Upwork Notifications: How to Set Them Up, and Get New Jobs Instantly (2026)

Upwork sends notifications for messages, offers and contract activity to your desktop by default, and to the Upwork mobile app and email if you turn them on. You manage those in Notification Settings. New-job alerts work differently: Upwork's instant job alerts need Freelancer Plus, and you set them from the bell icon. On the free plan there is no instant job alert at all.

This guide covers both: setting up Upwork's own notifications so you never miss a client, and getting notified about new jobs fast enough to be one of the first proposals.

How to set up Upwork notifications

Messages and account updates

Select your profile icon in the top right corner, choose Account settings, then Notification Settings in the left sidebar.
On the Messages tab, pick a drop-down option for desktop, mobile and email notifications. On desktop you can also turn the sound on or off.
Change the email frequency if you want messages right away. The default is a 15 minute delay.
On the Email updates tab, check or uncheck the emails you want. Upwork still sends some account emails you can't turn off.
Install the Upwork mobile app and allow notifications on your phone, so client messages reach your lock screen.

Job alerts (Freelancer Plus)

Select the bell icon in the top navigation bar to open the notifications page.
Choose the Job alerts tab, then Alert preferences.
Choose where alerts go: the Upwork mobile app, email, or both. Upwork recommends the app as the fastest.
Choose all jobs that match your proposal history, or only hourly or only fixed-price jobs.
Set the lowest rate you are willing to consider, then select Save.

What each Upwork notification does

Notification	Where it can go	How fast
Client messages	Desktop, mobile app, email	Instant on desktop and app; email defaults to a 15 minute delay
Offers and contract activity	Desktop, mobile app, email	Instant on desktop and app
Instant job alerts (Freelancer Plus)	Mobile app, email	Right after a similar job posts
Saved searches (all plans, up to 30)	Your Upwork job feed	When you check
Job digest email (talent badge holders)	Email	Not daily; a periodic roundup

Getting notified about new jobs

This is the part most freelancers care about, because the first proposals on a job get read most.

On the Basic plan, Upwork has no instant job alert. You can save up to 30 searches and check them yourself. If you hold a Rising Talent, Top Rated or Top Rated Plus badge, Upwork also sends a job digest email with new jobs similar to what you searched for or applied to in the last three months. Neither tells you the moment a job posts.

On Freelancer Plus ($19.99 a month), you get instant job alerts by email or the mobile app. They are based on jobs similar to ones you have applied to as an individual freelancer (proposals sent through an agency don't count), and they start once you have sent a proposal to at least one active job. You can filter by hourly or fixed price and set a minimum rate.

That works well if your past proposals are a good guide to what you want next. Upwork notes that alerts can drift if you have applied outside your skill area. It works less well if you are moving into a new niche, want to filter by things like client spend or hire rate, or want alerts somewhere other than email and the Upwork app.

With a dedicated alert tool, you set the filters yourself. Vibeworker watches every new Upwork job, checks it against your filters (budget, keywords, categories, client quality, experience level, job type), scores it, and sends the matches within minutes to Telegram, the Vibeworker iPhone or Android app, browser push, a webhook or RSS. Browsing the scored feed is free.

Not getting Upwork notifications?

Check the channel is on. In Notification Settings, each type has its own desktop, mobile and email options. Job alerts are under the bell icon, in Alert preferences.
Check your device allows them. Your browser and phone both need to allow notifications from Upwork.
Check the email delay. Message emails default to 15 minutes, which can look like nothing arrived.
Check spam and Promotions. Upwork says job alert emails sometimes land there.
For job alerts, check eligibility. You need an active Freelancer Plus plan and at least one proposal on an active job.

Which setup is right for you

You only need client messages: turn on the mobile app and set message emails to immediate.
You apply to the same kind of job every time: Freelancer Plus instant job alerts may be enough.
You want new jobs on your terms: use an alert tool with your own filters and channels, and keep Upwork's notifications for messages and contracts.

Get real-time Upwork notifications with Vibeworker

Upwork's instant alerts on Freelancer Plus follow your proposal history and reach you by email or the Upwork app. Vibeworker adds alerts on filters you set yourself, on the channel you already use, whether you are on Basic or Plus.

Real-time alerts on your own filters: budget floor, keywords to include, require or exclude, categories, client spend, hire rate and rating, payment verified, client country, experience level, job type and maximum Connects.
On the channel you already use: Telegram, the Vibeworker iPhone and Android app, browser push, a webhook or RSS.
One-click proposals: draft the cover letter and answers to the client's screening questions straight from the alert, written from your profile and the specific job.
Every job scored for scope clarity, red flags and client quality, with an estimated Connects price.
Priority support, from the founder. Questions go straight to the person who builds it.

Browsing your scored job feed is free, with no time limit and no card, and you get 3 AI proposal drafts to try. Pro adds real-time alerts on every channel, unlimited proposal drafts, the iPhone and Android apps, and the API.

Try Vibeworker free →

How do I turn on Upwork notifications?

Select your profile icon in the top right, choose Account settings, then Notification Settings in the left sidebar. On the Messages tab, choose desktop, mobile and email notifications for client messages, and set message emails to immediate if you don't want the default 15 minute delay. On the Email updates tab, tick the emails you want. Job alerts are set separately: select the bell icon, then the Job alerts tab, then Alert preferences.

How do I get notified about new jobs on Upwork?

Upwork's instant job alerts need Freelancer Plus and at least one proposal sent to an active job. They arrive by email or the Upwork app and are based on jobs you have applied to before. On the free Basic plan you can save up to 30 searches, and freelancers with a talent badge get a job digest email, but there is no instant alert. For instant alerts on filters you set yourself, a tool like Vibeworker sends new matching jobs to Telegram, your phone, your browser, a webhook or RSS.

Are Upwork job alerts instant?

Only on Freelancer Plus. Upwork sends them immediately after a job similar to ones you have applied to is posted, by email or the mobile app. Saved searches and the job digest email are not instant.

Why am I not getting Upwork notifications?

Check that the channel is turned on in Notification Settings and allowed by your browser or phone, that message emails are not on the default 15 minute delay, and that Upwork emails are not landing in spam or Promotions. For job alerts, check that your Freelancer Plus plan is active and that you have sent at least one proposal to an active job.