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How Much Does It Cost to Join UpWork as a Freelancer?

Last updated on September 29, 2022 @ 10:55 pm

As a freelancer, you may be wondering how much it will cost you to join UpWork. After all, every little bit matters when you’re trying to make a living. Here’s a breakdown of the fees you can expect to pay as an UpWork freelancer.

Basic membership

Joining UpWork is free. You’ll only pay fees when you successfully complete a project and your client pays you. The fee is a percentage of your total project fee, and it depends on how much you’ve earned on UpWork in the past 12 months.

If you’ve earned:

$0 – $3,000 in the past 12 months: 20% fee

$3,000 – $10,000 in the past 12 months: 10% fee

$10,000+ in the past 12 months: 5% fee

Premium membership

If you want to access certain features on UpWork that are not available to basic members, you can sign up for a premium membership. There are two different types of premium memberships: monthly and yearly. Monthly premium memberships cost $10 per month, while yearly memberships cost $180 per year (which works out to $15 per month).

What do you get with a premium membership?

Access to exclusive job postings: With a premium membership, you’ll have access to jobs that are not available to basic members.

This includes jobs that are only posted to premium members and jobs that are posted to both premium and basic members but with a higher pay rate for premium members.

Unlimited proposals: With a basic membership, you’re limited to 10 proposals per month. If you want to submit more than 10 proposals in a month, you’ll need to sign up for a premium membership.

PRO TIP: When joining Upwork as a freelancer, it is important to be aware of the fees associated with doing so. There is a 20% fee for all projects under $500, and a 10% fee for all projects over $500. For example, if you were to complete a project worth $600, you would be charged a 20% fee, which would come to $120. Therefore, it is important to factor in these fees when pricing your services.

A highlighted profile: Your profile will be highlighted in search results when potential clients are looking for freelancers with your skillset. This makes it more likely that you’ll be hired for projects.

How Much Does It Cost to Join UpWork as a Freelancer?

Joining UpWork is free for freelancers. You only pay fees when successfully completing a project and your client pays you. The fee is taken as percentage of your total project fee and it depends on how much the freelancer has earned on UpWork in past 12 months.

If the freelancer has earned:

$0 – $3,000 in the past 12 months: 20% fee

$3,000 – $10,000 in the past 12 months: 10% fee

$10,000+ in the past 12 months: 5% fee

There are also monthly and yearly premium memberships available for those wanting access to exclusive job postings and unlimited proposals among other things. Monthly premium memberships cost $10 per month while yearly memberships cost $180 per year (which works out at approximately $15 per month).

Kathy McFarland

Kathy McFarland

Devops woman in trade, tech explorer and problem navigator.