Agency vs Freelance Income Calculator

Compare net income from running an agency versus working as a freelancer. Returns net income, effective hourly rate, and the gap between the two models.

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Agency vs Freelance Income

Compare net income from running an agency versus working as a freelancer. Returns net income, effective hourly rate, and the gap between the two models.

Result
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Enter values above
Result
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Worked example

With the default inputs shown below, this calculator returns the following results:

InputValue
Agency revenue ($)$200,000
Agency expenses ($)$120,000
Agency hours/week50
Freelance hourly rate ($)$100
Freelance billable hrs/wk30
ResultValue
ResultFreelance wins by $64,000

Values shown are produced by this page in your browser; change any input to update them.

How to use the Agency vs Freelance Income

  1. Agency revenue ($) — default $200,000
  2. Agency expenses ($) — default $120,000
  3. Agency hours/week — default 50
  4. Freelance hourly rate ($) — default $100
  5. Freelance billable hrs/wk — default 30
  6. Press Calculate to update the results instantly.

Frequently asked questions

Freelancing usually nets more per hour because there is no bench to pay. An agency can earn more in total, but only once utilisation and overhead are under control.
Salaries during quiet periods, office space, software seats, plus sales and admin time. Budget 25-40% of revenue for overhead.
Compare take-home income and hours worked, not revenue. $200,000 of agency billings on 60-hour weeks can pay less per hour than $90,000 of solo work.

Sources & references