What is the Per-Word Rate A Freelance Writer Should Charge ?

Every now and then you stumble upon some version of this question on some forum or Quora.

Quot homines, tot sententiae. (Latin)“So many men, so many opinions.”

Or, we can put it like this:

So many freelance writers, so many prices.

This one may work for freelancers just fine, but what about the clients who are supposed to hire them for writing tasks? They would certainly appreciate some additional and more precise information to help them offer a fair price. At the same time, freelance writers should know where they stand in terms of their expectations and the market’s limits.

Better To Charge Per 100 Words Than Per Single Word

It’s much simpler this way, don’t you think?

The native writers usually charge around $10 for 100 words.

On the other hand, you can find freelance writers who charge as low as a dollar or two for the whole article. It hurts me to even do the math how much that is for 100 words.

I consider the price of $5 for 100 words to be the most acceptable and fair for a freelance writer. Based on my experience it usually takes you up to one hour to write a 500-word article. So, if your hourly rate is $25 per hour, you can do the math.

The catch is that freelance writing prices can vary a lot. You can get an article for just one dollar or you can pay $100 for it.

Freelance Content Writing Prices vs. Freelance Copywriting Prices

Just to clarify, I’m talking about the prices for the content writing. When it comes to copywriting, that’s a completely different thing. Why? It’s not the same when you are writing content for a website and blog posts. Those are “traditional” content writing gigs. On the other hand, you have landing pages and other sales-oriented materials that can easily cost you thousands of dollars. Of course, these copywriting pieces of creative work are supposed to ensure high conversion rates. That’s why you have to pay a lot because you expect a lot in return.

When we talk about freelance content writers and copywriters, there’s so much more at stake than just semantics. That’s why I have to stop here and simply say, copywriting is a completely different ball game. As a freelance copywriter, you may charge per hour, but you should forget about the prices per word basis for obvious reasons.

Your Freelance Writing Price — Your Freelance Thing

Long story short, it’s up to you to decide how much you’re going to charge per word. Just make sure both parties are happy with the price.

There are no rules. There are countless exceptions to the rules.

Here’s something I learned working as a freelance writer. This may be the only part of my article that my fellow freelance writers would actually like:

You can’t make the whole world like your writing, just one guy who is supposed to pay for it.

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