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I'm about to start my freelance career as a web designer/developer. I'd like to know on what basis web devs charge their customers? I know its a bit difficult since prices wary based on various factors but I just want to get a general idea.

I'd appreciate if any experienced developers could share their experience, knowledge on this subject matter.

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...it is not just a bit difficult when these factors make up the larger percentage of your salary. Someone in London can clearly charge n-times more than someone in India (just by the cost of living alone), if said someone does the recruitment and PR. – Lo Sauer Sep 25 '12 at 6:49
@LoSauer I understand. I just want to get an idea on what basis devs charge for websites. Like is it per page? or does it depend on static/dynamic content? that kinda things :) – Isuru Sep 25 '12 at 10:05
nK0de: That's totally different. Some charge by their experience. If you are a programmer you may charge programming hours, even if it's a static page. Though in most such cases the potential customer would look for somebody else. So it depends: Do you need the job? If you can afford to lose a contract, you can charge higher. – thorsten müller Sep 25 '12 at 10:40
@thorstenmüller I see. Well I'm not really a seasoned developer yet. I guess at this point, I shouldn't be too narrow in finding clients since all I want right now is to build up a portfolio. :) – Isuru Sep 25 '12 at 10:54

closed as off topic by Walter, MainMa, Mark Trapp, ChrisF♦ Sep 26 '12 at 8:27

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3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

There are basically 2 ways how it is generally done:

  1. Based on hours you going to spend.
  2. Overall prices of the projects is negotiated and paid as fixed price.

The second approach is the trickiest, as you have to have some planning experience with this type of project beforehand. Thus, you may estimate your costs (operations, salary, rent, etc..) effectively.

There is also a related post where i put my answer in regards to how to determine an appropriate charge and allocate resources - link.

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up vote 1 down vote

To expand on ElYusubov's suggestions, remember to always include a 'buffer,' especially when charging a flat rate.

I've only been doing web development freelancing for a few months, but I learned quickly that what seems like a 2 hour job quickly escalates to a 10 hour job. Clients will forget to mention things, features you thought would suffice can end up not working, etc.. Get as many details out of your client as you can early on; you'll be less likely to get sucked in an endless project, and your clients will likely notice your professionalism.

Last, freelancing isn't exactly a gravy-train. While you can get experience beyond your years very quickly, you can't expect to make much. Instead, you gain popularity, reputation, wisdom, and very nice bullet points on your resume. You might still want to look for a solid job in addition to freelancing.

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Not sure I'd be inclined to agree that "you can't expect to make much" as a freelancer. – Anonymous Sep 25 '12 at 13:41
@Anonymous I'm not saying you won't make a lot, I'm just saying you can't expect to. It's not a solid income, and depending where you do your freelance work, you can be in a lot of competition from oversea developers that charge next to nothing (and of course, most small companies just go with cost over quality). – Jeffrey Sweeney Sep 25 '12 at 13:46
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I know what you're trying to say and as you're starting out that will be the case. But once you've been going a few years and have a large client base/list of contacts, you're never really stuck for paying work. – Anonymous Sep 25 '12 at 13:59
up vote 1 down vote

You may find the International Average Salary Income Database useful.

As for charging:

  • You may charge on the basis of a fixed project with clearly defined goals and milestones. You can additionally negotiate a monthly or yearly rate for maintenance work.

  • You may charge by the hour.

  • You may charge a flatrate: The client pays you on a monthly or weekly basis and you deliver good results, whilst doing some additional work for "free" to strengthen your business relationships.

Extra time spent forming your work agreement is worth it in the long run.

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