FVRR vs UPWK Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
FVRR (Fiverr) and UPWK (Upwork) are the two largest public freelance marketplaces — Fiverr's catalog-style gig marketplace at the lower end and Upwork's professional marketplace for more complex, longer-term projects. Both face tailwinds from the growing freelance economy and headwinds from AI automation of some task categories their freelancers traditionally performed.
FVRR vs UPWK is the direct freelance marketplace comparison — Fiverr's catalog gig model for commoditized digital services versus Upwork's professional talent marketplace for higher-value, longer-engagement projects.
UPWK holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. UPWK leads on both 1-year return (-57.40%) and forward P/E quality (6.44x vs 7.17x for FVRR), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. UPWK leads on both revenue growth (-1.70%) and operating margin (21.81%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +14.48% for FVRR and +12.34% for UPWK.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to a catalog-based freelance marketplace with a brand known for accessible, affordable creative digital services
- See Fiverr's upmarket expansion (Fiverr Pro, Fiverr Business) as growing ASPB while maintaining the accessible brand
- Value Fiverr's international diversification and organic traffic acquisition model as efficient customer acquisition
- Want the professional freelance marketplace leader with larger GSV per project and enterprise relationships
- Value Upwork's enterprise platform as a recurring, high-value revenue stream from companies that rely on freelance talent at scale
- See the growing freelance economy (more knowledge workers choosing independent work) as a structural tailwind for professional talent marketplaces
| Metric | FVRR | UPWK |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 23.4 | 23.9 |
| AI ranki | #3722 | #3522 |
| Latest closei | $8.50 | $8.35 |
| 1M returni | -8.41% | -3.91% |
| 6M returni | -17.07% | -25.98% |
| 1Y returni | -66.28% | -57.40% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | FVRR | UPWK |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $3.37K (-66.3%) started 2025-09-18 | $4.26K (-57.4%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $432.94 (-95.7%) started 2021-09-20 | $1.74K (-82.6%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $2.13K (-78.7%) started 2019-06-13 | $3.94K (-60.6%) started 2018-10-03 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | FVRR | UPWK |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $337.58M | $1.1B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 11.59 | 11.27 |
| Forward P/Ei | 7.17 | 6.44 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 0.21 | 1.09 |
| Analyst targeti | $10.75 | $9.88 |
| Target upsidei | +14.48% | +12.34% |
| Metric | FVRR | UPWK |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | -10.00% | -1.70% |
| Earnings growthi | 37.70% | -15.90% |
| EPS growthi | +37.70% | -15.90% |
| FCF margini | +20.10% | +19.86% |
| Operating margini | 6.01% | 21.81% |
| Profit margini | 7.18% | 12.93% |
| ROIC proxyi | 7.13% | 16.70% |
| Return on equityi | 7.13% | 16.70% |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | N/A |
| Payout ratioi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 1.43 | 1.01 |
| Debt/equityi | 0.61 | 62.07 |
| Current ratioi | 1.82 | 1.42 |
| Quick ratioi | 1.17 | 1.08 |
Over the past year, FVRR and UPWK have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.47), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | FVRR | UPWK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -66.28% | -57.40% |
| CAGRi | -66.31% | -57.42% | |
| Volatilityi | 53.97% | 60.51% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -1.83 | -1.18 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -2.34 | -1.51 | |
| Max drawdowni | 68.13% | 64.54% | |
| Current drawdowni | 68.13% | 62.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 45.65% | 37.12% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 49.90% | 43.79% | |
| Max daily dropi | 20.53% | 19.05% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 25.73% | 32.09% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -95.67% | -82.60% |
| CAGRi | -46.67% | -29.55% | |
| Volatilityi | 63.90% | 62.84% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.74 | -0.32 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -1.05 | -0.49 | |
| Max drawdowni | 95.91% | 87.34% | |
| Current drawdowni | 95.91% | 86.09% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 82.29% | 73.23% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 84.00% | 74.78% | |
| Max daily dropi | 25.64% | 19.05% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 47.72% | 32.09% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | -78.70% | -60.58% |
| CAGRi | -19.17% | -11.04% | |
| Volatilityi | 67.84% | 64.36% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.04 | 0.06 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.06 | 0.09 | |
| Max drawdowni | 97.37% | 87.48% | |
| Current drawdowni | 97.37% | 86.24% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 68.74% | 57.12% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 75.95% | 63.24% | |
| Max daily dropi | 25.64% | 19.05% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 47.72% | 35.36% |
| Category | FVRR | UPWK |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Fiverr International Ltd. | Upwork Inc. |
| Sector | Communication Services | Communication Services |
| Industry | Internet Content & Information | Internet Content & Information |
| Core business | Fiverr operates a global online marketplace for freelance services, where sellers offer standardized service 'gigs' (graphic design, copywriting, video editing, programming) at listed prices — creating a product-like catalog of creative and digital services for buyers. | Upwork is the largest freelance marketplace for professional services, connecting businesses with freelancers for contract work across software development, design, writing, consulting, and other professional disciplines, with longer-term project and retainer relationships. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Fiverr's active buyer count, average spend per buyer (ASPB), Fiverr Pro and Business marketplace expansion, and the platform's ability to move upmarket to higher-value enterprise projects. | Investors track Upwork's GSV (gross services value), take rate, active clients spending significant amounts, and the Upwork Enterprise platform for medium and large business clients seeking vetted professional talent at scale. |
- Catalog-based gig marketplace makes purchasing freelance services as easy as buying a product — transparent pricing, instant availability, and standardized delivery
- Strong SEO and content marketing drives organic traffic to Fiverr's marketplace without proportional marketing spend
- Fiverr Business and Fiverr Pro expand into higher-value enterprise and professional services beyond entry-level gigs
- Largest professional freelance marketplace by gross services value with deep enterprise relationships and vetting capabilities
- Upwork Enterprise serves medium and large companies with access to pre-vetted professional talent, enterprise compliance tools, and consolidated billing
- Longer-term project relationships (contracts lasting months or years) generate significantly higher GSV per client relationship than gig-based platforms
- Gig marketplace positioning (lower-cost, commoditized services) faces AI automation threat as generative AI can produce first drafts of many gig-level creative outputs
- Average spend per buyer growth requires moving upmarket against Fiverr's brand association with low-cost gigs
- International freelancer base creates quality variability that can frustrate enterprise buyers accustomed to consistent professional service standards
- AI coding assistants and generative AI tools are beginning to reduce demand for certain freelance programming tasks that historically were core Upwork categories
- Enterprise clients may increasingly use AI tools instead of, or alongside, human freelancers for tasks like content creation and code review
- Competitive pressure from LinkedIn's freelance tools, Toptal for elite talent, and offshore staffing firms for larger engagements
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