• Hired freelancer to source images for site
• Sample work was good, the rest were horrible
• End up using none of his images
• He says he wont give a refund, but still wants me to leave a positive review
• I leave a honest review

Now a couple weeks later I’m getting multiple 1 star reviews from brand new accounts. None of these names are users who have used our service. Theres no text just the 1 star. I have reported them to google, and can’t think of anyone else that would have a reason to do this.

Any advice is appreciated as I have worked very hard to build our reputation, and the 1 stars are hurting us.

Hi,

I have lots of experience and a solid profile on Upwork in general.

I try bidding to the top spending more credits, I respond quickly, I try to write thoughtful proposals...but I hardy can get the job posters to view my response. The system alerts you when your proposal has been viewed but my posts are hardly ever even read, even when I spend more credits to get the first position.
Does this happen to anyone else? What am I missing? Or do you just have to send like hundreds to get a few opens and interviews?

You can see how from 10 connects to 300, the unit price doesn't change one bit, it's $0.15 throughout, when any middleschool graduate can urge you to buy more connects by dropping that unit price the more you buy, for example $1.5 for 10, $12 for 100, $30 for 300 and so on.

The people running this platform are just plain hungry, and they have no time to optimize this platform for the benefit of either freelancer or client. I just hope some powerful investment groups see the market need for a new freelancing platform to step in and create a valid competitor to this poor excuse of a platform that's only surviving off its glory days loyalists.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been putting in the work on Upwork, and I’m now getting closer to Top Rated Plus status (only one more week off). Lately, I’ve been seeing more traffic and high-quality invites than ever, and it’s really reinforced what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to freelancing on the platform.

I know how challenging it can be to get started—standing out, getting consistent invites, and landing well-paying clients. Since I’ve learned a lot along the way, I’d love to give back and help those who are just getting started.

What are your biggest challenges on Upwork? Proposals, pricing, client communication, getting your first few jobs? Let me know, and I’ll put together a post covering the most useful strategies.

Hey guys, how's it going? I'm a bit of in a desperate need to land a job right now so I wanted to network with fellow web developers. Though it's not just to find a job, I'd like to build genuine long term relationships as well. I've worked on Upwork for around 2 years now and have earned 20k$ working with 20 clients so I think I'd be a valuable addition to your network, but due to a series of events I'm now literally broke and can't even afford any connects.

If you'd like to talk feel free to DM, thank you.

1. If i want to change my skill, can i change it or is it possible to delete my account to reopen a fresh account ?

2. Should i create an account by my name or by my page name ?

Is it worth optimizing projects? Have you gotten any orders this way?

My projects get 200-300 views per month, but I’ve never received an order through the catalog — unlike on Fiverr. At the same time, I regularly get offers, I’m Top Rated, and my profile has a strong order history.

Does the upwork catalog just not work, or am I missing something?

Last two jobs I posted literally receive no applicants. One job - I can see why. It was geo-fenced and I needed someone around NYC(still sus, honestly). The second one was for an engineer or the like to take a cad and make a floor plan liked you’d see in a real estate brochure. I do not generally use the invite feature. I’ve also noticed Upwork has tried to upsell me on some sort of premium post.

I have engaged a web designer for our small business and the project will be ongoing. We have spent over 1500 in the first 3 weeks and will continue to spend as we expand into other web based projects.

Anyway we hired a designer who is Upwork verified. She is originally from another country (we are in the US and it says she is here, cool cool).

I am getting a little bit of a weird vibe though because she never has camera on and her sound quality is terrible. Her voice is so high pitched and, to be honest, it sounds to me like a man pretending to be a woman.

Her work is fine though and I don’t know what to make of it. The main thing is she has access to our entire tech stack, including our CRM, and I want to feel like I can trust this person.

Hi! I am New to Upwork and just loaded my project. When i submit it they say that my title or description are not in english. I double checked everything but couldnt find any errors.

Should I focus on getting reviews first? Should I offer near-free in exchange for a review?

What tactics do you use to get a clients attention with your proposal?

Do you avoid jobs with too many proposals? What’s your max?

Thanks in advance

Hello everyone!

I'm Russian, but haven't been living there since 2020. I managed to register on upwork, send them my bank statement from a bank in Georgia (the country) where I have been living for the past 4 years. All was good. Until I got my first client. Automatically all my interviews were cancelled and my account suspended. Now they say I need to verify again. Sending them PDF of my bank statement didn't work. Sending photos of printed document didn't work. I am not in Georgia now, so I can't go and get the official stamped statement from the bank, only a PDF. Is there anything else I can do?

Thanks a lot, it's been going on for a month now and i'm completely at loss.

hey guys so i finished setting up my account and when i tried to apply for a job i got this message : " You can't submit a proposal because your account is suspended." i do not know why , knowing that my account is old i opened it 2018 but i did not use it untill this year , any idea how to solve this probleme ?

I'm sick of the connect system. I'm a new freelancer, and so far, I have spent $50 on connects without getting a single interview. I have followed every guide on cover letters, including starting with a question or writing the solution to the issue. However, clients do not see my proposals.

My profile is 100% complete, and I have added four portfolio projects showcasing my work. I also wrote a bio that represents me well, but I still haven't had any luck.

I can't buy more connects as I'm out of budget.

Any tips from the good guys here?

Edit: As per a Redditor's advice, below I will mention what I do and a couple of proposals I’ve sent.

What I do:

I’m an Integration Specialist with 5 years of demonstrated experience in enterprise-level integrations, such as CEGID Retail, Salesforce, Shopify, and Oracle EBS. I also integrate IoT devices from both the physical and software perspectives. I work with Azure Integration Services, along with AWS, and have built many ETL pipelines and automated business processes.

A couple of proposals sent:

1. "Hi there, Could you clarify if the websites you want to scrape require specific login credentials, or are they open-access sites? What specific types of data should be scraped from each website (e.g., text, images, links, etc.)? Can you provide examples?

I can help you automate the processes you need, and I would be glad to work with you in the long run.

I’ve attached a couple of automation projects I’ve worked on for your reference.

Regards, "

2. "Could you clarify the specific workflow for handling cold email responses?

Would you like any specific reporting or analytics to be set up for tracking the performance of the automated email workflow (e.g., open rates, response rates)?

I can help you create the workflow needed for the job. To be honest, you will be my first client on this platform, so I will do my best to deliver the work at its best.

I have automated many workflows using various platforms, with a special focus on Azure Logic Apps at the enterprise level.

DM me with the project info, and let’s discuss how I can help."

3. "Hi there,

First, I would love to have you as my first client and do the job for you. I will help you connect the dots in your system, and all I ask in return is a small review of my work.

My job title is Integration Specialist, so I work with integrations and APIs all day long, and I'm passionate about connecting things. Feel free to check my portfolio as I have integrated Salesforce with CEGID platform.

You can find a sample of my integration work attached below.

I look forward to discussing your project further and working together to create the perfect solution for your needs.

Regards,"

Edit: Thanks everyone for the help. I got my first job.

I got a message where he offered me to be a Lead Generalist with 50+ connections in LinkedIn. He then send over a link to create an account then connect my LinkedIn account there to proceed with the job. I may be paranoid but just want to make sure this is not a scam to get my info in my LinkedIn account. What do you think?

I'm tired of clients just disappearing without warning!!!

One client I worked with for a few months. Everything was going fine, this was more of a reach-out-on-my-own-time type of gig and he was very responsive. Until one day he wasn't. He didn't even end the contract or anything, so I did.

This other client I've worked with since April of last year. He's been steady in terms of workload, expectations, and responsiveness. In short, he was a reliable client. Until he wasn't. It's been months since his last response. He seems to have disappeared without a trace.

I'm tired of this unprofessionalism! I understand that unforeseen circumstances may occur or life may get in the way, but to leave without closing the contract? Or letting your freelancers know? It's frustrating.

Idk.. maybe I'm just unlucky as well. Anyways, just wanted to let this out.

I send a proposals maybe a few times a week depending on my connects. Still trying to land my first gig since I began getting serious about upwork in Dec 2024.

I did get one response where the guy needed some front end work done but right after he sent a contract, Upwork decided to verify my identity so on the client's end it looked like I deleted my profile. That made him request his payment back in a snarky way, which I understood. So yea, charged that as a loss.

Could someone maybe show me a general outline of a good proposal that gets replies at least?

Sometimes I'm not sure even the job posters know what they are looking for, but hey I need to impress them.

What's your revenue goal you're aiming for and how do you plan to get there using Upwork?

$33 for a psychedelic trance album, total of 5 tracks mixed and mastered the and the whole release should exceed 25 minutes 😂🤣. What a bullshit..

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out because my Upwork account has been under review and restricted. I submitted a support ticket as instructed, but I haven’t received a response yet, even though it’s been over 48 hours. I understand that some reviews can take longer, but I’m starting to get concerned.

Has anyone experienced a similar issue? How long did it take for you to get a response? Is there any additional step I should take to follow up without causing delays?

I’d really appreciate any advice or suggestions. Thanks in advance for your support!

So this client, gave me a contract after a 2 hour call, I accepted it, thing is, he even "promised" to give me the details etc for the project, which is to be delivered in 3 days.. but he hasn't delivered anything and keeps ignoring me.. its technically been 1.5 days, and he sends a messages saying he will provide me details in a few hours but never does...
I have the idea that we could cancel a contract 2 days after accepting it without penalty and without allowing the client to give feedback, is there such thing?

So basically , i have been working on upwork for 3 years - and a month ago , they have blocked my account , i didn't get any mail why it was blocked , and i have been trying to contact them , they said they will decide and let me know , but its been over 30 days , and still no reply from upwork support - can anyone help me out ? i also tried creating another ticket 15 days ago , but no responce from that either....

https://preview.redd.it/rd51w3jc9kge1.png?width=1250&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e615544474220cfd6ff3bb7ebf9e2d40dea3185

How did it help you In workflow and revenue?

I’m currently working at a SaaS company as lead uiux designer, but I find the work a bit tedious since I only get to work on 1-2 products. So, I’m considering creating an Upwork account and exploring other freelance opportunities.

I have about 6 years of experience in UX/UI design, web and mobile design, working in both ad agencies and SaaS companies. My skill set includes System design, UI, and interaction design, User strategy and research,Presentation and communication decks,Facilitating sprints, branding, and innovation processes, Consultation on product and UX strategy.

I’m planning to start freelancing part-time (around 25 hours per week) and am open to both hourly and fixed-rate projects. I’d love to get insights from experienced freelance designers—especially on what to expect in terms of earnings per month and how to navigate this space effectively. It’ll be interesting to work with different clients and adapt to diverse needs and deadlines. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Upwork says you can convert a contract to take it offline but there is no option available.
Is Upwork sneakily hiding it?

Like how Upwork is hiding that you can convert a contract by just paying $1 after you have worked with a client for 2 years?

https://preview.redd.it/m8pbflj8vige1.png?width=2096&format=png&auto=webp&s=35543be4a53ec7429a747e5e0fb1b650ec34dc25

Hey Everyone,

I ran into an unexpected problem with Upwork. When I first signed up, I used the “Sign in with Google” option. Later, I discovered I wasn’t able to verify my ID under that account for some reason—apparently, there’s a known glitch or limitation when you create an account with Google. (At least that’s what I heard, correct me if I’m wrong!).

Because of that, I decided to make a new Upwork account with just my email instead. I thought it would be easier to complete the ID verification this way. Unfortunately, right when I tried to verify on the new account, I got a message saying I’m suspended and can’t do ID verification “due to a suspension on your account.”

I think Upwork’s system flagged me because they only allow one account per person. Now I’m stuck, and I can’t do ID verification on either account. The original one isn’t technically suspended; I just can’t verify my ID there because I used Google signup. The new one is suspended. I reached out to Support, but so far no luck. Has anyone else had this happen? Any suggestions on how to fix this, or how to get Upwork Support to respond more quickly?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I need to understand if a message in my Upwork conversation, regarding a request for WhatsApp contact information, has been flagged, resulting in the client's silence. Does Upwork block the entire conversation following a flagged or violated message?

The client hasn't replied after the message was got violated.

Update: Client replied, all good!

I was looking at my searches and filtered to my previous clients and saw one of my current clients who hired me as a Graphic Designer post 2 job ads for a Graphic Designer doing the same things I was doing for them since November. I thought we had a good relationship and we never had any problems, super nice and accommodating. I did find it weird they suddenly had no communication with me since 2 weeks ago since I was talking to them about graphic design projects every weekday (their first job post looking for a graphic designer was 2 weeks ago and the other was 3 days ago.)

I'm not sure how to move forward with this. Is it right to assume that they have moved on from me? Should I message them asking if they still need me and if not to close the contract?