How To Become a Freelance Software Developer

How Much Should I Charge?

Once you find a project, the next thing you’ll need to figure out is how much you should charge.

In freelancing networks, rates and reputation are in fairly strict relationship. If you have no reputation, your clients probably won’t accept high rates. If you have a bad reputation, you probably won’t be hired at all, regardless of your rates. But as your reputation gets higher and higher, so does the ceiling for your rates. More about reputation in the next article of the series (part 3).

The other important factor in pricing is the country in which you live. I started with cheap rates, about $15/hour, and these days charge an average of $60-70/hour, depending on the project. However, I live in Poland, a country where life doesn’t cost a lot. My clients are mostly located in the US, but in the past I’ve also worked with UK and Italy.

If I were living in the UK, I would probably be earning £60/hour on average, which is about $90. In the US, I could charge as much as $120/hour—or even more, in the right location. I might guess that an iOS developer in San Francisco could ask for two or three times that rate!

Many clients look for the lowest price—but not all of them. There’s a good percentage who understand that in life, you get what you pay for. I’ve frequently written to a prospective client, “I know I’m not the cheapest developer, but…” It’s up to you to decide what comes after “but”.

Where To Go From Here?

Once you’ve got a job, you’ll want to make sure that you complete it successfully and impress your client – that will make it easier for you to land your next one.

For tips on that, check out our next part of the series, where we’ll share some freelance software development tips we’ve learned over the years.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or advice on getting started as a freelance software developer, please join the forum discussion below!