Freelancer Pricing Ladder 2025

Charge for outcomes, not time. Each rung introduces leverage without scaring clients.

Rung 1 · Hourly

• Use to validate demand quickly.
• Track every task to learn true effort.

Rung 2 · Project

• Define scope, rounds, and success metrics upfront.
• Include kill fees for major pivots.

Rung 3 · Retainer & Rung 4 · Revenue share

• Retainers lock in priority access.
• Rev-share kicks in once trust + track record exist.
• Always anchor pricing to business impact.