Last updated on November 24th, 2022
Upwork, a free and popular freelance job searching platform has now started charging freelancers who apply for jobs on its platform. The charges are levied irrespective of whether a freelancer gets a job or not.
The global platform, which was famous for allowing freelancers to hunt jobs with ease, now asks them to pay for connects, making the situation worse for new freelancers and those who are already struggling with finances and are in dire need of some quality work.
But what is this Upwork Connects pricing all about and how does it affect freelancers? Keep reading to find all the details below.
What Are Upwork Connects?
Earlier, Upwork Connect allowed freelancers to apply for projects on the platform and if they were selected, they could work on these projects and get paid. Every month, freelancers would get 60 free connects and they needed a minimum of 2 connects to apply for one project.
So, in a month, freelancers could apply for 30 jobs at the most. And at the end of the month, the connects value would reset. Even if you didn’t apply for 30 jobs in a month, your connects value would reset automatically to 60 connects in the following month.
For freelancers who wanted more connects, they needed to invest another $10 for a Freelance Plus Subscription with which they could get 70 additional connects with the facility to carry them forward to the following months. So, even if a freelancer didn’t use up the entire 70 connects, it would automatically get added to the next month’s connects value.
What Are the New Upwork Connects Pricing Changes?
According to the new pricing scheme rolled out by Upwork, freelancers are no longer eligible for connects for free. They need to pay to avail of these. Connects are now available at $0.15 each, however, freelancers need to buy them in a bundle. The smallest bundle consists of 10 connects priced at $1.5. Other available bundles include 20 for $3, 40 for $6, 60 for $9, and 80 for $12.
To apply for a job, you need to spend 2-6 connects at a go depending on the size of the project. Say, for example, small jobs of $49 or less will take 2 connects ($0.3), medium-sized jobs of $50 to $599 will take 4 connects ($0.6), and large jobs of $600 and above will take 6 connects ($0.9). Remember that these pricings are indicative and the actual amount will vary according to the type of job.
When Will the Upwork Connects Pricing Changes Take Effect From?
The new pricing format was rolled out on the 2nd of May, 2019.
How Did the Pricing Changes for Upwork Connect Affect Freelance Writers Around the World?
The new pricing changes have their own pros and cons. But considering the current situation, there are more downsides to this change. The upside of this change is that only serious writers will invest in the Upwork Connects plan and seek jobs from the platform, but on the downside, the following problems will arise:
- Upwork Connects attracts fewer freelance writers on the platform since there is a fee involved. With fewer writing opportunities for freelance writers, their income has decreased.
- Freelance writers are losing more money to Upwork as they buy connects to apply for writing jobs, with no guarantee of getting selected.
- Upwork already charges 20% of the payment from freelancers as a commission. With this new change, they have started charging for applying for jobs as well. This means that freelance writers have to pay money to look for jobs and also while getting paid for their work. This gives rise to the ultimate question, how much money can freelance writers save after all the deductions on the platform?
With all these disadvantages, new freelancers are the ones who suffer the most. First, they need to compete with others on the platform to get a job, and on top of it, the job providers will obviously choose someone with more reviews and ratings, which means that there is a high chance for the newbies to get rejected.
Adding to the agony is the fact that while other job portals also charge job providers, Upwork has made a job posting absolutely free, which again raises the question of whether all the employers on the platform are genuine.
There have been instances where employers post a job for bigger amounts and after the selected candidate discusses the requirement in detail, they realize that the amount of work is really less, and so is the payment. Now imagine what if a freelancer were to spend his/her Upwork Connects applying for the same kind of job. Will they get their money back?
What’s the Possible Solution?
A large number of freelance writers actively look for writing projects on Upwork. With the latest changes, Upwork has put the future of all those freelancers into uncertainty. We, at WittyPen, are trying to change the freelance content writing scenario in India by offering a platform where writers can get and deliver projects through a transparent process.
WittyPen understands the hard work and effort a writer puts into his/her work to produce good content and hence, we have a policy of paying 50-70% of the payment received from the customer to all our freelance writers.
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We work with top clients across various verticals and expect our writers to deliver their best work. This is the reason why we ask our writers to take a small test when they apply to our platform.
After you complete the application formalities and submit your assignment on your preferred niche, our talented team of in-house editors runs a quality check and notifies you about the acceptance or rejection of your application over an email.
Conclusion
Before your future of getting freelance writing jobs gets uncertain and difficult, apply for freelance writing at WittyPen and develop your freelance writing career by working on quality projects and getting standard pay.
We, at WittyPen, are constantly trying to mend the gap between freelance writers and employers by offering a transparent platform where you get detailed work requirements and receive your payment on time. Check out our website and help us grow into the country’s biggest freelance writing platform.
