39% said they charged $100 to $250 an hour, the most common band in a survey of nearly 1,000 consultants, most in North America. Consulting Success published the figure in July 2026. It says consulting rates vary with a consultant’s experience and niche.
This page gathers published consulting rates and freelance rates, and that survey is one of its sources. It’s written for founders and marketing leads who want to know what a consultant costs, and for independent consultants who price their own work. If you’re writing about rates, you can quote any statistic on its own, with its citation.
Every "$" figure is in US dollars, and pound and euro figures stay in their own currency. Consulting Success, Ahrefs, Clutch, and Upwork state no data period, so their figures carry the month they were published. Surveys ask consultants, firms, and freelancers what they charge, yearly, quarterly, or once. Some surveys cover consultants and freelancers in every field, so their rates mix digital work with other fields. Advert trackers and hiring platforms read adverts, listings, or past contracts on a rolling window. Large firms’ public rate cards set the most each firm can charge a public buyer. The figures span 2022 to October 2026, and each is checked against its published source and dated.
Key takeaways
- The median listed hourly rate for fractional CTOs was $200 across 15 job posts and 877 candidate profiles. The figure covers the 90 days to 3 October 2026 and moves as new posts and profiles arrive. (Go Fractional, October 2026)
- 30% of nearly 1,000 consultants surveyed, most in North America, said they charged project-based fees. With a project fee the consultant carries any overrun, and a well-scoped brief protects the margin. (Consulting Success, May 2026)
- 78.2% of 439 SEO service providers polled worldwide said they charged a monthly retainer. SEO results build over months, and that’s why an ongoing monthly fee is the usual way to buy the work. (Ahrefs, December 2023)
- The median advertised day rate across 434 UK IT contract rate observations was £543 in the 90 days to October 2026. IT Contractors UK’s combined median counts roles inside and outside IR35 together over a 90-day window. (IT Contractors UK, October 2026)
- The ceiling hourly rate for a McKinsey Capabilities & Insights Expert on its US federal GSA schedule was $396.76 in October 2026. A ceiling is the most McKinsey can bill a federal agency for one hour of that labour category. (McKinsey & Company via GSA CALC, October 2026)
On this page
- Consulting rates overall
- Rates by digital and technology role
- Pricing models and retainers
- UK and European rates
- Firms, independents, and platforms
- What these statistics mean
- Questions people ask about consulting rates
- Methodology and sources
Consulting rates overall
What you pay for an hour of consulting depends on how scarce the consultant’s skills are and how much experience they bring. This section looks at hourly rates among independent consultants, contract day rates by seniority, and one SEO fee by years in business.
Source: Consulting Fees Study (on ‘How to Set a Consulting Hourly Rate’)
Hourly and day rates for independent consultants
12% of surveyed consultants, mostly North American, said they charged under $100 an hour. At that rate there’s little left once the unbilled hours for sales and admin are counted. (Consulting Success, July 2026)
39% of nearly 1,000 consultants surveyed, most in North America, said they charged $100 to $250 an hour. This band holds more respondents than any other and is the survey’s closest answer to a typical rate. (Consulting Success, July 2026)
19% of the mostly North American consultants surveyed said they charged $250 to $500 an hour. A narrow specialism or direct access to senior decision makers usually supports a rate this high. (Consulting Success, July 2026)
4% of surveyed consultants in a mostly North American sample said they charged $500 to $1,000 an hour. Few consultants charge this much, and those who do tend to advise on decisions that move large budgets. (Consulting Success, July 2026)
Rates by experience level
The median day rate in 589 UK senior developer contract adverts was £550 in the six months to October 2026. A senior developer’s day rate tends to pay for someone who can work in a client’s codebase with little supervision. (IT Jobs Watch, October 2026)
The median advertised day rate across 11 UK junior developer contract rates was £300 in the six months to October 2026. Firms usually hire and train junior developers as staff, which is why few junior roles go to contract. (IT Jobs Watch, October 2026)
The upper-bound mean monthly fee among SEO service providers polled worldwide was $2,023.13 for those in business for 2+ years. Each provider counts at the top of its price bracket, so the mean overstates a typical fee. (Ahrefs, December 2023)
Rates by digital and technology role
A security review and a monthly support contract call for different skills, so the rate you’ll pay changes with the role. This section compares IT and technology consultants, SEO and digital marketing work, and fractional and specialist roles.
Source: Cybersecurity Consultant contract rates, UK; Senior Developer contract rates, UK; Product Manager contract rates, UK; IT Consultant contract rates, UK; User Experience Designer contract rates, UK; Junior Developer contract rates, UK
IT and technology consultants
The median day rate in 46 UK IT consultant contract adverts was £450 in the six months to October 2026. The title IT consultant covers both advice and hands-on delivery, and the people in it range widely in seniority. (IT Jobs Watch, October 2026)
The median advertised day rate in 77 UK cybersecurity consultant contract adverts was £575 in the six months to October 2026. Regulated clients can’t put security work off or staff it easily, and that keeps the rate high. (IT Jobs Watch, October 2026)
The median advertised day rate for all UK contract IT roles was £525 in the six months to October 2026. IT Jobs Watch’s all-roles median mixes junior support posts with senior specialist ones from six months of adverts. (IT Jobs Watch, October 2026)
SEO and digital marketing consultants
The upper-bound mean monthly fee reported by SEO freelancers in a worldwide poll of SEO service providers was $1,348. The poll counts each answer at the top of its bracket, which lifts the mean past a typical freelancer’s fee. (Ahrefs, December 2023)
The typical hourly rate bucket for SEO agencies listed on Clutch was $100 to $149, across 106,043 digital marketing companies. A bucket is a price band, and one agency’s SEO quote can still fall well outside it. (Clutch, September 2026)
The hourly rate most digital marketing agencies listed on Clutch charged was $25 to $49, across 106,043 companies. An agency rate this low tends to buy routine production work, such as scheduled posts and monthly reports. (Clutch, September 2026)
Fractional and specialist roles
The median listed hourly rate for fractional CTOs was $200 across 15 job posts and 877 candidate profiles. The figure covers the 90 days to 3 October 2026 and moves as new posts and profiles arrive. (Go Fractional, October 2026)
The median listed hourly rate for fractional CMOs was $175 across 49 job posts and 761 candidate profiles. The median mixes what employers offer with what candidates ask, over the 90 days to 4 October 2026. (Go Fractional, October 2026)
The median day rate in 79 UK UX designer contract adverts was £450 in the six months to October 2026. UX contracts often cover one defined phase of a product such as user research or prototyping. (IT Jobs Watch, October 2026)
The median advertised day rate across 344 UK product manager contract rates was £545 in the six months to October 2026. Firms usually bring in a contract product manager to steer one launch or rebuild for a fixed period. (IT Jobs Watch, October 2026)
Pricing models and retainers
How you charge decides who carries the risk when the work runs long or the results arrive late. This section follows the main pricing models, the share of work firms sell on each, and the retainers that keep consultants on call.
Source: Consulting Fees Study (on ‘How to Set Consulting Fees’)
Hourly, project, and value pricing
30% of nearly 1,000 consultants surveyed, most in North America, said they charged project-based fees. With a project fee the consultant carries any overrun, and a well-scoped brief protects the margin. (Consulting Success, May 2026)
15% of the consultants surveyed, mostly in North America, said they used value-based fees. A value-based fee ties the price to the client’s expected result, so both sides must agree how to measure it. (Consulting Success, May 2026)
34.8% of polled SEO service providers worldwide said they charged by the hour. Many providers bill more than one way, and hourly work often runs beside retainers and project fees. (Ahrefs, December 2023)
39.6% of work sold in 2024 by 403 professional services organisations surveyed worldwide was billed on time and materials. On time and materials the client pays for every extra hour if the work runs longer than planned. (SPI Research, February 2025)
42.3% of work sold in 2024 by 85 management consulting firms surveyed worldwide was on fixed time or fixed fee. Advisory work suits a fixed fee when the deliverable is a defined report or plan with a set end date. (SPI Research, February 2025)
Retainers
17% of surveyed consultants, most in North America, picked the single answer that most of their income was retainer-based. Retainer income arrives every month and can cover the gaps between projects for an independent consultant. (Consulting Success, May 2026)
37% of surveyed consultants in a mostly North American sample picked the single answer that they had some retainer-based work. The survey counts consultants whose income is mostly retainer-based under a separate answer. (Consulting Success, May 2026)
78.2% of 439 SEO service providers polled worldwide said they charged a monthly retainer. SEO results build over months, and that’s why an ongoing monthly fee is the usual way to buy the work. (Ahrefs, December 2023)
20.4% of polled SEO service providers worldwide said their monthly retainer was $501 to $1,000, the most common band. A retainer at this level usually covers a small monthly scope of SEO work. (Ahrefs, December 2023)
UK and European rates
In the UK and Europe, contractors usually price by the day or the hour, and tax status changes what that rate has to cover. This section covers UK IT contractor day rates by IR35 status, UK freelancer day rates, and hourly rates in German-speaking Europe.
Source: IT Contract Rates UK: live market rates
Contractor day rates
The median advertised day rate was £550 for 148 UK IT contract roles outside IR35 in the 90 days to October 2026. Outside IR35 the contractor pays their own tax and insurance, and the day rate has to cover both. (IT Contractors UK, October 2026)
The median advertised day rate for 286 UK IT contract roles inside IR35 was £535 in the 90 days to October 2026. Inside IR35 the fee-payer takes tax and National Insurance off at source, so the contractor takes home less. (IT Contractors UK, October 2026)
The median advertised day rate across 434 UK IT contract rate observations was £543 in the 90 days to October 2026. IT Contractors UK’s combined median counts roles inside and outside IR35 together over a 90-day window. (IT Contractors UK, October 2026)
Freelancer rates
| Quarter | Mean day rate | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2024 (rate over the last three months) | £547 | (IPSE, 2024) |
| Q2 2024 (rate over the last three months) | £457 | (IPSE, 2024) |
| Q3 2024 (rate over the last three months) | £576 | (IPSE, 2024) |
Source: IPSE, Freelancer Confidence Index Q2 2024; Freelancer Confidence Index Q3 2024
Each value is the mean day rate surveyed UK freelancers reported for the three months of that quarter.
The mean day rate reported by surveyed UK managerial (SOC1) freelancers was £704 in Q3 2024. Managerial freelancers can fill interim leadership roles that a client would otherwise staff with a senior hire. (IPSE, 2024)
The mean day rate reported by surveyed UK professional (SOC2) freelancers was £666 in Q3 2024. The professional group covers degree-level occupations such as engineering and IT that clients buy for expertise. (IPSE, 2024)
The mean hourly rate reported by over 5,400 freelancers surveyed in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland was €103 in 2026. freelancermap links the level to growing market pressure on freelancers in the region. (freelancermap, 2026)
The mean hourly rate reported by surveyed freelancers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland was €104 in 2025. The 2026 study restates this prior-year figure as the base for its year-on-year change. (freelancermap, 2026)
Firms, independents, and platforms
A large firm sells a branded team and an open platform sells one person’s hours, so their rates sit far apart. This section looks at ceiling rates on US federal schedules, a UK public-sector rate card, and hourly rates on freelance platforms.
Source: G-Cloud 14 SFIA Rate Card
Large firm rates
The US federal GSA ceiling for a Kearney executive strategy project leader was $624.00 an hour from August 2023. A GSA ceiling caps what a federal agency pays for an hour, and task orders often settle under it. (Kearney, August 2023)
The ceiling hourly rate on Kearney’s US federal GSA schedule for a strategy consultant was $421.00 from August 2023. The price list dates from August 2023, and a later contract modification may have changed the rates. (Kearney, August 2023)
The ceiling for a Kearney junior consultant on its US federal GSA schedule was $233.20 an hour from August 2023. The rates include the Industrial Funding Fee that GSA adds to every order placed through the schedule. (Kearney, August 2023)
The ceiling hourly rate for a McKinsey Capabilities & Insights Expert on its US federal GSA schedule was $396.76 in October 2026. A ceiling is the most McKinsey can bill a federal agency for one hour of that labour category. (McKinsey & Company via GSA CALC, October 2026)
The US federal GSA ceiling for a McKinsey executive strategy business analyst was $367.15 an hour in October 2026. The category requires a bachelor’s degree and at least one year of experience. (McKinsey & Company via GSA CALC, October 2026)
The ceiling hourly rate on BCG’s US federal GSA schedule for an executive strategy senior associate was $478.56 in October 2026. BCG’s schedule contract runs until September 2031, and the ceiling binds every federal order placed under it. (Boston Consulting Group via GSA CALC, October 2026)
Accenture’s onshore SFIA level 7 day rate ceiling was £2240 in two of six categories: strategy and architecture, and change and transformation. The ceilings come from Accenture’s UK public-sector G-Cloud 14 rate card, where level 7 is the top SFIA level. (Accenture, May 2024)
The ceiling onshore day rate for SFIA level 1 work on Accenture’s UK public-sector G-Cloud 14 rate card was £190. SFIA level 1 covers supervised entry-level work, and the rate card prices it the same in every skill category. (Accenture, May 2024)
The ceiling offshore day rate for SFIA level 7 work on Accenture’s UK public-sector G-Cloud 14 rate card was £495. Offshore delivery moves the work to lower-cost locations, which the rate card prices at a fraction of onshore rates. (Accenture, May 2024)
Freelance platform rates
The mean hourly rate reported by over 2,000 freelancers surveyed across 122 countries was $23 in 2022. A worldwide mean mixes freelancers in low-cost and high-cost countries and sits far from any one local market. (Payoneer, May 2023)
The mean hourly rate that women freelancers reported was $22 in 2022, among over 2,000 surveyed across 122 countries. The survey puts men at $24 an hour, and the gap is a little narrower than in the previous report. (Payoneer, May 2023)
The typical hourly rate range for UX designers on historical Upwork contracts worldwide was $25 to $39. The range is Upwork’s reading of past contracts on its cost page, read in October 2026. (Upwork, October 2026)
The typical hourly rate range for SEO experts on historical Upwork contracts worldwide was $15 to $35. Open platforms let clients hire from any country, which can pull the typical contract rate towards the global low end. (Upwork, October 2026)
What these statistics mean
Consulting rate data from surveys, contract adverts, freelance platforms, and public rate cards shows five patterns.
- The largest group of surveyed consultants charged an hourly rate in the low hundreds of dollars. In a Consulting Success survey of mostly North American consultants, published July 2026, 39% charged $100 to $250 an hour. In the same July 2026 survey, 12% charged under $100, 19% charged $250 to $500, and 4% charged $500 to $1,000.
- Each UK source’s latest overall day rate sat between five and six hundred pounds. IT Jobs Watch’s all-roles median was £525 a day over six months, and IT Contractors UK’s £543 over 90 days, both to October 2026. Surveyed UK freelancers reported a mean of £576 a day to IPSE for the third quarter of 2024.
- Senior roles had higher rates than junior ones in IT Jobs Watch, Kearney, Accenture, and McKinsey. Senior developers had a median of £550 a day and juniors £300, on a small sample, in IT Jobs Watch’s UK adverts to October 2026. The federal ceiling was $624.00 an hour for a project leader and $233.20 for a junior consultant on Kearney’s August 2023 price list.
- Monthly retainers were the usual model among SEO providers, and consultants billed in several ways. Among SEO providers in the Ahrefs poll, published December 2023, 78.2% charged a monthly retainer and 34.8% charged by the hour. In Consulting Success’s survey, published May 2026, 30% charged project-based fees and 17% earned most of their income from retainers.
- Freelance platform rates and large-firm ceilings measured different things and sat far apart. On Upwork’s cost page, read in October 2026, past SEO contracts worldwide typically started at $15 an hour. The most BCG could bill a federal agency for an executive strategy senior associate was $478.56 an hour in October 2026.
Questions people ask about consulting rates
Published consulting rates are measured in different ways, and the questions people search for usually mix them up. In these answers, I’ve kept each figure with its own unit, currency, and period.
What is a reasonable consulting rate?
The most common answer is $100 to $250 an hour, the band 39% of surveyed consultants said they charged. Another 19% charged $250 to $500 an hour, 12% charged under $100, and 4% charged $500 to $1,000. Consulting Success published the four figures in July 2026, and its survey covered nearly 1,000 consultants.
Consultants reported these bands themselves, and most work in North America, so the dollar figures may not match your market. No figure here splits rates by industry or by client size.
How much does a consultant usually cost?
The median listed rate was $175 an hour for fractional CMOs and $200 an hour for fractional CTOs, in the 90 days to October 2026. On past Upwork contracts, UX designers typically charged $25 to $39 an hour, and Upwork published the range in October 2026. Kearney’s US federal ceilings ran from $233.20 an hour for a junior consultant to $624.00 for a project leader, on its August 2023 price list.
No source here gives an average across all consultants or prices a whole project. Cost depends on who you hire and how they bill. If you’d like to see how I scope an engagement, my services page sets out how I work.
How much should an IT consultant charge?
The median advertised day rate for UK IT consultant contracts was £450, across 46 adverts in the six months to October 2026. Adverts for cybersecurity consultants carried a higher median, £575 a day, in the same six months to October 2026.
For UK IT contract roles, the median advertised rate was £550 a day outside IR35 and £535 inside, in the 90 days to October 2026. The gap is small, but outside IR35 your rate has to cover your own tax and insurance.
Every figure here is a UK advertised day rate, and the IT consultant median rests on a small sample. The page holds no US hourly rate for IT consultants, and no figure for the rates consultants agreed with clients.
How much do freelancers charge for SEO?
SEO freelancers in the Ahrefs poll of 439 providers reported an upper-bound mean of $1,348 a month, and Ahrefs published the figure in December 2023. Past SEO contracts on Upwork typically ran at $15 to $35 an hour, and Upwork published the range in October 2026.
The poll counts each answer at the top of its bracket, so the mean runs high. Upwork’s range covers freelancers worldwide, so it may run below a US or UK rate. No source here gives a US or UK rate for SEO freelancers who work outside a platform.
What is McKinsey’s hourly rate?
McKinsey’s US federal GSA ceiling for a Capabilities & Insights Expert was $396.76 an hour in October 2026. For an executive strategy business analyst, the ceiling was $367.15 an hour in October 2026. These ceilings are the only McKinsey rates on this page.
Two other large firms publish federal schedules too. BCG’s ceiling for an executive strategy senior associate was $478.56 an hour in October 2026. Kearney’s ceiling for an executive strategy project leader was $624.00 an hour on its August 2023 price list.
A ceiling is the most a federal agency can be billed for an hour of that labour category. No source on this page states what McKinsey charges private clients.
How do I price my consulting services?
Start by choosing how you’ll bill, because the model sets who pays for an overrun. Bill by the hour and the client pays for the extra hours. With a fixed project fee the overrun is yours, so agree the scope tightly before you quote.
Of nearly 1,000 consultants Consulting Success surveyed, 30% said they charged project-based fees and 15% said they used value-based fees. Consulting Success published the figures in May 2026. Among SEO service providers in the Ahrefs poll, 34.8% said they charged by the hour, and Ahrefs published the figure in December 2023. Management consulting firms sold 42.3% of their work on fixed time or fixed fee in 2024.
I price my own consulting as a set number of days a month, agreed at the start. Each engagement starts with a diagnosis that takes one week to one month.
None of these sources compares how much consultants earn under each model, so the page can’t say which model pays more.
Methodology and sources
Of 93 figures checked against their published sources, 49 made the page, each dated to its source’s original publication or data release. Figures were dropped mainly because they could not be checked in their source, stated no sample or method, fell outside the topic, or repeated another. The page caps how many figures one publisher can supply, and never averages figures from different samples.
- Consulting Success: Consulting Fees Study (on ‘How to Set a Consulting Hourly Rate’) (July 2026)
- IT Jobs Watch: Senior Developer contract rates, UK (October 2026)
- IT Jobs Watch: Junior Developer contract rates, UK (October 2026)
- Ahrefs: SEO Pricing: How Much Does SEO Cost? 439 People Polled (December 2023)
- IT Jobs Watch: IT Consultant contract rates, UK (October 2026)
- IT Jobs Watch: Cybersecurity Consultant contract rates, UK (October 2026)
- Clutch: How Much Does Digital Marketing Cost? (pricing page) (September 2026)
- Go Fractional: Fractional CTO Cost & Rates (live rate benchmark) (October 2026)
- Go Fractional: Fractional CMO Cost & Rates (live rate benchmark) (October 2026)
- IT Jobs Watch: User Experience Designer contract rates, UK (October 2026)
- IT Jobs Watch: Product Manager contract rates, UK (October 2026)
- Consulting Success: Consulting Fees Study (on ‘How to Set Consulting Fees’) (May 2026)
- SPI Research: 2025 Professional Services Maturity Benchmark (hosted by Kantata) (February 2025)
- IT Contractors UK: IT Contract Rates UK: live market rates (October 2026)
- IPSE: Freelancer Confidence Index Q2 2024 (2024)
- IPSE: Freelancer Confidence Index Q3 2024 (2024)
- freelancermap: Freelancer Study 2026, DACH (2026)
- Kearney: GSA price list GS-00F-399GA (August 2023)
- McKinsey & Company via GSA CALC: GSA schedule 47QRAA22D00E3, labour category ‘Capabilities & Insights Expert’ (October 2026)
- Boston Consulting Group via GSA CALC: GSA schedule 47QRAA21D00AU, labour category ‘Executive Strategy Senior Associate’ (October 2026)
- Accenture: G-Cloud 14 SFIA Rate Card (May 2024)
- Payoneer: The 2023 Freelancer Report (Freelancer Income Report, fifth edition) (May 2023)
- Upwork: How much does a UX Designer cost? (October 2026)
- Upwork: How much does a SEO Expert cost? (October 2026)
