The Upwork story begins over a decade ago, when the tech lead of a Silicon Valley startup realized his close friend in Athens would be perfect for a web project. The team agreed he was the best choice, but were concerned about working with someone halfway around the globe.
A new way of working is born
In response, the two friends created a new web-based platform that brought visibility and trust to remote work. It was so successful the two realized other businesses would also benefit from reliable access to a larger pool of quality talent, while workers would enjoy freedom and flexibility to find jobs online. Together they decided to start a company that would deliver on the promise of this technology.
Fast-forward to today, that technology is the foundation of Upwork — the world’s leading freelancing website. With millions of jobs posted on Upwork annually, freelancers are earning more than $1 billion via the site each year and providing companies with over 3,500 skills.
A world of opportunities
Through Upwork businesses get more done, connecting with freelancers to work on projects from web and mobile app development to SEO, social media marketing, content writing, graphic design, admin help and thousands of other projects. Upwork makes it fast, simple, and cost-effective to find, hire, work with, and pay the best professionals anywhere, any time.
Get it done with a freelancer
Grow your business with the top freelancing website.
How it works
- POST : Tackle anything from scripts to enterprise apps.
- HIRE : Access experts and agencies across 1,500+ IT skills.
- WORK : Scale fast with on-demand engineering talent.
- PAY : Review code, track progress and pay with a click.
Additional Services
Upwork Pro
Why choose Upwork Pro
With Upwork Pro we personally sort through Upwork’s talent marketplace to pinpoint and pre-vet the best professionals for your specific needs. Savvy teams use Upwork Pro to focus on getting more done, sooner.
PRO TALENT
Access to handpicked, top-performing professionals who meet your skill needs.
PRO SERVICE
Get dedicated talent matching and customer support every step of the way.
PRO TOOLS
Use Upwork to collaborate, easily track spend and enjoy Upwork Payment Protection.
Enterprise Solutions
HOW COMPANIES GET MORE DONE WITH FREELANCERS
Upwork Enterprise combines technology with talent sourcing and compliance services. The result is work delivered to you faster and more affordably.
Find top independent contractors
Support your in-house team with direct access to pre-vetted developers, designers, writers, translators, analysts, and more.
Centralize freelance contracts
Contract talent, track work, and pay freelancers from a single platform. Give your admins full visibility across departments.
Rest easy with worker classification
Our comprehensive compliance services classify your freelance engagements and protect you from misclassification risk.
Enterprise Summit
WORK WITHOUT LIMITS
According to PwC, 63% of global CEOs are concerned about the availability of key skills. As a result, corporate demand for freelance workers is increasing. Labor economists expect freelancers to comprise as much as 50% of the workforce by 2019, allowing companies access to the talent and skillsets that fit their precise needs.
The Work Without Limits™ Executive Summit will help forward-thinking executives prepare for the changing world of work. This invitation-only event will bring together an intimate group of HR visionaries, the Fortune 500 C-suite, and policy experts to understand how progressive organizations are embracing the new world of work.
At the two-day Summit, interactive sessions on leveraging a distributed team of freelancers, Millennial work culture, the workforce skills gap, and workforce technology innovation will equip senior executives to rethink and revise the talent frameworks of their organizations.
Local Business Resources
Upwork connects freelancers and clients to service providers ready to help your business grow. Check back often, as we’ll continue to add more local resources.
Trust & Safety
REPUTATION MATTERS
Job Success scores, the Top Rated program, and detailed profile information make it easy to find freelancers with stellar work histories.
CHAT WITH YOUR TEAM
Upwork Messages lets you have real-time conversations before and after you hire. Keep communication open and expectations clear to enable a safe and successful workplace.
FIXED-PRICE PROTECTION
Escrow lets you double-check finished work once milestones are met – before you release pre-funded payments to your freelancer.
HOURLY PAYMENT PROTECTION
Work Diary helps ensure that an hour paid is an hour worked – giving you an easy-to-access billable time system with work details and in-progress screenshots.
24/7 HELP
Get help from our customer support team anytime, from anywhere. They’re living, breathing humans, here to help you solve Upwork-related issues.
DISPUTE ASSISTANCE
Disputes rarely happen. But in the event they do occur, Upwork helps with dispute resolution.
FAQ
HOW DO I EVALUATE A FREELANCER, PRE-HIRE?
Freelancer profiles include detailed information such as work experience, resumes, portfolios, number of hours worked through Upwork, and skills tests taken so you can better know who you’re hiring. We also calculate Job Success scores and display confirmed feedback from past clients to give an overview of freelancers’ client satisfaction histories. Top freelancers in the marketplace are highlighted with Top Rated badges, which give clients information about freelancers’ reputations. Ultimately, however, it is your responsibility to do the final screening to help ensure that the freelancer is a great match for you and your project.
WHAT ARE JOB SUCCESS SCORES, AND HOW ARE THEY CALCULATED?
Job Success scores are a complete reflection of client satisfaction, with high scores indicating a track record of meeting or exceeding work expectations.
Learn more here.
WHAT IS THE TOP RATED PROGRAM?
The Top Rated program highlights freelancers who have achieved an impressive reputation in the Upwork marketplace.
Learn more here.
HOW DO I CHECK WHETHER OR NOT A CLIENT IS TRUSTWORTHY?
You can evaluate your prospective clients using data such as the number of jobs posted, total spend in the marketplace, feedback history, track record for awarding posted jobs, and the amount of time a client has spent hiring on Upwork. You can also learn more about the client and the exact work specifications by communicating with them through Upwork Messages or by video conference before accepting a proposal.
Learn more about the marketplace feedback system here.
HOW DO I MAXIMIZE JOB SUCCESS PRE-HIRE AS EITHER A CLIENT OR A FREELANCER?
It’s important to have a clear idea of what you want when creating a job post or a proposal. When hiring for your project, maximize your chances for success by inviting freelancers with the right skillsets to match the job. As a freelancer, protect yourself by only accepting contracts with reasonable requirements.
WHAT IS ESCROW?
With escrow, clients pre-fund work and release funds to their freelancers as projects are completed or milestones are met – knowing that they’ll be able to review and approve delivered work before releasing payment. Escrow also gives freelancers the comfort of knowing that a project is funded before they begin working.
Learn more about escrow for clients here, and for freelancers here.
WHAT IS FIXED-PRICE PROTECTION?
Hourly work is protected by Work Diary – an easily-accessed billable time system that shows clients both hours worked and in-progress screenshots to verify hours. Freelancers bill their clients for hours through Upwork’s automated weekly billing system.
Learn more here.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I WANT TO FILE OR RESOLVE A DISPUTE?
Clients can learn about dispute assistance for fixed-price and hourly contracts on the Upwork Help Center. If you’re a freelancer, you can learn about disputes for fixed-price contracts here, and for hourly contracts here.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I’M THE VICTIM OF A SCAM?
We take security seriously at Upwork. If you think you’re the victim of a possible scam, immediately contact Customer Support – or use one of the “Flag as inappropriate” links throughout the site.
HOW DOES UPWORK PROTECT ME AND MY WORK?
Our security model flags fraudulent activity to help ensure a safe workplace. We’re also here to help you succeed along the way, with 24/7 Upwork customer support and dispute assistance. Once a freelancer receives payment for work completed on a project, our Terms of Service specify that ownership of that work transfers to the client. For details, see Section 8.6 of our User Agreement. It also explains that freelancers and clients can agree on different or additional terms.
WHAT CAN I DO TO BETTER PROTECT MYSELF?
Educating yourself and trusting your instincts are key to safety. Here are certain types of scams and abuse to know and avoid.
- Phishing: Prevent unscrupulous users from trying to steal your passwords. Double check that links or HTML files clients give you don’t lead to fake login pages.
- Free work fraud: Don’t start work before the official contract start date. Never pay anything to work for a client, even if they claim that the money will be reimbursable.
- Check cashing fraud: Report clients who ask you to process PayPal payments, or request favors to cash or deposit checks and money orders in order to send the money somewhere else. These checks or money orders are most likely fraudulent and your bank can hold you liable for the funds.
- Direct payments: Let our trust and safety team help keep you safe. Upwork screens all payments sent through our secure payment system. Help us by reporting anyone who asks to send or receive money outside of Upwork.
DOES UPWORK SHARE MY INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES?
Upwork is highly protective of your privacy, only disclosing information permitted by our Privacy Policy. This may include the rare instance of subpoena or other legal requirements, which you’ll find outlined in our protocol here.
