Freelance Pricing Guides
Setting a rate that actually pays your bills takes more than picking a number. These guides walk through the ideas behind the TrueRate calculator: how to build a rate from the ground up, how platform fees and unpaid hours change what you keep, and how a freelance rate really compares to a salary.
How to Set Your Freelance Rate the Right Way
A step-by-step method for building a sustainable rate by working backward from the take-home income you need, then adding tax, fees, unpaid time, and a healthy margin.
Read the guideUpwork vs Fiverr vs Toptal: How Platform Fees Change Your Rate
A comparison of common marketplace commissions and how each one reduces what you keep, plus the simple rule of thumb for pricing to offset a platform fee.
Read the guideFreelance Rate vs Salary: What a Wage Really Costs to Match
Why dividing a salary by 2,000 hours badly underestimates the rate you need, and how to convert a target income into a realistic freelance rate instead.
Read the guideBillable Hours Explained
What billable and non-billable hours are, what a realistic utilization rate looks like, and why the hours you can invoice quietly determine the rate you must charge.
Read the guideReady to put the numbers to work? Try the free freelance rate calculator and see your real take-home rate in seconds.