How Much to Charge as a New Freelancer
Why underpricing hurts more than it helps
Underpricing feels like the safe choice when you're new — a lower price seems more likely to win the job. In practice, it creates two problems that outweigh that initial advantage. First, it attracts clients who chose you primarily on price, who are often the least reliable and most demanding clients to work with. Second, raising your rate later with an existing client is far harder than starting at a fairer price from the beginning — most freelancers find it easier to price appropriately for new clients than to renegotiate with old ones. A price that feels slightly uncomfortable to quote is often closer to correct than one that feels completely safe.
A simple starting formula
A practical starting point: research what confident, established freelancers in your specific skill charge for comparable work, then price modestly below that — reflecting your genuinely lower experience honestly, without undervaluing the work itself. For hourly work, make sure your rate accounts for time you won't be billing directly (admin, invoicing, finding clients), not just the hours spent on delivery. For project-based work, estimate the time honestly, add a buffer for the inevitable back-and-forth revisions, and price the project rather than guessing at an hourly equivalent afterward.
Raising prices as you gain proof
Every completed project, positive piece of feedback and repeat client is real evidence that justifies a higher rate — treat rate increases as something you do deliberately and periodically, not something you wait to be told you deserve. A reasonable approach is reviewing your pricing every few months, or after a specific number of completed projects, and raising it for new clients once you have enough proof to justify it. Existing clients can usually be moved to a new rate with reasonable notice rather than immediately — a straightforward, professional conversation, not something to avoid out of guilt about earning what the work is actually worth.
If you'd rather work within an existing pricing structure than negotiate every project from scratch, apply to join our professional marketplace — job budgets are set per project, with a clear platform commission on completed work rather than ambiguous, ad-hoc negotiation for every client.