Freelancers are independent contractors hired to do a specific job for a client. The project is finished when the freelancer delivers their work and gets paid. Companies may choose to work with freelancers on a regular basis if they’ve developed a strong working relationship.
Consultants, on the other hand, are usually full-time employees employed by a consulting firm that external companies employ for expert advice or to plan and execute on long-term projects.
The work that consultants do has lasting impacts. Instead of solving a short-term problem, they give clients the tools and skills to get results for years to come. Because of this long-term value, consultants tend to earn more than freelancers.
According to Bonsai, a marketing consultant charges between $25 to $300 per hour, with $100 being the average.
Generally speaking, consultants earn higher average hourly wages ($40) than freelancers ($21) across all industries.
Freelancers vs Consultants
Freelancers are independent contractors hired to do a specific job for a client. The project is finished when the freelancer delivers their work and gets paid. Companies may choose to work with freelancers on a regular basis if they’ve developed a strong working relationship.
Consultants, on the other hand, are usually full-time employees employed by a consulting firm that external companies employ for expert advice or to plan and execute on long-term projects.
The work that consultants do has lasting impacts. Instead of solving a short-term problem, they give clients the tools and skills to get results for years to come. Because of this long-term value, consultants tend to earn more than freelancers.
According to Bonsai, a marketing consultant charges between $25 to $300 per hour, with $100 being the average.
Generally speaking, consultants earn higher average hourly wages ($40) than freelancers ($21) across all industries.
What is the average hourly rate for freelancers?
The average freelancer wage in 2024 is $48/hour, according to ZipRecruiter.
However, the exact amount that freelancers charge varies depending on an array of factors. Read on for freelance rates sorted by country and region.
Factors that impact hourly rates
Freelancing and consulting hourly rates vary widely because many things affect how much that person charges. These include:
Industry
Location
Skill level
Education level
Gender
Reviews and proven deliverables
Statistics on "Average wage and salary in the U.S."
According to Statista, the average hourly earnings of all American workers have decreased from $11.22 in July 2021 to $11.15 in May 2024. For freelancers, the global average hourly rate is nearly double at $21 per hour.
Of course, these rates vary by age. Millennials and Gen-Z represent nearly 70% of the global freelance workforce, but the top earners are between the ages of 55 and 64. Here’s a detailed breakdown of freelancer earnings by age:
18-24 years: $16
25-34 years: $19
34-44 years: $24
45-54 years: $27
55-64 years: $36
Over 65: $34
Payoneer explains that despite the fears of a global economic slowdown in 2023, 46% of the respondents saw an increase in demand for their work. Digital businesses saw one of the bigger increases, growing across borders with a need to augment their teams. 29% saw demand at the same level as last year.
Freelancers and consultants can work from anywhere in the world, but where they live still impacts how much they make. For instance, many English-speaking clients prefer to work with someone fluent in English. Freelancers based in English-speaking regions often charge more because of this preference.
Similarly, the cost of living in some countries is low compared to North America, meaning freelancers residing in those areas can afford to charge less.
According to a survey by YouTeam covering the wages of offshore developers, the average hourly rate of a software engineer in California is $57.07. In Eastern Europe and Latin America, you would pay less (anywhere between $30 to $47 per hour). The lowest hourly wages for the same level of expertise are in Asia ($24-$35) and Africa ($22-$30). However, the most expensive freelance software engineers are in Western Europe.
Location
Average freelancer salary by region
Here is a breakdown of average hourly freelancer earnings by region (in US dollars) from the 2023 Freelancer Insights Report:
| Region | Average hourly rate |
|---|---|
North America | $56 |
Western Europe | $27 |
South America | $24 |
Central & Eastern Europe | $23 |
Africa | $22 |
Asia | $20 |
Central America | $18 |
However, it’s not just the freelancer’s location that affects how much they earn. According to Upwork, in many cases, the client’s location also significantly influences how much they will spend on projects.
A client in India, for example, won’t pay the same rate as someone living in the United States. This is especially important for freelancers working locally because their earning potential is much lower if they’re from a developing country. Here are the average wages per hour for developers on freelancing platforms, according to this YouTeam report:
| Upwork, $ per hour | TopTal, $ per hour | YouTeam, $ per hour | |
|---|---|---|---|
Mobile development | $25-150 | $21-113 | $23-150 |
Front-end web development | $15-100 | $32-100 | $25-150 |
Back-end web development | $15-150 | $36-105 | $36-150 |
Skill Level
One key finding in the 2023 Payoneer report is that experience matters. They surveyed 7,000 people in 150+ countries and found that experienced 55-year-old freelancers earn more than twice as much as those 18 to 24 years old.
To demonstrate, this is the average amount freelance attorneys and accountants charge per hour based on experience:
Entry-level/Junior (0-1 year)
Freelance junior accountants in the US make an average of $27 per hour. In the UK, they make the equivalent of $15 and $17 in Australia.
Freelance junior attorneys charge an average hourly rate of $47 in the US and $20 in Australia.
Intermediate (1-3 years)
Intermediate accountants and attorneys have a few years of experience on the job but not proven leadership skills. Their average wages look like this:
United States:
Accountant - $31
Attorney - $76
England:
Accountant - $20
Attorney - $34
Australia:
Accountant - $23
Attorney - $34
Senior-level (3-5 years and beyond)
Senior accountants have at least 3 to 5 years of experience, though attorneys may require more than 5 to get a senior-level position. On average, these are their hourly wages:
United States:
Accountant - $109
Attorney - $96
England:
Accountant - $30
Attorney - $49
Australia:
Accountant - $30
Attorney - $43
To further emphasize the importance of work experience, these are all the average wages for all kinds of freelancers in 2023 across all age groups:
18-24 years – $16/hour
25-34 years – $19/hour
35-44 years – $24/hour
45-54 years – $27/hour
55-64 years – $36/hour
65+ years – $34/hour
Reviews and proven deliverables
Not surprisingly, freelancers and consultants with track records of successful projects typically earn more than those who don’t.
User ratings on platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer help clients judge a freelancer's skills and experience. Past customers give ratings based on factors like the quality of work, professionalism, and whether or not deliverables were completed on time.
As one might expect, a freelancer with a lower rating may have a more challenging time finding work, while someone with many excellent ratings can justify a higher price.
Hourly rate by gender
A 2024 study from OnDeck found that male freelancers charge 26.4% more than their female counterparts. According to the 2023 Payoneer report, the gender pay gap is slightly smaller than the one reported last year (90 cents to $1), and it is also significantly smaller than the gap reported in the general population (77 cents to $1).
However, this gap fluctuates depending on the freelancer's location. Here’s how much
freelancers who are women make compared to menon average around the world in 2022:
| Region | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
North America | $52/hour | $37/hour |
Western Europe | $33/hour | $28/hour |
South America | $22/hour | $26/hour |
Central America | $25/hour | $19/hour |
Asia | $23/hour | $19/hour |
Africa | $22/hour | $20/hour |
Central & Eastern Europe | $24/hour | $16/hour |
Both male and female workers can increase their salary on freelancing platforms as they gain more experience.
A report from Website Planet shows that, when starting, freelancers usually price their services low. This way, they can find jobs that are easy to get, so they can get the ball rolling. However, women tend to charge less than men even after gaining experience.
The male and female freelancers surveyed had similar job success rates. However, despite charging less, women had a higher success rate by a percentage point or two in many cases.
Another interesting point the report makes is that women tend to have longer work histories on freelancing platforms.
The report concludes that the pay gap on freelancing platforms can directly result from women undervaluing their skills and experience. By expecting less, they often get less as a result.
Hourly rates by industry
Hourly rates for freelance jobs vary based on the industry. For example, according to Upwork, an intermediate Android developer charges an average of $32 per hour, whereas an intermediate legal professional charges $66 per hour.
One of the many reasons for such differences is the oversaturation in specific fields, driving down pay. For example, freelancers and consultants who cash in on the demand for technical skills might find their income has declined as competition has increased.
The most appealing freelancer industries are web/graphic design, programming, and IT. By contrast, the most untapped field is finance.
Here is a list of the fields where freelancing is most prominent, according to the 2023 Freelancer Insights Report:
Web & Graphic Design: 21%
Other: 13%
Content writing: 11%
Programming: 9%
Translation: 9%
IT: 7%
Marketing: 7%
Multimedia production: 6%
Administrative tasks: 6%
Sales: 3%
Customer support: 2%
QA: 2%
Finance: 2%
Project management: 2%
Now, let’s look at how much freelancers make on average in the top 10 highest-paying fields:
Finance: $41/hour
Marketing: $34/hour
Multimedia production: $33/hour
IT: $29/hour
Project management: $28/hour
Other: $26/hour
Programming: $25/hour
Content writing: $24/hour
HR: $22/hour
Web and graphic design: $21/hour
Hourly rates by education
According to Upwork, there was an increase in freelancers who held a postgraduate degree last year. In 2022, 1 in 4 (26%) freelancers hold a postgraduate degree, up from 1 in 5 in 2021.
Freelancers with a high school diploma or less: 27%
Freelancers with an associate degree: 25%
Freelancers with a bachelor’s degree: 23%
Freelancers with a postgraduate degree: 26%
Still, the freelancing field remains diverse in the scope of education levels.
According to Zippia, here is how hourly rates break down by level of education, on average, in 2023.
| Education Level | Average hourly rate |
|---|---|
High School | $19 |
Bachelor’s degree | $18 |
Master’s degree | $21 |
Doctorate | $21 |
Key takeaways about average hourly rates
Freelancers and consultants worldwide charge average hourly rates depending on their location, freelance projects, experience level, desired income, industry, gender, and ratings. However, potential clients don't necessarily pay attention to diplomas and degrees. Instead, they focus on how much value the freelancer brings to their team and how many hours they work.
There’s an insignificant difference in the average hourly wage when comparing freelancers with postgraduate degrees to freelancers with just high school diplomas. This suggests that clients are most likely to hire freelancers who demonstrate their skills and pay a consistent market rate.
Freelancers in countries with a low cost of living charge less, especially if they are not native English speakers. Similarly, clients from developing countries have lower budgets for projects than those living in industrialized nations.
Unfortunately, the gender pay gap still exists between male and female freelancers and consultants. However, this has decreased in recent years and will hopefully continue.
But the good news is that The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows positive insights about the recent changes in the average hourly earnings of American workers overall.
How to pay freelancers
When considering hiring a freelancer, it's crucial to consider various factors, including freelancer rates and minimum hourly rates. While cost-efficiency is essential, it's equally important to recognize the value experienced freelancers bring.
Before finding a freelancer, set a budget and determine the minimum hourly rate or minimum acceptable rate for the task you’re looking to hire someone to help with. Then, determine the average hourly rate and set money aside in your budget. When you find a freelancer you would like to work with, ask them their freelance rates and determine if it fits your budget.
Use a time tracking tool
We’re obviously biased, but time tracking tools are among the best apps for freelancers is a huge help. Paying full-time employees is a challenge in its own right, but paying freelancers often leads you to make transactions in different currencies, different pay rates, or payroll tools.
With Hubstaff, you can forget about calculating billable hours manually. Streamline payments with intuitive time tracking, seamlessly convert hours into automated timesheets, and set custom pay rates from this powerful time tracking app. You can also see real-time productivity data on each of your freelancers right from the Hubstaff Dashboard.
