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Upwork, measured
Measured answers to the questions Upwork agencies ask: proposals per job, Connects per proposal, what boosting returns. Each post states its sample, window and method.
- How many proposals does an Upwork job get after 12 hours, by category?
By Orhan G. Yalçın · Published
Twelve hours after it was posted, the average Upwork job had 20.8 proposals, measured across 79,245 jobs posted between 4 October and 2 November 2026. The spread by category is wide. AI Apps & Integration averaged 61.6 and Web Development 51.5, while Lead Generation & Telemarketing averaged 9.2, Corporate & Contract Law 6.7 and Photography 6.2. A proposal in a crowded category is one of five dozen; in a quiet one it is one of half a dozen.
- How many Connects does an Upwork proposal cost?
By Orhan G. Yalçın · Published
Across 1,040 proposals Upsight submitted in the 30 days to 3 November 2026, the job's apply form asked a median of 15 Connects, with the middle half between 10 and 20 and none above 27. The most common price was 20 Connects, one proposal in five, followed by 10 and 15. At Upwork's $0.15 a Connect, the median proposal costs $2.25 to submit, before any boost.
- Is boosting an Upwork proposal worth it?
By Orhan G. Yalçın · Published
In Upsight's ledger, boosted proposals were viewed by the client 22.6% of the time against 10.1% for unboosted ones, and got a reply 5.8% of the time against 2.3%. A boosted proposal cost more Connects, 26.2 against 14.3 net of refunds, but less per result: 116 Connects per view against 142, and 449 per reply against 614. Most boosts did not hold their slot to the end: 61% of settled boosts were refunded in full.