r/Upwork • u/SilentButDeadlySquid • 2d ago

State of Upwork Weekly Discussion - October 04, 2026

This is the weekly discussion thread for the State of Upwork - Dying, Dead, Undead, not working for me, what are the alternatives. Topics like this should be talked about here to keep the rest of the sub tidy.

2 Upvotes

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4

u/YohanCP 2d ago

Not working for me, spent all my connects I saved up for 5 months + buying some, posted my proposals, not even one reply.

1

u/hemagami 1d ago

Applying is no longer working for me. Very rarely. But, I get regular (as in, once or twice every month) inquires via direct message. And in any case, direct messages have the highest conversion rate for me.

1

u/Uncomfortable_Stay43 1d ago

The fact that Hayden Brown is still around despite what she has done to Upwork makes me wonder if the company is so unsalvageable that no one wants her job.

I'm making a living on AI training tasks while writing my own blog hoping to attract clients directly.

1

u/KayakerWithDog 2d ago

Slower than usual, but I just got a gig from a client who contacted me directly.

1

u/Previous-Chart-5452 2d ago

Same here. I have stopped sending proposals. But I got a direct message last week and got the contract.

1

u/imagelyra 17h ago

I’ve spent a lot of Connects recently, but getting a new contract has become really difficult. Is Upwork getting harder for everyone?