Quick answer: Charge $30-70/hour if you’re early career, $80-150/hour if you’re experienced, or price fixed projects at $3,000-15,000+ depending on scope. Undercharging is the most common mistake new Flutter developers make — price the project’s value to the client, not just your time.
If you’re a developer trying to figure out what to quote, this is the practical version — not a vague “it depends” answer.
Hourly vs. Fixed Price
Hourly works better for ongoing work or unclear scope — you’re protected if requirements change mid-project.
Fixed price works better once you can scope the app clearly. Clients generally prefer it too, since they know the total upfront. The risk is underestimating time and effectively working for less than your real rate.
Realistic Rate Ranges
If you’re newer, $30-50/hour is a reasonable starting point — don’t go much lower, since it trains clients to expect underpriced work from you long-term. Mid-level, comfortable with Firebase and API integrations: $50-80/hour. Senior, handling complex architecture and mentoring: $80-150+/hour.
How to Price a Fixed Project Instead
Estimate your hours honestly, then price it as if things will take 20-30% longer than expected — because they usually do. A project you estimate at 100 hours, at your real hourly rate, should be quoted with that buffer built in, not your bare hourly total.
The Biggest Mistake: Pricing to Win, Not to Sustain
Undercharging to win a client feels good short-term and hurts you long-term — it’s hard to raise prices with an existing client, and it trains you to accept underpriced work as normal. Price at a rate you’d be happy repeating fifty times, not once.
For a client-facing breakdown of typical Flutter project costs to reference during quoting conversations, see how much a Flutter app actually costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I charge more for iOS-only or Android-only builds?
Not necessarily — Flutter builds for both from one codebase, so scoping to one platform doesn’t meaningfully reduce your work unless you’re skipping platform-specific testing entirely.
How do I handle scope creep on a fixed-price project?
Define scope in writing upfront, and treat any addition beyond that as a separately quoted change request — don’t absorb it silently.
Is it normal to ask for a deposit before starting?
Yes — a 30-50% upfront deposit is standard practice and protects you if a client disappears mid-project.
How much should I charge for post-launch support?
Either build a maintenance retainer into your pricing, or clearly state that post-launch bug fixes and updates are billed separately.
Do rates vary a lot by client location (US/UK/Europe vs. elsewhere)?
Yes, significantly — clients in the US, UK, and Europe generally have higher budgets and are worth targeting specifically if you want to charge at the higher end of these ranges.