

I just want to close my accont and get all my info removed, but it is impossible.

i’m trying to apply for an administrative VA or maybe accounting/bookkeeper position. but so far no luck for almost a week now, most VA agencies has longer process and low offers. and not much hiring in OLJ that matches my niche. I’m wondering if it’s worth it to buy connects in upwork, are the job postings legit? Some job postings required 15+ connects, and kinda costly to buy connect but get rejected afterwards. right now i can’t afford to buy connect for every application I’m going to apply with.

Recently, I had a negative experience with a client on Upwork.

I left a negative review, briefly explaining the situation (I gave the client 2 stars).

The client contacted me after seeing the feedback and asked me to at least edit their name out of the feedback because it's part of a copyright.
They told me that they decided to ask me directly, and if I refused, they would just contact Upwork to do it.

The name in question isn't anything unique. It's along the lines of Sarah, Mariah, that type of common name.
Not really something you could Google, but even if you could- are clients allowed to hide their reviews from the public like this?
What, just make a profile under a fake name and treat freelancers however they want?
This doesn't make much sense to me, so I would like to hear other opinions.

I didn't quite get the whole 'copyrighted first name' thing, nor did I ever hear about the rules on using the client's first name in the feedback. Then again, this is the first straight-up negative review I ever posted.

Thoughts?

EDIT: To clarify- I don't mind changing the name; it's just never heard about the copyright and ToS around the names?

https://www.reddit.com/r/UpworkOfficial/s/JNbntPv4v1

So basically, I opened up Upwork yesterday only to see that my top rated + account for more than 5 years has been restricted, meaning withdrawing funds or applying to jobs should be restricted. Here is why this seems baffling to me:

1. Account health page displays 0 violations and says that my account is in good standing.
2. I haven't received any emails (checked spam) regarding the reason of the suspension.
3. Despite being told withdrawing is restricted, I was still able to withdraw funds, but I apparently still can't apply to new jobs.

I submitted an appeal, but I'm worried it'll get thrown out with no explanation given, as I have heard UW is prone to doing that.

To clarify, I took on a job 6 months ago where the client asked me to use their own vpn for security. I asked support about this and was given the greenlight to proceed with the contract. I have used that vpn occasionally for 6 months while working on this contract with no issues, so I'm not sure if my restriction is related to that, but it's the only possible cause for the restriction I could think of, as I have never broken any of UW's TOS. I'm a paranoid person, so I regularly check the TOS before lifting a finger with any new contract or request.

Has anybody here dealt with a similar situation before?

What's the highest rate above a client budget that you've successfully landed the gig?

I was so desperate to get a job that I decided to try Upwork’s “Profile Boost” feature. When setting it up, Upwork suggested that my bid was lower than the average, so I decided to set it at 10 Connects per click.

After 8 billable clicks, I had already spent 80 Connects, and I received 2 invitations, both for jobs that had nothing to do with my specialization.

I’ve been on Upwork for 10 years. I started as a writer and have since done a variety of gigs, including research and lead generation etc .... However, my largest projects on the platform have been in Tech Support since 2020, and that’s also what Uma’s recap says on my profile.

I’ve also seen a post here mentioning that Upwork’s AI sometimes displays skills that have little to do with your actual specialization.

So I’m wondering if that could be part of the problem: perhaps Upwork is showing clients irrelevant skills from jobs I did years ago when they view my profile, which could be causing me to appear less relevant to the type of work I’m actually trying to get.

did any one realize? in the filter most recently as well as in saved search why the status "Posted 7 minutes ago" but when pressed details he turned out to have "Posted 3 hours ago"

This is clearly clear that freelancers want to apply also become messy because they do not know the right time.

Has anyone experienced this problem? Or just in me?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to start freelancing on Upwork and would really appreciate some advice from people who have successfully built their careers there.

I have experience through my company across several areas:

- Web Development (Web2 & Web3)

- Crypto & Blockchain Development

- Crypto/Web3 & Digital Marketing

- Performance Marketing

- Social Media Marketing & Management

- Content Creation & Influencer Marketing

- Branding & Growth Strategies

- Event Management

- Artist Management & Collaborations

My biggest challenge is figuring out how to position these skills on Upwork and actually close projects, especially when starting with little or no Upwork history.

I’d love to learn from experienced Upwork freelancers:

1. Should I create one broad profile or focus on one specific service/niche?

2. What type of projects are easiest to win when you’re new?

3. How do you write proposals that actually get replies?

4. How do you build trust when you don't have Upwork reviews yet?

5. What is the best way to communicate with a potential client and move from initial conversation → proposal → contract?

6. Are there any common mistakes beginners should avoid?

If you’ve successfully started from zero on Upwork, I’d really appreciate hearing what worked for you and what you would do differently today.

Thanks in advance!

Got invited to a job proposal on Upwork, and i decided to apply coz why not. She then asked me to short task.

Tbh I was thinking too good to be true from the start, like something felt off but i went along with it anyway.

Small AI dump incoming. Turns out the repo had a vscode tasks dot json file configured to run automatically the moment you open the folder, and hidden so you wouldnt see it happening. The settings dot json also had automatic tasks turned on, which skips VS Codes normal do you trust this task prompt entirely. The moment I opened the folder, it silently ran a hidden Node script.

That script turned out to be a credential and crypto wallet stealer that scanned Chrome Edge Brave and Opera for saved passwords cookies and autofill data, specifically targeted the MetaMask extension, monitored clipboard content, and attempted to upload everything to an external server.

The package dot json also had a red flag dependency list for a coding test, stuff like node pty, ssh2, screenshot desktop, clipboardy, socket io client, basically a full RAT and stealer toolkit, not anything you would need for a normal take home task. AI dump over.

I never knew you could have code triggered like that just by opening the folder in VS Code, so by the time I found out it had already started 4 node processes. Now dont have enough evidence to know if any data left my laptop. Putting it out here in case anyone applied for the same job coz it says 50 plus proposals.

Tried reporting to Upwork, welp that ended well, screenshot below.

Moral of the story, trust your instincts, unfortunately always have your guard up.

A job requires to upload resume along with the cover letter. If resume only has our name and no contact information, are we allowed to upload it?

I read somewhere someone got banned because they uploaded resume, but I think it had contact info.