What the live counts actually say
The numbers on this page are the current archive on Job Alerts, not a marketing estimate. Use them to decide how many subscriptions you need. If Upwork is 80% of your matches, keep Freelancer as a secondary source on the same profile. If Guru is empty for your stack, turn it off and stop the noise.
Filters that travel across sources
Keywords, exclude words and budget floors work on every source. Client rating and verification are strongest on Upwork. Treat Guru and Freelancer budget fields as hints, then open the original posting before you write a proposal.
One proposal habit, three links
Do not write a different personality per marketplace. Keep one AI profile bio and adapt two sentences. The client still wants a clear plan and a start date. The source only changes the URL you paste.
Should I apply on all three every time?
Only when the brief is the same job. Most postings are unique. Watch all three, bid where the client and budget look real.