Upwork Inc
Upwork, Inc. operates an online labor marketplace and enterprise workforce platform that connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies worldwide. Through the Upwork Marketplace and its Lifted subsidiary, the company supports freelance, fractional, agency, and payrolled work arrangements across a broad range of on-demand services.
Fiscal year 2025 · change from previous year
Development 2020–2025
Business
Share of revenueOnline marketplace connecting clients with independent talent for project-based work.
Lifted offerings for sourcing, contracting, managing, and paying contingent workers.
Paid visibility, Connects, and related tools that help talent bid and market services.
Higher-touch marketplace plans and fees aimed at larger SMB and team buyers.
Foreign exchange, memberships, payment-related services, and interest on customer funds.
Products
Reported · share of revenue- Enterprise86.7 %
- Marketplace13.3 %
Source: 10-K FY2025, revenue the company reports per product line (SEC XBRL). Shares are of the lines shown and add up to 100 %.
Customers
Upwork serves both sides of the labor market: clients that need flexible access to skills, and talent that wants to sell services through the platform. Its client base ranges from entrepreneurs and small businesses to large enterprises, while talent includes independent professionals and agencies across many disciplines.
Small and mid-sized businesses buy project-based talent and Business Plus features to hire quickly and flexibly.
Large organizations use Lifted and enterprise services to source, contract, manage, and pay contingent workers.
Freelancers and fractional workers use the marketplace to find clients, bid on jobs, and get paid.
Small and large agencies use the platform to access demand and deliver specialized services at scale.
Strategy
Upwork’s strategy centers on improving marketplace monetization, expanding enterprise offerings, and deepening its SMB proposition. The company is also investing in AI-enabled matching and productivity tools to improve discovery, pricing, and work outcomes for both clients and talent.
Higher take rates and add-on products improve revenue per transaction without relying only on volume growth.
Enterprise clients broaden the addressable market beyond classic freelance work and deepen customer relationships.
SMBs are a core demand pool for flexible hiring and can be served with packaged features and premium plans.
AI tools can improve search relevance, speed hiring, and raise platform utility for both sides of the marketplace.
Geography
Upwork is a global platform with customers in more than 180 countries, but its business is concentrated in the United States. In 2025, about 71% of GSV came from U.S. clients, while the talent base was more globally distributed, with the United States, India, and the Philippines among the largest talent geographies.
Risks
Upwork depends on maintaining a large, active community of clients and talent, and its marketplace can be weakened if users bypass the platform or if fraud and payment issues rise. The business is also exposed to regulatory, partner, and AI-related risks because it facilitates payments, identity verification, and work matching across many jurisdictions.
- Marketplace circumventionImpact: HighLikelihood: High
Users may transact off-platform to avoid fees, reducing revenue and weakening network effects.
Exposure: Marketplace revenue and take rate
- Fraud and misrepresentationImpact: HighLikelihood: Medium
False identities, poor work quality, or payment misuse can reduce trust and trigger losses or claims.
Exposure: Client retention and platform reputation
- Banking and payment partner dependenceImpact: MediumLikelihood: Medium
The platform relies on third parties for escrow, payments, and funds handling.
Exposure: Transaction processing and customer funds
- AI and machine learning execution riskImpact: MediumLikelihood: Medium
Matching, ranking, and pricing tools depend on models that may underperform or create user issues.
Exposure: Marketplace efficiency and user experience
- Regulatory and licensing riskImpact: MediumLikelihood: Medium
Escrow, labor, and platform rules can change across jurisdictions and affect operations.
Exposure: Compliance and operating model
Accounting
Judgemental itemsMarketplace, enterprise, and service revenues are recognized based on transfer of control and contract terms.
Impact: Timing and classification of revenue
Management must determine whether revenue should be reported gross or net for certain services.
Impact: Reported revenue scale and margins
Fee rates can vary by contract and depend on supply-demand factors, increasing estimation complexity.
Impact: Marketplace revenue and take rate
Equity awards are a meaningful non-cash expense and require valuation assumptions.
Impact: Operating expense and diluted EPS
Acquisitions such as Lifted-related transactions can create assets that may require impairment testing.
Impact: Balance sheet carrying values and impairment charges
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Last updated: 24/09/2026