Hourly or fixed price: how to choose

A fixed price is an hourly rate in disguise. Work out your rate and check any project price against it. No sign-up.

How a fixed price splits your rate

• The rate is €59 an hour. The project is estimated at 40 hours: price €2,360.
• The project took 60 hours. Same money, but the real rate is €2,360 ÷ 60 = €39. A third less.
• That's why a fixed price is a ceiling: hours beyond the estimate are free. Build in a buffer for revisions and say what the price doesn't include.

Working out your rate is half the job

The calculator tells you what to charge. The timer shows what you actually get: how many hours you worked today, how many of them are paid, and how much is left until your daily target.

A rate without tracked hours is a promise to yourself that nobody checks.

Five of your numbers, not someone else's median

Going by someone else's rate makes no sense: it's built from someone else's life — another city, another tax, another share of paid hours. Yours comes from five numbers, and all of them are about you.

Common questions

When is hourly better?

When the scope isn't clear up front: ongoing support, consulting, projects that grow as they go. The risk of extra hours then sits with the client.

When is a fixed price better?

When the task is clear and the limits are named: number of revision rounds, what's included. The client finds a sum easier to approve, and you sell a result.

How do I work out a fixed price?

Estimate the hours, multiply by your rate and add a buffer for what won't go to plan. Log hours per project — after a few projects your estimates get sharper.

How do I know a fixed price didn't pay off?

Compare the project amount with the hours you logged. The journal shows it for every project — how it's counted.

Rate, hours and projects in one place

A minute on how it works day to day.

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