Upwork

Fake jobs fake invitations, lack of service, and highly problematic business practices overall. For example,
They send unwarranted notifications of a policy violation for providing contact information in proposals when this is blatantly not the case. In this way, they are literally robbing freelancers of work. Several times clients sent me an invitation after perusing my profile, which I accepted only to find that my proposals were removed for the above unwarranted policy violation. This has continued to occur for months even though Upwork support promised it wouldn't and admitted it wis an engineering problem. Again In NO CASE was contact information provided as I understand the TOS. In short, the site is highly unreliable, engages in highly questionable business practices and is full of spam/fake job posts.

I hired a freelancer on the platform for the creation of an article. Paid more than $4k for the work. Eventually the freelancer started to be a bit too relaxed with the billing and I had to close the contract (apparently, this has been my terrible mistake, to terminate instead of pausing the contract).

Due to revenge the freelancer kicked me out from the content they created, so I paid, and got no document under my control.

Texted the customer support (case 50456710) and obviously they told me there was nothing they could have done to help me.

Moral of the story, I got scammed of the money.

Stay away from using Upwork. Just look for a good freelancer on your own but at least, don't give any commission to these individuals who clearly have no interest in helping or protecting customers.

As an unexperienced user on Upwork, my experience has been extremely disappointing, and I feel compelled to warn others—particularly infrequent users—about the platform's flaws. The default settings do not cater to those of us who don't use the platform regularly, leaving us vulnerable to financial loss without clear recourse.
My primary issue came when I hired a freelancer for a project, but the work was never delivered as agreed. Despite paying the freelancer for hours logged, an Upwork default, I was left without a final product, and when I sought assistance from Upwork, the platform did nothing to help resolve the situation. The window for disputing hourly charges is so narrow that, as a new user, I missed it without even realizing the full implications of the system's settings.
Furthermore, when Upwork automatically charged my PayPal account due to an expired credit card on file, I incurred additional fees that should have been avoided with clearer communication about payment methods. This issue compounded my frustration, as I was not informed about the payment method change in time to act.
The platform also levies costs in the form of freelancer fees, which are not made fully transparent, adding yet another layer of frustration to the experience.
In the end, Upwork failed to provide any meaningful assistance in obtaining a refund from the freelancer. The lack of proactive support for disputes, particularly in the case of new or infrequent users, has left me feeling entirely unsupported and out of pocket for a project that was never completed.
Caution to new users: If you're not a frequent user, be extremely careful to review all terms and settings. Upwork's system heavily favors the platform's interests and can leave you in a difficult position—paying a freelancer, without any protections, and without receiving a final product.

I've been on Upwork for a month and now I want to leave. In the past month, I've submitted 18 proposals, but only 5 were even viewed. Out of the 4 clients who contacted me:
2 asked me to register on a suspicious virtual currency website (I flagged these posts, but they keep messaging me).
1 wanted to pay outside of Upwork and ghosted me when I insisted on a contract.
1 rejected me for a reason that contradicts their own job posting (they require freelancers from City A & City B, and I'm in City A!). Upwork support told me connects aren't refunded for unresponsive clients or unfair rejections. I understand the challenge of building a reputation without prior reviews since the platform is designed to perpetuate a frustrating cycle: no reviews, no contracts, no reviews. However, the problem already goes beyond just lacking reviews. Despite targeting jobs well within my expertise, most of my proposals aren't even viewed. I accept rejections if they are due to my profile or skills, but the constant stream of scam messages and wasted connects on unviewed proposals is unacceptable. Investing time and resources into a platform that seems rigged against new users is demoralizing. I'm not opposed to fair competition, but Upwork's current system creates unnecessary obstacles for those trying to build a freelance career. This, combined with the prevalence of unresponsive and unscrupulous clients, has led me to give up on this platform.

After several years they closed my account without any chance to appeal and explain. Now all my work and reviews are gone

If I could give upwork a zero rating I would. I have been permanently deleted from upwork because of a simple error in my original job post 3 weeks ago when I mentioned "PayPal" in the post. Typing this work apparently violates their policy, which they did not notice for three weeks. Only today (three weeks later) did "Upwork Trust and Safety" notice and delete my account. The problem is I hired a contractor, put the money in escrow according to the terms of service, and the contractor is ready to deliver the work this week. Because upwork has deleted my account, I cannot contact the contractor, pay him for his work, or receive the completed work. They speak of word violations but violate a good faith contract concerning an honest exchange of money for services.

Full of scams, my very first job was a scam confirmed by Upwork, but even so they won't refund the amount I invested buying connects to work on Upwork. And the platform still blames you and has no real intention of helping.

Upwork has been my trusted platform for finding freelance opportunities and connecting with clients from around the world. The platform's vast network of clients and freelancers, comprehensive job listings, and secure payment system make it easy to find meaningful projects and build a successful freelance career. I appreciate Upwork's commitment to transparency and professionalism, as seen in its dispute resolution process and feedback system, which ensure fair and equitable transactions for both parties. Moreover, the platform's collaboration tools and communication features enhance teamwork and streamline project management. With Upwork, freelancing is not just a job—it's a rewarding and fulfilling career.

I lost about $7000 on Upwork. I think Upwork is extremely unsafe and they canceled our fixed contract with the freelancer before the project was finished. Since we did not receive the project, we opened a notification and requested a refund. The freelancer did not even respond. Upwork just watched this and now it does not respond.