Fiverr takes 20% of everything a seller earns. Upwork takes somewhere between 0% and 15%. Put the Upwork vs Fiverr fees side by side and one platform is plainly cheaper for freelancers, which makes it odd how many comparisons end on "it depends".
The short version: Fiverr takes more. On a $1,000 job a freelancer keeps $800 on Fiverr and about $900 on Upwork at a typical 10% fee, or $850 at Upwork's 15% ceiling. Clients pay almost the same on both: $1,055 on Fiverr against roughly $1,051 to $1,065 on Upwork. Add the two sides together and Fiverr keeps about 24% of what the client spends, Upwork about 15%.
That isn't the whole bill, though. Upwork charges you to apply for work before you've earned anything, its client fee is less settled than its pricing page suggests, and the two platforms pay out on different schedules. Below: what each side pays at different project sizes, the cost Fiverr doesn't have, and the cases where Fiverr's 20% is still the better deal. Every figure comes from Fiverr's payment terms and Upwork's help centre, checked in October 2026.
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Upwork vs Fiverr fees for freelancers
Fiverr's side takes one sentence. Its payment terms credit a seller with 80% of each order, and that's the rate whatever your seller level.
Upwork's takes longer. Its freelancer service fee runs from 0% to 15% and is set contract by contract. Upwork shows you the percentage when you submit a proposal or receive an offer, and once the contract starts it's fixed for the life of that contract. It doesn't publish how the number is chosen, beyond saying it reflects supply and demand for that kind of work. Upwork's own worked examples use 10%, so that's the figure we use here, with 15% as the worst case.
| Project | Fiverr (20%) | Upwork at 10% | Upwork at 15% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $80 | $90 | $85 |
| $500 | $400 | $450 | $425 |
| $1,000 | $800 | $900 | $850 |
| $5,000 | $4,000 | $4,500 | $4,250 |
There's no project size where Fiverr leaves you more. Even if Upwork gave you its maximum fee on every contract, you'd keep five points more than Fiverr's flat rate, and at 10% the gap is $100 on every $1,000 you bill. Our guides to what Upwork takes and what Fiverr takes go through each platform line by line.
The same sum works in reverse when you set a price. To take home a fixed amount, divide it by the share you keep.
Upwork at 10%: $1,000 ÷ 0.90 = $1,111.11 contract
The cost Fiverr doesn't have: Connects
On Fiverr you list a gig and wait, which costs nothing. On Upwork you go to the work, and each proposal is paid for in Connects, Upwork's bidding tokens, at $0.15 each. How many a job needs depends on its size and how much demand there is. You get them back if the client cancels the job before hiring anyone. Lose to another freelancer and they're gone.
Upwork charges you to ask for work. Fiverr charges you more for getting it.
So how many proposals would it take to wipe out Upwork's advantage? At a 10% fee, Upwork leaves you $100 ahead on every $1,000 earned, and $100 buys about 666 Connects. If your proposals average 10 Connects each, or $1.50, you'd have to send more than 66 of them for every $1,000 you earn before Fiverr came out cheaper. At Upwork's 15% ceiling the number is 33.
Most freelancers are nowhere near that. Win one proposal in ten on $500 jobs and you're sending 20 per $1,000, at a cost of about $30. The line only gets close if you spray proposals at everything, or boost them heavily on crowded listings.
Two things soften it further. Some accounts receive 10 free Connects a month, and the optional Freelancer Plus plan ($19.99 a month) includes 100.
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What clients pay on Fiverr vs Upwork
Clients pay a fee on top of the freelancer's price on both platforms, and here the two are much closer.
- Fiverr: a 5.5% service fee on every purchase, plus a $3.50 small order fee on purchases under $200.
- Upwork, Basic plan: a 5% marketplace fee on payments, plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99 on each new contract. Eligible US clients who pay from a bank account are charged 3% instead of 5%.
| Freelancer's price | Client pays on Fiverr | Client pays on Upwork (5%) |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | $56.25 | $53.49 to $67.49 |
| $100 | $109.00 | $105.99 to $119.99 |
| $200 | $211.00 | $210.99 to $224.99 |
| $500 | $527.50 | $525.99 to $539.99 |
| $1,000 | $1,055.00 | $1,050.99 to $1,064.99 |
| $5,000 | $5,275.00 | $5,250.99 to $5,264.99 |
The Upwork range is the initiation fee, which varies from contract to contract. On small jobs it decides the winner: a $50 task can cost $2.76 less on Upwork or $11.24 more. On big ones it barely registers, and Upwork's lower percentage wins by about $10 to $24 on a $5,000 project.
One caveat on that 5%. It's the figure on Upwork's pricing page, but Upwork's help centre describes the Basic fee as "up to 7.99%". If your account is charged the higher figure, the comparison flips: a $1,000 project comes to roughly $1,081 to $1,095 on Upwork against $1,055 on Fiverr, and Fiverr is the cheaper place to hire on almost anything over $100. Read the fee line before you fund a contract instead of trusting either number.
Upwork's Business Plus plan costs more, at 10%, or 8% by US bank payment. If you're the one hiring, our breakdown of Upwork's client costs compares the two plans.
Which platform takes more overall?
The fair way to compare two marketplaces is to ask what share of the client's money never reaches the freelancer. Take a $1,000 job.
Upwork, typical — client pays $1,050.99 to $1,064.99 · freelancer keeps $900.00 · Upwork keeps $150.99 to $164.99 (14% to 15%)
Upwork, worst case — client pays $1,094.89 · freelancer keeps $850.00 · Upwork keeps $244.89 (22%)
The worst case assumes a 15% freelancer fee, a 7.99% client fee and a $14.99 initiation fee, all at once. Even then, Upwork's total cut on a $1,000 job stays below Fiverr's. It only reverses on small work: on a $100 job the same worst case comes to about 31% of what the client pays, against Fiverr's 27%.
The gap matters most when you price to a target. To take home $1,000 you'd list a $1,250 gig on Fiverr, which costs your client $1,318.75. On Upwork at 10% you'd bid $1,111.11, and your client pays about $1,168 to $1,182. Same money in your pocket, roughly $137 to $151 less out of theirs.
When you get paid, and what withdrawing costs
Fees aren't the only thing between finishing the work and having the money.
- Fiverr holds earnings for 14 days after an order is marked complete, or 7 days for Top Rated sellers.
- Upwork releases fixed-price payments 5 days after the client approves a milestone. Hourly work is billed weekly, and the money becomes available 10 days after the billing week ends.
Withdrawing costs a little on both. Fiverr is free to PayPal, $1 by direct deposit in the US and $3 by local bank transfer, and PayPal or Payoneer may add charges of their own. Upwork is free by direct deposit to a US bank if your tax address is in the US and $2.99 if it isn't, $0.99 to a local bank outside the US, $2 for Instant Pay and $50 for a wire. These are flat fees, so on either platform it's cheaper to withdraw in fewer, larger amounts.
When Fiverr's 20% is still the better deal
Cheaper isn't the same as better for you. Fiverr's higher cut buys a different way of working, and there are cases where it earns its keep.
- You're starting with no budget. Fiverr costs nothing until you sell. Upwork can cost you Connects for weeks before the first contract.
- You sell a small, repeatable service. A fixed package that clients buy without a call suits Fiverr's catalogue, and you never write a proposal.
- You'd pay to avoid pitching. If proposals are the part of freelancing you like least, ten points is the price of skipping them.
Upwork is the better deal for larger and longer work, where a lower percentage adds up and one accepted proposal can turn into months of billing. It also has a rate Fiverr can't match for clients you bring yourself: a Direct Contract carries a 5% freelancer fee, and none at all for Freelancer Plus members.
Nothing stops you using both, either: Fiverr for the packaged work that sells itself, Upwork for the projects worth writing a proposal for.
Frequently asked questions
Which takes more, Upwork or Fiverr?
Fiverr. It keeps 20% of every order from sellers, while Upwork's freelancer service fee is 0% to 15% per contract. Even at Upwork's maximum you keep five points more than on Fiverr. On a $1,000 job that's $800 on Fiverr against $850 to $1,000 on Upwork.
Is Upwork or Fiverr cheaper for clients?
They're usually within a few dollars of each other. Fiverr adds a 5.5% service fee, plus $3.50 on purchases under $200. Upwork's Basic plan adds a 5% marketplace fee plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99. A $1,000 project costs $1,055 on Fiverr and roughly $1,051 to $1,065 on Upwork. Upwork's help centre describes its fee as up to 7.99%, so check the fee line before you pay.
Why is the Upwork fee so high?
Upwork's freelancer service fee tops out at 15%, which is still lower than Fiverr's 20%. It can feel higher because of the costs around it: Connects at $0.15 each to send proposals, which you pay whether or not you win the job, and withdrawal fees of $0.99 to $50 depending on the method.
Which pays faster, Upwork or Fiverr?
Upwork, in most cases. Fixed-price payments become available 5 days after the client approves a milestone, and hourly earnings 10 days after the billing week ends. Fiverr holds earnings for 14 days after an order is marked complete, or 7 days for Top Rated sellers.
Is Fiverr or Upwork cheaper for beginners?
Fiverr is cheaper to start on, because listing a gig is free and you pay nothing until you sell. Upwork charges Connects for each proposal, so you can spend money before you've earned any. Once work is coming in, Upwork's lower fee leaves you more of each payment.