Upwork

upwork.com · Freelance talent · People

Upwork consolidates your global talent hiring across 180 countries, reducing time-to-hire and cutting contingent workforce costs by 30 to 50 percent.

Proven Score

79 / 100

Established. Ranked #1 of 3 researched vendors in Freelance talent. Checked 2026-10-21.

Evidence

Founded	2015 (11 years) source
Market standing	Publicly traded. Nasdaq: UPWK source
Clients named by the vendor	4, of which 4 are public companies or major institutions
Clients verified on Proven	83 (CRM sync or Crossbeam)
Trusted networks	119 investor, bank and government networks (shown, not scored)

Clients named by the vendor

Client	Caliber	Source
Airbnb	Public company or major institution	vendor page
Dropbox	Public company or major institution	vendor page
GE	Public company or major institution	vendor page
Samsung	Public company or major institution	vendor page

Discounts for Proven network members

Scale Your Team with Vetted Experts: Get Upwork Business Plus for 90 Days and Save 50% on Hiring Fees · Up to $5,000 value

Upwork Business Plus provides priority access to highly skilled, vetted freelancers, at preferred partner pricing. It's built to help you move faster and stay on track, whether you're: Covering short- or long-term…

See Upwork deals on Proven Deals

Members redeem through their investor or bank's Proven marketplace. Terms vary by network.

Competitors in Freelance talent

Upwork	79
Toptal	64
Contra	38
A.Team	Score in progress
Remotely.works	Score in progress
Chore	Score in progress
10x Management	Score in progress
Right Side Up	Score in progress
Athena	Score in progress
Folio	Score in progress
FlexTeam	Score in progress
Go Fractional	Score in progress
Squared Away	Score in progress
MarketerHire	Score in progress
Vannin Chief of Staff	Score in progress

Source: Proven platform data, public records and vendor websites. Vendors cannot pay to change a score. Methodology. Updated 2026-10-21.