Tarun Singhal

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What Is Upwork Bidding and How Does It Work?

Upwork bidding is when you send a proposal to a job posted on the platform. Each proposal has three main components: your<a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/upwork-cover-letter-guide"> cover letter</a>, your proposed rate, and the Connects you need to apply. It's more like a pitch than an auction; you don't just state a price, you make your case for why you're the right person for the job.

On Upwork, each job listing shows how many proposals have already been submitted, for example, "20 to 50 proposals." This number matters more than most beginners think. Usually, fewer proposals suggest less competition, which is a helpful signal when deciding where to spend your finite Connects. If a listing says "50+ proposals," you're looking at a large pile of applicants, and the odds change accordingly.

It's also worth being clear on what bidding is in freelancing more generally, since Upwork's version has its own twist. Bidding, at its core, is just making an offer on a client's posted project with your rate and pitch attached. In freelancing broadly, that's all it takes. On Upwork specifically, that process is gated by Connects, the platform's internal currency for applying to jobs. This is what separates Upwork's bidding system from a simple open marketplace: you can't submit a proposal without spending them.

<a></a>How to Bid on Upwork for Beginners: Step by Step

How to bid on Upwork for beginners comes down to three moves: find the right job, get your profile ready, and submit a proposal customised to the listing. For anyone new to the platform, the process is fairly linear; here’s the step-by-step version:

<a></a>What Upwork Bidding Strategies Actually Improve Win Rates?

The Upwork bidding strategies that actually improve win rates are spending Connects selectively on high-match jobs, boosting proposals on the right listings, applying early to fresh postings, and targeting jobs with verified payment methods. Once you’ve got the mechanics down, polishing this Upwork bidding strategy is what sends your Connects toward proposals that convert.

<a></a>What Are the Most Common Upwork Bidding Mistakes to Avoid?

The most common mistakes freelancers make when bidding are overbidding, underbidding, skimming job descriptions, writing overly long proposals, and sending generic copy-paste submissions.

You now know how to write proposals and price your bids, but the math only works if the money you quoted actually ends up in your bank account.<a href="https://www.skydo.com/"> Skydo</a> provides Indian freelancers with a free foreign currency account (USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, AUD, CAD) with flat-fee settlements, ₹0 hidden markup, and no monthly fees. Setup takes 5 minutes.

There's no flat bidding fee on Upwork. Instead, the cost is entirely in Connects, the currency you spend every time you submit a proposal. Understanding how Upwork bid pricing works means you can budget your Connects the same way you’d budget any other business expense.

Here's where the real cost comes in:

The practical takeaway here, especially for Indian freelancers, is to treat Connects as a real, limited budget rather than something to spend without thought. Rather than applying to dozens of listings and burning your allocation with nothing to show for it, concentrate on jobs that are a strong match for your actual skill set and show a verified payment method on the client's profile.

How Do You Write a Winning Upwork Proposal?

A winning proposal does three things: it speaks to the client's specific project needs, shows relevant experience, and ends with a clear call to action. Here's how to build one from the top down:

If you're looking for Upwork bidding samples to model your own proposals on, the table below is a good shortcut; it shows what separates a strong submission from a weak one, element by element.

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Revolut India

How Do Freelancers Get their First Client With No Experience?

Freelancers land their first client without prior experience by starting inside their existing network, putting together a small portfolio, and approaching prospects with an offer specific enough actually to mean something to them.

The first client doesn't need to come from a freelance marketplace at all. Former colleagues, college contacts, old managers, friends, and even business owners already in the circle are worth a message. Rather than simply announcing "I'm freelancing now," it helps to explain what's actually being offered and who it's for. Something along the lines of: "I'm now offering video editing for brands and creators. If you know someone who needs help turning long videos into short-form content, I'd be glad to talk to them." A warm introduction converts faster than a cold one, mostly because a baseline of trust already exists before the first message is even sent.

Twenty finished projects aren't necessary before reaching out to a first prospect. Two or three strong samples are usually enough to make the point. Where prior client work doesn't exist yet, sample projects built around the type of work being sold serve the same purpose.

A beginner chasing video editing clients, for instance, could put together a short product reel or a YouTube-style edit using publicly available footage. The goal isn't volume here. It's demonstrating what can actually be delivered when it matters.

Vague pitches such as "I provide digital marketing services" rarely convert well, because they ask the prospect to do the work of figuring out what that actually means for them.

Naming a problem alongside the outcome attached to solving it tends to work better: "I can turn your long-form videos into five short clips a week," or "I can redesign your landing page so the messaging is genuinely clear," or "I can manage your LinkedIn presence with eight posts a month."

A specific offer gives a prospect something concrete to evaluate and, ideally, say yes to.

A short, well-scoped project gives a client a low-risk way to see the work firsthand, while the freelancer still gets compensated for the time it takes. Once that project is delivered well, it's worth asking directly whether more work exists, or whether the client knows another business that could use similar help.

Most clients won't offer a referral unannounced. The request usually has to come from the freelancer.

What Are the Best Ways to Get Freelancing Clients?

The best ways to get freelancing clients include warm outreach to your existing network, cold outreach on LinkedIn, listing yourself on freelance platforms, asking for referrals, building a portfolio site, and consistently creating content that attracts inbound interest.

The best ways to get freelancing clients include:

Read more on <a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/how-to-get-global-clients-for-web-development-agency">How to get global clients for your web development agency</a>.

How Do You Find US Clients for Freelancing From India?

How Do Indian Freelancers Get Paid by Foreign Clients?

Indian freelancers get paid by foreign clients through bank transfers, payment platforms, or RBI-authorised cross-border payment providers, with the right choice depending on fees, settlement speed, client convenience, and documentation.

Traditional international wires often involve several fees stacked on top of each other and a fair amount of manual follow-up, particularly when a SWIFT copy is needed and the bank is slow to respond. Payment platforms can be more convenient, though many still charge percentage-based fees plus a foreign exchange markup that isn't always disclosed upfront.

For freelance income arriving regularly rather than as a one-off, the payment channel also needs to generate proper documentation and support whatever compliance requirements apply to that income, since informal arrangements tend to create problems later during tax filing or audit.

<a href="https://www.skydo.com/">Skydo</a> operates as an RBI-authorised platform under the Payment Aggregator-Cross Border framework, built specifically for Indian businesses and individual freelancers receiving payments from abroad.

Through Skydo, freelancers get free virtual receiving accounts for international clients, support for payments across multiple countries and currencies, flat pricing at $19 up to $2,000, $29 from $2,001 to $10,000, and 0.3% above $10,000, zero FX margin with live exchange rates, instant and free FIRA on every payment, real-time payment tracking, and settlement to the Indian bank account within one working day once funds reach the virtual account.

Learn more about <a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-late-payments-from-your-clients">How to deal with late payments from your clients</a>

What Does Growing an IT Business Actually Mean?

Growing an IT business means expanding its revenue, customer base, markets, and operational capacity in a way that can be sustained as the business gets bigger. These four areas need to develop together, because increasing sales without the people, systems, or processes to support them can create operational strain rather than sustainable growth.

A business may increase sales, for example, but if its team and systems cannot support the extra workload, that growth may not last.

Why Do Most Indian IT Businesses Stop Growing?

Most Indian IT businesses stop growing because they rely too heavily on referrals, compete mainly on price, depend on one-off projects, or keep key sales and operational decisions with the founder. As the business expands, these limitations can make revenue unpredictable, restrict delivery capacity, and make further scaling difficult.

For Indian IT businesses ready to move beyond the domestic market, international clients can provide another avenue for growth. However, expanding overseas requires more than finding buyers. The business also needs strong positioning, a repeatable sales process, sufficient delivery capacity, and a reliable way to receive international payments.

What Are the Best Ways to Grow an IT Business in India?

The best ways to grow an IT business in India combine day-to-day improvements with longer-term moves such as entering new markets and building recurring revenue. For Indian IT businesses and agencies, international client acquisition can be a particularly valuable growth channel, given the country's established position as a global IT services hub.

Here are 10 practical growth strategies for Indian IT businesses.

<a></a>Strategy 1: Niche down and build a vertical-specific practice

Generalist IT businesses often end up competing on price. A stronger way to stand out is to specialise in a particular industry or problem area, such as healthcare SaaS, fintech integrations, or e-commerce platforms. A clear niche can help an agency demonstrate deeper expertise and justify stronger pricing.

It also makes marketing more focused. Instead of speaking to every possible buyer, the business can create targeted messaging, attract more relevant referrals, and build credibility faster with potential clients, including international buyers.

<a></a>Strategy 2: Productise your services

Turn services that you deliver repeatedly into clearly defined packages rather than creating a new scope for every client. For example, an agency could offer “Shopify store setup in 5 days - $X flat” with a defined deliverable and price.

This makes the service easier for clients to understand and easier for the team to deliver consistently. It can also shorten the sales cycle because prospects do not need an extensive discovery process just to understand what they are buying.

<a></a>Strategy 3: Build a retainer pipeline, not just project work

Project-based income can fluctuate as one engagement ends and another begins. Retainers for maintenance, support, or ongoing development can create more predictable monthly revenue and reduce the need to constantly replace completed projects.

Start with the clients you already have. Upselling or cross-selling relevant services to an existing customer is generally more efficient than finding and converting an entirely new prospect, making the existing client base an important source of growth.

<a></a>Strategy 4: Improve your digital presence and content marketing

Your website is often one of the first places a potential client checks before contacting an IT business. Make it work as a proof point by showcasing:

Consistent, niche-focused content can generate inbound interest over time and reduce reliance on referrals or cold outreach alone.

<a></a>Strategy 5: Target international clients actively

Indian IT businesses can use their access to skilled technology talent and cost competitiveness to pursue overseas buyers. Rather than waiting for international enquiries, businesses can actively reach prospects through LinkedIn, Upwork, and targeted outreach.

The most relevant markets will depend on the service and niche, but Indian IT businesses can target buyers in the US, UK, EU, and Southeast Asia. International work can increase the potential value of individual contracts and diversify revenue beyond the domestic market, although profitability will still depend on pricing, delivery costs, and the type of service.

<a></a>Strategy 6: Invest in sales and lead generation processes

An IT business that depends entirely on word-of-mouth has limited control over when the next opportunity arrives. A repeatable lead-generation process can create a more predictable pipeline through channels such as:

Track customer acquisition rate, or the number of new clients won during a defined period, to see whether these sales efforts are translating into actual growth.

<a></a>Strategy 7: Diversify revenue streams

Look beyond billable client work for additional ways to monetise the business's expertise. Depending on its capabilities, an IT company could add:

Multiple revenue sources reduce dependence on any single client or project and can create income that is not directly tied to billable hours.

<a></a>Strategy 8: Hire strategically, not reactively

Scaling the business does not mean hiring whoever is available whenever demand increases. The team needs the right mix of technical and operational skills to deliver work without making the founder responsible for every decision.

As capable team members take ownership of delivery, the founder can spend more time on business development, important client relationships, and strategic decisions. This shift is often essential when moving from a founder-led business to a scalable operation.

<a></a>Strategy 9: Adopt automation and project management tools

Look at the workflows that consume the most time and identify repetitive tasks, handoff problems, and other bottlenecks. Automating suitable processes can lower administrative overhead and help the existing team manage more work without requiring headcount to increase at the same rate.

Tools such as project management platforms, CRM systems, and accounting software can also reduce manual coordination and give teams better visibility into projects, customers, and finances. The aim is to make delivery more consistent as the business takes on greater demand.

<a></a>Strategy 10: Set clear growth goals and track them

An IT business needs to define what growth actually means before it can measure it. That could be a revenue target, a specific number of clients, entry into a new market, or an operational goal.

Review key metrics regularly to see whether the business is growing sustainably:

Looking at these metrics together gives a clearer picture than revenue alone. A business can increase sales while becoming less profitable if its costs are rising even faster.

If you're planning to expand into international markets, you can also explore<a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/how-to-start-export-business"> how to start an export business in India</a>.

How Do You Measure Growth in an IT Business?

An IT business should measure growth using a combination of financial, customer, and market metrics rather than relying on revenue alone. Revenue, profit, market share, customer acquisition, customer lifetime value (CLV), and conversion rate each show a different part of the business's growth and should be assessed together.

The basic formula for calculating growth is:

For example, if an IT business's revenue rises from ₹10 lakh in year one to ₹50 lakh in year two:

[(₹50 lakh − ₹10 lakh) ÷ ₹10 lakh] × 100 = 400%

So, the business's revenue grew by 400%. The ₹50 lakh ending figure is 500% of the original ₹10 lakh, but the increase between the two years is 400%.

For longer periods, businesses can also use CAGR (compound annual growth rate) to calculate the average annual rate at which a metric has grown over multiple periods.

The key rule is to never interpret one growth metric in isolation. For example, if revenue increases but profit declines, the business may be generating more sales while its costs are rising even faster.

Looking at revenue, profitability, customer growth, and other indicators together gives a more reliable picture of whether the business is actually scaling.

How Can Indian IT Businesses Win International Clients to Grow IT Business Revenue?

Indian IT businesses can grow revenue from international clients by combining specialised positioning, a credible online presence, targeted outreach, competitive pricing, and a reliable payment setup. The goal is not only to win overseas projects but also to turn them into profitable, repeat business.

<a></a>Building credibility for international buyers

<a></a>Where and how to find international clients

<a></a>Pricing and positioning for international deals

<a></a>Payment and compliance setup for international revenue

If you're evaluating payment options for overseas customers, you can also explore a<a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/paypal-business-account-for-indian-exporters"> PayPal business account for Indian exporters</a>.

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How to get your FIRC certificate Online

Which Are the Best Countries to Hire Freelancers in 2026?

The best countries to hire freelancers in 2026 are Poland, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Pakistan, each strong in different skill categories, price ranges, and time zone fits.

There's no one "best" country in the abstract. The right answer depends on what you're hiring for, how much time zone overlap you need, and how much English fluency matters for the work. If you're scanning top freelancing countries lists to shortlist a market, these eight consistently come up across skill, cost, and reliability rankings.

Note: Indicative rate ranges, depending on skill niche, experience level, and platform.

Why Do Businesses Hire Freelancers from Other Countries?

Businesses hire freelancers from other countries to access a wider talent pool, manage costs and find specialised skills. Some key reasons include:

What Factors Should You Actually Evaluate Before Hiring?

Before hiring, evaluate six things: how closely the portfolio matches your exact use case, communication style and responsiveness, real time-zone overlap, rate structure, local market context, and whether you're sourcing directly or through a reputable platform.

None of these factors exists in a vacuum; the goal is to weigh them together against what your specific project actually needs, rather than optimising for any one of them (like price) in isolation. It's also worth noting that which country is best for self-employed professionals to be based in doesn't necessarily mirror which country is best for you to hire from; a strong self-employment environment reflects local tax and business-registration ease, while your hiring decision should be driven by skill fit and cost.

How to Pay International Freelancers Without Losing Money?

Businesses can pay international freelancers through PayPal, SWIFT bank transfers or cross-border payment platforms. However, the total cost can vary significantly due to transfer fees, currency conversion markups and receiving charges. Comparing the total cost before choosing a payment method can help businesses reduce unnecessary fees. That's not a minor line item; it can eat away at most or all of the cost advantage you were hiring internationally to capture in the first place.

Certain platforms have bulk payment workflows, paying out to multiple freelancers at once, that helps cut down on per-transaction overhead when you're working with a larger team or a handful of ongoing contracts at a time. This matters even more for businesses outsourcing overseas freelancers at scale, where dozens of small fee percentages add up fast across a full contractor roster.

When selecting a payment platform, think beyond the advertised send fee:

For Indian businesses, especially, it is not simply about cost; it is about compliance. For outward remittance to foreign freelancers, you will have to follow the RBI guidelines, which means you should have proper invoices, purpose codes, and bank documentation before you make any payment. Read more about it in the Watch Out box below.

What Are the Compliance Rules for Hiring Foreign Freelancers?

If an Indian company is hiring a foreign freelancer, the outward remittance rules as per RBI guidelines will be applicable. This is a different set of rules from what a freelancer follows when money is received in India. It's easy to confuse the two, but the compliance burden here is on the hiring business, not the freelancer.

Before you pay a foreign freelancer, make sure you have:

Beyond payment, companies hiring freelancers abroad must also comply with the labour laws applicable in the freelancer's home country. Misidentification of a contractor, or a failure to identify a local compliance requirement, can create unexpected liability, even for what might seem like a simple freelance engagement.

This matters a lot, because there are real and different labour and contractor rules in different countries. What is a legally acceptable freelance engagement in the Philippines may not be the same as what is required in Poland or Ukraine. There is no one global standard to fall back on.

There are three things worth checking before you make a hire:

What Should You Check Before You Finalize a Freelancer Hire?

Before finalising a freelancer, check their skills and experience, portfolio, rates, availability, communication style and payment terms. These factors can help you assess whether they are a good fit for your project and working requirements.

Upwork is a freelance marketplace where clients post projects and freelancers submit proposals to win them. It runs on a proposal-based model, which suits freelancers chasing ongoing work, bigger projects, or anything that needs real back-and-forth with a client.

The platform's roots go back to Elance, founded in 1999, later merged into Elance-oDesk, and eventually rebranded as Upwork.

A project usually starts with a client posting a job description. Freelancers look it over, send a proposal with their rate and relevant experience, and wait to hear back. Work can run hourly or fixed-price, and fixed-price jobs are often split into milestones. There's also Project Catalog, where freelancers package a service upfront so clients can buy it directly, no proposal needed.

For Indian freelancers, Upwork tends to pay off more when the goal is building something longer-term rather than picking up scattered one-off jobs.

Learn more about <a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/how-to-make-a-bid-on-upwork">How to make a bid on Upwork</a>

Fiverr is a marketplace where sellers list packaged services, called Gigs, that buyers browse and buy directly. It flips the Upwork model: instead of freelancers chasing job posts, clients come looking for a service and find the freelancer through the listing itself.

Fiverr launched in 2010 around cheap, packaged freelance work. It now covers writing, graphic design, programming, web development, video editing, digital marketing, data work, and consulting.

A Gig spells out exactly what's included, how long delivery takes, and what it costs. Sellers can offer tiered packages, usually Basic, Standard, and Premium, or put together custom offers for anything that doesn't fit neatly into those.

Fiverr Pro exists for vetted professionals looking to charge more, though the standard commission still applies underneath it.

Find out more about <a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/top-5-fiverr-alternatives">Top 5 Fiverr alternatives</a>.

<a></a>Upwork vs Fiverr: A Side by Side Comparison

The core difference comes down to how work gets found: Upwork runs on proposals, Fiverr runs on listings.

The right pick usually comes down to the client being targeted. Someone selling a narrowly defined service, a $50 video edit, say, will likely find Fiverr's Gig model more convenient. A developer chasing a six-month contract is probably better off with Upwork's proposal-and-contract structure instead.

That's also why comparing the headline commission alone can mislead. A 20% Fiverr cut can still be worth it if the platform keeps generating orders without any proposal cost. Upwork's lower potential fee doesn't make it automatically cheaper either, not if a freelancer's burning through Connects without winning much.

For Indian freelancers, the real math also has to include withdrawal fees, exchange-rate conversion, and compliance paperwork, none of which show up in either platform's headline number. Once the platform's picked, the next question is how much of that money actually reaches an Indian bank account.

Upwork's freelancer service fee currently sits at 0% to 15% per contract, shown upfront before the freelancer agrees to anything.

That's worth flagging, since a lot of older comparisons still describe Upwork's fee as a 10% to 20% sliding scale. The current Help Centre is clear that it now runs 0% to 15%, fixed once the contract starts.

Connects add another layer of cost. At $0.15 each, they add up fast across multiple proposals, and they're worth budgeting separately from the service fee itself.

Indian freelancers also need to account for tax. Upwork states that 18% India GST can apply to freelancer service fees and Connects, depending on the freelancer's tax details and eligibility.

Withdrawals cost something too, separate from the service fee. Direct to Local Bank runs $0.99 per transfer, though bank-specific charges can still apply on top.

Add it all up and an Upwork freelancer is really tracking three costs: the service fee, what gets spent on Connects, and other costs to actually withdraw the money.

Fiverr pays sellers 80% of every completed order, which puts its effective standard commission at 20%.

Unlike Upwork, there's no Connects-style cost just to list a Gig. Publishing one is nothing like Upwork's proposal model, since there's no ongoing fee attached to putting a listing up in the first place.

That 20% commission applies across the board, including Gig Extras and tips. Fiverr's own Help Centre confirms the 80% figure for sellers.

Fiverr Pro opens the door to premium positioning and higher project values, but charges the same 20% commission regardless.

Indian sellers also need to complete Fiverr's India tax requirements. Fiverr notes that India-based freelancers may fall under GST/TCS and Section 194-O depending on their specific situation.

Payout costs matter here too. Fiverr supports PayPal, Payoneer, and bank transfer through Payoneer, with what's available depending on location, and Payoneer's own fees and processing times vary by method.

Upwork matches client job posts with freelancer proposals, and most jobs require Connects to submit one.

Freelancers start by putting together a profile: title, overview, skills, work history, portfolio, rates. A stronger profile makes it easier for a client to judge someone's expertise before committing to a hire.

Once a relevant job shows up, the freelancer sends a proposal covering their approach, background, and pricing. Proposals cost Connects, priced at $0.15 each. After getting hired, everything runs through Upwork itself. Hourly contracts come with time-tracking and payment protection built in, while fixed-price work runs on milestones with its own protection layer.

None of this is instant. Finding the right jobs and writing proposals that actually land takes time. But a proposal that hits can turn into something bigger than a single project, sometimes a client relationship that keeps paying for years.

Explore more on <a href="https://www.skydo.com/blog/upwork-cover-letter-guide">Upwork cover letter guide</a>

Fiverr runs on Gigs: freelancers publish a listing, buyers order directly, and no proposal gets written for every single sale.

A seller sets up a profile and publishes a Gig with the service, deliverables, pricing, and turnaround time. Buyers browse, compare seller reviews, and buy whatever package fits. Gigs can include multiple tiers, extras, and custom offers, which makes the whole thing well suited to clearly defined work like logo design, blog writing, video editing, or social media content.

Once an order's done, Fiverr pays out 80% of the purchase amount to the seller under its standard terms.

Seller levels and optional promotional tools help established sellers stay visible. A Gig that's positioned well can keep pulling in buyers without a fresh pitch each time. The catch is competition: standing out takes decent positioning, real reviews, a solid portfolio, and pricing that actually fits the category.

How Does Skydo Help Freelancers on Fiverr or Upwork?

<a href="https://www.skydo.com/">Skydo</a> helps Indian freelancers receive international payments through global receiving accounts, transparent flat fees, and zero FX markup, with a FIRA generated automatically for every payment. Pricing currently sits at $19 for payments up to $2,000, $29 between $2,001 and $10,000, and 0.3% above $10,000.

For Indian freelancers earning consistently from abroad, the platform choice is only half the equation. The payment route matters just as much, since cutting FX markups, transaction fees, and documentation hassle can noticeably change what's actually kept from each project. Skydo gives Indian freelancers global receiving accounts, transparent flat pricing, zero FX markup, and instant FIRA on every payment.