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Just had to choose between a fixed price or hourly rate for a 3-week web design gig
The job was for a local bakery in Portland, they needed a full site refresh with 8 pages. They offered me either $1500 flat or $45 an hour with a 40-hour cap. I went with the hourly because I know how these projects can balloon. It took me 52 hours total, so I billed $2340. Honestly, the flat fee would have left over $800 on the table. How do you guys usually decide which way to go on a new project?
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bell.jessica5mo ago
Ugh, I once took a flat rate for a simple logo and ended up in five rounds of edits.
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finley_smith5mo ago
Smart move going hourly on that one. Actually though, the math on the cap is a bit off. A 40 hour cap at $45 an hour maxes out at $1800, not the full $2340. So you still came out ahead of the flat fee, just not by as much. That cap is the whole point for the client, to limit their risk. For future jobs, the trick is guessing if your hours will go OVER that cap. If you think it'll run long, a flat fee can sometimes be safer money.
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blair_torres705mo ago
Yeah, that cap is the whole point for them. Honestly, I only go hourly if I'm sure I can beat the clock.
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finley_smith3mo ago
Flip that around though. Flat fee frees you up to work fast without clock watching. Hourly just punishes efficiency.
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