Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 This would go in the freelance forum, but replies are turned off there so... I'm getting into freelance and want some input on what your normal work from home rate is, so I can better ballpark jobs, Things like hourly rate, what you charge for a login script, existing script modification, cms installation, cms theme modification, custom cms creation, anything else you can think of all of those would help me out in my bidding if I see what you guys charge. Thanks Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenrbnsn Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Moving from the PHP help forum to the Miscellaneous forum. Ken Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737935 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thanks for the move Ken, didn't know where to put this one Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737940 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 It can all depend on your skill, the size of the job, the complexity of the job, etc. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737942 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 blade, that i know, but if i get more than a few responses I can figure out what a going rate would be that way I can ballpark my bid more acurately, Ive been on these forums long enough to know who the rockstars are, I expect them to charge more. As I am just getting into the game I obviously would be lower than them, but I would still want to know what they charge Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737950 Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismonsewicz Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I typically charge between $35-$45 hourly Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737957 Share on other sites More sharing options...
trq Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 What is your time worth? Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737961 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Wow, i am way too cheap then Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737962 Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismonsewicz Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 if i did freelance more often i would probably have lower rates but i only do it so often so my rates are probably a little higher than normal Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737964 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 thorpe... My time is priceless, to me, others, for some reason want to put a dollar amount on it though Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737966 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 If you expect a proper answer then we need to know what services you offer and your skill level Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737970 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 My time is priceless Then you can use this function to calculate your price: [tex]P(t) = t \cdot \lim_{x\to\infty} \left(\sqrt{\int (17x+48-5(3x))dx - 48x} \cdot \sum_{n = 0}^{t} n!\right)[/tex] P(t) is the price in USD and t is the time you expect to use measured in hours. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737974 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Daniel... HA no really HA, like its gonna be my new sig HA Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737975 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Blade, I gave out a few examples, some are much more complex than others, like cms creation vs login script, but all of these I am capable of, the problem with php is it is so versatile that it is hard to layout my skills. I mean i was on elance yesterday, and a guy had a wordpress modification that he needed done, he needed the credit to the theme designer taken off the bottom of a theme, I thought about bidding and saying, give me 5 minutes and a dollar and it will be done. then theres elance, wordpress jobs for creating plugins. the differences between the 2 I think illustrates the variance possible with php, so I put a few things in my original post that I feel would allow me to get a feel for what the going rate is out there because I see most some of them as a common task. But hey maybe someone will see 'custom cms creation' and say something like, 'I once made a website from the ground up for a photographer based on his designs that involved significant backend work and I charged 3000 for it' and so on I hope that lets you know what I need Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737986 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Ok, well based on what you said i think i really should re consider my prices. For a full conversion from ASP to PHP i charged about £300 ( i don't know the dollar amount ) Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737989 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Blade, that there just shows you exactly why i have started this thread, I was just making up a number, but now you have provided a description of a job and the rate you recieved, thats exactly what I am looking for, Thank you ... Keep 'em coming //its about 450 (dunno the exchange rate either) def not 3000 though Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737993 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Well, it all comes down to this: How much is your time worth? Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737996 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Well in that it included full login and registration system (one for businesses and one for clients), a way to purchase advertising space (and dynamic advertising categories) and a small admin cp where the admin can review and approve purchases etc.. and edit/add categories. But for just a small simple login (enter text, validates, creates sessions) i charged £5 Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-737998 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 For those wages you might as well just flip burgers at McD. You'd earn more money that way. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-738001 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 So maybe i should more, i am always worried about scaring people off with more expensive prices Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-738002 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Daniel, I would value my time at a different rate than the market values my time, thus since freelance is more of a reverse auction (though the low bidder doesnt always get the job) I want to learn how to portray my value to perspective employers. regardless I get the feeling, 40 hours per week of freelance php is more than enough to satisfy my financial obligations (anything more than 20/hr is fine), but 40 hr/wk is not going to happen, so maybe 20 hours, at which my rate has now doubled to $40 or more, but now, is there enough employers willing to pay 40 versus 20 to satisfy that 20hr/wk, or do i need to do 12 at $40 and 16 at $20, and so on, which is why I would like to know what it is that you and others here charge for common tasks, like a login script or theme modification... and so on, that would help me form a better understanding of what the market rate is allowing me to know how much to compromise on what 'my time is worth' or if I need to compromise at all. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-738003 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 So maybe i should more, i am always worried about scaring people off with more expensive prices The cheapos aren't the good clients anyway. Getting someone to code a website is a premium service. Premium services cost money. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-738006 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Blade.. I know what you mean about scaring people off. specifically I am in contact with a company that wants me to do backend for a web page they are building, a month ago they were looking to hire in-house permanent for this and other jobs, and i scared them off with a quote of about 55K, now they want to go freelance, and have a pool of us on retainer, I dont have the job details yet, but I want to be prepared to give a good quote so as not freak them out, I am about to lose my day job so anything helps and I really want and need the experience so that I can add to my portfolio and broaden my horizons... I dont think it will be long before this company figures out that in house is cheaper, so I would like to win some jobs while I can, which would also make me a better candidate when they do open up the in house again Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-738007 Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Some clients go for the coders who charge like $1 an hour or like $100 for complete site projects. All I'm going to say to that is at best, you get what you pay for, at worst, you got scammed. Usually some tightwad or some kid wanting to make the next l33t text mmo goes for this sort of deal. Other clients don't want the headache associated with picking aforementioned coders, but they don't necessarily want to be buying the proverbial sports car, either. They just want it to "get the job done, security is not a concern, blahblahblah is not necessary, etc...", so they are willing to pay more, but not top dollar. Small businesses/self-employed people generally fall into this category. Also, the tightwads who have been previously burned from the $1/hr crowd will reluctantly line up for this deal if they are really backed into a corner. Still other clients understand the whole concept of you get what you pay for. They expect the best, because they expect to be the best. They will pay top dollar, and demand top coding and performance with little or no hassle or time. Generally only larger businesses opt for this, though it's fairly common to make a living off these fees from word-of-mouth business alone. How much you personally should charge really depends on what kind of coder you want to be. Are you a "make a quick buck off some fool" type of person? Are you a "I get the job done, it works, that's all that counts" guy? Are you a "I get the job done, and it's the current standard" type of guy? And, how much time you're willing to put into it in general, goes a long way. Also (as mentioned by others), your current skill level plays a big part in it. You may have the heart of a pro, but if you don't have the knowledge, you are going to be constantly biting off more than you can chew and you will get nothing but trouble out of it. But you don't really care about all that, do you? You just want to hear some solid numbers. Well it's not that simple, for all the reasons I mentioned, and more. I know decent coders who charge $10 an hour due to their desire to "keep it simple" and only do it on the side. I know a few bad coders who charge $50 an hour and constantly get in way over their head. I know a few good coders who charge $25-50 an hour who I consider to be professionals. I also know a lot of people who I consider to be professionals, who offer a lot of free help in places like phpfreaks.com. I personally do not consider myself to be a top dog coder, but tbh all day long I see people coming and going around here that claim to deliver but fail, and then come crying for us to help them swallow what they bit off, and I'm just like wtf if I knew who you were working for I'd go to them and steal your project, lol. Point is, it's not black and white. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-738011 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 but tbh all day long I see people coming and going around here that claim to deliver but fail, and then come crying for us to help them swallow what they bit off, and I'm just like wtf if I knew who you were working for I'd go to them and steal your project, lol. Lol, don't i know it I have helped a lot of people in the help section who post code saying that it needs to be soon. If you say you can do it then can't don't expect the person to be giving you much more work. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/140997-whats-your-freelance-rate/#findComment-738014 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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