Is Upwork Legit?: What You Need To Know in 2026

Yes, Upwork is legit. Upwork is a respected and safe platform where freelancers can find work — and businesses of all sizes can hire freelancers. 

As a longtime Upwork user myself, I’m here to break down exactly what makes Upwork a legit place to find work and hire talent. This guide details everything you need to know about Upwork’s history, fees, security measures, and more. 

Why you can trust me

I became a part-time freelance writer and editor in 2005. At that time, I signed up for several freelance marketplaces, including Elance, which eventually became Upwork. More than 20 years later, Upwork is the only one I’ve stuck with, as it is the most straightforward, scammer-free, and lucrative option of the platforms I tried. 

In my time using Upwork as both a freelancer finding work and a client, I’ve: 

• Completed 389 freelance jobs for clients on the platform
• Maintained long-term contracts with multiple clients, several for more than a decade
• Achieved a 100% Job Success Score (JSS), which is a metric that measures how satisfied clients are with a freelancer’s work on Upwork
• Received Top Rated and Top Rated Plus talent badges. These talent badges are a great way to quickly assess how much experience and what kind of performance a freelancer has on Upwork
• Hired several freelancers to produce quality work for my business
• Written thousands of short travel blurbs, quality improvement articles, financial services blog pieces, children’s books, and instructional guides

Since 2022, I’ve also edited more than 500 articles for the Upwork Resource Center, many of which required me to research and understand the nuances of how Upwork works. You can visit my Upwork profile to verify the information I’ve shared about my experience on the platform.

Is Upwork a legit company?

Yes, Upwork is a legitimate, publicly traded company that has been around since 2014.  It’s grown into one of the world’s largest work marketplaces with over 784,000 active clients. In 2024, freelancers collectively generated $1.5 trillion in earnings.

Upwork also partnered with Incognia in 2026 to enhance the platform's integrity and help ensure a secure and trusted environment for clients and freelancers.

Do you really make money on Upwork?

Yes, freelancers can really make money on Upwork, and many do well. A study from Upwork in 2025 found that full-time freelancers made a median income of $85,000 per year, and those working alongside full-time jobs earned a median of $40,000 annually.

How much you really make on Upwork depends on your skills, niche, and time availability. In my own experience, I’ve been earning income on Upwork since 2005, and it’s consistently delivered well-paying, long-term work along with opportunities to build new skills and try interesting side gigs. 

7 qualities that make Upwork legit

Over the years, I've thought about what actually separates a trustworthy platform from one that isn't, and what kept me coming back to Upwork specifically. I’ve identified these seven specific qualities that point to Upwork’s legitimacy as a source of work and freelance talent.

1. Upwork has an established history

The company started in 1999 as Elance, ultimately going through a series of mergers and name changes before becoming Upwork in 2014.

Through that time, regardless of name, it’s been a trusted marketplace for freelancers and clients. In 2025 alone, Upwork had over $4 billion gross services volume (GSV) and paired clients and freelancers from more than 180 countries.

2. Availability of in-demand skills

Over 125 areas of work are represented on Upwork, so there’s a good chance you can win work as a freelancer or find talent with the experience you need as a client.

The most popular and in-demand skills on Upwork vary from year to year. As of January 2026, the most in-demand skills on our platform include:

• Accounting and consulting
• Coding and web development
• Customer service and admin support
• Data science and analytics
• Design and creative
• Sales and marketing

Our researchers have also found that an increasing number of clients are taking a skills-based approach to hiring. The Upwork Research Institute conducted a Q1 2026 survey of SMBs with 10-99 employees, showing that 27% of SMBs hired freelancers for access to specialized skills. This means companies are less concerned with someone’s level of education or university degree and more interested in specific skills and real-world experience. 

So whether you’ve obtained a Ph.D. in computer science, are a self-taught graphic designer, or are a beginner freelancer seeking your first customer support job, there’s room for all skill levels and experience.

And if you’re interested in scaling your business with an entry-level professional, a seasoned pro, or an expert with hard-to-find skills, you can find the right type of freelancer on Upwork too.

3. Built-in collaboration and contract tools

One of the reasons I like Upwork is that it offers every tool I need to manage a project. I can do everything all in one spot, including:

• Sending proposals to clients
• Reviewing freelancers’ portfolios 
• Issuing payments to freelancers
• Requesting payment from my clients
• Logging, or reviewing, hours worked on a project
• Keeping track of tasks and project milestones
• Using instant messaging, file sharing, and audio or video meetings

As a freelancer, I find Upwork makes the process of finding and onboarding a client extremely simple. And as a client, I like that I don’t have to figure out every aspect of organizing contracts and paying freelancers in different currencies.  Using Upwork from start to finish makes the process smooth for everyone. 

4. Multiple security measures

Security is a legitimate concern that freelancers and clients have when trying a new platform, and understandably so. I appreciate that Upwork takes security seriously and offers several features to help its users stay safe. These include:

• Two-factor authentication (2FA). You can add an extra layer of security to your Upwork account by turning on 2FA. This requires anyone logging into your account to enter a verification code delivered via text, our mobile app, or a third-party authenticator app.
• Project funds. This Upwork approach keeps clients’ money secure and helps freelancers get peace of mind about being paid. When you work on a fixed-price project through Upwork, milestone payments are held securely as project funds by Upwork until the work is completed and approved. 
• In-app messaging. Upwork requires its users to keep all precontract messages on the platform. This is for everyone’s safety. If you’re messaging with a client or freelancer and think the conversation is heading in a suspicious direction, you can stop responding and flag messages for the Upwork Trust and Safety team to review. Plus, all of your communications are in one convenient place. 
• Security reporting tools. Upwork’s reporting tools let you flag job posts, profiles, and portfolios for review. If you see anything suspicious at any point in your search for a job or a freelancer, you can let the Upwork team know in a confidential report. A member of our support team may reach out to you for more information, but we won’t let the person or company you’ve reported know who you are or the details of your complaint.
• Payment protection. Upwork’s Hourly Payment Protection gives both clients and freelancers added peace of mind when it comes to exchanging money through Upwork. Clients get the work they’ve paid for, and freelancers don’t have to chase down clients to request payment.

5. Straightforward service fees

Upwork charges fees to both clients and freelancers who use the platform. These can include:

• Freelancer service fees between 0% and 15% of total earnings 
• Client service fees and contract initiation fees, which vary by account type and contract amount
• The cost of Connects, which are used to submit proposals, boost freelancer profiles, and more
• Optional membership fees for Freelancer Plus or Agency Plus accounts

Personally, I’ve never been bothered by Upwork’s fees. When I first started writing, I did cold calling, with zero success. Moving to the freelancing platform, I was quickly able to find clients who were very interested in hiring someone at a fair rate, so the fee was a reasonable cost for making that connection.

Now that I’m an established writer and editor, I still save time by using Upwork, since I don’t have to search multiple boards or manually issue invoices and configure different payment methods. This saves me a lot of nonbillable administrative time. 

Plus, Upwork is very transparent about its fee structure. This makes it easy for me to consider fees as a cost when calculating my hourly rate or project budget. 

6. A reliable client base

While a platform’s clients aren’t the only marker of legitimacy, many reputable and well-known companies choose to use Upwork — including Microsoft, Zendesk, Amway, and PGA of America. 

And even Upwork uses Upwork to hire freelancers. Independent creatives, support specialists, engineers, writers, and more work on the Upwork platform for the Upwork platform.  

In my 21 years on the platform, I’ve sent proposals to, engaged in interviews with, and worked on projects for several companies I immediately recognized from my day-to-day life, including Adobe, Expedia, and Discover.com.

But I’ve also had great experiences working with many smaller and no-less-trustworthy companies using Upwork. In fact, one of my long-term clients is an independent author who’s published more than 150 books – and I’ve edited every one of them.

7. A pool of reliable freelancers and agencies

Many reputable freelancers use Upwork, including folks who are building a successful freelancing career through the platform. Some freelancers on Upwork are like me; they work with a handful of clients and do all the work themselves or they may occasionally bring on another freelancer to help as needed. 

But many Upwork users have gone on to build entire agencies through the platform. Take Keenan Theron as an example. When his security company went bankrupt during COVID lockdowns, he pivoted to remote work and started taking on jobs through Upwork. After six months, Theron was so busy that he decided to build a team — starting with his family and friends. 

Today, Theron’s agency Workiflow has a core team of 15 people and continues to hire freelancers on Upwork as needed.

Read transcript

Pro tip: If you’re a client with a Business Plus or Lifted account, keep an eye out for Expert-Vetted badges on freelancer profiles. This indicates the freelancer is part of the top 1% of talent on Upwork.

What other freelancers and clients have to say about Upwork

You don’t have to take my word alone for why Upwork is legit. Check out what these other Upwork users have to say about the platform:

“Upwork is the best platform to hire skilled professionals when we’re not looking for a full-time employee. All the companies in our portfolio use Upwork to find talent across a wide range of fields.”
— David Merry, partner and co-founder, Kinetic Investments

“I appreciated how user-friendly and approachable [Upwork] felt, especially compared to the more complicated setups of other platforms. It made getting started far less intimidating.”
— Pam Cheney, brand identity and web designer

“I’m a big proponent of Upwork … because it has definitely opened up opportunities and skill sets that we’d otherwise not be able to readily get.”
— David Barnes, head of marketing, The Workplace Depot

“[Something] about Upwork that I don’t think a lot of people realize is that it gives you an opportunity to learn. I’ve worked with clients all over the world, and I’ve found that everybody does something differently. You learn how to build yourself and be well-rounded to accommodate those needs.”
— Catherine Marsden, virtual assistant and data entry specialist

“Upwork made getting started so easy that if it wasn’t for Upwork, I probably wouldn’t have given freelancing a try … On Upwork, I feel safer taking on new clients, so I can focus on getting the work done.” — Mateja Miladinović, editorial and graphic designer

How does Upwork work?

Whether you’re using Upwork to find a job or a freelancer, various features — including security measures, collaboration tools, and Uma™, Upwork’s Mindful AI — make it a great place to grow your business.

Hiring a freelancer

The process of hiring a freelancer can vary slightly based on the type of Upwork account you have, but it typically entails:

1. Writing and submitting a job post to Upwork, which is where any client can share project details and collect proposals from freelancers
2. Reviewing freelancer profiles and the proposals you receive
3. Turning on instant interviews, which allows freelancers to interview any time using Uma
4. Booking an interview or paid consultation 
5. Agreeing on contract terms, including payment structure, rate, and deliverables
6. Funding the project 

A few Upwork features make this process easier, including:

• Uma for help writing job posts, conducting interviews, and more
• Talent badges and JSS details on every freelancer profile
• On-demand shortlists of qualified freelancers (available to Business Plus customers upon request)
• Positive reviews and negative feedback from prior clients visible on freelancer profiles

Finding freelance work

When working as a freelancer on Upwork, you can offer paid consultations, run ads to boost your profile, respond to invitations, and submit proposals for interesting jobs.

My typical process for finding work involves:

1. Reviewing new jobs posted to Upwork
2. Using Connects to submit proposals to jobs I’m interested in
3. Sometimes receiving invitations from clients and submitting proposals (no Connects needed)
4. Chatting with potential clients over Upwork Messages or on a video meeting
5. Agreeing on project rate and duration, including milestones or hours per week

I rely on several Upwork features to help me find work, including:

• Creating saved searches with my favorite job filters
• Using the “heart” and “thumbs down” buttons on job posts to curate a list of opportunities I’m interested in 
• Boosting my proposals with Connects
• Checking to see that a prospective client has a verified billing method 
• Creating a portfolio and selecting jobs to highlight when submitting a proposal

Try Upwork for free

The best way to see exactly how Upwork connects freelancers with clients who need their skills, while working to keep all parties safe, is to give it a try yourself. There’s no cost to sign up for Upwork, so you can explore the platform and see just how easy it is to find or post a job. Create an account today to get started.

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