Let us face the fact; pricing your services is not an exact science. In fact you should consider a number of factors in order to price a project correctly. The same stands true when it comes to the point of hiring the developers.

Fixed fee for web development project

Of course the web developers take on widely varied projects hence can have widely variable rates. And this is when the significant question comes – whether clients should charge per hour or per project.

Well; what you may not know is that the development professionals struggle with which method to use. Hence methods vary from project to project! This means; sometimes it’s better to pay a fixed rate and it’s rather advantageous to pay on hourly basis.

Project based payment option is often suited for well defined and small projects

The logic is pretty straightforward – if a project is relatively simple a fixed rate can be advantageous for both the developer and the client. In such cases the developer can leverage prior experience to maximize value. And almost as an obvious result the client will be able to know what the project is going to cost.

This means; as long as the scope of the project doesn’t change and as long as the developer can accurately predict the work, a project-based fee will adequately compensate while meeting the client’s budget.

Yes; hourly rate is always recommended for Complex Projects

So; what happens when a particular project is not so simple or straightforward? Hourly rate stands as the best option. When development scope may grow or change hourly rate is always better, for both the developer and the client.

How? Well; for the developer the hourly rate ensures adequate compensation. On the other hand; for the client, an hourly rate ensures the developer puts full effort into all parts of the project. As a matter of fact; it also offers the client the utmost flexibility to change the project scope as and when the business needs dictate.

The bottom line

Well; both for the clients and developers, the ideal way to start is by deciding a project fee for the main work and then negotiate hourly rates for any additional work if need be.

Should you pay the web developers per hour or per project basis?