Hourly vs Retainer vs Project-Based Work: What to Choose?Hourly vs Retainer vs Project-Based Work: What to Choose?
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I'm feeling curious and would love to know everyone's take on hourly work vs retainer vs project base work. What do you prefer? or what has worked better for you in terms of time and schedule?
Daniel G's avatar
Bright Studios logo
@Cami Ortiz I really don’t like hourly work I said limits the possible income. I can have I usually go by project or retainer.
Danyelle's avatar
@Cami Ortiz retainer is goated! but hourly if their range is generous, project based for super small lifts.
Vaibhav's avatar
@Cami Ortiz project-based/fixed rate work for a new project made from scratch. Hourly only for maintenance/changes to do on existing ones. 80% of my work is on fixed rates.
Fred's avatar
Framer Labs logo
@Vaibhav Khulbe can I ask something: to estimate a fixed rate, you still base the calculation on the amount of effort/time you think the project will take, correct? Or is more about estimating the overall "perceived value" of the project for a client? I've heard a lot of different things so I'm curious what method you apply.
Vaibhav's avatar
@Fred Moon @Cami Ortiz I basically start with a decent value (for what I think my experience and skills are worth based on projects I made in the past) and then I keep increasing its value over time.
Yes it depends on several factors like:
1. Who is the client? Big, small? etc
2. How much this will...
Fred's avatar
Framer Labs logo
@Vaibhav Khulbe @Cami Ortiz thanks appreciate the insights 🙏🏻
Anita's avatar
@Cami Ortiz I definitely prefer project-based work! It helps set clear expectations for both scope and deadlines without the pressure of tracking every minute. Hourly can get tricky with revisions or client delays, and retainers are great for long-term relationships, but I like the...
Sebastian's avatar
@Cami Ortiz +1 for project-based work. It helps to clear a scope of the work needs to be done. Clients changes can go out of hand fast.
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