Comparison

Upwork fees vs Actuallize

Upwork’s figures are as published on Upwork’s own site on 2026-09-05. Actuallize’s are the live schedule in the product. Numbers change — verify the current number on their site before deciding.

Fee charged to the professional

Actuallize: 1% on a client↔professional pair’s first project, 0.5% on every project after — the client’s number never changes.
Upwork: A variable freelancer service fee — the fixed 10% tier ended in May 2025 — commonly cited at around 10% of the contract value.

Fee charged to the client

Actuallize: None — the client pays exactly the number on the brief, with nothing added.
Upwork: A client marketplace fee commonly cited at around 5% on top of the contract value, plus a contract-initiation fee of $0.99–$14.99 per contract.

Fee on clients you bring yourself

Actuallize: 0.5% from day one — a client who joins through your invite link is priced as a repeat client on your first project together.
Upwork: Direct Contracts cost 5%, or $0 with Freelancer Plus at $20 per month. Fee-free “Bring Your Own Client” ended in February 2025.

Cost to bid

Actuallize: Nothing — sending a proposal or replying to a brief never costs anything. There are no Connects and no bids.
Upwork: Freelancers spend “Connects” — a paid credit — to submit most proposals.

Who rules a dispute, and what it costs

Actuallize: A person reads both positions against the acceptance criteria and rules. There is no arbitration fee.
Upwork: Mediation, then arbitration through a third party at a fee paid by the parties. An Upwork Community thread describes about $291 in arbitration costs to contest a $300 job.

Payout / withdrawal fees

Actuallize: Payment costs (card, bank and payout charges, set by the payment processor — not by Actuallize) are shown as their own line, at cost, separate from Actuallize’s fee. There is no withdrawal fee.
Upwork: Withdrawal fees vary by payout method and are billed separately from the service fee.

Fact	Upworkas published 2026-09-05	Actuallizelive schedule
Fee charged to the professional	A variable freelancer service fee — the fixed 10% tier ended in May 2025 — commonly cited at around 10% of the contract value.	1% on a client↔professional pair’s first project, 0.5% on every project after — the client’s number never changes.
Fee charged to the client	A client marketplace fee commonly cited at around 5% on top of the contract value, plus a contract-initiation fee of $0.99–$14.99 per contract.	None — the client pays exactly the number on the brief, with nothing added.
Fee on clients you bring yourself	Direct Contracts cost 5%, or $0 with Freelancer Plus at $20 per month. Fee-free “Bring Your Own Client” ended in February 2025.	0.5% from day one — a client who joins through your invite link is priced as a repeat client on your first project together.
Cost to bid	Freelancers spend “Connects” — a paid credit — to submit most proposals.	Nothing — sending a proposal or replying to a brief never costs anything. There are no Connects and no bids.
Who rules a dispute, and what it costs	Mediation, then arbitration through a third party at a fee paid by the parties. An Upwork Community thread describes about $291 in arbitration costs to contest a $300 job.	A person reads both positions against the acceptance criteria and rules. There is no arbitration fee.
Payout / withdrawal fees	Withdrawal fees vary by payout method and are billed separately from the service fee.	Payment costs (card, bank and payout charges, set by the payment processor — not by Actuallize) are shown as their own line, at cost, separate from Actuallize’s fee. There is no withdrawal fee.

Upwork figures are from Upwork's freelancer service-fee help page, its Direct Contracts support article, its client fees page, and an Upwork Community thread on arbitration costs, as published on 2026-09-05 — verify there. Actuallize’s figures come directly from the live fee schedule (see the Fees page), not a marketing estimate.

Numbers change. Every cell here is dated, and we re-check them. If one is wrong, tell us at hello@actuallize.com and we will fix it the same week.

Run the numbers →All four platforms side by side →

Two doors. One chat.

Get hired

The lowest fee on our compare page — and we put the competition’s numbers on it.

Hire someone

One number, nothing added. Proof, not pitches.

Under a minute to sign up. One account does both.