Switching guide
Hourly billing without the screenshots
Upwork’s time tracker protects hourly pay by watching your screen. For clients you find yourself, tab builds the same trust by showing the work itself.
Updated 2026-10-01
On Upwork hourly contracts, Hourly Payment Protection only covers time logged in the Upwork Desktop App, which takes a screenshot six times per hour and counts mouse clicks, scrolls and keystrokes for each 10-minute segment. Manual time isn’t covered. Upwork also charges freelancers a service fee of 0% to 15% per contract.
That model exists because clients and freelancers on a marketplace start as strangers. With clients you found yourself, you can earn the same trust without the surveillance: show what you did, with links to the work, and let the client approve it.
tab and Upwork’s time tracker, side by side
| As of October 1, 2026 | tab | Upwork’s time tracker |
|---|---|---|
| How clients trust the hours | A weekly work receipt: notes and links (Figma, GitHub, Loom, docs); the client taps “Looks right” | Screenshots 6×/hour and activity levels in the Work Diary |
| Your fee | Free. No tab fee on the first $2,000 collected online each month, then 1% (0.5% above $10,000) | 0–15% service fee per contract |
| Getting paid | Your own Stripe: bank transfer (0.8%, $5 cap) or card | Released weekly by Upwork after the client review window |
| Manual time | Yes, add or fix hours any time | Not covered by payment protection |
| Who owns the client relationship | You | Upwork’s marketplace and terms |
Upwork’s time tracker details from its own pages, read October 1, 2026: Upwork: Hourly Payment Protection · Upwork: Work Diary · Upwork: Freelancer Service Fees. Prices and plans change; check theirs before deciding.
Why freelancers switch
- No screenshots, keystroke counts or activity scores. Ever.
- Keep more of the rate. No percentage service fee; Stripe’s bank transfer fee is capped at $5.
- Proof clients actually read. A one-page receipt of the week beats a gallery of screenshots.
Where Upwork’s time tracker is the better fit
Upwork brings you clients and protects payment between strangers. For work you win on Upwork, keep using Upwork: its terms cover those clients, so check them before moving any client you met there. tab is for the clients you bring yourself.
Move your hours to tab
- Upwork has no time-entry export built for importing elsewhere, so start fresh in tab for clients you work with directly. Use the Upwork fee calculator to see what the fee costs you per year.
- Sign up for tab free at app.tabwork.app (email only, no card).
- Go to Settings → Your data → Import, and drop in the CSV. tab recognizes Toggl Track, Clockify and Harvest exports automatically; for anything else you confirm which column is the date, the hours and the description.
- Check the preview (clients, projects and hours per client), then import. You can undo an import.
Your history comes with you, so your reports and real hourly rate start from day one.
Questions
Does Upwork’s time tracker take screenshots?
Yes. Upwork’s help center says the Desktop App takes a screenshot six times per hour when you log time, and records counts of mouse clicks, scrolls and keystrokes per segment (not what you typed).
What is Upwork’s fee in 2026?
A freelancer service fee of 0% to 15%, set per contract and shown before you commit.
Can I use tab for Upwork clients?
For clients you met on Upwork, follow Upwork’s terms. tab is built for clients you find and bill directly.
Leaving Upwork’s time tracker? Bring your hours.
tab imports your history, tracks time per client, shows clients the work without screenshots, and turns the week into an invoice they pay online. Free until you’re earning.
Start freeFree to startNo cardNo screenshots, ever