> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.vollna.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Auto-Bidding

> Let your filters and proposal templates bid for you — submitting tailored proposals within minutes of a job going live, around the clock.

Auto-Bidding takes the filters and proposal templates you've already built and runs them for you. The moment a matching job is posted on Upwork, it qualifies the job, writes a tailored proposal, and submits it — **in under 5 minutes, 24/7** — so you land among the first applicants instead of an hour too late.

<Note>
  Used by **200+ agencies** with **zero account bans**. Auto-Bidding is an Upwork **agency** feature and isn't available for US or UK accounts — see [What you need](#what-you-need).
</Note>

## How it works

One job filter plus one proposal template makes an **auto-bidding setup**. For every new job that matches, four things happen automatically:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Filter the feed">
    Your job filter watches Upwork in real time — keywords, budget, client spend, hire rate, location, and 30+ other attributes — so only jobs worth bidding on get through.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Qualify with AI">
    The optional [AI Job Qualifier](/docs/filters/overview) reads the full post like a person would and decides if it's a real fit — and records the reason for every qualify or skip. No black box.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the proposal">
    The [AI writer](/docs/bidding/ai-writer) drafts a fresh letter from the job, the client's history, and your profile — using your prompt and picking the most relevant case study for that job.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit automatically">
    It applies within minutes of the job posting, putting you among the first applicants — where clients actually look.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What you can do with it

Run Auto-Bidding as hands-off or as hands-on as you want.

* **Any schedule** — 24/7, or only the hours you choose (overnight, weekends, another time zone's peak).
* **A/B testing** — split up to five templates by percentage on one filter and let the data show which converts best.
* **Notifications** — Slack, Telegram, Discord, email, and webhooks, each carrying the job and the AI letter.
* **Analytics** — view rate, reply rate, application order, response time, boosted vs organic, and cost per reply, per profile, niche, or team.
* **[API & webhooks](/docs/integrations/api)** — push qualified jobs to Notion, Sheets, or your CRM, or have your own model write the letter and let Vollna submit it.
* **Manual approval** — every proposal goes to Slack or Telegram to approve, skip, or edit within a review window, with an auto-send fallback so nothing is missed.

## Prioritized feeds & boosting

Boosting adds a fixed number of connects to a proposal, with a daily cap — and connects are refunded if your boost is outbid. You can control boost from Slack or Telegram.

To bid **more on higher-value jobs**, run several feeds ranked by **priority**, each with its own qualifier, template, and boost amount:

* The highest-priority feed that qualifies a job takes it.
* If that feed's qualifier skips the job, it **cascades** to the next feed.

So a high-priority "premium jobs" feed (strict qualifier, larger boost) catches the best work, while everything else falls through to a standard feed with a smaller boost or none at all.

## When to use it

Auto-Bidding is the right fit when manual bidding can't keep up:

* A busy agency owner who loses jobs because proposals go out hours late.
* A growing team with more profiles than people to bid for them.
* New or rebuilt profiles that need a track record fast.
* Replacing a manual Upwork manager or a tool that wasn't working.

## What you need

<Note>
  **Requirements**

  * An Upwork **Agency** on **Agency Plus** (\$20/mo from Upwork)
  * **Connects** on the agency profile — roughly **\$2.50 per proposal** (auto top-up supported).
  * A paid auto-bidding plan — from **\$149/month** for 150 proposals.
</Note>

<Warning>
  **Not available for US or UK accounts.** Upwork restricts the Business Manager model for US and UK accounts. Everything else — filters, notifications, the AI qualifier and writer, and the Chrome extension for manual one-click bidding — still works.
</Warning>

## Is it safe?

Auto-Bidding runs through Upwork's own agency feature — not your account. Upwork lets agencies add a **Business Manager** to bid on their behalf. Vollna provides a verified Business Manager — a real person's Upwork profile — that joins your agency and submits the proposals.

* You never share your login or password; you only send an invite inside Upwork.
* The Business Manager gets **send-and-view access only** — nothing else in your account.
* Any risk sits with that profile, not your agency or your freelancers.
* Your clients still see your freelancer's profile, reviews, and job-success score, with a small agency badge.

This model has run across 200+ agencies with zero account bans.

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Aren't automated proposals generic?">
    You write the prompt and can see the exact letter before it sends. The AI writes each proposal from the job details, the client's history, and your profile, and picks the most relevant case study for that job. You can also test it on real jobs before going live.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will it waste my connects on bad-fit jobs?">
    That's what the AI Job Qualifier prevents. It reads the full job post and your rules, then disqualifies poor fits — and shows the reason for every decision. Precise filters and automatic skipping of location-mismatched jobs save connects too.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How fast does it apply?">
    Typically under 5 minutes of a job being posted (usually 5–7 minutes once you account for Upwork's feed latency, the AI writing, and a human-like submission). Being among the first applicants is the biggest driver of replies.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use my own AI model — Claude, GPT, or Gemini?">
    Yes. Choose between OpenAI, Claude, and Google models for the qualifier and the writer independently. Power users can go further: via the API and webhooks, your own model writes the letter and Vollna just submits it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My agency profile gets fewer replies than my strong personal profile. Does that hurt me?">
    A fresh agency profile can start weaker, but the client still sees your freelancer's profile and reviews — not the agency. Many one-person agencies perform well. You can also polish the agency page, or bid manually by day and let Vollna bid overnight.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I bid the same job from multiple freelancer profiles?">
    Yes. Create a separate setup per profile with its own template, and turn off "don't apply if another bid already applied." Each profile bids with its own letter.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I cancel anytime?">
    Yes. Plans are month-to-month with no contract and no setup fee. Cancel from your dashboard whenever you like; access stays until the end of the billing period.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can proposals include file attachments?">
    Yes. Proposals can include file attachments as well as links (such as a Loom or portfolio).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it auto-reply to clients?">
    An auto-reply to a client's first message is on the roadmap. Full back-and-forth conversation with clients is intentionally not automated.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Auto Top-Up Connects" icon="coins" href="/docs/auto-bidding/auto-top-up-connects">
    Keep bidding running by topping up Upwork connects automatically, within your limits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Proposal Templates" icon="pen-nib" href="/docs/bidding/overview">
    Build the templates Auto-Bidding uses to write each proposal.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Filters" icon="filter" href="/docs/filters/overview">
    Set up the job feeds that decide which jobs Auto-Bidding sees.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API & Webhooks" icon="code" href="/docs/integrations/api">
    Pipe qualified jobs into your own tools, or bring your own AI.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
