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How much does it actually cost to be a designer? π
I did the math on my yearly essentials:
π¨ Adobe β $172/year
π Internet β $25/month
π€ Claude β $200/year
βοΈ Google Drive β $50/year
π Apple storage β $9.99/month
β¨ Contra β $29/month
Typography, mockups and other assets are project-dependent, so I only buy them when needed.
I also use ChatGPT, Figma and Notion without paid subscriptions.
That puts my basic yearly setup at around $843.
And that's before the coffee. βοΈ
What does your designer setup cost you?
Itβs so crazyyyy
Right? The costs start to accumulate
Google Drive $50/month?
Well, not really, the actual plan I have is for annual USD 50 π
That Claude line stood out, I feel that one. Curious whether tallying it all up changed how you price projects, or was this more just a gut-check exercise?
It partially did, subscriptions are usually expensive but necessary, therefore I need to take that into account to charge accordingly.
That tracks. I used to just eyeball my software costs and pad my rate a bit, but actually adding it all up like you did makes a way stronger case when a client questions the number. Did doing the math change how confident you feel quoting new clients, or was it more just satisfying to see the real figure?
Well, it is a considerable amount of money, but it's not a lot if services are accurately charged considering the investment the designer does to do the work
This is a lot
It definitely adds up! But Iβve learned to separateΒ βhow much does it cost?βΒ fromΒ βhow much value does it bring me?βThose are two very different questions as a freelancer.
I like how you see itπ
Same here, I don't always track for that or mockups or other assets...
Honestly, the tools add up way faster than you expect. The subscriptions alone are already a decent monthly expense before you even count project-specific stuff.
100% true!
Interesting to see yours! Mine is very similar, except I pay for Notion because I love it so much and I upload my content planning to it :) Mine definitely includes a LOTTTTT of coffee.
I absolutely love Notion, but I haven't used features that would justify for me paying it yet. How do you use it?
Pretty much everything to be honest! It's my business brain. I log all the info I need in Notion, so I have everything in one place, from invoicing log to-do lists. I've been testing out client portals on there recently too. What do you use it for?
Love! I use it for a mix of personal and work stuff.
Personal: recipes, travel organization, expense tracking.
Work: Project tracker.
You only pay $172 a year for Adobe?
I do! It was actually updated in October last year at Ar$ 260.343,60, I used to pay way less since I had a student plan.
It's getting even more costly as time goes on.
The real question for me is whether they bring enough value back.
Yeah, they do to some extent.
Honestly, the small monthly costs add up fast. The coffee part is definitely real too.
Coffee, that I usually make at home + snacks, food... living!!! haha
Haha exactly, the subscriptions are only half the cost. Food and snacks quietly become the biggest line item.
The subscriptions are the easy number to see, but the cost that never makes these lists is the unbilled time: learning the tools, redoing unbriefed work, chasing invoices. That is the one I would actually price against.
Oooh that's such a good insight, I agree!
Yes True....Along with these I am also paying for ElementorPro for WordPress and now our industry is very competitive and due to AI graphics related work is dried from last two years from experience.
Keeping Figma and ChatGPT on free tier while paying for Claude is the interesting choice in that list β it says the AI cost is going toward output quality, not toward the core tools, which is probably the right place to spend $843 if you're bootstrapping.
Sometimes you need more licenses, chatGPT or other creative tool
That's crazy to see them all together like that, and there's definitely more on my list too!
btw: you don't do the adobe trick?
What adobe trick?
Damn
Adobe CC is a huge pain at 80$ a month
172/year is actually like 15 a month
Professional is not so easy π€
Itβs not!
Plus + Taxes
Exactly!
Honestly, the subscriptions add up faster than the software itself. The coffee somehow becomes the biggest expense once you stop counting.
Demnnnnn
Plus $2k/year in coffee to actually power all those subscriptions! β
Hahahaha indeed
I know you covered 'essentials' but another one to consider is your machine (macbook pro/ other) and your work space setup depending how robust that is. As well as the degree or qualification cost.
Well yes! Those are more long term investment, I totally agree! Maybe I should do another post covering these costs.
Curious why your Adobe subscription is that cheap. Full CC plan in my country costs ~70EUR
I have no idea! I was forced to update the subscription last year π€
wow
we don't need all these at start we can upgrade as per need
Totally! None of them are mandatory, although I would say for every designer working on print or whatever Adobe software is needed, a license must be purchased at some point
As a writer, although I have not got any projects yet but I write across multiple platforms. For these, I am using ChatGPT, Claude and Canva without paid subscriptions. I mostly stick to the free versions and plan to upgrade when a project actually requires it.
This is a great breakdown! Itβs easy to focus on the tools designers use without considering the recurring costs behind the work. The biggest investment, though, is still the skills and experience we build over time. And yes, coffee definitely deserves its own budget!
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