Is Upwork Legit? Hear the Verdict of Verified G2 Users

Are you considering Upwork as your next gateway for work?

Freelancers often face challenges with untimely payments, misleading job postings, and the stress of multiple projects. On the other hand, businesses are tired of lengthy talent acquisition, sourcing mediocre candidates, and overshooting hiring budgets.

If you are either of these two categories and wondering, "Is Upwork legit?", you're in the right place.

With seamless portfolio building, a high-quality talent marketplace, and the new AI matching and decent remuneration, Upwork is a fast and efficient freelancing platform for job seekers and businesses. However, it’s essential to research and evaluate all parameters before investing your time and resources, and attempting to secure good project collaborations.

To arrange your thoughts on whether Upwork is reliable or not, we've tried to summarize the experience of Upwork users in this article. Keep on reading to find more. 

Upwork ranks #1 per G2's Winter 2026 Grid Report for freelancer platforms. Buyers are encouraged to consider individual needs when making a purchase decision. 

Is Upwork even worth it? What do G2 users say

While navigating the decision-making process, evaluate your goals, industry domain, and the words of your peers. By being up to date with recent policy changes and features that Upwork provides, you can secure both short-term and long-term projects with confidence.

The Upwork reviews on G2.com talk highly of the credibility, secure payment disbursements, authentic client profiles, and skilled hiring processes of the Upwork platform. However, it also brings more critical questions into the limelight, such as service fee deductions and scam hiring. 

Mostly, Upwork has received a reputation as an inclusive virtual freelancing platform that offers cross-border opportunities, easier access to projects or job openings, and a convenient and easy-to-use user interface. Though there are some exceptions, here is what G2 users are saying about this platform. 

What are the benefits of Upwork?

The G2 reviews mainly touch upon the following pros of Upwork, both as a client service provider and a freelancing platform:

• Public hub for entrepreneurs: Upwork benefits early adopters or startup founders as they can hire quality talent, access freelance portfolios, and send private or public interview invites. Businesses can also add industry-specific filters to find aligned and suitable portfolios that will be a right match for their project requirement.
  
• Wide range of industries: Be it automotive, graphic design, finance, sales, coding, or content development, professionals from varied backgrounds can freelance for money on Upwork. With project filters and advanced UI, businesses and freelancers can narrow down job specifications and direct their contracts in the right direction. 
• Site layout and user interface: Upwork has a sleek user interface where freelancers can add data like recent short or long projects completed, client reviews, peer recommendations, number of skills, bio, profile picture, or other details. Based on a freelancer's availability and skills, Upwork shows relevant clients and job openings. 
• Reasonable cost to hire: Upwork charges a talent marketplace fee from businesses out of the salary they set aside for freelancers. While the fee usually ranges between 8-10% of the total amount, the net cost-to-hire is still cheaper than hiring full-time professionals.  
• Freelancer billables: Upwork has a work diary that computes the billable hours of freelancers based on milestones they achieve and contracts signed every month. The billing cycle runs on a monthly basis, and invoices are shared with both freelancers and clients.

In a nutshell, reviewers view Upwork as a talent-attracting and retaining platform, where both freshers and experienced employees can sign contracts with reputable companies based on their distinct skills and expertise.

What are the risks of Upwork?

While users still appreciate Upwork, one of the reasonable drawbacks is the increase in service fee and price of Connects (the tokens freelancers use to bid on projects) on the platform. The platform kept a standard fee for clients and freelancers before, but has increased its fee margin recently. 

That being said, more concerns regarding job posters from scam companies and fraudulent job emails are really putting more question marks on the platform.

• Not enough recruiter attention: With a stream of freelancer resumes to screen, it becomes difficult for recruiters to get the exact talent match. Even though certain features like badge availability and boosted profiles help recruiters, they still struggle to integrate Upwork profiles with applicant tracking system (ATS) software to shortlist the right freelancers. 
• Job posters restricted to demographics: Businesses sometimes post vacancies restricted to a specific demographic. While most recruiters offer work from home, some of them are only restricted to one geographical area.  
• High service fees: Upwork charges a service fee of 10% of your total freelance earnings. Whether you are appointed on a fixed-price or hourly payment mode, one-tenth of the payment goes to Upwork via any payment mode.  As clients already deposit the payment in an escrow account before the project starts, Upwork deducts the fee automatically within 14 days of project initiation. 
• Unresponsive customer support: Upwork's customer service has been a little under-par for both freelancers and businesses. Although in some cases, customer service ensures they attend to the matter and solve it, they have yet to come up with generalized grievance processes. 
• Restrictive brand policies: Recent policies around the surge in Upwork service charges, marketplace fees, and limitations of features on free plans have caused unrest among freelancers. These new brand policies appear more profit-oriented and selfish.
• Payment-related issues: Upwork hasn’t set a payment standard that businesses should follow during freelancer hiring. Because of no policy in place, freelancers are hired at a fraction of the cost and paid meager salaries in return for their efforts.

What features make Upwork stand out from other freelance platforms?

Below are some of the highest-rated features that make Upwork more efficient and trustworthy than other competitors, and also ensure the genuineness of the identities of both businesses and freelancers to collaborate better.

RFP Creator

RFP Creator allows businesses to structure and define their project proposals and job descriptions. The creator feature also offers themes, page layouts, and font styles to design briefs and make them more appealing when the job vacancy is published.   

Messaging

Freelancers and businesses can send direct messages consisting of employment-related information and connect virtually to discuss project progress and timelines. Clients can send tasks or alerts over messages to ensure that the project stays on track and doesn’t extend.

Freelance screening

This feature helps you to evaluate a freelancer’s background. Explore freelancers' previous project feedback, work tracker, reviews, and recommendations, and overall aggregate expert score. Clients can also double-check the freelancer reviews by other employers and the genuineness of their skills. 

Secure payments

Upwork provides multi-payment gateways like Amex and PayPal so businesses can credit hourly salaries or fixed salaries to the freelancer's account. The platform helps freelancers to register for an escrow account, which would receive dues from the company at the beginning of the project and later would credit it into their savings account.

Payment automation

Upwork doesn't let freelancers wait longer to receive payments. As a project milestone is completed, the platform releases the escrow payment that was deposited beforehand by clients. It offers several payment options, such as Amex or PayPal. 

Guidelines and policies

Upwork shares document-style guidebooks or sets of regulatory policies so freelancers abide by the rules and regulations and work on projects as instructed by the Upwork team. It helps prevent any spam or fraudulent collaborations.

Digital asset management

Upwork provides a safe repository for freelancers to store digital assets like documents, curriculum vitae, recommendation letters, appointment letters and so on. It also ensures that intellectual property uploaded on the platform is secure and retrievable. 

Discover expert-reviewed digital asset management solutions to keep creative files organized and accessible.

On Upwork, there are high chances of every freelancer, whether they are freshers or not, getting quality jobs and earning satisfactorily. Even though the policies have shifted, it still remains a highly collaborative and interactive platform.

Having said that, you have to be stringent and cautious in spotting spam jobs and fraudulent company postings. Every job-seeking platform is exposed to risk, and Upwork is no exception. 

What G2 users are saying:

“Upwork allows our team to easily find professional designers, editors, and copywriters for projects on which we need a quick turnaround time. Rather than sifting through resumes or seeking out individual people online, Upwork makes it easy to search for what you need, set up projects for professionals to apply for, and review their work in a time-saving and effective way. We have been using Upwork for several years and have worked with data entry specialists, video editors, copywriters, and more. Upwork makes the process of finding a digital creator to work with an easy one.”

- Upwork Review, Joshua R.

How much does Upwork charge? What G2 users think about Upwork pricing

While Upwork doesn’t explicitly mention the cost of the platform, here is a detailed breakdown of what you can expect.

Upwork pricing for freelancers

Below are specific types of pricing that Upwork provides for freelancers, which you can consider before enrolling with your profile. 

• Free to join: Freelancers can build a basic profile and apply to standard jobs without making any payment or subscribing to any other plan.
• Freelancer Plus: Users can pay a monthly fee of $19.99 to access additional features such as more connects, job alerts, and complete profile customization.
• Connects: Freelancers can purchase Connects to submit their proposal for good and long-term projects at $0.15 per Connect.
• Service fees: On standard contracts, the rate varies from 0% to 15%, depending on factors like supply and demand. Using direct contacts, it becomes 5% for Basic users and 0% for Plus users.

Upwork Basic vs. Freelancer Plus

Upwork provides two plans for freelancers: Freelancer Basic and Freelancer Plus. Both offer different features and benefits. Here is a table explaining the differences between the two.

Before choosing any of these plans and investing your money to purchase connects, check and verify the identity of job providers, as well as log your project login and logout hours to maintain a clear billing cycle. This will reduce any implications of receiving a lower salary or working for a bad clientele.

Upwork pricing for clients

Upwork offers different types of plans, namely, Marketplace, Agency Plus, Business Plus, and Enterprise. Let’s break them down:

What G2 users like best:

"I like that my payment is secured as long as I do a good job for clients and track my hours of work using Upwork tracker. Also, I like that I can easily schedule a meeting with a client using the Zoom feature in the message room. I also like that when a client views my proposal, I get a notification immediately, which gives me joy."

- Upwork Review, Blessing E.

What G2 users dislike:

The fee charged is 20% of the total earnings or a maximum of $500 per month. I think it's high for starting-level freelancers, and in addition to this fee, currency conversion is also charged.

The keyword search is a little disappointing; there should be a feature that allows you to show results for entire sentences or individual words. e.g., if I search for "document automation," I should have an option to search both words together in a job listing. Currently, it shows results for document and automation keywords separately.”

- Upwork Review, Goldi S.

What Upwork alternatives do G2 users use?

While Upwork is one of the most well-known freelance marketplaces, it’s not the only option available. Different platforms cater to different hiring needs and freelancer profiles; some prioritize speed and affordability, while others focus on elite talent, long-term contracts, or curated matching.

Choosing the right platform depends on what you’re optimizing for: cost, quality, specialization, or scale. To help you evaluate your options, the table below compares Upwork with other popular freelance platforms based on pricing model, talent focus, and best use cases.

Is Upwork legit?: Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Got more questions? We have the answers.

Q1. Is Upwork a safe platform to use?

Upwork is a secure and reliable freelancing platform that follows stringent data protection practices to protect your confidential data. It is highly safe for data exchange and payment transfers, especially for remote work.

Q2. Are freelancers on Upwork reliable?

Freelancers have a verified Upwork profile and share authentic information with hirers. Whether they are fresh graduates or experienced freelancers, Upwork has an identity verification system that clients can use before accepting applications.   

Q3. Can Upwork be used for long-term contracts?

Upwork is used both for temporary and permanent contracts. Recruiters who hire short-term freelancers then change their status and hire them full-time under “contract to hire” management.

Q4. How do I ensure quality results on Upwork?

Set clear expectations, share short-term rewards for completing small milestones, and be disciplined when remitting payments to freelancers who submit work promptly.

Q5. Are there any hidden costs on Upwork?

None, but users should consider the service fees that Upwork deducts from a freelancer's net takeaway salary. At the same time, clients deal with service fees while upgrading to Upwork Business Plus or Upwork Enterprise.

Q6. Does Upwork pay real money?

Yes, Upwork pays real money. Freelancers earn income by completing hourly or fixed-price projects for verified clients, and payments are released once work is approved or tracked hours are logged.

Q7. How do you get paid on Upwork?

Upwork pays freelancers through secure payment methods, including direct bank transfer, PayPal, Payoneer, and wire transfer. For fixed-price projects, clients fund escrow before work begins, while hourly contracts are paid based on tracked work diary hours. Payments are typically released on a set billing cycle.

Q8. What kind of jobs do you get on Upwork?

Upwork offers freelance jobs across a wide range of industries, including software development, design, writing, marketing, finance, data entry, customer support, and virtual assistance.

Q9. Why is no one hiring me on Upwork?

Not getting hired on Upwork is common for new freelancers. High competition, incomplete profiles, generic proposals, lack of reviews, or bidding on overly saturated roles can limit visibility.

Q10. Does Upwork protect payments?

Yes, Upwork offers payment protection. Fixed-price contracts use escrow, meaning funds are secured before work starts, while hourly contracts are protected through time-tracked work diaries. These systems help reduce the risk of unpaid work for freelancers.

Final word: Is Upwork legit or not?

Upwork is regarded as a trusted marketplace to find collaborative opportunities both for businesses and freelancers. While there are some factors to be cautious of, the benefits of this platform truly surpass the mark. 

With the bunch of exclusive and intelligent features that Upwork provides, countless people have found jobs, built their network, and sustained their business with good collaboration. Before you invest your time in this platform, it’s advisable to give a patient ear to everyone’s feedback and then decide for yourself accordingly.

Are you new to managing freelance tasks? Explore a guided take on G2's 10 best task management software to distribute and prioritize your tasks better.

This article was originally published in 2024. It has been updated with new information.