Hourly, project or retainer pricing?

Hourly pricing

Best for: work you can't scope in advance, like ongoing fixes, consulting or open-ended support.

Upside: you're paid for every hour; scope changes are not your risk.

Downside: you earn less as you get faster, clients watch the clock, and income is capped by your hours.

Project pricing

Best for: work with a clear result: a website, a brand identity, a video, a campaign.

Upside: clients know the price up front, and if you work efficiently you earn more per hour.

Downside: you carry the risk if the job takes longer, so the scope must be precise. List what's included, what's not and how many revision rounds, and use a deposit and payment stages.

Retainers and monthly packages

Best for: recurring work: social media management, content production, maintenance, design support.

Upside: predictable income and easier planning for both sides.

Downside: without tracking, packages quietly grow. Count what you deliver against what's included and bill the extras.

Your hourly rate is still the foundation

Whichever model you show clients, price it from an hourly rate you know covers your income, costs, tax and the hours you can't bill. Estimate the hours, multiply by your rate, then add a margin for risk on project prices. Work your rate out with the freelance rate calculator.

Moving clients from hourly to project or retainer

• After a few hourly jobs, you know how long the work takes. Offer the next one as a fixed price.
• When a client keeps coming back every month, offer a package that covers their usual needs, with a price for extras.
• Frame it around their benefit: a known price, no clock-watching, priority time.

Mixing models

Many freelancers combine them: a project price for the build, a monthly package for ongoing work, and an hourly or per-item price for anything extra. Kanvo handles all three: one-time quotes, monthly packages that bill the extras, and pay-per-item work invoiced at the end of the month.