Know your number before you quote
Calculates a freelancer's day or hour rate from desired income, working days and expenses - any trade or profession. Watch your rate build up step by step: income, plus expenses, plus a profit buffer, divided by your billable days and hours. Save named scenarios to compare different what-ifs side by side.
The build-up waterfall and result cards, in light and dark mode.
Light mode - inputs on the left, the waterfall and results on the right
Dark mode - the full calculation, still live as you type
A live waterfall shows exactly how your day rate is built: desired income, plus business expenses, plus a profit buffer, giving the total revenue you need - then divided by billable days for your day rate, and by hours per day for your hourly rate.
Set your working weeks and days per week, then subtract non-billable days - holidays, sick days, admin, marketing - to get the billable days your rate is actually spread across, not an unrealistic 52-week year.
Add a percentage on top of your income and expenses to cover slow months, unpaid invoices and admin time you didn't budget for - so your rate reflects a real business, not just a break-even number.
Four result cards keep the numbers you actually need in view at all times - day rate, hourly rate, billable days per year, and total revenue needed - updating live as you adjust any input.
Save a calculation as "Conservative", "Stretch", or anything else you like, and keep as many as you want. Reload any of them back into the Calculator in one click.
The Scenarios tab compares every saved calculation's day rate as ranked bars, so you can see at a glance how different assumptions change your bottom line.
Not construction-gated - Day Rate Calculator works for any freelancer or contractor working out what to charge, whatever the trade.
A light/dark toggle that remembers your choice, and "Load sample" fills in a realistic freelancer scenario to explore the calculator before you build your own.
Bonsai is a well-known all-in-one freelance business platform - proposals, contracts, invoicing and time tracking - priced per user per month. Here's how a focused, one-off rate calculator compares for a freelancer who just needs to work out what to charge.
| Feature | Day Rate Calculator | Bonsai |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | From $9/user/month billed annually ($15/month billed monthly) |
| Works fully offline | ✓ | ✕ |
| Dedicated day-rate waterfall (income + expenses + buffer) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Save and compare named rate scenarios | ✓ | ✕ |
| Contracts, proposals and e-signatures | ✕ | ✓ |
| Time tracking and invoicing built in | ✕ | ✓ |
| Single-purpose, no unrelated features to learn | ✓ | ✕ |
Comparison based on Bonsai's publicly listed pricing and features as of August 2026 (hellobonsai.com, capterra.com) - pricing and features change over time, so check hellobonsai.com for current details. Bonsai is a trademark of its respective owner; this comparison is for informational purposes and isn't sponsored by or affiliated with Bonsai.
No. Use it free in your browser - nothing to install and no sign-up. If you'd rather have it on your PC, the Windows app is free on the Microsoft Store too.
No. Install Day Rate Calculator and get going - there's nothing to sign up for. The optional Register button lets you leave your name and email for update news.
Your desired annual income plus your annual business expenses, plus a profit/buffer margin you set, gives your total revenue needed for the year. That's divided by your billable days (working days minus holidays, sick days, admin and marketing time) to give your day rate, then divided again by hours per day for your hourly rate.
Any working day you can't invoice for - holidays, sick days, admin, marketing, training, or anything else that takes you away from paid client work. The calculator subtracts these from your total working days to get your billable days.
No - Day Rate Calculator works for any freelancer or contractor in any trade or profession. It's not construction-gated like some of the other Metre2 apps.
Save a calculation as a named scenario (e.g. "Conservative" or "Stretch") to compare different what-if assumptions side by side - the Scenarios tab ranks every saved scenario's day rate as a comparison bar.
It's kept entirely on your device from one session to the next - there's no cloud copy and no sync across devices yet.
No - it's a simple planning calculator to help you set a rate, not tax, legal or financial advice. Always check your numbers against your own accounts and circumstances.
Open it in Calendar: Charging by the day or the hour? Calendar logs the hours on each day's work by project - free - and Calendar Pro makes the invoice from them, with your rate and VAT.
