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I am working on web mapping app and I want to know how much should I charge the client for it, can you please give me a clear idea on what factors are taken in consideration for the pricing of web apps.

Here are the technologies (all are free tools) used to create my web app :

  • Html/CSS
  • Javascript
  • Bootstrap
  • jQuery
  • Openlayers 3, morris.js, dataTables, dateTimePicker ( JS libraries )
  • Geoserver ( cartographic server )
  • PostgreSQL+PostGIS ( database )
  • Apache2 ( web server )
  • PHP5

Thanks in advance

Xavier J
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Hicham Zouarhi
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    No one else can tell you what you should charge. Anyone who does, is purely guessing. – Scott Jul 05 '16 at 17:11
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    What is your time worth? (Worth * hours worked) + 10% + The cost of any payment processing fees or other incurred expenses. – Memj Jul 05 '16 at 17:53

2 Answers2

5

This really tells us nothing about what the application will actually do or its complexity. AND we're not here to do that for you anyway.

You can go about this two ways:

1) Pick an hourly rate that you're comfortable with, and charge that. The client has the flexibility to tailor the requirements in whatever fashion, and you don't worry about that piece because you're paid for your time.

2) Do fixed-price, in milestones. One milestone is for you to turn over a deliverable called a requirements document. You get paid for this phase. After that's done, you and the client can decide to continue, or not, and you can name your price for the other milestones to follow.

This is really a serious decision. Don't screw yourself. In either case, don't forget a WRITTEN agreement covering whatever you're going to do, and specific payment terms. And don't ever go more than a few weeks without getting a check.

Xavier J
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5

Pricing is notoriously difficult as it depends on several factors:

  • Your own desired hourly rate
  • What the client typically pays
  • The perceived value to the client
  • Whether the project is similar to anything you have undertaken before
  • Whether the client has clear requirements or not
  • Whether giving a discount most probably will lead to more work

While you decide what your own price target is, getting an idea of what the client might be willing to pay is often difficult or impossible to deduce. You need to somehow get at least a ballpark figure.

If you have previous experience with very similar projects, you could go for a fixed price - but this requires that scope creep is minimized. Personally, I would never (again) set a fixed price with an 'IT-wise immature' client, as discussions very fast become sour. Fixed price requires that both parties acknowledge that changes will happen and that these will add to the price. Otherwise, constructive project discussions regarding functionality become legal arguments.

If some of the technologies are new to you, a discount could be considered. Similarly, if the project very probably could lead to other similar projects, a discount could be considered a future investment. Personally, I no longer give such discounts as I have found that my freelancing career has never really followed any predictable path.

So - assuming you have experience with some/most of the technologies, but have not delivered a project exactly like this one and have not worked with this client before - I would go for an hourly rate and split the project into stages.

Clients generally like a fixed price, but the inevitable squabbling that follows tends to sour the relationship - so I would only do it as a last resort (or not at all).

Convincing them of an hourly rate is not always easy, but it tends to lead to a more transparent pricing structure. When they know they are paying for ALL your time, they tend to focus on things they actually want and need instead of what they can extract/extort from you. In addition, even if they abandon the project after some stage because of changed business needs or that it turned out to be more complex than anticipated, they will probably fee more satisfied with the process and might work with you again.

morsor
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