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Freelance Lab

The Pricing
Framework

Enter your base day rate and estimated project days. Score each factor from 1–5. Hit calculate and the framework does the rest.

Your Starting Point

Your base day rate is the minimum you'd charge for a straightforward day of work — no rush, no complexity. If you're unsure, start with what you need to earn daily to cover your costs and live comfortably.

Base Day Rate — all currencies work
$ per day
Estimated Days
days

The 6 Factors

Score each factor 1–5. Each score has a percentage modifier that adjusts your base rate. The modifiers stack.

1

Complexity

Two projects can take the same time but one drains you mentally. More complexity = more skill, more problem-solving, and feedback becomes harder to implement because changes ripple through everything.

1
0%
Easy
2
0%
Standard
3
+5%
Challenging
4
+10%
Highly technical
5
+15%
Pushing limits
2

Urgency

Tight deadlines mean late nights and overtime. It also means they have less time to shop around — they need you, and that comes at a premium.

1
0%
Flexible / no rush
2
0%
Reasonable
3
+10%
Tight
4
+25%
Rush job
5
+50%
Need it yesterday
3

Cost to Complete

Software, plugins, stock assets, equipment, AI tokens — all eat into what you actually walk away with. Factor them in or they come out of your pocket.

1
0%
No extra costs
2
+5%
Minor costs
3
+10%
Moderate costs
4
+15%
Significant spend
5
+25%
Heavy investment
4

Portfolio Value Inverted

If this project will elevate your portfolio, it can be worth lowering your price to win it. But it works both ways — if it adds nothing to your reel and isn't the type of client you want, charge more for your time.

1
+200%
Goes against my morals
2
+10%
Adds nothing / wrong direction
3
+5%
Minimal value
4
−10%
Strong portfolio piece
5
−40%
Portfolio-defining
*Quick Tip If working with an agency, check you have permission to use the work in your portfolio. If not, score as "adds nothing".
5

Impact & Usage

A social post that disappears after a day isn't the same as an ad running across multiple platforms for months. Wider exposure and higher importance to the client = more value.

1
0%
Internal / single use
2
0%
Limited reach
3
0%
Moderate exposure
4
+5%
Multi-platform
5
+10%
Major campaign / hero content
6

Client Fit Inverted

If you don't align with the client, ideally don't work with them. But if you need the money, make it worth your sanity. Dream clients can earn a better rate because the experience itself has value.

1
+30%
Painful — avoid if possible
2
+10%
Tolerable
3
0%
Fine — professional
4
−5%
Good relationship
5
−10%
Dream client
Your Project Price
$0
Breakdown
Total Modifier

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Remember

This framework is a guide, not a rulebook. The exact same deliverable can be worth very different amounts depending on your creative ability and the type of client you're working with. Use this to build confidence in your pricing — then trust your gut.