Sealed proposals: hide your bid amount from other freelancers.

A sealed proposal hides your bid amount from other freelancers who bid on the same project. Only you and the client see the price. To seal, tick Seal this proposal on the proposal form before you choose Send proposal. Sealing costs 5 extra credits, shown before you confirm.

Before you start

• You're writing or editing a proposal. See send a proposal.
• Check your credits: the proposal cost plus 5 for the seal. See credits.

Steps

1Write your proposal as usual

Fill in Bid as, your terms, milestones, cover letter and answers.

2Tick Seal this proposal

Below your terms, tick Seal this proposal. You see "Other freelancers can't see your bid amount."

3Check the cost

The cost panel shows the split, for example the proposal's credits plus the credits to seal it, and You have. If you're short, choose Get credits.

4Send

Choose Send proposal. Your proposal shows Sealed in My proposals, with the note "Sealed: other freelancers can't see your bid."

5Seal later (optional)

Already sent? In My proposals, choose Edit, tick Seal this proposal and Save changes. The seal credits are charged when you save.

What happens next

The client sees your full proposal, including the amount, exactly as usual. Other freelancers looking at the project don't see your price. Everything else about your proposal (status, messages, hiring) works the same.

Troubleshooting

• Not enough credits to seal. Buy a pack or earn free credits, or send without sealing.
• I sealed by mistake. Sealing can't be undone for a refund, but it doesn't harm your proposal in any way.
• I can't find the seal option. It appears on the proposal form for live projects. If the project closed, you can't change the proposal.

Good to know

• Credits are shown first: the sealed cost appears before you send, so you can decide each time.

• When sealing helps: on competitive projects where you've priced carefully and don't want others to copy your number.
• When it doesn't matter: on small or invite-only projects with few bidders, sealing adds cost without much benefit.
• Clients can also hide their budget. Such projects show Budget hidden in the list. Propose what the work is honestly worth. On a project where the client bought Sealed, every bid is sealed for you with no extra credits.
• Sealing is not boosting. Boost moves your proposal up the client's list; seal only hides your price.

Tip: Your price is only part of the decision. A clear plan and relevant portfolio often matter more to the client than being the cheapest.

Note: Credits spent on a seal follow the same refund rules as proposal credits. See credits.