So, here I am, working as a cable guy – Jim Carrey’s style. I’m losing my mind because a regular job is hard to find.
There’s a little girl working with me. She’s a year older than my daughter. As Trump likes to say, a beautiful baby girl. She’s studying to be an architect one day. In the meantime, we’re on the field because cable and Internet networks are waiting to be built.
She’s fluent in English, Russian, and Ukrainian. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around her choices.
-You’re born to freelance. You deserve better.
-I’ve tried Upwork. It doesn’t work for newbie freelancers.
This is where my story begins.
The Craziest Experiment in Remote Work History
It’s been 96 months, give or take, since I purged my accounts on Freelancer.com and Upwork. I used to be among the top 100 freelancers on Freelancer when there were “only” 20M remote workers riding on this platform. Now, there are 80M and counting. I used to be one of the top-rated freelancers on Upwork, before and after the so-called “Great Merge” (when oDesk and Elance started their remote work romance in 2013).
Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18
Yup, tried-and-true.
My hypothesis was simple. An experienced five-star freelancer can start from scratch on any platform and be successful. He or she doesn’t need reviews or Benjamins. From zero to a freelance hero, like Robert De Niro (in the “Heat,” for example).
Thus, don’t blame a freelance platform, but your remote work attitude that’s screaming for a reform. That’s theory. The time has come to put my hypothesis to the test.
If I can do it and make it, then my younger female colleague should be able to do it too. It’s not about proving who’s right, but that freelancing is worth the fight. Right? Right?
Hitting the Upwork Pay-To-Play-Wall
From the very first moment, something was off. What happened to a bunch of free connects for happy new Upwork freelancer moments?
This isn’t a fair trade, I refuse to upgrade. There has to be a way to play. Ah, here it is.
It’s a Catch-22. For every single one of these tasks, I need money, my Upwork honey.
WTF, I’m stuck. It didn’t used to be this way back in the day. Upwork has closed its doors for newbie freelancers. The young girl was right all along. Let me go back to the beginning of all beginnings – Freelancer.com.
Little Pain, Great Gain – “Words Industry” Rides Again
Here’s a screenshot I took years ago.
I used to be one of the top 100 freelancers on Freelancer.com. Can I do it again?
I had to swallow my pride and take a new freelance ride. I waited about a month for my groundbreaking first five-star review. Then, in less than two weeks, I got my third review in a row. The best thing about it, I paid nothing for it. The good old Freelancer.com still had a free membership option. You know, first you make money, then your freelance platform makes it. This is how it’s supposed to work, since the beginning of freelance times.
As I’m sharing this story, I’m working on my 4th project. With this money, I’m going to invest even further to get verified. Then, I’m going to apply to be a part of the Preferred Freelancer Program. What’s that? Well, that’s Top Gun for freelancers. The best projects and clients for the best of the best.
So, Is It Worth Being A Freelance Newbie in 2025?
Upwork and Freelancer.com aren’t the only freelance platforms out there, but they are the oldest and biggest ones. I don’t know about you, but I get so annoyed when I see the so-called “ultimate lists” on X and/or LinkedIn where people, who probably haven’t spent a single day working as freelancers, share platforms in no particular order. It looks so nice and promising. The catch is that you lack the full picture.
Do you have to pay to play? Meaning, do you have a fair starting point with no investment? What are your money withdrawal options? Are all of these freelance platforms newbie-friendly? Can you expect top clients and projects to come your way? You see, the remote work devil is in the details; all these lists are leaving out.
So, if you’re asking me, new freelancers should try the old platforms first. Guru comes to my mind, besides Upwork and Freelancer.com. I used to call these platforms “The Freelance Triumvirate” for a reason. Fiverr is alright too, but it’s a completely different kind of remote work beast. I’m talking about the good old freelancing in a strictly “traditional” way, you know, bidding and projects, not gigs and catalogs.
As you can see, I have lost a lot of weight since I used to write under the username “Words Industry,” but I didn’t lose my freelance faith.
Just in case, if you’re wondering what is the best freelance platform out there, my answer hasn’t changed all these years: it is the one you are making money on. Just like the best publication is the one without a paywall, and where you get published despite all controversies, as long as your claims and findings are based on facts and trustworthy sources.
