The two fee models side by side
Fiverr takes a flat 20% of every completed order, including gig extras and tips. Upwork charges a variable fee of 0% to 15% per contract, and you see it on the proposal before you commit.
| Fiverr | Upwork | |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer fee | 20% of the order value | 0% to 15% of what you bill, set per contract |
| Client fee on top | 5.5%, plus $3.50 under $200 | 3% to 7.99%, plus $0.99 to $14.99 per contract |
| Cost of finding work | None per order. Fiverr Ads are optional and charged per click | Connects at $0.15 each |
| Monthly plans | Seller Plus from $15 a month, optional | Freelancer Plus, optional. Its price is shown only in your account |
| Withdrawal | $0.00 to PayPal, $3.00 to a Payoneer local bank | $0.99 to a local bank, $50.00 by USD wire |
| Wait before you can withdraw | 14 days after the order is complete (7 for some programs) | Up to 14 days of client review on fixed price, then a five-day security hold |
Upwork shows PayPal, Payoneer and Instant Pay withdrawal fees only inside your account, so they are not listed.
The same $1,000.00 job on each
Take a $1,000.00 job, paid out with nothing else counted. Fiverr keeps $200.00 and you keep $800.00. Upwork at 10% keeps $100.00 and you keep $900.00.
- At 0%, the lowest Upwork fee, you would keep $1,000.00.
- At 15%, the highest, you would keep $850.00, still $50.00 more than on Fiverr.
- As a Direct Contract the fee is 5%, so you keep $950.00. With Freelancer Plus it is 0%, so you keep $1,000.00.
Upwork's fee is only an example here, because Upwork publishes no formula. Check the percentage on your own proposal.
How the gap changes with the size of the job
Both fees are a percentage, so the gap grows with the job. On a $100.00 job Fiverr leaves you $80.00, and on $1,000.00 it leaves you $800.00.
| Job | Fiverr | Upwork at 10% | Upwork at 15% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50.00 | $40.00 | $45.00 | $42.50 |
| $100.00 | $80.00 | $90.00 | $85.00 |
| $250.00 | $200.00 | $225.00 | $212.50 |
| $500.00 | $400.00 | $450.00 | $425.00 |
| $1,000.00 | $800.00 | $900.00 | $850.00 |
Computed with the calculators, with no Connects, withdrawal fees or costs.
The costs around the fee
Upwork asks you to spend Connects to send proposals, at $0.15 each. Upwork shows how many a job needs on the job post, and 16 Connects would be $2.40 a proposal.
Say you win one contract in ten. Ten proposals at 16 Connects is $24.00 of Connects for that contract, which is 2.4% of a $1,000.00 job.
Withdrawals add a fee on both sides. On the $1,000.00 job, a Payoneer local bank transfer takes $3.00 from a Fiverr payout. On Upwork a local bank costs $0.99, a USD wire $50.00 and a US bank transfer $2.99 with a tax address outside the US
| You keep | |
|---|---|
| Fiverr, to PayPal | $800.00 |
| Fiverr, to a Payoneer local bank | $797.00 |
| Upwork at 10%, 16 Connects, local bank | $896.61 |
| Upwork at 10%, US bank with a tax address outside the US | $897.01 |
| Upwork at 10%, USD wire | $850.00 |
Withdrawal fees are counted as one withdrawal per job. PayPal and Payoneer can add their own fees.
What the client pays on top
Neither marketplace takes its client fee out of your side. Fiverr adds 5.5% to the client's bill, and a $3.50 small order fee on orders under $200. Upwork adds a client marketplace fee of up to 7.99%, or 3% for eligible US clients who pay by bank, plus a one-time contract initiation fee.
| Fiverr | Upwork at 10% | |
|---|---|---|
| Gig or contract price | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Client fee on top | $55.00 | Up to $79.90 |
| Contract initiation fee | None | $0.99 to $14.99 |
| Client pays in total | $1,055.00 | Up to $1,094.89 |
| You keep | $800.00 | $900.00 |
Upwork ranges run from the lowest to the highest client fee. Clients on other Upwork plans pay different fees.
That is why the client's bill and your payout can look far apart. The client pays more than $1,000.00 on both, and you keep less.
Direct Contracts and the old tiers
If you bring the client to Upwork yourself, a Direct Contract cuts your fee to a flat 5%, or 0% with an active Freelancer Plus membership. Future contracts with that client must go through Direct Contracts to keep the lower fee.
You may still read about Upwork's old tiers of 20%, 10% and 5%. They survive only as legacy pricing on older contracts where Upwork confirmed it in writing, and new contracts use the variable fee.