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Don't fall into the trap of thinking Upwork will solve everything on its own, because the platform takes a heavy commission and you're competing with people from all over the world charging less. The ideal is to use both: start on the platform to gain experience and build your portfolio, then go after direct clients through referrals, networking and actual connections, where you make more and build long-term relationships. Direct clients are more profitable in the end, but it takes time to land them, so you can't ignore Upwork while you're building your base.
I tried Upwork for several months and honestly it wasn't worth it - the competition is brutal and the platform's commission really eats into what you make. What actually worked was building some direct relationships with clients, especially through friends who referred me, and then keeping in touch with them directly. The trap nobody talks about is that when you land a good client through the platform, they often want to keep things there because they already have a track record there, and you're stuck paying that fee forever. The best approach is to use Upwork as an initial entry point if you really need to, but invest in getting out of there and chasing recurring clients elsewhere - through email or LinkedIn even.
It's not exactly an "either/or" situation because it really depends on what your service is and whether you're starting from scratch. If you have no portfolio or network, Upwork works for getting experience and picking up some reviews - the thing people don't mention is that you get locked into that ecosystem while you're building credibility, and switching platforms later is a hassle because your clients are all there. What makes more sense is to use Upwork as a stepping stone while prospecting directly at the same time (LinkedIn, referrals, cold outreach); once direct clients start coming in, you can leave the platform behind and keep way better margins.
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