Why one hourly rate isn’t always the same?

(Or why copy-pasting from Word costs less than developing a custom module)

Let’s imagine you’re buying new tires for your car. Or going to the hairdresser. Or calling an electrician. We all instinctively understand that the price depends on the type of work. At the salon, trimming the ends isn’t the same as doing balayage. Just like replacing a lightbulb doesn’t cost the same as rewiring an entire apartment.

It’s exactly the same in the web world.

At Caotica, our standard hourly rate is €80. For that, clients get design, development, support, strategy, and tasks that no random cousin from Pärnu could really handle without serious experience. But… sometimes we’ve charged less. Why?

Because not all hours are equal

The type of work matters. A lot.

Copying text from Word into a website and programming a new feature might both take an hour. But the mental effort and responsibility are worlds apart.

Another example:

Copying products into an online store vs. designing a campaign landing page.
One is repetitive and systematic. The other is creative, strategic, and requires experience in UX, branding, and conversion.

So what does the hourly rate really include?

Simplified:

≈ €40/h

Ongoing project management – emails, discussions, task setup, documentation. Work that doesn’t look like “real work,” but without it, nothing gets done.

≈ €60/h

Social media management, ad setup, newsletters. Tasks that a marketing person *could* handle with time and skills – but often has neither.

€80/h

Design, development, module building, technical setup, analysis, strategy, support. The type of work where “watching a YouTube tutorial” won’t cut it, and every decision matters — SEO, UX, security.

What about other providers’ rates?

Here’s a quick market overview:

€20–40/h

Usually junior freelancers or students. Enthusiastic, sometimes surprisingly good, but often still learning. Quality can vary.

€50–80/h

Experienced freelancers with projects and happy clients under their belt. Also many smaller agencies. Caotica falls into this category.

€60–130/h

Larger agencies. Bigger teams, more processes, higher overhead. A higher price doesn’t always mean better results, but usually more security if you don’t want to handle project management yourself.

Why such a wide range?

Quality.

Just like bikes can cost €100 or €10,000 — the difference shows in comfort, durability, and features.

Level of expertise.

With 15+ years of experience, you don’t just know *how* to do something, you know *why*. That “why” costs more.

Awards?

Some value recognition from juries. Others value client referrals as the best award. Both are valid. But if someone consistently wins prizes, it’s fair for their rate to reflect that.

In summary

An hourly rate is never just “a price per hour.” It’s the price for knowledge, experience, responsibility, and quality.

If you want a partner who doesn’t just clock hours but makes your business stronger and smarter online, Caotica might be the right fit.

Simple tasks – simple price. Complex tasks – fair price.
Always honest, clear, and agreed upfront.