🔄
Freelance Income

Retainer vs Project

Compare retainer income stability against the upside of project work, including risk-adjusted income.
Recommended mix
-
Higher risk-adjusted annual income
Effective retainer rate
$0
Risk-adjusted project rate
$0
Annual income: retainer vs project
💡 Mix insight
Risk-adjusted compares variable project income to stable retainer at a 1.3x risk premium. Adjust to your context.
🏛 Predictable Income

Retainer vs Project Comparison Calculator

The Retainer vs Project Comparison runs an honest risk-adjusted comparison between predictable retainer income and the higher upside of project work. You enter your monthly retainer fee, the hours it consumes, your average monthly project revenue, the month-to-month variance on project income, and your billable rate. The calculator returns a recommended mix, your effective retainer hourly rate, and the risk-adjusted project income. Use it when deciding whether to keep an underpriced retainer or convert it to a project-based engagement. The numbers usually favor a mix where the retainer floor covers essential expenses and project work captures upside, because pure project income with high variance forces conservative spending that erases its nominal advantage.