How It Works

Whether you're looking to book a service or offer your professional skills, getting started is incredibly simple.

Create An Account

Upwork is a great place to find more clients, and to run and grow your own freelance business.
  • Freedom to work on ideal projects: On Upwork, you run your own business and choose your own clients and projects. Just complete your profile and we'll highlight ideal jobs. Also search projects, and respond to client invitations.
  • Wide variety and high pay: Clients are now posting jobs in hundreds of skill categories, paying top price for great work.
  • More and more success: The greater the success you have on projects, the more likely you are to get hired by clients that use Upwork.

Search Jobs

Upwork makes it easy to connect with clients and begin doing great work.
  • Streamlined hiring: Upwork's sophisticated algorithms highlight projects you're a great fit for.
  • Top Rated and Rising Talent programs: Enjoy higher visibility with the added status of prestigious programs.
  • Do substantial work with top clients: Upwork pricing encourages freelancers to use Upwork for repeat relationships with their clients.

Work efficiently, effectively.

With Upwork, you have the freedom and flexibility to control when, where, and how you work. Each project includes an online workspace shared by you and your client, allowing you to:
  • Send and receive files: Deliver digital assets in a secure environment.
  • Share feedback in real time: Use Upwork Messages to communicate via text or chat.
How does Upwork's platform help me manage my work?
  • Upwork provides a user-friendly platform to help you chat and share files, track your time, and get paid.

Get paid on time

All projects include Upwork Payment Protection — helping ensure that you get paid for all work successfully completed through the freelancing website.
  • All invoices and payments happen through Upwork: Count on a simple and streamlined process.
  • Hourly and fixed-price projects: For hourly work, submit timesheets through Upwork. For fixed-price jobs, set milestones and funds are released via Upwork escrow features.
  • Multiple payment options: Choose a payment method that works best for you, from direct deposit or PayPal to wire transfer and more.

Find quality freelancers

On Upwork you'll find a range of top talent, from programmers to designers, writers, customer support reps, and more.
  • Tell us about your project and the specific skills required. Upwork analyses your needs. Our search functionality uses data science to highlight freelancers based on their skills, helping you find talent that's a good match.
  • We send you a shortlist of likely candidates. You can also search our site for talent, and freelancers can view your job and submit proposals too.
  • We have several measures in place to ensure Upwork is a fair and reliable marketplace.

Hire the best freelancer

Invite favorite candidates to submit bids, then review and hire your favorite.
  • Browse profiles: View finalists' Upwork profiles to see client ratings, portfolios, Job Success scores, and more.
  • Review proposals: Evaluate bids, taking into account each freelancer's qualifications, thought process, timeline, and overall cost.
  • Schedule a chat. Ask specific questions, determine who the best fit is, and contract.

Work efficiently, effectively.

Each project includes an online workspace shared by your team and your freelancer, allowing you to:
  • Send and receive files. Deliver digital assets in a secure environment.
  • Share feedback in real time. Use Upwork Messages to communicate via text or chat.

Built into Upwork are several methods of verifying work. On hourly contracts, you can review the Work Diary. It tracks billable time and records completed work. While the freelancer is billing you it also counts keystrokes and takes screenshots of the freelancer's screen (six times per hour), so you can verify billable hours. On fixed-price jobs, you and your freelancer agree on milestones for each project. When your freelancer reaches a milestone, you review the work and release funds when the work is approved.

Pay easily, with peace of mind

Pay your freelancer by the hour, or a fixed price for the entire project. On fixed-price jobs, use our licensed escrow service to release funds as pre-set milestones are met.
  • Simplified global payments: We deliver payments to freelancers in over 170 countries.
  • Includes Upwork Payment Protection: Only pay for work you authorize.
  • Invoicing and reporting: Access your invoices and transaction history on Upwork.