Understanding Upwork Connects

Frequency of Getting Connects on Upwork

As a freelancer on Upwork, the frequency of getting “connects” doesn’t follow a specific or regular pattern. Rather, it highly depends on your membership plan on the platform.

Free Membership

With the basic (free) membership, you don’t receive any free connects every month. You would need to buy connects whenever you run out. Each connect costs $0.15 and you can purchase additional connects in bundles of 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80.

Plus Membership

If you opt for a Plus membership, it costs $14.99/month, and you receive 70 connects per month. Any unused connects in this plan rollover to the next month, saving you from wasting connects. Additionally, you can purchase extra ones for $0.15 each.

How to Use Connects

Each job application on Upwork typically takes about 1-6 connects, depending on the job. A proposal for a fixed-price job requires 2 connects, whereas a proposal for hourly jobs require 6 connects.

Important Tips

• Make sure to apply for jobs that match your skills and you are a good fit for to make the most use of your connects.
• Writing a strong proposal is also key to getting hired. Your proposal should clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience align with the client’s needs.
• Sometimes you may find that clients contact you directly with job invitations. These don’t require connects to apply to.

The system is designed to ensure meaningful engagements and fairness for both freelancers and clients, so it’s best to make the most efficient use of the connects that you have.