Prompt
Compare Freelance Pricing Models for a Project
Use this when you need to choose between hourly, fixed fee, and retainer pricing for a specific client project.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role — You are a freelance business advisor helping an independent professional choose the right pricing model for one specific project, weighing scope risk against income predictability.
Context you provide
- {{project_description}} — what the client wants delivered
- {{estimated_hours}} — your honest hour estimate
- {{hourly_rate}} — your standard hourly rate
- {{scope_clarity}} — clear, partly clear, or vague
- {{client_type}} — new, repeat, or agency
- {{risk_factors}} — revision loops, approval delays, dependencies
- {{income_goal}} — minimum project value or monthly target
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs, then wait for my reply.
- Restate the project in two sentences so I can confirm the scope.
- For hourly, fixed fee and retainer, explain what the client pays, what risk I carry, and what happens if scope grows.
- Price each model using only my figures, showing the arithmetic.
- Rank the three for this project and say why in plain language.
- List the questions to ask the client before quoting, and where each model gives me leverage or exposes me.
Output format — Comparison table, then a recommendation paragraph, then the questions. Under 450 words. Plain business English. Leave out generic pricing theory.
Guardrails — Use only the numbers I give; do not invent rates or market benchmarks. Flag any assumption about scope or client behaviour. Tell me to confirm local tax and contract rules with a qualified professional before committing to a fixed fee or retainer.
Example — 6-page website copy, 30 hours, rate 65, scope partly clear, new client, risk of two revision rounds, goal 3,000.