project quote calculator
Stop guessing at flat fees. Price articles, landing pages, case studies, white papers, email sequences, video scripts, writing bundles, audits, and other scoped writing and content projects by factoring in hidden hours, complexity, add-ons, and profit margin.
Use the internal rate you want this project to meet or beat. This stays private.
Pick the closest deliverable. This updates the phase buckets and scope extras below; use Other / custom for mixed scopes.
estimated hours by phase
Enter the core hours for this deliverable. Fields update when you change the project type.
scope add-ons
Turn on the extras that apply. Premiums add a percentage; work-heavy extras add hours. Use custom scope lines for anything unusual.
custom scope
Add a safety margin so the quote can absorb scope wobble and still protect your effective hourly rate.
Build your quote
Enter your hourly rate and the estimated hours on the left to build your project quote.
Need to figure out your minimum hourly rate first? Use the freelance writing rate calculator or freelance pricing guide →
This Project Quote Calculator provides estimates only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. By using this tool, you agree that you are solely responsible for your business and pricing decisions, and the creators are not liable for any outcomes resulting from its use.
FAQs on pricing freelance projects
How do I quote a freelance project accurately?
Start by breaking the project into phases, then add scope extras, complexity, and profit margin. This project quote calculator helps you price the full job, not just the drafting time, so research, interviews, revisions, approvals, publishing, and project management are easier to account for.
What kinds of projects can I quote this way?
This calculator works best for flat-fee writing and content deliverables like blog posts, website copy, landing pages, sales pages, case studies, white papers, lead magnets, email sequences, newsletters, video scripts, content repurposing work, writing bundles, content strategy work, campaign planning, and content audits. If your scope is mixed, choose the closest project type or use the custom option.
What should I include in a project quote?
A strong quote should cover the full delivery process: kickoff, research, outlining, drafting, editing, revision rounds, approvals, publishing or formatting, and any handoff work. This calculator is built around those phases so you can price what the project actually requires.
How do I price hidden project hours like research, calls, edits, and approvals?
Price them as part of the quote, not as invisible freebies. This calculator separates project work into phases so you can assign time to discovery, SME interviews, internal edits, client revisions, stakeholder review, publishing, and follow-through before you name a fee.
What project add-ons should freelancers charge for?
Common add-ons include rush delivery, extra stakeholder rounds, ghostwriting or NDA work, expanded usage rights, extra SME interviews, workshops, repurposing into other formats, and extra handoff or publishing support. Use add-ons when the scope goes beyond the standard version of the deliverable.
Should I quote one price or a range?
Usually, yes. The floor gives you your minimum acceptable number, the target gives you the quote that covers the work well, and the premium gives you room for a higher-anchor option. Use the quote range from this calculator to shape a good-better-best proposal or a three-tier pricing package.
How should I price a more complex project?
Use a higher complexity setting when the work carries more research depth, technical difficulty, approval risk, or strategic pressure. A regulated white paper, executive ghostwriting assignment, or conversion-focused sales page should not be priced like a familiar blog post.
How do I turn my hourly rate into a flat project fee?
Estimate the hours for each phase, multiply by your internal hourly baseline, then adjust for complexity, add-ons, and margin. That gives you a project fee grounded in real effort instead of a guess.
How do I set a flat fee without underpricing myself?
Start from your internal hourly rate and the real hours each phase takes, then add complexity, add-ons, and margin before you name a number. Underpricing usually comes from quoting the drafting time only, then absorbing research, revisions, approvals, and project management for free.
Should I show the client this full breakdown?
No. This is an internal quoting tool. Use it to arrive at a confident flat fee, then present the client with a clean proposal built around deliverables, scope, timeline, and terms.
Why should I add a profit margin to my quote?
Profit margin gives your business breathing room. It helps cover the overruns, admin load, and business upkeep that do not fit neatly into a single project, and it keeps a slightly messy project from dragging your effective rate too low.
