CONNECTS PRICES FROM UPWORK'S HELP CENTER
Upwork Connect Price and Upwork Connects Cost Calculator for Freelancers
One Connect costs $0.15, and you pay it on every proposal, won or lost. Enter how many you send and how many turn into work to see the monthly bill and what each hire really costs.
30 proposals, 12 Connects each, 2 hires
Won, 2 Paid for and lost, 28
360 Connects = $54.00 a month, $27.00 per hire
On the same work a gig page on costs a month, less than Upwork, and you never pay to apply. Upwork still brings more job posts to bid on. At these numbers Upwork costs a month less than our cheapest plan for the same billing, so keep bidding and spend the Connects on jobs you fit.
Freelancer Plus counted at $19.99 a month with 100 Connects. Our plans billed monthly, fee on completed orders, plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 per order because you collect payment yourself.
Upwork Connects cost $0.15 each, so 100 Connects cost $15. Every proposal you send spends a number of Connects that Upwork sets per job and shows on the post, and you do not get them back if the client hires someone else. Freelancer Plus bundles 100 Connects a month into a $19.99 subscription.
The figure that matters is not the price of one Connect. It is the Connects bill divided by the jobs you actually win. A freelancer sending 30 proposals a month at 12 Connects each spends $54, and with two hires that is $27 of Connects sitting on top of each contract, before Upwork takes its service fee.
The monthly bill
What Upwork Connects cost a month at five proposal volumes
Buying Connects at $0.15 each against Freelancer Plus at $19.99 with 100 Connects included, extra Connects bought at $0.15. No free Connects counted.
| Volume | Connects each | Connects a month | Buying Connects | On Freelancer Plus | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 proposals | 8 | 80 | $12.00 | $19.99 | Buy Connects |
| 20 proposals | 8 | 160 | $24.00 | $28.99 | Buy Connects |
| 30 proposals | 12 | 360 | $54.00 | $58.99 | Buy Connects |
| 50 proposals | 12 | 600 | $90.00 | $94.99 | Buy Connects |
| 50 proposals | 16 | 800 | $120.00 | $124.99 | Buy Connects |
What Plus costs over its own Connects
100 Connects bought outright cost $15. Plus charges $19.99 for the same 100, so on Connects alone buying them is always the cheaper route, by exactly $4.99 a month.
Where Plus starts to pay
Plus drops the Direct Contracts fee from 5% to 0% for clients you bring yourself. Above roughly $100 a month billed that way, the saved 5% covers the $4.99.
Connects returned on a lost bid
Rejected, outbid, expired or withdrawn, the Connects stay spent. Only a cancelled project or a post Upwork removes gives them back, and then as Connects rather than cash.
Sources: Upwork help center articles on Connects and on Freelancer Plus, read 9 October 2026. Upwork does not print the Plus price in its help center; $19.99 a month on the web is the figure on Upwork's own resources page.
Free Connects
Where free Upwork Connects come from and why you cannot budget on them
Upwork hands out Connects in several ways, and almost all of them are conditional, one-time or described as a test. Treat them as a discount when they arrive, not as a monthly allowance.
10 a month
Some freelancers
Upwork says some freelancers may receive 10 free Connects a month. Support cannot add them by hand.
30 per badge
Rising Talent, Top Rated, Top Rated Plus
Up to 90 in total. Skip a badge and the Connects are combined.
12, twice a month
Proposal activity, in testing
For three or more proposals that spend at least 54 Connects. Not every freelancer gets it.
50 once
New accounts
After you first buy Connects or subscribe to Freelancer Plus, if your account is eligible.
03 · PAY TO APPLY OR PAY ON COMPLETION
Upwork Connects plus the service fee against a gig page plan
Upwork charges you to apply and again when you are paid. A gig page charges a monthly plan and a percentage of orders you complete, and nothing per application.
The honest trade: Upwork has a large flow of posted jobs and holds the payment in escrow. On a gig page clients find you by category and send an order request with the tier and brief, and you collect the payment yourself.
| Billed a month | Upwork, 10% + $54 Connects | Cheapest gig page plan + Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $154 | $98.60 Pro |
| $2,000 | $254 | $167.60 Studio |
| $3,000 | $354 | $226.60 Studio |
| $5,000 | $554 | $343.60 Enterprise |
Upwork column: Upwork's own 10% example fee plus 360 Connects (30 proposals at 12) bought at $0.15. Gig page plans: Starter $9 + 8%, Pro $19 + 5%, Studio $49 + 3%, Enterprise $98 + 2% a month on completed orders, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 on two orders, because you collect the payment yourself.
Lower the Connects bill
Four ways freelancers cut what Upwork Connects cost them
Read your Connects history
Upwork keeps 7, 30 and 90 days of Connects transactions. Divide the 90-day spend by hires to get your real cost per job.
Skip crowded posts
Upwork itself suggests checking whether the client has hired before and how many proposals and interviews are already open.
Boost only where you fit
A boost is an auction paid in extra Connects. It buys position, not a better match, so spend it on jobs you would win anyway.
Let clients order from you
A fixed-tier gig page turns the search around. The client picks a tier and sends the brief, so the cost lands only on work you complete.
For the full picture of what Upwork takes beyond Connects, including the client fee and the contract initiation fee, see our Upwork fees breakdown for freelancers. If you are deciding whether the subscription is worth it, read whether Upwork Freelancer Plus is worth $19.99 a month, and to compare every marketplace on what you keep from a job, use the Fiverr and Upwork fee calculator.
Questions freelancers ask
Upwork Connects cost questions, answered
Each answer leads with the direct reply, taken from Upwork's own help center.
How much do Upwork Connects cost?
Upwork Connects cost $0.15 each, sold in bundles, so 100 Connects cost $15. Upwork takes the money from your earnings balance first and charges your billing method for the rest, and you need a verified billing method on file even if you plan to pay from earnings.
How many Connects does a proposal cost on Upwork?
It depends on the job. Upwork sets the Connects price per job post from the project size, scope and market demand, shows it on the post, and says it can change while the job is live. Boosting a proposal costs extra Connects that you bid against other freelancers, so check your Connects history for your real average.
Do you get free Connects on Upwork?
Some, but not a reliable monthly amount. Upwork says some freelancers may receive 10 free Connects a month, gives 30 for each talent badge up to 90, may give 12 for sending three or more proposals that use at least 54 Connects, and may award Connects after an interview with an established client.
Are Upwork Connects refunded if you do not get the job?
No. Connects are not returned when the client rejects your proposal, hires someone else, lets the job expire without a hire, or when you withdraw. You get them back only if the client cancels the project before a contract or Upwork removes the post, and then as Connects, not cash.
Is Freelancer Plus cheaper than buying Connects?
Not on Connects alone. Freelancer Plus is $19.99 a month on the web and includes 100 Connects, which cost $15 bought outright, so the plan costs $4.99 more than its Connects. It pays for itself if you bill more than about $100 a month through Direct Contracts, where Plus charges 0% instead of 5%.
Is it worth buying Connects on Upwork?
It is worth it when your hire rate is high enough that the Connects per hire stay small next to the job value. Thirty proposals at 12 Connects cost $54 a month; with two hires that is $27 of Connects per job won, before the service fee. If you win one job in 30, the whole bill sits on that one contract.
Can I pay for Upwork Connects with my earnings?
Yes. Upwork draws on your earnings balance first and charges your billing method only for what the balance does not cover. You can set a reserve balance so automatic withdrawals leave enough behind for Connects. Agency accounts on Agency Basic cannot buy Connects until they move to Agency Plus.
How do I get clients without paying for Connects?
Let clients come to you instead of paying to apply. Direct invitations on Upwork cost no Connects, and outside Upwork a gig page lists fixed service tiers in a marketplace clients browse by category. You pay a monthly plan and a fee only on orders you complete, never per application.
Stop paying to apply and let clients order from you
Publish fixed service tiers with scope and delivery time, get listed by category, and pay only a monthly plan and a fee on the orders you complete.
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