Upwork is built for volume.
We're built for certainty.
Both platforms work. But Upwork hands you a directory and says "good luck." We hand you a shortlist and say "they're ready."
The hidden cost of bidding wars.
3-11 days
Average time to find suitable Upwork talent (after posting)
Buyer survey, n=124
50+ bids
Average proposals per Upwork posting. Most are templated spam.
Job market data 2025
24hrs
AE Studio shortlist delivery time. Pre-vetted, ready to hire.
Curator team SLA
Feature by feature.
Vetting rigor
96% rejection. Identity verified, portfolios authenticated, references called.
Self-reported skills. Optional skills tests. Vetting falls on you.
Hiring process
Curated shortlist within 24 hours. Pre-vetted, ready to start.
Post job, wait for 30-50 bids, vet each one yourself.
Buyer fees
Zero buyer fee. 12% on talent side only.
5% marketplace fee on every contract + payment processing.
Pricing transparency
Fixed packages with explicit deliverables.
Bid-driven. Fixed-price contracts often have scope mismatches.
Buyer protection
Trust Promise: 100% refund if deliverables incomplete.
Limited escrow. Dispute resolution often favors talent.
Off-platform pressure
Domain-bound communication. All in-platform.
Talent often pushes to email/Slack immediately, bypassing escrow.
Talent pool size
Smaller (4% accepted). High signal, low noise.
18M+ users. Massive pool but most are junior or off-spec.
Best for
$2K+ projects where quality matters and rework is expensive.
Long-term contractor hires, hourly work, virtual assistants.
Get a curated shortlist instead.
We do the vetting so you don't have to. Match in 24 hours.