Upwork Discontinues RSS Feeds, What It Means for Freelancers, SaaS Companies

Upwork recently announced a significant change to its service offerings as it pertains to its popular RSS feeds for saved Job Searches. In an email sent to users on August 6, the company revealed that it will discontinue support for RSS feeds starting August 20. This decision will have a notable impact on freelancers and SaaS companies that currently rely on these feeds for job discovery and automation.

The announcement

"We wanted to inform you that, beginning August 20, Upwork will no longer support RSS feeds. Because you’ve recently accessed an RSS feed, we want to give you ample notice to adjust your workflows accordingly," states the email.

According to Upwork, this decision is part of a broader strategy to enhance its platform and invest in new talent products and features. In the email, Upwork assured users, "We appreciate your understanding, and will invest in additional new talent products and features with a singular goal: making it easier for you to find great work."

How this will impact freelancers and SaaS companies

Historically, RSS feeds have been a valuable tool for freelancers who use them to receive real-time updates on job postings that match their skills and interests. By leveraging these feeds, many users have been able to stay informed about new opportunities without constantly checking the Upwork platform. 

Additionally, several SaaS companies, such as Pouncer.AI and Leapfrog Leads, have built their services around Upwork’s RSS feeds, offering tools that help freelancers and agencies automate job searches and proposal writing.

How freelancers and companies are pivoting

The discontinuation of RSS feeds will force these companies and freelancers to rethink their strategies. 

Pouncer.AI, for instance, has already announced a pivot in response to the news. The company plans to, at least temporarily, turn its primary focus to its new Chrome extension, which works natively in the browser when users are logged onto Upwork. This shift aims to provide a seamless experience for freelancers who want to continue using the tool for AI-assisted proposal writing directly within the Upwork ecosystem.

Adam Palmer, an Upwork freelancer who has earned more than $2M on the Upwork platform, and had just shared his favorite Trello/Upwork RSS Feed automation tactic only days before the announcement, took to X/Twitter with his thoughts on the change.

“My thoughts on the RSS situation … It’s not going to ever come back.  Anti-circumvention seems to be the reason … it’s time to move on. Kings don’t have time to cope or hope. We adjust accordingly. Things I’ll do … Get a couple new tablets dedicated to refreshing the find work screen. Have one of my VA’s manually send me awesome gigs and also they will bid through the agency. Use native features more which will help algo know I’m hungry. Improve profile to become more of a magnet.”

Currently, there is no word on whether Upwork plans to introduce its own off-site Job Feed aggregator tool or modify how the existing Job Feeds operate on the platform. For now, Upwork is encouraging users to save searches directly on the Upwork.com website. "To continue receiving real-time updates on jobs that match your interests, we recommend saving searches to your Job Feed," the email advised.