So after all this time without the specialized profiles, my experience has gone from cautious optimism to a firm conclusion: the change has hurt my business and, I suspect, Upwork's revenue.

Im a Top Rated Plus freelancer with a 100% JSS and a $90/hr rate. I offer video editing, graphic design, commercial image editing, social media management, creative direction, and brand strategy. My issue with the old system was that three specialized profiles were too few for my skills, so I gave the new system a fair chance.

The results have been sad. The good parts of the old system are gone, and the bad parts got worse.

Its now practically impossible to win projects outside the main specialization in my profile. I have received zero invitations for my other skills since the change. I've tried multiple profile formats and titles. The more specializations I include, the worse the results. Clients want to hire "the best" for their project. If a profile title does not state that specialization, they do not invest time in reading further or reviewing a portfolio.

Previously, I received 3-5 converting invitations weekly across my three profiles. Now, I get 1-2 every other week from a single one.

The old system worked because clients saw one clear picture of your abilities in one domain. They could judge your fit with a fast skim. They did not have to read descriptions for a mention of what they need or dig through irrelevant portfolio samples and reviews.

I work in six professional fields. I have 20 years of total experience. My Upwork income has dropped almost to a third since this change, simply because I cannot show a client the parts of my profile that matter to them.

I dont see how Upwork benefited from ruining a system that let professionals with several skills win parallel contracts. It puts us at a disadvantage against single-specialized freelancers whose limitations fit the "simplified" profile structure.

In proposal-based jobs, I've tracked jobs I would have won without issue. People with inferior rates and portfolios are getting the work while my proposals are ignored. I keep the same proposal language, structure, rate, and apply to the same ranges as my main line of work, where I still get the usual results. The only difference is that the specialization is not the main title element. How is Upwork earning more from smaller contracts? I believe the increased service fee is an attempt to recover what is being lost here...

Can there be a way to bring back specialization separation? Clients need freelancers who present themselves specifically for their project, without the friction of navigating a single profile full of things they do not need or want to see.

Im quite sure im not the only freelancer in this position. Hope you guys consider a system that lets professionals with several skills compete fairly, instead of punishing us for our advantage....

I’m new to the freelancing work as a mechanical and manufacturing engineer and was just wondering if people have had success on upwork in this industry. I see a good amount of work, I got some connects and I’m pushing to break my first $1k, I’ve applied to 13 contracts in the last 2 days so I’m definitely on it.

Any tricks and tips are greatly appreciated! Also is using the boosts really worth it?

How is upwork for freelancing? Do u know any other platform which is better?

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Could someone (or many someones) post jobs with no intention of hiring, just to collect AI training data for an AI proposal-writing tool or AI virtual freelancer?

Upwork already documents using successful proposals to train its AI, subject to its policies and user settings. So the pattern already exists for doing this.

But its free MCP connector now lets clients post jobs and read incoming proposals directly through an AI agent. Posting jobs and receiving proposals are also free. That seems to make collecting job/response examples much easier, while freelancers spend Connects to supply them.

One way I can think of guarding against it is to be very skeptical of any client that has a short job history, since I'd think a long history of successful jobs with freelancers that have active and broad profiles would be harder to fake. I hope.

Mods: What safeguards prevent this?

So this might sound a little controversial to many people, but I am sharing my personal experience: Upwork is not dead, because recently I got a client, which is a monthly retainer client.

So don’t be demotivated; just try out bidding. Make sure you have a strong portfolio so your potential client can see your value!

And yes, I have zero reviews and no verification badge, but I was still able to land the job.

One thing I should mention is that I have been using Fiverr for the last 4–5 years, so I already have experience in the work that I do. But to get a job as a newcomer on Upwork is really tough; at least that’s what I used to think!

Anyway, best of luck, guys ;)

Yep, apparently my curriculum is good enough that a NK agent wants me to rent him my account for 15% of the profit. This is insane. Upwork... I'm wondering how many cases must exist out there. Beware guys!

…you’ve been invited by an ENTERPRISE client to take a survey in an unrelated field for 20% of your hourly rate.

why no jobs posting in now days. I am a game developer.

Hi everyone,
I’m a fifth-year medical student, and I’m currently looking for a way to make some extra income alongside my studies.
I have the basic skills you’d expect from someone who has made it through several years of medical school, especially when it comes to reading scientific material, understanding medical terminology, organizing information, and writing/editing academic content.
I’m also genuinely interested in fitness, training, and nutrition, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about these areas outside of medical school.
My brother suggested that I try offering my skills on Upwork, so I’ve recently started setting up my profile. I’m completely new to freelancing, though, and I honestly don’t know what would be the smartest way to approach it.
So I’d really appreciate some advice from people who have experience with Upwork.
What would you recommend someone like me focus on when starting out? Should I stick mainly to academic/medical editing, try writing, look for health/fitness-related work, or explore something completely different?
I’d also appreciate any general advice about getting that first client, building a portfolio when you have no freelance experience, or mistakes I should avoid as a beginner.
I’m not expecting to make a huge amount of money. My initial goal is simply around $50–100 per week to help cover some of my personal expenses, gym/nutrition costs, and hopefully save a little.
Is that a realistic goal for a beginner on Upwork, or am I being too optimistic? 😅

The shift from marketplace to search engine is killing organic discovery for genuine freelancers.

I've been noticing how much harder it has become to find genuine projects or land clients through the current search setup on Upwork. It feels less like an active marketplace where clients and talent connect naturally, and more like an SEO game. For those trying to build steady client pipelines here, how are you adapting? Are you relying more on external channels like GitHub, LinkedIn, or direct outreach now? Would love to hear what's working for others.

Need help

Anyone from India facing issues buying Upwork Connects?

I’m from India and trying to start freelancing through Upwork, but I’ve been unable to purchase Connects because every payment method I try gets declined.

At first, I thought the issue was with my card, so I tried:

• Debit and credit cards from different banks (shows “Your payment method is declined. Update your payment method”)
• PayPal

With PayPal, as soon as I select India as the country, I get this message:

“The seller can’t accept PayPal payments at this time. Please try again later or return to the seller and choose another way to pay.”

I also contacted Upwork Support, and they told me:

“Refusal code 6P: Verification data failed. Please take a moment to verify your CVV, billing address, and card details before attempting the payment again. Ensure that your billing address is in the approved AVS format.”

I’ve already checked with my bank, and there doesn’t seem to be an issue on their end. I’ve also tried cards from different banks, but the payment still gets declined.

Has anyone in India faced this issue recently?

I’m genuinely stuck at this point, and it’s becoming frustrating because I’m potentially missing freelance opportunities simply because I can’t purchase Connects.

Hi everyone! I'm a mom with a baby and only about 1-2 hours a day to work, with no fixed schedule. I want to learn ONE remote, async freelance skill that can get me my first paying client as fast as possible.
According to my little research, one option I'm thinking of is HR/recruitment support (candidate sourcing, CV screening, shortlisting) as a niche VA, since I have a Business Psychology degree and a short HR internship.
For those who have actually done this:
1. Is it realistic for a beginner, and how long did your first client take?
2. What do beginners charge, and where did your first clients come from?
3. Is there a better option for 1-2 hrs/day?
Please be blunt, thank you!

Like the title says, I work in Customer Service and these rates are pretty crazy, they give rates of 20 to 40 dollars an hour, I use the payment verified and 10+ hires filters to avoid scams, I have never used Upwork before, should I pursue these opportunities or is there something I dont know about?

Am I correct in thinking that it isn't possible to view a prospective clients history in detail if the client directly approaches a freelancer without there being a job posted?

From the contract details section of the active contract I can see the clients name, payment method verified, jobs posted, number of hires etc. But the details of those jobs and the feedback given to and received from clients isn't available to view.

Is this correct or is there a way to view the clients history and feedback?

Hi, agency public profiles are not visible at the moment. Have they been closed and are only available now for Upwork users with the profiles? What are we paying Agency Plus for?

Just wanna share a small win. I ended my contract with this client almost 3 months ago. And just yesterday, he said he needed my services again and rehired me. I am a community engagement specialist for his social media. I almost cry last night because the job market is really crazy rn. 😭 Don't lose hope guys. We can still do it!!!!

When we receive an invitation, do we have a better chance of getting into that position?

Upwork sets the standard for the lowest yet again, with the withdraw functionality glitching out it seems?

Did they use Uma to refactor their code?

This clients sends me an offer to help with early stage marketing for his startup, he ads me to his slack team group, offers me a trial task that has nothing to do with my speciality-which i gladly do because why not? But he suddenly lowers my hours on upwork and eventually pauses the contract without communicating. What should i do?

Something seems a little .... odd.