The short answer is YES, but…

However, there are ways to get started on Upwork or Fiverr. We list down here high level steps you need to take to get started on freelance platforms and get your first Fiverr gig or Upwork contract.

1. Fill in your profile details; Create winning Profile Bio

This is where most of the clients end up when they have an interest in you. After you send a proposal, an interested Client navigates to your profile page to see if you are trustworthy. It’s crucial to make great first impression with your:

• Headline

• Profile Bio

• Viewable Portfolio

1. Find Relevant Work

Don’t just apply for any job on Upwork. Use your connects wisely, as described in this blog post treat connects like your marketing budget per month. Clients do pay attention to the candidate relevancy based on proposal > profile > portfolio > price. Keep in mind that bringing your hourly rate or fixed price for an Upwork gig doesn’t often increase your changes but does the opposite.

1. Send a Proposal ☢️

Proposal is the very first step to making an impression on Clients; The first impression is made here, so you want to know how to write an Upwork proposal. Once you apply a few times, write a few Upwork proposals you will start to shape Upwork proposal template. However, there are dozens of must haves, must not haves, nice to haves in proposals; btw this is where RemoteSWE’s proposal reviewer comes into play - we have interviewed hundreds of Freelancers to get their winning and losing proposals & profiles to analyze winning and losing patterns. Here are some of them:

• Keep your proposal concise - it has a golden range of character length

• Mention your company names

• Bring up measurable & relevant experience

• Don’t start your proposal by saying how experienced your are

• and the list goes on and on…

Summary?

Freelancing on Fiverr and Upwork is still worth it for beginners in 2026, but success depends on getting the fundamentals right: building a strong profile (headline, bio, portfolio, etc), applying selectively and writing concise, results-focused proposals.