Freelance Copywriter Rates in 2026: What to Charge (With Real Benchmarks)

By Arc · February 15, 2026 · 10 min read

"Am I charging enough?" If you're a freelance copywriter, you've asked yourself this question at least once this week. Probably more.

The problem isn't that rate information doesn't exist — it's that most of it is vague ("charge what you're worth"), outdated, or based on anecdotes rather than data. This guide gives you specific numbers based on current market benchmarks so you can make pricing decisions with confidence.

Per-Word Rates by Experience Level

Per-word pricing is still common for blog posts, articles, and web copy. Here's where the market sits in 2026:

Tier	Per-Word Rate	Experience	Typical Niches
Entry	$0.05-0.10	New writers	Blog posts, basic web copy
Developing	$0.10-0.25	1-2 years	Blogs, newsletters, social
Mid-Level	$0.25-0.50	2-5 years	B2B blogs, case studies, emails
Senior	$0.50-1.00	5+ years	Tech, finance, healthcare
Expert	$1.00-2.00+	Niche authority	SaaS sales pages, financial copy

Key insight: The gap between entry and expert is 20-40x. The difference isn't writing quality alone — it's specialization and the ability to prove ROI. A copywriter who can show "this landing page increased conversions by 34%" commands $1+/word. A generalist writing about anything for anyone stays at $0.10.

Per-Project Rate Benchmarks

For many copywriting projects, per-project pricing makes more sense than per-word. Here's what the market pays:

Project Type	Low	Mid	High	Premium
Blog Post (1000-1500 words)	$150	$350	$750	$1,500+
Blog Post (2000-3000 words)	$300	$600	$1,200	$3,000+
Email (single)	$100	$250	$500	$1,000+
Email Sequence (5 emails)	$500	$1,250	$2,500	$5,000+
Landing Page	$500	$1,500	$3,000	$7,500+
Sales Page (long-form)	$1,000	$3,000	$7,500	$15,000+
Website Copy (5 pages)	$1,500	$3,500	$7,500	$15,000+
Case Study	$500	$1,000	$2,000	$5,000+
White Paper	$1,000	$3,000	$5,000	$10,000+

The rule: If you're consistently at the "Low" end, you're either new (that's fine — keep building) or you're undercharging for your experience level. Compare your rates against these benchmarks honestly.

The Metric Most Copywriters Ignore: Effective Hourly Rate

Here's where pricing gets real. Your per-word or per-project rate means nothing if you don't know how long the work actually takes.

Effective Hourly Rate = Total Project Payment / Total Hours Worked

Total hours includes everything: research, outline, first draft, self-editing, client calls, revision rounds, and admin (invoicing, file management).

Example that changes your perspective

Scenario A: Blog post pays $500. You spend 3 hours total. Effective rate: $166/hour.

Scenario B: Same blog post pays $150. You spend 5 hours total. Effective rate: $30/hour.

Both are "blog posts." One pays 5x more per hour. The difference: pricing confidence, client selection, and speed.

How Fast Should You Be Writing?

Task	Beginner	Mid-Level	Expert
1000-word blog post	4-6 hours	2-3 hours	1-1.5 hours
Single email	2-3 hours	1-1.5 hours	30-45 min
Landing page	8-12 hours	4-6 hours	2-4 hours
Sales page	15-20 hours	8-12 hours	4-8 hours
Case study	6-10 hours	3-5 hours	2-3 hours

If you're faster than these benchmarks at your experience level, you can charge lower per-project rates and still earn more per hour. If you're slower, you need higher per-project rates to compensate.

Annual Income: What's Realistic?

Let's do the math with real numbers. Assume 22 working days per month, 5 days for admin/marketing, 17 days for client work, 5 billable hours per day.

Monthly Workload	Monthly Revenue	Annual
4 blog posts + 1 email sequence	$2,650	$31,800
8 blog posts + 2 email sequences	$5,300	$63,600
4 blogs + 1 landing page + 1 email seq	$5,250	$63,000
2 sales pages + 4 blogs	$12,000	$144,000
1 retainer client + 2 projects	$7,000	$84,000

The takeaway: Moving from $30,000/year to $60,000/year isn't about working twice as hard. It's about raising rates, choosing better-paying project types, and getting faster at delivery. Moving from $60K to $140K requires specialization and higher-value clients.

When to Raise Your Rates

Raise your rates when any of these are true:

You're booked out more than 2 weeks in advance
You haven't raised rates in 6+ months
You're turning away more than 1 client per month
Your effective hourly rate has increased (you're getting faster)
You've gained a specialization or niche expertise
A major client testimonial proves ROI

How to do it: New clients get the new rate immediately. Existing clients get 30-60 days notice. Frame it as: "Due to increased demand and specialization in [niche], my rates for [project type] are now [new rate]." Never apologize.

Don't Forget Taxes

As a freelancer, nobody withholds taxes for you. Set aside 25-30% of every payment the day it hits your bank account. If you earn $5,000/month, $1,500 goes straight to a separate tax account. Your actual take-home is $3,500.

This isn't optional. It's the difference between a comfortable tax season and a panic attack in April.

Track All of This Automatically

The Freelance Copywriter OS includes a built-in rate calculator, financial dashboard with tax set-aside tracking, and income projections — all in one Notion workspace.

View the Freelance Copywriter OS

The Bottom Line

Pricing isn't about "charging what you're worth." It's about understanding the market, tracking your actual numbers, and making data-driven decisions. Know your effective hourly rate. Know where you sit against benchmarks. Know when to raise.

The copywriters earning $100K+ aren't better writers than those earning $30K. They're better at pricing, client selection, and running the business side of their business. For the full income data, see our freelance copywriter income guide. To get the business side organized, read our guide to the 5 systems every freelance copywriter needs.