If you’re new to Upwork, one of the first concepts you’ll encounter that doesn’t have a direct equivalent on every freelance platform is Connects — a virtual currency freelancers use to submit proposals on job postings. Understanding how Connects work, how many you need for different types of jobs, and how to use them strategically is essential for managing your costs and maximizing your chances of winning work on the platform. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about Upwork Connects.
What Connects Actually Are
Connects are Upwork’s internal currency system specifically used for submitting proposals (bids) on job postings. Rather than allowing freelancers to submit unlimited free proposals to every job on the platform, Upwork requires freelancers to spend a certain number of Connects to bid on most jobs, with the exact number required varying based on the specific job posting. This system exists primarily to encourage freelancers to bid thoughtfully and selectively, rather than mass-submitting generic proposals to every posting regardless of fit, which would create a worse experience for clients trying to sort through submissions.
How Freelancers Receive Connects
Upwork provides freelancers with a periodic allotment of free Connects, typically refreshed on a monthly basis, giving every freelancer a baseline number of proposals they can submit without any additional cost. Beyond this free monthly allotment, freelancers who want to submit more proposals than their free allowance covers can purchase additional Connects, which represents an ongoing cost of actively bidding on projects beyond what your free allotment supports.
The specific number of free Connects provided monthly, and the cost of purchasing additional Connects, are details that can change over time as Upwork updates its policies, so checking your current account settings and Upwork’s official documentation for the most up-to-date figures is worthwhile rather than relying on potentially outdated numbers.
How Many Connects a Job Requires
The number of Connects required to bid on a specific job varies and is generally displayed directly on the job posting itself before you submit a proposal. Several factors typically influence how many Connects a given job requires, including the estimated project value, the client’s history and job posting patterns, and the specific category of work involved. Higher-value or more competitive job postings sometimes require more Connects to bid on than smaller, lower-budget projects, reflecting the increased stakes and competition typically associated with larger opportunities.
When You Don’t Need to Spend Connects
Not every way of landing work on Upwork requires spending Connects. Notably, if a client directly invites you to submit a proposal on their job posting (rather than you finding and bidding on it through search or browsing), this typically doesn’t require spending Connects, since the client has already expressed direct interest in your profile. This is one of several reasons why building a strong, complete profile that attracts client invitations — rather than relying solely on actively searching and bidding — can be a valuable strategy for reducing your ongoing Connects costs over time.
Additionally, repeat work with existing clients (through contract extensions, new contracts offered directly by a client you’ve already worked with, or similar arrangements) generally doesn’t require spending Connects in the same way that bidding on a brand-new, publicly posted job does.
Purchasing Additional Connects
When your free monthly allotment isn’t enough to cover your desired bidding activity, you can purchase additional Connects directly through your Upwork account. These purchases represent a real, calculable cost of actively pursuing new work through the bidding system, and understanding this cost is important for accurately assessing your overall profitability on the platform, especially if you’re bidding frequently across many different job postings.
Some freelancers find that upgrading to a paid Upwork membership plan (if available and offering additional included Connects as a benefit) is more cost-effective than purchasing Connects individually on an as-needed basis, particularly if their bidding activity is consistently high enough to benefit from a bundled allotment rather than one-off purchases.
Calculating Whether Your Bidding Strategy Is Cost-Effective
Since Connects represent a real cost, it’s worth periodically evaluating your bid-to-win ratio to understand whether your current bidding approach is financially sound. If you’re spending a significant number of Connects (and therefore real money, once you exceed your free allotment) on proposals that rarely convert into actual contracts, this signals a need to reassess your approach — whether that means being more selective about which jobs you bid on, improving the quality and personalization of your proposals, or refining your profile and portfolio to build more credibility before job postings that lead to invitations rather than requiring you to bid competitively in the first place.
A practical approach is to track, over a meaningful period of time, how many Connects you’re spending relative to how many proposals convert into actual contracts, and calculate the effective “cost per won project” this represents. If that cost feels disproportionate relative to your typical project value, it’s worth adjusting your bidding strategy rather than continuing to spend Connects on an approach that isn’t converting efficiently.
Strategies to Use Connects More Efficiently
Be selective rather than bidding on everything remotely relevant. Submitting fewer, more thoughtful, highly tailored proposals to jobs that are genuinely strong fits for your specific skills tends to convert better than spreading your Connects thin across many marginal opportunities.
Read job postings thoroughly before bidding. Understanding exactly what a client needs, and tailoring your proposal to address their specific situation, significantly improves your conversion rate compared to generic, templated proposals — which means each Connect you spend has a better chance of actually resulting in won work.
Build a profile strong enough to attract invitations. Since client-initiated invitations typically don’t require spending Connects, investing time in a polished, complete, keyword-optimized profile can reduce your reliance on actively spending Connects to bid competitively for every project.
Avoid bidding on jobs with clear red flags. Job postings with vague scope, unrealistic budgets, or concerning client history are less likely to result in a good working relationship even if you do win the bid, making them a poor use of your limited Connects regardless of whether you’d technically be able to complete the work.
Track your results and adjust over time. Regularly reviewing which types of job postings and proposal approaches are converting best for you allows you to refine your bidding strategy continuously, making your Connects spending increasingly efficient as you learn what works.
How Connects Fit Into Your Overall Upwork Costs
It’s important to understand that Connects represent a cost separate from Upwork’s service fee charged on your actual earnings from completed projects. While the service fee is deducted from money you’ve already earned, Connects are a cost you incur in the process of trying to win work in the first place, regardless of whether that specific bid ultimately converts into a paid contract. This means your true cost of doing business on Upwork includes both your Connects spending (an acquisition cost) and the service fee on whatever you do end up earning (a revenue-based cost), and understanding both components gives you a complete picture of your overall profitability on the platform.
Do Connects Costs Change Based on Your Experience Level?
Generally, the Connects system applies based on the specific job postings you’re bidding on, rather than varying based on your own seller level, experience, or Job Success Score. However, freelancers with stronger profiles, more reviews, and a higher Job Success Score often find they receive more client-initiated invitations over time (which typically don’t require Connects), effectively reducing their reliance on actively spending Connects to compete for new work as their reputation grows on the platform.
Common Mistakes Freelancers Make With Connects
Bidding indiscriminately on every remotely relevant posting, burning through Connects without a strategic, targeted approach, and consequently seeing a poor return relative to the cost.
Not reading job postings carefully before bidding, leading to proposals that don’t actually address the client’s specific needs and therefore rarely convert, wasting the Connects spent.
Failing to track bid-to-win performance, meaning you continue an inefficient bidding strategy indefinitely without realizing it’s costing you more than it’s returning in actual won work.
Ignoring profile optimization in favor of purely aggressive bidding, missing out on the long-term cost efficiency of attracting more invitations (which don’t require Connects) as your profile strength and reputation grow.
Final Thoughts
Upwork’s Connects system is designed to encourage thoughtful, targeted bidding rather than indiscriminate mass proposals, and understanding how it works — including your free monthly allotment, when Connects are and aren’t required, and how to calculate your effective cost per won project — is essential for managing your overall costs and maximizing your return on the platform. By bidding strategically, tailoring your proposals carefully, and investing in a strong profile that attracts client invitations over time, you can make your Connects spending significantly more efficient, ultimately improving your overall profitability as a freelancer on Upwork.
