RateForge
Freelance rates backed by math, not gut feeling.
16 followers
Freelance rates backed by math, not gut feeling.
16 followers
RateForge is a free calculator that turns your income goals, expenses, billable hours, and time off into the hourly and day rate you should actually charge. Get an AI-generated, shareable rate report in seconds, no sign-up, no spreadsheet gymnastics.
@issam_hamed Just gave it an upvote. Too many freelancers price their work without fully accounting for their real costs, so I like that you're bringing more structure to the process. Congratulations on the launch. Have you found that users adjust their rates after seeing the results, or do they mostly use it to validate what they already charge?
@spotch_founder Thanks Nick, appreciate the upvote! Honest answer: launch is too fresh for solid patterns yet. Early signal is more validation than adjustment, people run their current setup through it to sanity-check. The interesting cases are when the market data comes back higher than what they charge, that's where I think the shareable report earns its keep, it gives them something concrete to raise rates with. Will know more in a few weeks.
Would love to see a benchmark comparison built in, so the report shows how my calculated rate stacks up against industry averages for similar roles or experience levels in my city. Would help me know if I'm pricing myself too low without needing to dig around elsewhere.
@pakizeji7s
Great suggestion Pakize. The rate itself is already built from live market data for your skill and experience, but you're right that the report doesn't show an explicit side-by-side against the average, you just get the final number. Showing 'your rate vs market range' as a visual comparison would make undercharging obvious at a glance. Adding it to the roadmap, thanks! 👍💖
honestly love that there's zero sign-up friction here, just straight to the calculator. the way it factors in time off alongside billable hours is a smart touch that most rate calculators completely skip over.
@lates63055 Thanks! Small correction though, you don't actually enter time off yourself, the AI estimates unbillable time (vacation, admin, gaps between projects) as part of the breakdown. Zero sign-up was non-negotiable for me, glad it shows. If your number came out different from what you charge today, I'd love to hear by how much.
The no-signup approach is so refreshing, just punch in my numbers and get a clean rate report in seconds. Love that it factors in time off too, something I always forget when pricing projects.
@lhancltm
Thanks İlhan! Time off is the silent rate killer, everyone prices like they work 52 weeks a year and then wonders where the money went. And no sign-up was a hard rule from day one, if a calculator asks for my email before showing a number, I close the tab hh. Glad it landed the same way for you.
Love how clean the report output feels - the way it splits your real rate from recommended rate side by side makes the "what should I charge" question click instantly. And no signup wall behind the good stuff is a really thoughtful choice.
@kenan78751 Thanks Kenan! That split was the whole point, seeing your real floor next to the market rate makes the gap impossible to ignore. Small thing coming soon: you'll be able to edit the wording in the report (client note, line item descriptions) before sending it, so it sounds like you, while the numbers stay locked to keep the report credible. Appreciate you checking it out!
Love how quick this is, no sign-up friction is huge. One thing that would take it further for me: letting me compare two rate scenarios side by side, like what happens if I cut to 25 billable hours a week versus 30, so I can see the actual lifestyle tradeoffs instead of guessing.
@sultankzbs Really like this idea Sultan👍 , thanks.
A side-by-side scenario view is a great way to make the lifestyle tradeoff visible instead of abstract. Adding it to the roadmap.
Out of curiosity, would you want the comparison on hours, on rate, or both?
Finally a rate calculator that doesn't make me build a whole spreadsheet just to see if I'm undercharging. Plugged in my numbers and the AI report actually called out the vacation gap I always forget to factor in.
@basogulgon30432
Ha, the vacation gap gets everyone, it's the most expensive thing freelancers give away for free. Glad the report caught it for you😊
If the number it gave you was higher than your current rate, curious if you'd actually send the report to a client or just use it privately?