Upwork

Upwork is the biggest freelance marketplace in the world, and its size is both the main reason to use it and the main thing to plan around. There is work in almost every category, including longer-running contracts, but every job attracts a lot of proposals, and every fee is charged in US dollars. This page sets out what Upwork actually costs a UK freelancer and a UK business in 2026, and who it suits. Fees were checked against Upwork's own pricing guide on 28 October 2026.

Upwork fees at a glance

	Freelancer	Business (client)
To join	Free	Free, and free to post a job
Main fee	Service fee of 0% to 15% on standard contracts	Basic: 3% to 5% service fee. Business Plus: 8% to 10%
Extra costs	Connects to bid: $0.15 each, minimum purchase of 10	Contract initiation fee on every new Basic contract
Optional plan	Freelancer Plus, $19.99 a month	Business Plus, no monthly subscription
Currency	US dollars, withdrawn to a UK bank in sterling	US dollars

What it costs a UK freelancer

• Service fee: 0% to 15%. Since May 2025 the old flat 10% has been replaced by a variable fee that depends on the contract type and on supply and demand. Upwork shows you the rate before you submit a proposal, so check it on each job rather than assuming.
• Connects. Each proposal costs Connects, Upwork's bidding credits. A free Basic account may get 10 a month, and extra Connects cost $0.15 each, bought in packs of at least 10. Popular jobs can cost more Connects to bid on, so spending them only on jobs you genuinely fit is the single biggest saving.
• Freelancer Plus: $19.99 a month. You get 100 Connects a month and a 0% fee on direct contracts (clients you bring to Upwork yourself). On Basic, direct contracts carry a 5% fee instead.
• Currency. Your balance is in dollars. Withdrawing to a UK bank account converts it to sterling, so the exchange rate moves what you take home.

Worked example: a $1,000 fixed-price job at a 10% service fee leaves $900 before currency conversion, plus whatever you spent in Connects to win it.

What it costs a UK business

• Basic plan: 3% to 5% on payments to freelancers. The 3% rate is for US clients paying by bank account, so a UK business should budget for 5%.
• Contract initiation fee. On Basic this applies to every new contract, including one with a freelancer you have hired before.
• Business Plus: 8% to 10%, with no monthly subscription. Contract initiation fees then only apply to fixed-price contracts under $100.
• IR35 stays with you. Upwork's standard marketplace is built for global, project-based work. If you are a medium or large UK business engaging a contractor through their own limited company, the off-payroll status determination is still yours to make.

How work and payment run

• Clients post jobs and freelancers send proposals, or clients invite freelancers directly.
• Hourly contracts are billed from time logged in the Upwork desktop app, which is what backs the payment protection on hourly work.
• Fixed-price contracts are split into milestones. Each one is funded into escrow before you start it and released when the client approves it.

Who it suits, and who it does not

A good fit if you:

• want international clients and longer-running contracts, especially in development, design, writing and marketing
• are building a portfolio and need a high volume of jobs to bid on
• are a business that needs a one-off or fixed-price project done quickly, and is happy to pay in dollars

Look elsewhere if you:

• want UK clients paying in sterling: PeoplePerHour is worth running alongside it, and our PeoplePerHour vs Fiverr comparison covers its fees
• would rather sell fixed packages than write proposals: see Fiverr
• are a business booking UK contractors regularly on day rates, where a platform that handles IR35 and right-to-work checks saves admin: see Upwork vs YunoJuno

Getting started on Upwork

A new profile with no reviews is the hardest part. Small, well-matched jobs that build a track record usually work better than bidding on large ones straight away. Read the brief closely, answer the client's actual question in the first two lines of the proposal, and keep the Connects for jobs where you can show directly relevant work. For more platforms, see the best freelance websites in the UK.

FAQ

How much does Upwork take from freelancers? A service fee of 0% to 15% on standard contracts, depending on the contract type and demand. Upwork shows the exact rate before you submit a proposal.

How much do Upwork Connects cost? $0.15 each, with a minimum purchase of 10. A free Basic account may receive 10 Connects a month, and Freelancer Plus includes 100 a month.

What does Upwork charge a UK business? On the Basic plan, a 5% service fee for most UK clients (3% is for US clients paying by bank account), plus a contract initiation fee on each new contract. Business Plus charges 8% to 10% with no subscription.

Does Upwork pay in pounds? No. Balances and fees are in US dollars. You can withdraw to a UK bank account, which converts the money to sterling.

Is Freelancer Plus worth it? It costs $19.99 a month for 100 Connects and 0% fees on direct contracts. It pays for itself if you bid a lot or bring your own clients onto Upwork; occasional users are usually better off on Basic.

Does Upwork handle IR35? Not on its standard marketplace. For a UK business hiring a contractor through a limited company, the IR35 status determination stays with the business.

Fees checked on Upwork's own pricing guide on 28 October 2026. Upwork changes its fees from time to time, so check the current rate on each contract.