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 to Set Your Hourly Rate as a Freelance UI/UX Designer
Freelance UI/UX designers charge $65–$200/hour depending on experience, specialization, and market. Entry-level designers start at $65–$85/hour, mid-level designers charge $90–$140/hour, and senior specialists command $150–$250+/hour.
Floor
$65
per hour
Typical
$120
per hour
Premium
$220
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.
What changes the price
- Years of experience and portfolio quality
- Specialization niche (fintech, healthtech, enterprise SaaS)
- Tools expertise (Figma, Principle, Framer, Protopie)
- Research skills included (adds 20–30% to rate)
- Geographic location and local market rates
- Urgency and short-notice availability premium
- Client size and project complexity
- Whether the rate covers meetings and admin time
Real quote breakdowns
Junior Designer — First Freelance Client
A designer with 1 year of experience and a 3-project portfolio takes on their first freelance engagement: redesigning a landing page for a local business.
Breakdown
$75/hour. 8 hours total: 2 hours discovery, 4 hours design, 2 hours revisions. Project total: $600.
Mid-Level Designer — Ongoing App Work
A 4-year designer specializing in mobile UX bills an hourly rate to a startup for ongoing feature design work: one day per week, tracked in Harvest.
Breakdown
$120/hour, billed in 30-minute increments. Typical week: 7 design hours + 1 meeting hour = $960/week.
Senior Designer — Fractional Product Design Lead
An 8-year designer with SaaS expertise acts as fractional design lead for a Series B company, setting design direction, running design sprints, and mentoring a junior designer.
Breakdown
$195/hour. 15 hours/week = $2,925/week or approximately $11,700/month. Leadership and strategy premium applied.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge for discovery calls and initial consultations?
Short discovery calls (15–30 min) are typically free. Paid discovery workshops (2–4 hours) are standard before a scoped project and should be billed at your hourly rate. Clients who won't pay for discovery often have unclear briefs.
How do I raise my UI/UX design hourly rate?
Raise your rate for each new client, not mid-project. Common triggers: completing a notable project, adding a new skill (e.g., design systems), a market rate review, or moving to a higher-value niche. A 10–20% annual increase is sustainable.
Should I track hours precisely or estimate them?
Use time tracking software (Harvest, Toggl) for hourly work. Bill in 15- or 30-minute increments and send weekly time reports to clients. Transparency builds trust and makes invoice disputes rare.
When should I switch from hourly to project-based pricing?
Move to project pricing when you can reliably scope design work in advance. Project pricing rewards your efficiency, removes the ceiling on your earnings, and is preferred by most corporate clients who need budget certainty.