Is Upwork the Right Choice in 2025?

George Fironov
George Fironov

I connect businesses with top software engineers and IT talent on demand. I focu...

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is upwork safe

For software creators, there’s always been a question of whether to stand out as an independent specialist on different freelance aggregators or join an IT outstaffing company or a dedicated product team. In this article, we will study the latest trends and statistics to answer the question: is Upwork good for software experts? Stay tuned.

Is Upwork Legitimate Avenue to Earn a Living?

The short answer is: yes. It is one of the largest official platforms where freelancers with different skills and professions connect with clients around the globe. Upwork offers services of individual specialists in various fields beginning with software-related services, including design, marketing, writing, and more.

To work on this platform legally freelancers have to follow its internal rules and their local guidelines regarding work permissions, compliance, and taxes. For each country, these guidelines would be different, so we will highlight the general ones:

  • Choose your legal entity. You can operate as a sole proprietor if you are working independently — it requires less paperwork and is simpler. The other options for registration are LLC and corporation.
  • Register your business if required. This may offer additional benefits and legal protection. However, depending on the location and scope of work, in some cases, you may skip this part.
  • Keep all the business conversations within the platform. Upwork has a dispute process for cases, when a client isn’t satisfied with work. Communicating within the platform you will have all the materials saved to prove your services’ quality.

So, if you ask a question “is Upwork legit?”, we would say: yes, if you follow its rules along with the business rules of your place of residence.

Your Skillset Is Your Success

According to Upwork, every talented specialist can find a decent project there. From custom blockchain software development to interfaces design — a platform offers plenty of possibilities. Naturally, some of the skills are in higher demand than the others. If you possess a skillset that is in the highest demand, you can expect higher rates and a bigger amount of the open projects on Upwork.

According to the statistics, among the highest-paying freelance jobs in 2024 there are:

  • Tech jobs. Cybersecurity, AI, and blockchain specialists are on the top of the rating. Traditionally, they are followed by different kinds of software developers, UX/UI professionals, web and mobile programmers, and support experts.
  • Marketing jobs. Does Upwork really work for marketing people? We bet it does. It is easy to win a proposal for a media buyer, PR manager, digital marketing and SEO experts, copywriters.
  • Creative jobs. Photographers, videographers, technical writers can easily win a job on a platform too. In this category one can also find web designers.

The competition in some particular spheres may be higher than in the others. And your skillset is again the thing that helps to stand out of it. Improve the existing skills and add new ones to become top in your speciality and offer more value to the customers, and your profile will be noticed.

Your Previous Experience Is Your Added Value

Is Upwork good for beginners? Well, it might be a little bit harsh for a person without a proven track record. The truth is that clients are more likely to cooperate with a specialist who has proven their skills in the past.

How to improve your chances? Refine your profile and update your portfolio with the best samples from your pre-Upwork projects, even if you have only the ones from your studying courses. Upwork takes much effort to start, but as soon as you proceed with your executor reputation, it will pay you back. And these simple tips will help to show your previous experience in the most favorable light:

  • Start with a compelling summary. Outline your experience and bring to the table your strong sides connected with the speciality you represent. Say clearly and honestly about your background.
  • List relevant skills. Mention only those that are directly applicable to the projects you would like to win.
  • Fill the portfolio with case studies or samples. Include information that would be interesting for your clients, you can also show code samples with following documentation that explains the case.
  • Highlight your achievements. Mention quantifiable results or any other measurable achievements you had in your previous works. Any awards and recognitions would also be appreciated.
  • Add client testimonials. What does Upwork do with client’s feedback? It is very appreciated and adds value to your profile. If you have previous projects completed beyond the platform, add testimonials as well. Completed work should be counted anyways.

Previous experience of a freelancer is a precious baggage that will help you to win more profitable jobs. Make sure you have highlighted your strong sides and successfully completed projects in the profile to attract the right client.

Your Goals Identify Your Strategy

To identify your strategy on the platform, it is important to understand what is Upwork used for by users. Some of them consider it as a source of additional income, while the others rely on it as a steady income source.

If you want to make extra money on freelance:

  • Manage your busyness. Determine realistically how much extra work you are able to manage without failing deadlines and quality.
  • Choose best-matching projects. Reply only for those requests which are perfectly matching your skills and experience. It will be easier to complete them without being overwhelmed.
  • Stay flexible. Adjust the availability based on your primary work. Warn clients about nuances of your work schedule to match expectations.

If you want to make Upwork basic source of money:

  • Mind the taxes. Upwork charges 20% fee for their services. Remember about it while planning your income. It may happen that joining a software development house or developing your personal brand on LinkedIn will be more profitable.
  • Treat it like a full-time job. Set a regular working schedule and follow it. Notify your clients about working hours. Set up your dedicated workspace at home or in the coworking space to get into the right mindset and boost productivity.
  • Build your reputation. Every Upwork review matters for a freelancer. Try to deliver outstanding results and provide more than expected to satisfy clients. And wait for your reputation to start forking on you.

Main or additional — this platform will pay you back if you devote enough time and effort to build a strong profile and provide value in the projects you participate in.

Your Geographical Location Influences the Process

Projects on Upwork are available for executors from all over the world. Despite different rules for freelancers in different countries, the platform offers similar opportunities for every person who registers. However, your location directly influences your earning potential, accessibility to projects, and client perception. For example, a client who wants to nearshore in Poland probably won’t choose an executor from Western Europe.

It doesn’t matter where are you located, take into consideration there factors to improve your experience with projects:

  1. Pricing expectations depend on cost of living. Clients can expect lower rates from freelancers located in Asia or Eastern Europe. It is related to lower cost of living and may attract clients with smaller budgets.
  2. Time zone difference impacts your schedule. It is more comfortable to cooperate with a client who is located no more than 3 time zones away from you. And if you have no problems with working during unconventional hours, you can cooperate with clients from any country.
  3. Clients may have regional preferences. Some of them may be related to language or cultural differences. Others tend to trust freelancers from their country more than foreigners. For a project localization clients may seek executors from the target location.
  4. Payment accessibility matters. How does Upwork work with people from different countries? Mostly using international payment systems like Payoneer, PayPal, and direct bank transfers. Different countries have different means of transfer available and higher transaction fees, which may influence the choice.
  5. Search rankings can exclude you. Projects on Upwork may be sorted out to find freelancers closer to the client location or in the chosen region. You may not be seen in the search for these particular queries even if your skills match perfectly.

Is Upwork Worth It After Complicating the Entry Process?

The platform recently implemented several changes that make it harder to start with it for newcomers. They are mainly connected with quality standards, personality checks and service quality for the clients. Despite the fact that now it is a huge milestone to get started on the platform, newbies still try their best. We’ve made a short survey on the latest changes:

  1. Rising cost of connects. ALmost every proposal now requires connects, Upwork’s internal coin. The free connects are minimal. You may need to invest your own cost before winning some projects and earning. Extra connects are also needed to outbid other freelancers.
  2. More rigorous profile approvals. You may face more checks and calls. If the platform considers some area of work oversaturated with executors, the new profile may be rejected without any reason. Additionally, the profile must be fully complete to pass approval.
  3. More complex filtering options. Now clients can filter candidates by location, skills, experience level, internal level. It gives a finer choice for the client, but it gets more difficult to get into those lists for a contractor.
  4. JSS pressure. Job Success Score shows the percentage of the projects completed with the highest client satisfaction. New participants are in a losing position here, because they don’t have it yet. It makes things more difficult in finding the first job. Later, even a single bad review can ruin a reputation.
  5. Reduced newbies visibility. The new people often ask the question “is Upwork a scam?” after failing to break the ice and find their first job. Sometimes it’s connected with algorithms that prioritizes high-level profiles with a proven track record, high rates and positive reviews. Struggle of getting noticed is real.
  6. Complicated verification process. New freelancers are asked to verify their personality via video call with the platform representative. And the frustrating thing here is that these video calls may be repetitive.
  7. Strict compliance rules. Upwork has wide and strict guidelines. It is important for the participants not to violate rules. This might be difficult due to the great number of rules and frequent updates. If the contractor violates rules, the account might be suspended without possibility to get it back.

Even considering these challenges, new freelancers try their best on Upwork enterprise. And those, who are determined enough, succeed.

Upwork Reviews: What Do the Participants Say

Freelancers have different experience working on this platform, so their testimonials also differ. Some of them share their positive experience with this digital workspace while others highlight cons of Upwork. We studied both sides, to show you the user’s feedback and let you create your own answer to a question “is Upwork legit or scam”.

Positive Reviews of Upwork from Contractors

To check what the people share about their experience with the freelance marketplace, we visited Indeed. Some of the users call it reliable and highlight that it is a good opportunity to make money despite all the complications. They also confirm that it is legitimate and profitable.

upwork reviews

how does upwork work

Negative Feedback on the Platform from Contractors

On the other side we see unsatisfied freelancers. If you ask them “Is Upwork safe?”, they would probably answer “no”. They admit poor contractor support, lack of insurance and risk of account suspension without any reason. Among the significant downsides they also notice high commission. Some of the people seem to be really frustrated with the negative experience.

is upwork legit

 

is upwork worth it

Upwork vs Talmatic: Which Option to Choose

The reputation of Upwork doesn’t exclude the difficulties you will face trying to connect with the possible contractors there. Especially if you are not sure how to select a vendor for outsourcing. Cooperation with the software development company may offer a more stable environment, job security and covered risks.

As an expert vendor, Talmatic offers all-covering services that include access to the global talent pool and high speed of contractor onboarding. We cover the risk of mismatching and are ready to replace the developer who didn’t fit the project for any reason. While on a freelance marketplace you would need to start your search again.

We ensure that you get the contractors with the proven expertise and skills thanks to the strong recruitment and technical specialists. They examine the CVs and conduct several rounds of interviews to provide clients with 100% matching candidates.

Cooperating with an IT vendor, you are protected in the legal sphere. You are sure that you cooperate with the registered legal entity and all the legislation nuances are considered in the contract.

Talmatic is aimed at long-term cooperation which means we respect your processes and business needs, and are fully responsible for the quality of services we provide. On demand, we can cover more of your software-related needs, proceeding from the individual contractors to the dedicated teams and full software outsourcing.

Is Upwork reliable? It is. But Talmatic commits to be more reliable. Let’s meet on a discovery call to prove it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking to hire remote software developers but have a few questions unanswered? We are sharing our list of frequently asked questions by our clients when hiring software developers.

view all

Yes, Upwork is trustworthy despite the difficulties connected with the working process.

Among the critical disadvantages users mention poor support, high fees, high competition, and complicated compliance process.

Yes, in general it is safe, although there are some risks too.

view all

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George Fironov
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