[unnouinceput]

Try going for long-term projects or creating relationship with your customers. Once you charge them more then 10k USD the rate is ~6%, which is quite nice to have 94 cents on a dollar. It's something Upwork actually encourages, opposite for Fiverr as example

[Ayesh]

If you reach 10K in payments, it means there's a good level of trust between two parties, at which point even the 5% charge is not necessary.

Their messaging and time tracking tools are mediocre at best, and they certainly aren't worth the 5% charge. Payments are held for a week, and it still costs money for the worker to withdraw them. Their local currency withdraw is 2-3% lower than Transferwise.

[unnouinceput]

I have no problem using their messaging, it allows me and my clients to exchange information and upload files too.

The tracking tools is just as it should be. I don't want a keylogger, so the fact that they simply count keystrokes and mouse clicks is good enough to not step too much into privacy zone.

Payments are held for a week in order to allow the paying customer to analyze screenshots, and if necessary to allow for complaints to be filed.

As for local currency withdrawal, I'd say they don't make a dime on that one at all. That's completely based on your local bank currency exchange rate, which is always skewed for them to make a buck too. Also they have plenty of different payment methods. And in the end it doesn't even matter.

Care to share any better online market for freelancers that you're happy with instead Upwork?