Malt vs Upwork

Malt and Upwork both land on Depends.

Malt

malt.com

Analyzed October 14, 2026

Depends

Confidence: Low

Buy it if you hire European freelancers and want contracts, payments, and admin handled; public evidence is thin.

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Upwork

upwork.com

Analyzed September 21, 2026

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Good fit if you occasionally need freelance help and can stomach the fee stack; poor fit for full-time hires or freelancers who can find work elsewhere.

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Malt versus Upwork
Compare	Malt	Upwork
Verdict	Depends	Depends
Best for	European teams hiring freelancers	Occasional freelance hires
Who it's not for	Companies hiring full-time employees	Full-time, long-term hires
Privacy	No public security page found; Malt says it uses AI to match talent and ensure security.^⁸	Runs a HackerOne bug bounty and enterprise security program; one alleged, unconfirmed recruiter/freelancer database leak circulated.
Support quality	No support evidence found	PissedConsumer and Trustpilot complaint volume; dispute stories
Public sentiment	Trustpilot hosts buyer reviews of, but sources reviewed contain little detailed user feedback.^¹	Sentiment splits: clients still find talent easily, but many freelancers and some clients say fees, Connects, and support have eroded the value.¹²
Biggest gotcha	Fees apply to client billing; exact commission rates are not public in sources reviewed^⁷	Freelancers buy Connects per bid; spend adds up before earning anything

Pick Malt when

European teams hiring freelancers
Companies wanting contracts and payments handled
Project-based tech, design, and marketing work
Buyers wanting one vendor for talent plus admin

When Malt is not a fit

Companies hiring full-time employees
Guess: US-first hiring; Malt's roots are European
Security-sensitive buyers needing published compliance documents
Guess: teams wanting the cheapest gig marketplace

Pick Upwork when

Occasional freelance hires
One-off projects without payroll
Solo founders needing specialists fast
Enterprises with managed freelance programs

When Upwork is not a fit

Full-time, long-term hires
Freelancers unwilling to pay for every bid
Micro-budget jobs . fees swallow the project
Buyers expecting hands-on dispute help

Sources

Malt Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of malt.frtrustpilot.com
review
malt Reviews Aug 2026: Pricing & Featuressoftwareworld.co
review
Malt Alternatives & Competitors for Offshore Teamsflexiple.com
review
Malt raises $97M at a $489M valuation for its freelance marketplacetechcrunch.com
news
How Much Has Malt Raised? $134M in Total Fundingstartupfundraising.com
news
Malt leverages AI to match talent and ensure securityintelligentcio.com
news
How does client billing work on Malt?help.malt.com
official
Security pagemalt.com
security
Malt - Crunchbase Company Profile & Fundingcrunchbase.com
news
Upwork Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of upwork.comtrustpilot.com
review
Upwork Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2g2.com
review
Why Upwork Is No Longer Worth It . r/Upworkreddit.com
review
Complete Guide to UpWork Pricing . r/Upworkreddit.com
review
Upwork Pricing: Plans and Fees for Clientsupwork.com
official
326 Upwork Reviews | PissedConsumerupwork.pissedconsumer.com
review
What Is Upwork, and Is It Legit? | NerdWalletnerdwallet.com
review