More Connects to win more of the work you love

[katbenjamin]

UPDATE: This is already live. You’ll see these free Connects added to your account at the start of your next billing cycle. You can find this date on your Memberships and Connects page under User Settings.

In December, we’re upgrading Connects to provide you free monthly Connects and bonus Connects for interviews you win. You’re doing amazing things on Upwork, and more Connects means more chances to do the work you love. 

We’ve seen a huge surge in client activity, and our work marketplace is full of opportunities for all the incredible talent on our platform. We can’t wait to watch you use these Connects to win your share of these opportunities, form stronger relationships with clients, and grow your career on Upwork.

We introduced paid Connects to keep spam from crowding out your proposals and help you win the jobs you want. But we want to ensure connecting with clients is exciting and affordable, so we’re changing our program to provide you with the Connects you need to build deeper relationships and unlock the best opportunities.

Here’s exactly what you can expect:

Freelancer Basic Plan	Receive 10 free Connects per month (according to billing cycle)
Freelancer Plus Plan	Receive 80 Connects per month (70 + 10 free Connects) (according to billing cycle)
Connects Rollover Limits	The Basic and Plus roll over limit is now 200 Connects
Interview Requests	Freelancers receive free Connects (the number may vary) when they win an interview with an established client on Upwork**

In December, you’ll see these free Connects added to your account at the start of your next billing cycle. You can find this date on your Memberships and Connects page under User Settings. You’ll also receive an email when your Connects are available for use.

These changes will create more opportunities for everyone in our community, and we’re continuing to explore other ways to show our appreciation for everything you do. Your success is our success, and we’re proud to provide a home where you can do the work you love, form lucrative relationships, and build an amazing independent business.

Learn more about how Connects work here. 

* Update 7/23/2021: Note that when Connects are awarded for interview requests this will show up as two transactions in the Connects History. There is no change to how these are awarded, this is simply done for accounting purposes.

** Updated 1/2/2023

[790578a9]

Continue to focus on improving your Job Success Score. This is the single biggest issue for newer freelancers, because it innacurately represents the success of jobs by relying too heavily on factors in the client's control. Also since new freelancers start out with a low amount of clients one bad client experience could negatively impact their success on the platform for too long.

[ahmedkaabo]

I’ve found this is very respectful, you are and will be ever the best..
Have a question now, how could i take any badge of upwork freelancers badges? I think rising talent will suitable for me.

[727581a9]

Hi Katrina,

This announcement is really great and Thanks for it! 

Also besides connect, it will be Awesome to see Upwork reducing the Service fee from 20% to 10% or so, at least for Top-rated freelancers. So pls forward this suggestion to the Upwork Team. This will be the best announcement Upwork can make ever.Thanks!

Kind regards,

Swapnil

[afshan-zahid]

Please let me know how I can get these 40 free connects in my Upwork account, as I am seeing my connects are still 0, thanks

[91c7a8fd]

Awesome, great news. I  thank the committee and the Upwork team for the support they are going to provide to us.

[digitalminister]

I finally see a meaningful attitude. The more proposals you have, the better the chances of the contracts being successful.
In my opinion, 10 credits are very LITTLE, in the past, they gave 60.
Most good jobs require 6 credits, believe it or not, you depend on freelancers, even though they are constantly being renewed, that's it and that's it!
The more proposal there is, the more percentage of work delivered and the more successful it will be, the higher your commission will be. If you want to increase revenue, bet on advertising for example, but guarantee PF the viability for freelancers, only then will the contractors (the money men) have reason to use your platform.

[oqtay-quliyev]

I totally agree with Jose. 10 connects is very little. When I started I had 60 connects every month and, believe it or not, it goes pretty fast. If you want to promote your platform, freelancers need good incentives and to me, this can put most beginners off. The more happy freelancers you make, the more they will recommend your platform and drive traffic here. I have been constantly promoting and recommending Upwork since I started and this is not the best move, to be honest, especially that you made great improvements lately.

[hanzala267]

Good.

[kochubei_valeria]

Hi Afshan,

Are you referring to the Connects awarded to new freelancers? I checked your account and see that it's not brand new and free Connects were awarded to you back when you first joined Upwork.

[ammarqadir1]

10 connects are too low even to connect with the two employers. Keep finding the recommendations and your platform's growth just by convincing the community of new freelancers. Once they are prone to your platform, the upwork's business will ultimately boost.