Find your exact rate
Typical project work, moderate complexity.
Factor in AI tool subscriptions
Your Rate
Day Rate
$450
Project Est.
$2,200
Retainer
$8,350/mo
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Community Data
What do you actually charge?
Anonymous. Helps improve market benchmarks.
How much should you charge for copywriting?
Know your number before the next client conversation. BLS-calibrated rates for every copywriting engagement.
Copywriters in the US charge between $50 and $175 per hour. Per-word rates range from $0.10 to $1.00+. Website copy projects range from $1,500 to $10,000. The BLS median for writers is $73,690/year, translating to $65-$140/hr as a freelancer.
Floor
$50
per hour
Typical
$85
per hour
Premium
$150
per hour
Find your exact rate
Typical project work, moderate complexity.
Factor in AI tool subscriptions
Your Rate
Day Rate
$450
Project Est.
$2,200
Retainer
$8,350/mo
Was this helpful?
Community Data
What do you actually charge?
Anonymous. Helps improve market benchmarks.
How we calculated this
The rates on this page are derived from BLS OEWS May 2024 wage data for the closest matching occupation code, adjusted for freelance overhead using a transparent four-step formula.
- 01
Floor calculation
Your target income × 1.153 (SE tax) + annual software and tool costs, divided by billable hours. This is the minimum rate that covers your costs.
- 02
Market benchmarking
The base rate is positioned against BLS percentile data for your metro. You see exactly where you land — p10 through p90.
- 03
Skill and complexity adjustments
Multipliers of 0.85×–1.65× reflect your skill level and the complexity of the work. High-stakes, strategic work earns more.
- 04
Regional cost adjustment
BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) adjust the final rate for local cost of living. San Francisco commands more; Austin less.
What changes the price
- Copy type (website, email, ads, long-form, UX)
- Research depth required
- Industry expertise (SaaS, finance, health)
- SEO requirements
- Revision rounds
- Brand voice development
- Turnaround speed
Real quote breakdowns
Website Copy Project
Full website copy for a B2B SaaS company: homepage, product page, about, pricing, 2 landing pages. Includes discovery call, brand voice guide, and 2 revision rounds.
Breakdown
Discovery + strategy (5 hrs), writing (35 hrs), revisions (8 hrs) × $104/hr effective rate.
Email Welcome Sequence
6-email onboarding sequence for a software product. Includes subject line variants, segmentation logic notes, and copy rationale document.
Breakdown
28 hrs × $89/hr. One revision round. Client provides brand voice and product positioning.
PPC Landing Page
Single conversion-focused landing page for a Google Ads campaign. Headline testing variants included. High-stakes, tight 72-hour deadline.
Breakdown
12 hrs × $125/hr. Rush premium applied. Includes 3 headline variants for A/B testing.
Frequently asked questions
Should copywriters charge per word or per project?
Per-project pricing is almost always better. Per-word rates incentivize padding and punish concise, high-impact writing. Project pricing aligns your incentive with quality. Reserve per-word pricing for content mills, SEO articles at scale, or clients where per-project estimation is genuinely impossible.
Why does SaaS copywriting command a premium?
SaaS copy requires understanding complex products, technical audiences, and conversion psychology simultaneously. The buyer is often technical and skeptical. Copywriters who can translate product features into business outcomes for SaaS companies command a 30-50% premium over generalist writers.
How many revision rounds should I include in a copywriting project?
Two rounds is industry standard. The first revision addresses structural feedback — messaging, hierarchy, tone. The second cleans up line-level refinements. Additional revisions beyond this scope should be billed hourly. Be explicit in your proposal about what triggers a new project versus a revision.
Is AI replacing copywriters in 2026?
AI replaces commodity copy — generic blog posts, boilerplate product descriptions, templated emails. It does not replace strategic copywriters who can develop brand voice, execute conversion strategy, and produce copy that sounds like a specific brand. The market for high-skill copywriters has not contracted.
Is a copywriting retainer worth it?
Retainers make sense when a client needs consistent content output: weekly emails, monthly landing pages, ongoing ad creative. Price retainers with a 10-15% discount from your project rate in exchange for guaranteed monthly income. Require a 30-day cancellation notice and define deliverables clearly.
Related professions
The short version
- →Floor rate: $50/hr. Typical: $85/hr. Premium: $150/hr.
- →Copywriters in the US charge between $50 and $175 per hour.
- →The biggest rate drivers: Copy type (website, email, ads, long-form, UX), Research depth required, Industry expertise (SaaS, finance, health).
- →Rates are based on BLS OEWS May 2024 data, adjusted for freelance overhead, skill level, complexity, and regional cost of living.