Ask Do freelance platforms have policies about freelancers working for direct competitors of a client?

[Edward22]

This is something that comes up more than people expect, especially when a freelancer works in a niche where clients from the same industry keep hiring them. Most platforms do not have a general rule stopping you from working with competing businesses, because the platform itself does not know the details of your contracts. However, some clients include clauses in their own agreements that restrict who else you can work with during or after the project. Has a client ever brought this up with you, and how did you handle it?