

Ask HN: How much do you charge as iOS Contractor? - 31reasons

I am thinking of getting into iOS contracting/consulting. It would be great to know from you guys how much should I charge. (I am interested in the US rates). Thanks a lot.
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JoeCortopassi
$50/hour. Not because I am incompetent, but because I choose to work from
home(more productive, more time with family vs commuting). Most people want
you to come to their office for butt-in-seat hours, so I have to lower my rate
to still be desirable. Unfortunate, but there's not a ton of full-time remote
iOS demand these days

\----

For reference:

Cheap overseas outsourcing = $20-30/hour

Junior/entry-level contract rate = $50-75/hour

Competent developer (i.e. able to work well without need for help or guidance)
= $75-125

Highly skilled professional (flies in to help, recognized industry
professional, directs projects architecture) = $150-300

~~~
tagabek
What would you say the current market rates in the San Francisco area would be
for full-time iOS developers? What are the variables that this depends on?

~~~
smartwater
Charging by the hour is the wrong way to do it. Most developers who charge by
the hour are making a lot less than they have to. Charge per project and you
can structure it for $300 an hour or whatever you want within reason. It has
been talked about a lot in other posts if you want to know more about it.

~~~
31reasons
How to convince clients to charge by the project instead of hours ?

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lewissharder
UK based, standard rate about $100/hr. I'm offering some cheaper to HN'ers for
Christmas, so I can purchase myself a gift:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4925205>

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revorad
Lots more data here -
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlD_6iEb8Ed9dGs...](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlD_6iEb8Ed9dGs3clVJYi0yYVBka181Z0ZKRW9kQ0E#gid=26)

~~~
31reasons
This is a great source of the data. Thanks!

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avalore
Been freelancing in iOS dev for about 4 years. Don't charge hourly, only day
rates. About $800/day - £500/day

~~~
scottchin
Great to hear! How did you get started? Any comments/thoughts on how things
are different now in terms of getting started?

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xoail
I charge $150-$200/hr in NYC (4 years experience). My clients find value in
me. There are many developers that charge $50 - $100 but end up taking 2x time
to get the product out. Lately I've noticed there isn't much iOS work out
there. Consider learning iOS + Android + Windows Phone to make yourself appeal
more to potential clients. Great portfolio speaks a lot.

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codegeek
In NYC area, I know that a good iOS contractor can make $90-100/hr.

~~~
pdenya
This is correct for a mid-level developer.

    
    
        Jr: $50-$80/hr
        Sr: $90-$150/hr

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glimcat
You can increase this further by abstracting away the "code monkey" aspect.

1\. Specialize & productize your output, then offer fixed pricing. Customer
gets a predictable result for a predictable cost, you produce something you
can estimate to good accuracy while earning a higher effective rate.

2\. Retarget your deliverables on business value instead of a technical spec
sheet, then charge accordingly.

Note that both of these involve business development strategies, not improved
technical skills.

~~~
31reasons
Are there any books/blogs to learn about this within the context of software
development as a contracting practice?

~~~
tagabek
I'm currently going through Big Nerd Ranch's iOS Programming book and the
"Challenges" at the end are geared towards making you accomplish tasks that
would be given in the real world. I'm 25% of the way through the book and I'm
already working on some projects on the side.

I know a couple people in the contracting business, and they all say that
having their own app(s) in the App Store was the most valuable aspect for
marketing.

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mansigandhi
I charge $20-25/hr though I used to get paid 5 times that in the US (that's
cuz we moved to India and I had to charge based on those standards as opposed
to the US ones!)

