Upwork Reverses Decision on Connects Policy for Invites

Upwork, the online freelancing platform, has reversed a recent policy requiring freelancers to use Connects when responding to client invitations. This move comes just weeks after the initial announcement, which sparked concern among the platform’s freelance community.

The New Invite Policy

The original policy change mandated that freelancers spend Connects – a digital currency on Upwork – to respond to job invitations from clients. Responding to invitations, traditionally, had been a free activity on the platform.

Connects, for the uninitiated, are a form of digital currency on Upwork. They are used by freelancers to submit job proposals, boost their proposals, and boost their profiles. At the time of this writing, Connects cost $0.15 each.

The platform announced this policy reversal with a subtle change to its “Understanding and Using Connects” page. According to the updated policy, Connects will no longer be required when a client invites a freelancer to apply for a job, when a client purchases a service from the freelancer’s Project Catalog, or for opportunities involving Enterprise clients.

However, it is important to clarify that while Connects are still necessary for sending job proposals to enterprise clients, they are not required if an enterprise client directly invites a freelancer to apply or reaches out to them with an opportunity.

Freelancer reaction

The reversal has been well-received by the Upwork freelance community.

Adam Palmer (@UpworkSaves), an Expert Vetted freelancer who has earned over $2 million on the Upwork platform, tweeted, "Looks like Upwork rolled back the decision to charge Connects for invites. Probably a good move for freelancers and clients."

Looks like @upwork rolled back the decision to charge connects for invites.

Probably a good move for freelancers and clients. pic.twitter.com/ziePVJuYWE

— Adam Palmer | FreelanceKing (@UpworkSaves) August 28, 2024

The change is likely to have a positive impact on both freelancers and clients. Removing the friction caused by the Connects requirement makes it easier to engage with prospects without worrying about additional costs.