Poor growth potential So far my experience on Upwork has been beyond forgettable. It is a great format and interface, but the total lack of growth potential for people not willing to shell out huge amounts of money is just gross. When you apply for jobs, you have to essentially purchase the right to apply with an in-site currency called Connects. While you are awarded some for free based on completing a couple of major tasks on the site (signing up, booking your first gig, etc), you otherwise have to pay for them or wait one month into the next "billing cycle" to get more. The Connects do not get returned to you unless the Job Poster formally closes the job, which most of them don't. My free Connects were eaten by 10+ people who hired from their posts and then never closed their jobs. There needs to be a slim time limit or some other system where Upwork automatically closes jobs so you get returns on the currency you're expected to PAY FOR. Paying to apply for a job is already a joke of a system. The ONLY benefit to the Connects is that it forces you to be selective about what you apply for, so a handful of jerks can't run around taking all the jobs. Nevertheless, it is a system for people who can afford to pay. I've used up all my free credits and can't apply to any more for another three weeks. And I'm not going to buy any, obviously, because I'm not going to pay to apply for a job and then not get my Connects returned when they hire someone else. Next, if you make under $100 they make you wait 5-8 days before they let you pay out which is nonsense. An embarrassing amount of Secret Shopper scams on this site too, they make the Talent jump through far more Verification hoops than the Employers. I want to like this site because I've truly applied to some good stuff and booked some good easy money, but the way it's being run under the current format of its Connects system simply does not create fair or viable opportunities. If you sign up for this site do not stake your rent payment on it, this is a Casual Side Cash website at best.

Thieves and scammers Absolutely to be avoided.... A den of scammers from Pakistan nigeria and other remote places . I was scammed for $100. I won the dispute but Upwork refuses to give me the money back. Makes excuse after excuse blaming PayPal . They are a den of thieves . Stay away from them .

Stupid morons they blocked me for no… Stupid morons they blocked me for no reason!

Not recommend to anyone Not recommend to anyone, nor freelancer neither clients. Was the best freelance platform. Now it's the worst. - Average bid cost is about 3$ while average project cost is 10$. - About 85% of projects posted are fake. - Service fee is 2 times larger than it was year ago. - Awful support (looks like it doesn't exist at all). - Scammers scammers scammers. Extremely greedy company who ruins their business themselves.

I dont want to share my privacy on Internet. Recently, the mandatory identity verification issue it has enforced has been a complete fiasco. Really, why aren't the authorities putting a stop to this? Employers(or upwork) are asking for personal information from us because they don't believe where freelancers live. I don't find it ethical for them to request intimate details such as our ID number, personal photo, another selfie on top of that, our date of birth, gender, nationality, and when our passport will expire. No one should have to trust anyone completely. There's no guarantee we'll find clients, yet we're giving information to strangers. It's unsettling.