Does Upwork pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Upwork employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Upwork. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Upwork?

59% of Upwork employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Upwork 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.5 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Upwork?

Software Engineer (23) , Senior Software Engineer (20) , Account Manager (19) , Freelancer (19) , Account Executive (16) , Enterprise Account Executive (15) , Software Developer (12) , Enterprise Account Manager (11) , Product Manager (11) , Business Development Representative (BDR) (10) , Data Analyst (10) , Virtual Assistant (10) , Manager (9) , Customer Service Representative (8) , Director (8)

What are the pros of working at Upwork according to real employee reviews?

"Most people are great (there are some truly brilliant people here)" ((in 58 reviews)); "Great benefits including remote" ((in 31 reviews)); "Flexible working hours and work from home." ((in 25 reviews)); "Pay is good and nice" ((in 24 reviews)); "Great team and dynamic was very supportive." ((in 23 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Upwork according to real employee reviews?

"Constant layoffs" ((in 38 reviews)); "bad leadership and a lot of feedback" ((in 35 reviews)); "Bad management and general disorganization" ((in 18 reviews)); "Salaries are obscure and no bonus for overseas employees compared to Full time employees" ((in 11 reviews)); "My direct manager had never even sold in her life." ((in 10 reviews))

What are employees saying about Upwork layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Upwork layoffs and their outlook for job security at Upwork in 2026.

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Upwork

Upwork reviews

3.8

59% would recommend to a friend

(633 total reviews)

Hayden Brown

54% approve of CEO

42% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Culture & values

3.5

Career opportunities

3.2

Senior management

Upwork has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 633 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Upwork employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Informationstechnologie industry (3.9 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

633 reviews

4.0

Aug 20, 2015

Upwork is in Upheaval

Compliance agent

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It is a growing company that has great potential.

Cons

The merger with Elance and oDesk (now Upwork) has caused continual confusion in policies, procedures and standards. The company seems to be growing faster than management can make decisions. There is not enough forethought about how small changes have large impacts that the company, employees and the users will be suffering through for years.

4.0

Jun 1, 2015

Hope the new changes are working out!

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great perks including catered lunches, benefits, working from home on Wednesdays

Cons

The CEO at the time was kind of authoritarian, but the newly appointed CEO is someone who seems to work a lot better at empowering people and not just bossing them around.

5.0

Apr 1, 2015

A fun ride, but not without its ups and downs

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fun culture, great mission and smart employees. This could be a huge company if they get it right.

Cons

Growing pains organizationally as roles and responsibilities are always well defined.

Viewing 283 - 285 of 633 Reviews

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