View Full Version : Programmers - How much do you charge ?
sarettah
10-08-2005, 10:33 AM
So, in the other thread, Adultseo and I have gotten into a discussion about programmers prices.
Quite frankly, I think, as a programmer, if you charge a price that puts you at poverty level, you will remain in poverty.
So, I decided to do this poll and see what the actual standard price for freelance programming is :yowsa:
Adult SEO
10-08-2005, 10:40 AM
$10 per hour or $100 per 19 hour day x 30 per month = $3000 per month
Adult Webmaster related or highly advanced (new technology) Programming
sarettah
10-08-2005, 10:45 AM
$10 per hour or $100 per 19 hour day x 30 per month = $3000 per month
Adult Webmaster related or highly advanced (new technology) Programming
$3000 X 12 months= $36000/year - ($36000 * .50 (taxes)) = $18000/year
$36000 or $18000 per year, from my present level I consider either poverty or below poverty wages.
It might be good wages in some countries but not within the modern western world :okthumb:
Mr. Nobody
10-08-2005, 11:41 AM
Any company I have worked for charges me out at a rate of $100 or more an hour... With that said, I think that it depends on who and what you work on... If I am to freelance out to a bussiness (that is if they are going to profit from my work) then yes I would charge myself +$50 an hour, more towards to $100 an hour... If it is for friends, or some small job that you know is personnal then I would charge less. More in the $20 range.
If I would charge at a rate of $10 an hour, I think I would just go get a job at a gas station, or casino...
venturi
10-08-2005, 12:05 PM
When I left Corporate America in 2001 my salary equated to $75/hr (extrapolating taxes & benefits) and my "services" were billed out at between $80 and $150 per hour.
When I came to the adult interweb and began offering freelance programming I was new to the industry and fairly new to PHP, so my rates reflected that - $20 to $35 per hour depending on the job and the client.
Now when I take on freelance work my base rate is $50/hr and it can fluctuate as much as +/- 50% depending upon specific circumstances.
el pres
10-08-2005, 12:52 PM
The problem is the same for designers, you're competing against Asians/East Europeans
so unless people know you deliver better quality or are quicker, you're buggered.
Newton
10-08-2005, 01:09 PM
The normal prices I am charged for programming is anything from $30-$100+ an hour depending on the work that I want undertaken.
I always require personal recommendations from people I know and trust, who have used the company/individual in the past, and are happy to recommend them.
Mr. Nobody
10-08-2005, 01:52 PM
The problem is the same for designers, you're competing against Asians/East Europeans
so unless people know you deliver better quality or are quicker, you're buggered.
True enough... But there standard of living differs from the US, and dollar per dollar if you compair there standard of living to ours you would see that even though lower it about equals to ours... India for example... They may charge less then $10 dollar an hour, but they can still afford a maid at that level in there country...
So if you want to compair lets do apples to apples...
sarettah
10-08-2005, 02:09 PM
Just checking back before I head out to do the weekend shit....
Hey Nobody :) Glad to see you found it :)
So far, it looks like the higher prices are more the standard then the $10.00 guys.
But will have to wait and see how it shakes up here :)
MorganGrayson
10-08-2005, 02:10 PM
:nothingto
I'm very much enjoying reading this thread. I'm not a programmer, so I have no technical information to add.
I feel a kinship, though. As a writer, I know that the "hacks" have ruined the business. (The programmers in lands where they can take lower per hour rates and still live well are not hacks, and I don't mean to imply that they are, but I can see how it could be taken that way, hence this lumpy explanation.) When I first started writing, I sold everything fast and for good prices. I wrote custom work for an excellent company that paid me well and on time. (Hi, Amber and boys! :waving: ) That was a long time ago. Now that I'm back, I've discovered that the world of "online erotica" has gone to hell in a handbasket thanks to a bunch of people with keyboards, lists of dirty words and no other noticeable writing skills. It's difficult for a writer who will not and frankly can not "hack" out a story to compete with the "I'll write one for you for $5" crowd.
I'm not going to go flip burgers in lieu of doing that, but I will go do something else.
el pres
10-08-2005, 02:11 PM
True enough... But there standard of living differs from the US, and dollar per dollar if you compair there standard of living to ours you would see that even though lower it about equals to ours... India for example... They may charge less then $10 dollar an hour, but they can still afford a maid at that level in there country...
So if you want to compair lets do apples to apples...
Sorry, you've confused me, in the market place they are both apples.
Being sold side by side in the same store, If one apple is 5 times more expensive than the other, you only choose it, if you know it's super fucking tasty,
or if you've had the cheaper apples before and they were not satisfactory,no?
I've never had to hire a programmer. :)
MorganGrayson
10-08-2005, 02:25 PM
Sorry, you've confused me, in the market place they are both apples.
Being sold side by side in the same store, If one apple is 5 times more expensive than the other, you only choose it, if you know it's super fucking tasty,
or if you've had the cheaper apples before and they were not satisfactory,no?
If you've never had an apple before or didn't know exactly what an apple was (this metaphor is getting weak, but I think you know what I mean) you'd go for the cheaper apple. This might involve learning the hard way.
Dravyk
10-08-2005, 03:10 PM
I've never had to hire a programmer. :)In this day and age, how is that possible? :blink:
Or do you do your own?
If you've never had an apple before or didn't know exactly what an apple was (this metaphor is getting weak, but I think you know what I mean) you'd go for the cheaper apple. This might involve learning the hard way.
Exactly.
As my mama always told me, good ain't cheap and cheap ain't good.
PornoDoggy
10-08-2005, 04:25 PM
Exactly.
As my mama always told me, good ain't cheap and cheap ain't good.I dunno ... I've met some pretty cheap women who were pretty damned good ... :whistling
sarettah
10-09-2005, 12:52 AM
Hmmm.. still only 6 in the poll.
Come on you fucking programmers, get in her and answer the damn question. I am trying to prove/disprove a point here and 6 is just not an adequate number.
:huh:
PornoDoggy
10-09-2005, 01:05 AM
I have no doubt you will receive an overwhelming number of responses ...
in two weeks
sarettah
10-09-2005, 01:11 AM
I have no doubt you will receive an overwhelming number of responses ...
in two weeks
:wnw:
:finger011
Dravyk
10-09-2005, 02:23 AM
Lately there seems to be only six programmers out there.
I know since most of them seem to be avoiding me.
sarettah
10-09-2005, 02:55 AM
Lately there seems to be only six programmers out there.
I know since most of them seem to be avoiding me.
Moi ? :huh:
Dravyk
10-09-2005, 05:54 PM
Moi ? :huh:Nope, not vous!
venturi
10-09-2005, 09:00 PM
Lately there seems to be only six programmers out there.
I know since most of them seem to be avoiding me.
Smelled your pits lately? :whistling
Dravyk
10-09-2005, 09:36 PM
Smelled your pits lately? http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/whistling.gif Yeah, love ya, too! http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/fish0111.gif
sarettah
10-09-2005, 10:17 PM
Nope, not vous!
Good, then you haven't found out yet...er...um... I mean Cool ! :okthumb:
sarettah
10-10-2005, 11:03 AM
Ok, got nine people participating in the poll now, still not a super big number but thus far it is clear that with 6 of the 9 being above $30.00 an hour and 4 of those 6 being above $50 an hour that the standard hourly charge for programming is hardly $10.00 an hour.
Keep em coming programmers, I wwould really like to get a bigger cross section. Pass this thread to anyone you know that does freelance work..please :)
boldy
10-10-2005, 03:33 PM
$250 an hour here ...
$250 an hour here ...
You've just made me spray Carling all over my monitor... there isn't a programmer in the world worth $250 an hour!
Newton
10-10-2005, 03:51 PM
I'm not surprised Carling is nasty lol
Dravyk
10-10-2005, 03:56 PM
You've just made me spray Carling all over my monitor... there isn't a programmer in the world worth $250 an hour!Now wait a minute! That might not be so outlandish ...
Afterall, $250 an hour, I'm told, is charged by some top-level hookers. And Lord knows, if one is stupid enough to pay a programmer $250 an hour, they're definitely in for one helluva fucking!! :groucho:
I'm not surprised Carling is nasty lol
Shush!! :mental:
Now wait a minute! That might not be so outlandish ...
Afterall, $250 an hour, I'm told, is charged by some top-level hookers. And Lord knows, if one is stupid enough to pay a programmer $250 an hour, they're definitely in for one helluva fucking!! :groucho:
One hell of a fucking that takes 2 weeks, I'll take the hooker ;)
sarettah
10-10-2005, 05:01 PM
$250 an hour here ...
:okthumb:
:okthumb:
Mad men... all of you! :hmm:
sarettah
10-10-2005, 05:50 PM
Mad men... all of you! :hmm:
Nothing crazy about it... Simple economics.
You come to me and say I want you to build such and such system that will make me a million bucks a year.
I build the system for you in 100 hours at $250.00 per hour. You have now invested $25,000.00
You turn on the system and run it for the year and you now have a million bucks that you have only invested $25,000.00 to get. In other words, my programming garnered a profit for you of 400% or so and on top of that, your investment of $25,000 was recouped in the first 9 days after you turned my system on.
I think a system like that is well worth paying me $250.00 an hour for....... :yowsa:
Dravyk
10-10-2005, 05:57 PM
You turn on the system and run it for the year and you now have a million bucks that you have only invested $25,000.00 to get. In other words, my programming garnered a profit for you of 400% or so and on top of that, your investment of $25,000 was recouped in the first 9 days after you turned my system on.a) That would be 4000% not 400. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/unsure.gif
b) Why pay someone who makes math errors? http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/run.gif
c) Wouldn't a programmer at $30 per hour and a 28000% profit recouped in just over a month be even more desirable? http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/wwww.gif
... Just breaking nuggets here. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/smile.gif
Nothing crazy about it... Simple economics.
You come to me and say I want you to build such and such system that will make me a million bucks a year.
I build the system for you in 100 hours at $250.00 per hour. You have now invested $25,000.00
You turn on the system and run it for the year and you now have a million bucks that you have only invested $25,000.00 to get. In other words, my programming garnered a profit for you of 400% or so and on top of that, your investment of $25,000 was recouped in the first 9 days after you turned my system on.
I think a system like that is well worth paying me $250.00 an hour for....... :yowsa:
Sorry but even with a guarantee of making a mil in the first hour, I wouldn't pay $250 ph for a programmer, not when I can pay $50!
sarettah
10-10-2005, 06:01 PM
a) That would be 4000% not 400. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/unsure.gif
b) Why pay someone who makes math errors? http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/run.gif
c) Wouldn't a programmer at $30 per hour and a 28000% profit recouped in just over a month be even more desirable? http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/wwww.gif
... Just breaking nuggets here. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/smile.gif
Sorry for my math error....... fucking people think they actually require math for a computer degree... sheez.
Well, you could hire the $30.00 an hour guy and watch him flounder for the next year and a half with promises of "two weeks"... And then have my go on an unannounced hiatus and no longer answer your emails or icqs and end up hunting him down over at gfy and getting nothing but a piss thread out of your entire investment.
Or you could come to me and have it in the time line promised and working as spec'd....
:yowsa:
sarettah
10-10-2005, 06:02 PM
Sorry but even with a guarantee of making a mil in the first hour, I wouldn't pay $250 ph for a programmer, not when I can pay $50!
Reference my reply to Hairless......
but it also occurred to me that you're probably the kind that won't buy a lottery ticket when it's only up to 10 million because "aw, it ain't worth it"
:whistling
I am not a programmer, but I will chime in as someone who uses programmers every now and then. I have never paid someone above $30 an hour, and to be honest, i rarely pay by the hour, and I rarely know how many hours someone took. I get a flat rate quote for each job I need
The last job I needed was a backend for our exclusive girls on ecstasyglass.com, the programmer went in and made me an admin and user interface for all the girls we have make exclusive lines for us, so they could track their sales and product views....it took him 2 nights (he works a day job), and he charged me $100...it is a pretty nice system too, exactly what we wanted. All it does really, is pull #'s from the database and place them in tables, and also allows me to choose what products are assigned to each girl
so, in my experience in the adult industry, $10-20 an hour is pretty common
and let me also point out, this guy is the lead programmer for one of the larger affiliate programs, so it wasn't shitty work
Reference my reply to Hairless......
but it also occurred to me that you're probably the kind that won't buy a lottery ticket when it's only up to 10 million because "aw, it ain't worth it"
:whistling
lol, I play the lotto, but that's by the by.
This thread is the reason I don't hire programmers. You love yourselves to much.
I'll stick to doing it for myself. ;)
sarettah
10-10-2005, 06:06 PM
I'll stick to doing it for myself. ;)
Did you make a million bucks last year ? :unsure:
:yowsa:
Newton
10-10-2005, 06:06 PM
Reference my reply to Hairless......
but it also occurred to me that you're probably the kind that won't buy a lottery ticket when it's only up to 10 million because "aw, it ain't worth it"
:whistling
Who's hairless?
sarettah
10-10-2005, 06:07 PM
Who's hairless?
Well, who's post did I reply to ? :yowsa:
(Hairless Harry aka Dravyk)
Did you make a million bucks last year ? :unsure:
:yowsa:
Did you? :scratchin
Newton
10-10-2005, 06:10 PM
Well, who's post did I reply to ? :yowsa:
(Hairless Harry aka Dravyk)
Dravyk has hair, I have seen the pics ;)
sarettah
10-10-2005, 06:10 PM
Did you? :scratchin
I'm asking the questions here dammit....
So, how bout it, did you make a million bucks last year ?
If not, send me $25000.00 and I'll send you the "magic" source code.
Gaaaaaranteed :okthumb:
trust me :yowsa:
sarettah
10-10-2005, 06:11 PM
Dravyk has hair, I have seen the pics ;)
We're talking bout on his head, not on his ass...... :okthumb:
I'm asking the questions here dammit....
So, how bout it, did you make a million bucks last year ?
If not, send me $25000.00 and I'll send you the "magic" source code.
Gaaaaaranteed :okthumb:
trust me :yowsa:
This Trevor J didn't, but that again is by the by. ;)
Dravyk
10-10-2005, 08:33 PM
Dravyk has hair, I have seen the pics http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/wink.gifThank you, Newton.
Don't listen to Grandpop, Sare. He's ran out of his Gingo Biloba again. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/whistling.gif
sarettah
10-10-2005, 08:52 PM
He's ran out of his Gingo Biloba again. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/whistling.gif
What do lizards got to do with anything ? :huh:
:yowsa:
Dravyk
10-10-2005, 10:14 PM
What do lizards got to do with anything ? http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/huh.gif I spent too much on programmers. But the good news is I just saved a lot on my car insurance ... http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/wwww.gif
sarettah
10-11-2005, 12:30 AM
But the good news is I just saved a lot on my car insurance ... http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/wwww.gif
Got on your Mom's policy as a dependent again ??? Good deal that :okthumb:
:rolleyes:
Dravyk
10-11-2005, 01:06 AM
Got on your Mom's policy as a dependent again ??? Good deal that :okthumb:And I'm hoping with your AARP discount you can finally get that HoverRound chair you've been longing for!! ;)
sarettah
10-11-2005, 01:22 AM
And I'm hoping with your AARP discount you can finally get that HoverRound chair you've been longing for!! ;)
Bet it goes faster then your moped :okthumb:
sarettah
10-11-2005, 01:26 AM
I spent too much on programmers.
On a more serious note, yes, you probably have :unsure:
But you are in a different game, because you have been developing a package for distribution, rather than just a custom system for yourself.
You have to cover everyone's wants, not just one client's.
:blink:
Dravyk
10-11-2005, 01:31 AM
On a more serious note, yes, you probably have :unsure:
But you are in a different game, because you have been developing a package for distribution, rather than just a custom system for yourself.
You have to cover everyone's wants, not just one client's.
:blink:How true, how true.
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