 |
| How Much to Charge as a Freelancer (jamiebegin.com) | ||
| recommended by 2 users | 2013 | 123 points by alipang | freelance & consulting | original thread | | ||
| 2 users recommended this thread. What they said: |
| theunixbeard Apr 18, 2015 | on: Ask HN: Could developers use the licensing model… | context |
|
Yeagerist Aug 25, 2026 | on: How Much to Charge-Freelance/Contracting –… | context
This 10+year old thread was a goldmine but Its now 2026 with endless world changs and AI /Consumer behavioural changes/ COL Crisis /etc https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6103350 Any advice and insight is much appreciated. Thanks fellow humans . |
| Also recommended by people who recommended this: | ||
| 1. | Poll: As a freelancer, how much do you bill per hour? | |
| recommended by 1 user | 2012 | 334 points by llambda | original thread | | ||
| 2. | My first month freelancing (alanhollis.com) | |
| recommended by 1 user | 2012 | 191 points by Alan01252 | original thread | | ||
| 3. | Freelancing: How to talk yourself into charging more (andyadams.org) | |
| recommended by 2 users | 2014 | 395 points by andy_adams | original thread | | ||
| 4. | A Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code (bloomberg.com) | |
| recommended by 1 user | 2018 | 223 points by bungie4 | original thread | | ||
Consulting rates are something that gets talked a lot about on Hacker News, but this is one of the first times I've seen a detailed retainer agreement laid out. Thanks Patrick!
I recently had the opportunity to pitch a retainer agreement to a client after a successful project, I'd be curious to hear what you think of it:
"I also offer a retainer service --- pay 2/3 of my rate upfront to prebook a certain number of hours per week/month, thereby guaranteeing my availability over that period. For each hour actually redeemed, the remaining 1/3 is then paid." - From a 'Next Steps Email' to the Client
Spoiler --- the client opted to turn down this retainer agreement and instead sign an additional contract for more ongoing work.
As an aspiring consultant, one disconnect I've noticed between the advice patio11, tptacek gives and my reality is that they are charging 8K per week for specialized conversion optimization/security work while I am only charging 100 per hour* for garden variety Rails development. At the rate I am charging, clients can afford to hire me long-term vs. the short, specialized agreements that the advice-givers previously took on in their consulting days...
* In the process of moving to a daily rate! I have heeded the advice. As a bonus, here are some of my favorite comments from these two about consulting:
- https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tptacek (Note Cliff Note #2)
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3420303
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3420203 (Main Thread)
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4101355 (Top comment)
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6103350 (Top comment)
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6073015 (Top comment)
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8704303 (Ctfl-F for tptacek or daily)
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3914611 (Top Comment)