Upwork vs YunoJuno for UK Businesses and Freelancers (2026)

Upwork and YunoJuno both connect businesses with freelancers, but they are built for different jobs. Upwork is an open global marketplace: anyone can post a job, anyone can bid, and you pay a percentage on every payment. YunoJuno is a UK-born freelancer management system: it is aimed at companies that book contractors regularly and need the contracts, compliance and payments handled in one place.

This guide compares the two on fees, IR35, payment and the kind of work each suits, for UK businesses doing the hiring and for UK freelancers deciding where to look for work. Fees were checked on 28 October 2026.

At a glance

	Upwork	YunoJuno
What it is	Open global freelance marketplace	Freelancer management system with a curated talent network
Best for	One-off projects, small businesses, global talent	Companies booking UK contractors regularly, agencies, larger teams
Cost to the business	Service fee of 3% to 5% on Basic, 8% to 10% on Business Plus, plus a contract initiation fee	Custom pricing on a quote; contractor's rate plus a YunoJuno contract fee
Cost to the freelancer	Service fee of 0% to 15% on standard contracts, plus Connects ($0.15 each) to bid	Free: YunoJuno takes no cut of earnings
Currency	US dollars	Multi-currency, including sterling
IR35 and compliance	Largely left to you on the standard marketplace	Built-in worker classification, right-to-work and tax checks
How freelancers get paid	Through Upwork's payment protection, once work is approved	Weekly timesheets approved by the client, then paid by YunoJuno
Typical work	Short projects, fixed-price tasks, hourly work	Day-rate bookings, often creative, digital and tech

Fees for businesses

Upwork is free to join and free to post a job. You pay when you hire:

• Basic plan: a 3% to 5% service fee on payments to freelancers. The 3% rate is for US clients paying by bank account, so a UK business should budget for 5%. A one-off contract initiation fee applies to every new contract, including one with a freelancer you have hired before.
• Business Plus: no monthly subscription, but an 8% to 10% service fee. Contract initiation fees then only apply to fixed-price contracts under $100.

All Upwork fees are in US dollars, so a sterling budget also moves with the exchange rate.

YunoJuno does not publish a price list. Its pricing page offers two custom-priced plans: a Freelancer Management System for teams running their own contractor network, and an Enterprise plan for a fully managed programme. You are invoiced the contractor's agreed rate plus YunoJuno's contract fee, and you need to request a quote to find out what that fee is for your business.

Practical upshot: on a single small project, Upwork's costs are easy to predict before you start. YunoJuno only makes sense once you are booking contractors often enough for consolidated invoicing and compliance tooling to save you time.

Fees for freelancers

This is where the two differ most.

• Upwork charges freelancers a service fee of 0% to 15% on standard contracts. The exact rate depends on the contract type and on supply and demand, and Upwork shows it before you submit a proposal. You also spend Connects to bid: a free Basic account may get 10 a month, and extra Connects cost $0.15 each with a minimum purchase of 10. Freelancer Plus costs $19.99 a month for 100 Connects and 0% fees on direct contracts.
• YunoJuno is free for freelancers. In its own words it will "never take a cut" of your earnings, because the business pays the platform fee on top of your rate.

So for a UK freelancer charging £400 a day, a £400 day on YunoJuno is £400 to you. The same day billed through Upwork could leave you with less after the service fee, before you count the Connects spent winning the work.

IR35 and compliance

For UK businesses this is often the deciding factor.

YunoJuno builds compliance into the booking. Its plans include built-in worker classification workflows, right-to-work and tax checks, audit-ready documentation and a preferred supplier list for umbrella companies. Contractors working through a limited company are flagged for IR35, the business structure is locked in when the contract is accepted, and work should not start until the contract is signed on the platform.

Upwork's standard marketplace is built for global, project-based work, and the off-payroll working rules (IR35) remain the hiring business's responsibility. If you are a medium or large UK business engaging a contractor through their own limited company, you have to make the status determination yourself, whichever platform you found them on. That is manageable for occasional projects, but it is extra admin if you hire often.

Rule of thumb: occasional outcome-based projects suit Upwork; regular day-rate bookings of UK contractors suit a platform that handles the paperwork.

How freelancers get paid

• Upwork: money for fixed-price work is held in escrow and released when the client approves a milestone. Hourly contracts are billed from tracked time. Payment protection covers you if you follow Upwork's rules, and you withdraw your dollar balance to a UK bank account.
• YunoJuno: you submit a timesheet each week, the client signs it off, and you upload your invoice to YunoJuno rather than invoicing the client directly. Sole traders are paid by YunoJuno; contractors using an umbrella company are paid via the umbrella. Some freelancers on the platform say they are paid every two weeks.

Neither route removes the need to protect yourself. Agree payment terms in writing, and know your rights if a client pays late: see our guide to late payment interest for UK freelancers.

Which should you use?

A UK business should use Upwork if:

• you need a one-off project done, especially a fixed-price one
• you are happy to hire globally and pay in dollars
• you want to see proposals and prices quickly without a sales call

A UK business should use YunoJuno if:

• you book freelancers regularly, often on day rates
• you need IR35, right-to-work and contracts handled consistently
• you want one consolidated invoice instead of paying many contractors separately

A UK freelancer should look on Upwork if:

• you are building a portfolio and want access to a large volume of jobs
• you are comfortable competing on proposals and paying a service fee

A UK freelancer should join YunoJuno if:

• you work in creative, digital or tech on day rates
• you want bookings with established UK brands and agencies
• you want to keep 100% of your rate

Many freelancers use both: YunoJuno for well-paid day-rate bookings and an open marketplace to fill the gaps. For more options, including PeoplePerHour, Fiverr and specialist UK sites, see our list of the best freelance websites in the UK, our PeoplePerHour vs Fiverr comparison and the best freelance jobs in the UK.

FAQ

Is YunoJuno free for freelancers? Yes. YunoJuno charges businesses a contract fee on top of the freelancer's rate and does not take a cut of freelancer earnings.

How much does Upwork charge UK businesses? On the Basic plan, a 5% service fee on payments to freelancers (the 3% rate is for US clients paying by bank account), plus a contract initiation fee on each new contract. Business Plus has no subscription but an 8% to 10% service fee.

Does YunoJuno publish its fees for businesses? No. Both of its plans are custom-priced, so you need to request a quote.

Which is better for IR35? YunoJuno, for regular UK contractor bookings. It includes worker classification workflows, right-to-work and tax checks, and audit-ready documentation. On Upwork's standard marketplace the IR35 status determination stays with the hiring business.

Can I use Upwork and YunoJuno at the same time? Yes. Neither requires exclusivity, and many UK freelancers use a curated platform for day-rate work alongside an open marketplace.

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

Fees and features were checked on Upwork's and YunoJuno's own sites on 28 October 2026 and can change. Check both platforms before you commit.