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Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

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Re: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

#13

Post by flyosity »

I do some Mac and iOS user interface design & development consulting on the side of my real job. I charge between $100-150/hr depending on the project, and I don't really take many projects since I try to leave enough time for me to work on my own apps and projects. I live in Raleigh, NC but my clients are worldwide.

Re: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

#14

Post by patio11 »

jasonkester wrote: post #6

This would probably work better as a poll or an offsite, anonymous survey. I don't think you'll get very accurate results from limiting yourself to the small fraction of developers who: - don't mind disclosing their salary in public - don't have any co-workers, employers, or clients who read this site - have a single fixed rate that they charge everybody - don't plan to change their rate in the future - make enough t…

What Jason said. The "wants to help you" me really, really wants to quote numbers because I think people pervasively underprice their services. The "wants to not be awkward socially" me really doesn't want folks to immediately do "50 * $WEEKLY_RATE = $WOWZA" and assume that I'm loaded, partially because it would be wrong and partially because it might change how people interacted with me in a way I wouldn't enjoy. The rational businessman in me knows that telling my rate or rate range in place where prospective customers are quite likely to see it (hiya, past clients! waves) can only hurt my economic interests.

Which is a pity, because I think this is likely to systematically put a downward bias on answers you get back. These issues don't bite quite so hard when you're charging $20 ~ $60 an hour. If one hypothetically had weekly rates in the $8k to $24k region, they start to matter more. I'd hate for impressionable consultants reading the poll results to think that $20 ~ $60 is reasonably achievable and $8k to $24k is not just because only one of those was written in the results.

P.S. $8k to $24k is not my range. I just 10X and weekified the "relatively inexpensive programmer" numbers I picked out of nowhere.

Re: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

#15

Post by uid »

condorr wrote: post #3
uid wrote: post #2

There is a lot of work out there at the moment. I got back into consulting work as a freelancer two weeks ago and filled up my schedule within a couple of days after sending a single email to 5 or 6 contacts. I am working on backend Python, frontend Javascript (Backbone, etc.) and general startup product consulting. Charging $700 per day (which I think is low, but I wanted to accept some work), based in Asia and clie…

Where did you find your contacts? People who you've previously worked with? I'd be interested in how those rates compare with say freelancing at oDesk or vWorker.

I emailed friends and former co-workers. I have never used any of the freelancing sites, but from what I understand it is difficult to charge higher rates as you are starting out.

Re: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

#17

Post by uid »

byoung2 wrote: post #10
uid wrote: post #2

There is a lot of work out there at the moment. I got back into consulting work as a freelancer two weeks ago and filled up my schedule within a couple of days after sending a single email to 5 or 6 contacts. I am working on backend Python, frontend Javascript (Backbone, etc.) and general startup product consulting. Charging $700 per day (which I think is low, but I wanted to accept some work), based in Asia and clie…

Charging $700 per day...based in Asia and clients in the USA (West Coast) Where in Asia? That rate could go a long way in the Philippines or Thailand, or not very far in Hong Kong or Singapore.

I travel between Australia and Thailand. I will be raising my rates with the next quote I do. I have only been back in freelance work for a few weeks now.

Re: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

#18

Post by uid »

jasonkester wrote: post #6

This would probably work better as a poll or an offsite, anonymous survey. I don't think you'll get very accurate results from limiting yourself to the small fraction of developers who: - don't mind disclosing their salary in public - don't have any co-workers, employers, or clients who read this site - have a single fixed rate that they charge everybody - don't plan to change their rate in the future - make enough t…

Good point. I just created a poll:

http://gopollgo.com/what-is-your-hourly-freelance-consulting...

Re: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

#19

Post by driverdan »

I do LAMP, front-end (JS, HTML5/CSS3), server admin, performance optimization, project planning / product dev, security consulting, SEO, and whatever else a client will pay me to do.

Typical rate is $75/h. I also do project quotes that work out to be more or less. Through BidOnMyDay I've been working for less but meeting some great people (shameless plug):

http://bidonmyday.com

I'm US based. Currently a nomad living in hostels, hotels, and couch surfing.

I DGAF if people know what I make. I've never understood apprehension with discussing income. If you have coworkers it could make sense but this is for freelancers. Also, if you think a freelancer makes RATE * FULL TIME HOURS you've never been one.

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