How much should freelance copywriters charge?
Copywriters quote in more different ways than almost any other solo service — hourly, per word, or flat per project — but all of them should trace back to the same target hourly rate so a flat or per-word quote never quietly pays less than your real worth. Set your target hourly rate here as the foundation, then translate it into whichever format a given client expects.
Estimate your rate
A starting point for freelance copywriting — adjust to your own numbers.
~$62.20 / hour
Formula: (target income + expenses) ÷ (billable hours/week × 50 working weeks). This is a starting estimate, not a guarantee — adjust for local market rates.
What moves the rate
- Experience and results track record (a beginner writing general web copy vs. a specialist who can point to measurable conversion-rate or revenue lifts)
- Format and stakes: a simple website page or blog post prices lower than a high-conversion landing page, email sales sequence, or direct-response campaign directly tied to revenue
- Research and interview requirements: technical, B2B SaaS, or thought-leadership pieces that need subject-matter research or client interviews take real hours beyond the writing itself and should be priced (or billed hourly) accordingly
- Per-word vs. hourly vs. project pricing: per-word rates reward speed and can underpay on research-heavy work, so many experienced copywriters prefer hourly or flat-project pricing for anything beyond straightforward copy
- Revision rounds included in the quote — open-ended revisions are one of the most common ways a flat project quote quietly turns into an underpaid hourly rate
- Client type: individual/small business vs. agency-subcontract vs. enterprise (enterprise and agency work commands a premium but often comes with slower payment terms and stricter usage/exclusivity requirements)
- Retainer vs. one-off: a monthly content retainer often prices lower per-hour than one-off projects in exchange for guaranteed recurring income
2026 market data shows freelance copywriter hourly rates spanning roughly $50-300/hr by experience tier: junior (0-2 years) $50-85/hr, mid-level (3-5 years) $85-160/hr, and specialists in high-conversion niches (direct response, B2B SaaS, email sequences) $200-300/hr. The $85 base targets an established mid-level solo copywriter, above junior pricing but below specialist rates that require a proven results track record to justify. Per-word rates (also common in this market, roughly $0.10-0.30/word for basic copy up to $0.50-1.00+/word for experienced specialists, with a 2026 survey average near $0.70/word) and flat project rates (a simple web page $300-1,000; a landing page $750-3,000+; a full website project $2,000-10,000+; an email sequence $1,000-5,000) should both be checked against this hourly target — estimate realistic hours for the deliverable, multiply by your target hourly rate, and use that to sanity-check any per-word or flat quote before sending it. The $2,200/yr expense default reflects a laptop-based, research-tool-driven profession: writing/research/SEO software subscriptions (~$400-800/yr — e.g. grammar/style tools, SEO research tools, project management), professional liability/errors-and-omissions insurance covering defamation, copyright, or plagiarism claims (~$500-1,200/yr), a portfolio website (~$150-300/yr), and amortized hardware (~$500-700/yr) — lower than freelance graphic design's expense default since copywriting doesn't require an ongoing design-software-suite subscription.