Is Upwork Legit? An Upwork Freelancer Speaks Out
By: Danny Margulies
Tags: Upwork, Freelance Writing, Freelancing, Freelancers, Freelance

With freelancing more popular than ever, many people are curious about what it’s like to work on Upwork.

In this post, I’ll share my experience as a longtime Upwork user…

I’ll show you how Upwork can help freelancers find work, as well as offer tips for how to get your first client, avoid scams, and more.

If you’ve ever wondered any of the following:

Is Upwork legit?

Can you really make money on Upwork?

Is Upwork worth it?

Is Upwork good for beginners?

How can I get my first client on Upwork?

Is Upwork safe?

Etc…

Then this post is for you. Let’s dive in.

Benefits of having an Upwork account

As the world’s largest freelancing platform, Upwork offers lots of benefits to both freelancers and the clients who hire them.

Some of the benefits for freelancers:

Upwork marketplace features lots of job postings each day, giving skilled freelancers more options for interacting with potential clients than any other freelancing platform

Upwork Payment Protection helps freelancers ensure they get paid on time, every time

Referral feature allows you to quickly and easily refer other freelancers to jobs you think they’d be a good fit for (a great tool for building and growing your professional network)

Freelancers can choose between fixed price contract or hourly contract options, depending on their preferences

Upwork fees work on a sliding scale, so the fee drops as you earn more money (as long as it’s from the same client)

Streamlined hiring process means you can get hired and start earning money quickly

Diverse range of jobs — including freelance writing jobs, design jobs, programming jobs, and many, many more

Some of the benefits for clients:

Upwork features a wide range of talent compared to other freelancing platforms — including freelance writers, designers, programmers, marketers, and much, much more

Clients can post a job and receive Proposals from many freelancers quickly, increasing their chances of finding the best candidate for their particular project

Quality control — on fixed price jobs, freelancers only get paid once the client approves their work

Can you really make money on Upwork?

Yes, you can really make money on Upwork. Many freelancers around the globe have already made money on Upwork, and many are continuing to do so as we speak.

I’ve personally earned hundreds of thousands of dollars on Upwork (including over $100,000+ in just 12 months), even though I started with no freelancing experience, no college degree, and no formal training.

In fact I just received an offer from a new client on Upwork, who will pay me over $100+ per hour for my service.

An offer I received through Upwork this week

Lots of my friends and colleagues also freelance on Upwork.

Many have built up nice six-figure incomes doing work they enjoy, while having the freedom to control their own schedule. Some are even earning a full time income working only part time hours.

How do Upwork beginners make money?

Upwork beginners can make money the same way more experienced Upwork freelancers do: By selling their freelance services to clients who are willing to pay for them.

The only difference is that it’s a little trickier for beginners as they are just starting to get their “sea legs” on Upwork.

Most people face one or more of the following three challenges up front:

Choosing what type of work they’re going to do Getting their Upwork Profile approved (not every person who signs up for Upwork gets approved) Getting their first client

Let’s discuss these in a bit more detail.

1) Choosing what type of work you’re going to do

If you already have one or more marketable skills you’re confident with, feel free to skip this section.

If you don’t, then the first piece of good news I can offer you is that, in my experience, most people have more skills than they realize.

So there is probably a good chance that you already have a skill that you can use to earn money on Upwork.

Here are the GENERAL categories of services you can offer as a freelancer on Upwork (there are also many subcategories within each of these categories, so there is pretty much something for just about everyone):

Accounting & Consulting

Admin Support

Customer Service

Data Science & Analytics

Design & Creative

Engineering & Architecture

IT & Networking

Legal

Sales & Marketing

Translation

Web, Mobile & Software Dev

Writing

Still not sure?

If nothing on that list jumps out at you, head over to Upwork.com and check out the many subcategories within each work category. This can be useful as it will give you more ideas for potential jobs you may be able to do on the platform.

For example, when I first started freelancing on Upwork I had no experience as a freelance writer, and couldn’t envision any company wanting to hire me for freelance writing work.

However, after looking at the subcategories within Upwork’s “Writing” category, I discovered many fairly simple, Entry Level-type writing jobs available — for example, writing basic podcast show notes, simple product descriptions, and more.

A small sampling of Upwork’s subcategories (this is just for writing but there are hundreds of other subcategories too — something for just about everyone)

Learning skills online

You can also learn skills online, often free of charge. Many companies even offer no-cost training and certifications for in-demand skills, which will give you a double advantage when getting started as a freelancer on Upwork.

Keep in mind that freelancing is a business, and just like any other business you should be willing to invest time and effort into it in order to succeed.

Bottom line: In today’s day and age where you can learn just about anything online, there is no reason for this to hold you back from going out and getting your first client.

2) Getting your Upwork Profile set up and approved

As I mentioned earlier, not every freelancer who sets up an Upwork Profile ends up getting approved to move to the next step and start looking for their first client.

While an in-depth discussion of exactly how to maximize your chances of getting your Upwork Profile approved are beyond the scope of this post, I’ll offer some general, high level tips below.

Take some time to prepare . If you jump in and get rejected right out of the gate, it may be more difficult to get your profile approved later (even if only psychologically).

. If you jump in and get rejected right out of the gate, it may be more difficult to get your profile approved later (even if only psychologically). Put your best foot forward. An Upwork account can be a very valuable asset. Treat it as you would applying to your dream college, or your dream job. Really give it your all.

An Upwork account can be a very valuable asset. Treat it as you would applying to your dream college, or your dream job. Really give it your all. Fill out your entire Upwork Profile to the best of your ability — don’t skip or skimp on any of the steps. Keep in mind your Profile is one of the first things a client will see when considering hiring you, so in addition to increasing your chances of getting approved by Upwork, this also makes it easier to go out and land that first client.

Keep in mind your Profile is one of the first things a client will see when considering hiring you, so in addition to increasing your chances of getting approved by Upwork, this also makes it easier to go out and land that first client. Don’t forget to connect a bank account or other payment method. Ultimately the goal of freelancing on Upwork is to earn money, so make sure you have a way to receive payments!

3) Getting your first client on Upwork

While getting your first client on the platform may seem like a huge roadblock, it’s actually very doable.

This is another area where a deep discussion is beyond the scope of this post, but I’ll give you some general tips below that will help.

Don’t focus on the fact that you’re a new freelancer and don’t have any Upwork reviews from previous clients. Remember that every new freelancer started where you are now — including the most successful ones! For now, just focus on getting one client, then build from there.

Only apply to jobs that are obviously a good match for your skill set. This makes it more likely that a potential client will be impressed by you, and thus more likely that you’ll get hired.

Send a personalized Proposal to each client who’s job you’re interested in . Remember, you are talking to a potential client here, and it’s important to get the relationship started on the right foot. Always avoid using generic, copy/paste Cover Letters. Make sure to address the client’s needs and tell them how you can help them accomplish their goals!

Look for small, simple jobs that you know you can easily complete. You can even filter for Entry Level jobs when looking through your Upwork job feed. All else being equal, a less experienced freelancer will be more likely to get the job if the company (client) that posted it marked it as Entry Level.

There are lots of Entry Level jobs available on Upwork every day

Can you get scammed on Upwork?

While no online marketplace can ever claim to be 100% free from scammers, in my experience it is highly unlikely to get scammed on Upwork.

Upwork has solid security measures in place to detect and prevent scams.

Freelancers can also report potential scams by flagging job posts — for example, if a job description or particular project looks suspicious.

Upwork makes it easy for freelancers to flag suspicious or other low quality job posts

Always make sure to report scams as soon as you see them!

You can reduce your risk of falling victim to scams even further by taking some precautions. In the next couple of sections, I’ll share some tips to help you remain safe.

Pay attention to the job post itself

While I’ve found scams to be rare on Upwork, you can often get clues about a client’s legitimacy just from looking at their job post.

It can be tempting to apply to new jobs quickly when they pop up, but it’s important to take a minute or two to investigate further.

Here are some specific tips:

Avoid any job posting that looks even a little suspicious. You should also immediately report it so Upwork’s security team can investigate further and remove it if it does turn out to be a scam.

You should also immediately report it so Upwork’s security team can investigate further and remove it if it does turn out to be a scam. Be careful about clicking through to an external website. If a client sends you a link to a website (whether they include it in their job post or send it to you directly through a private message), don’t click it unless you know it’s safe. This can help you avoid potential phishing scams or any type of scam that relies on your visiting an external website.

If a client sends you a link to a website (whether they include it in their job post or send it to you directly through a private message), don’t click it unless you know it’s safe. This can help you avoid potential phishing scams or any type of scam that relies on your visiting an external website. Be extra careful when working with clients who don’t have an Upwork history. A client hiring a freelancer on Upwork for the fiftieth time is probably less likely to try to scam someone than one who just appeared on the platform three minutes ago. The larger the amount of money a client has paid out to freelancers over time, the less likely their job is to be a potential scam.

More tips for avoiding scams

Whenever possible, read a client’s reviews before you apply to their job. This will give you a good idea of the kind of reputation they’ve built on the platform. If a client has lots of raving reviews from happy freelancers, it’s probably safe to assume they aren’t trying to run a scam.

This will give you a good idea of the kind of reputation they’ve built on the platform. If a client has lots of raving reviews from happy freelancers, it’s probably safe to assume they aren’t trying to run a scam. Never, ever agree to send money to a client. A client should never ask you for money, even if it’s related to the job or project at hand. If they do, it’s a huge red flag and you should report the job posting as a possible scam right away.

A client should never ask you for money, even if it’s related to the job or project at hand. If they do, it’s a huge red flag and you should report the job posting as a possible scam right away. Be careful about sharing your personal contact information with a client. Never share any personal contact info before they hire you, and be selective about whom you share your contact info with even after you’ve started a contract with them.

Never share any personal contact info before they hire you, and be selective about whom you share your contact info with even after you’ve started a contract with them. Never, ever share your bank account information (or any other sensitive information) with a client. A client should NEVER request any sensitive information from you, and this would be another enormous red flag that screams “scam”. Report it and move on.

A client should NEVER request any sensitive information from you, and this would be another enormous red flag that screams “scam”. Report it and move on. Never accept a payment outside of Upwork’s platform. While clients who offer to pay you for their job outside of Upwork may not necessarily be scammers, getting paid off Upwork can open up you problems, like losing access to Upwork’s Payment Protection feature, and even getting your account deleted.

While clients who offer to pay you for their job outside of Upwork may not necessarily be scammers, getting paid off Upwork can open up you problems, like losing access to Upwork’s Payment Protection feature, and even getting your account deleted. Keep your account in good standing. Put time and effort into building up a solid Upwork history with great reviews from clients you’ve gone out of your way to please. That will help you attract the best clients Upwork has to offer, which will naturally help you avoid potential scammers.

Put time and effort into building up a solid Upwork history with great reviews from clients you’ve gone out of your way to please. That will help you attract the best clients Upwork has to offer, which will naturally help you avoid potential scammers. Whenever possible, try to do a video call with a client before agreeing to work with them. While this doesn’t give you complete protection against potential scammers, a client who is trying to scam you probably won’t want to do a video call.

While this doesn’t give you complete protection against potential scammers, a client who is trying to scam you probably won’t want to do a video call. Never do free work for clients. According to Upwork’s Terms of Use, clients are not allowed to ask freelancers for free work, and you should never offer to do a job for free. You should always receive payment for your work.

According to Upwork’s Terms of Use, clients are not allowed to ask freelancers for free work, and you should never offer to do a job for free. You should always receive payment for your work. Protect your Upwork account. You can do this by choosing a strong password, changing your password periodically, and turning on the dual factor authentication option within your account settings. Since scams can take many forms, this step will protect you from hackers or anyone who’s scam involves hacking into your account.

Final thoughts on scams

Though Upwork is widely considered a safe freelancing platform, the best way to protect yourself is to be observant and vigilant.

As a freelancer, you are a business owner, and it’s important to take responsibility for your business.

Yes, the Upwork platform is a legit website and Upwork does a good job at preventing fraud and scams, but ultimately it’s up to you to ensure you have a safe experience on the platform.

Therefore you should always be mindful while using Upwork and working as an online freelancer in general. To learn more about protecting yourself from falling victim to an Upwork scam, go here: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211067668-Staying-Safe-on-Upwork

Final thoughts

Is Upwork legit? For me, and millions of others who freelance online, the answer is a resounding yes.

Upwork is a 100% legit platform with a tried and true reputation.

Whether you’re a new freelancer looking to get your first freelancing job, or you’re an experienced freelancer who wants to improve your business, using Upwork can help you do all of the following:

Get clients more quickly and easily than traditional marketing methods (e.g. networking, social media, advertising, etc)

Ensure you always get paid for your work

Jumpstart your freelancing business

Steer clear of scams, scammers, and fraud

Make great money

Receive payment for your work automatically (Upwork bills clients for you, then sends their payment directly to your bank account)

Build up a history of positive reviews, which helps you attract even more great clients

And much more

While it’s ultimately up to each person to decide for him or herself, I personally believe that Upwork is an invaluable tool for both new and experienced freelancers alike. It’s definitely changed my life for the better, and I hope it can do the same for you.