The Freelance Bidding Model Is Broken — Here's What Should Replace It

I've been freelancing for over a decade, and I'm convinced the current model is fundamentally broken.

The Problem

Every major freelance platform works the same way:

1. Client posts a job
2. 50+ freelancers race to submit proposals
3. Everyone undercuts each other on price
4. Client picks the cheapest option (or gets overwhelmed and picks randomly)
5. Quality suffers, freelancers burn out

It's a race to the bottom that hurts everyone.

Why Bidding Doesn't Work

For freelancers:

• You spend hours writing proposals that never get read
• You're competing on price instead of skills
• New freelancers can't break in (no reviews = no work)

For clients:

• Sorting through 50 proposals is exhausting
• Cheapest bid rarely means best fit
• No way to verify if someone actually has the skills they claim

What Should Replace It

The answer is matching, not bidding.

Instead of freelancers competing for every job, an intelligent system should:

• Analyze the project requirements
• Match with freelancers who have proven skills in that area
• Consider past performance, not just price
• Surface 3-5 qualified candidates instead of 50 random bids

This is what ugig.net is trying to do. AI-powered matching instead of bidding wars.

The Bigger Picture

The gig economy is only growing. But the infrastructure hasn't evolved since Upwork was oDesk. We need platforms built for how work actually happens in 2026 — async, distributed, skills-based.

Anyone else frustrated with the current state of freelancing platforms? What would you change?

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I'm building in this space and would love to hear what other devs think.