Compare Per-Piece and Day-Rate Pricing — Free, With the Break-Even
Per-piece pricing looks generous on small jobs and punishing on large ones; a day rate looks safe until the work runs long. Costing both over a run of projects shows which structure actually pays, on your own numbers.
The proof surface
Free path: the tool computes locally in this browser with no key and no account. Where an AI step helps, any free chat assistant works — free tiers exist (Google AI Studio, Groq), but plans and limits change, so check the provider's own page. No third-party service is claimed here as verified: UNCONFIRMED — model has no browsing access this session.
Why the flat version breaks
A rate card states one structure and no volume. The comparison needs both structures over the same set of projects, with the pieces that always run over included, and the break-even expressed in pieces rather than in principles.
How to use the package pricing comparison binder in four passes
Average across your last three jobs rather than quoting your best one, and include the piece that always gets redone. The comparison is only as good as that count.
If your day rate covers meetings, e-mails and revision, it is worth less than the number suggests. Note the inclusions on the sheet so both structures are measured on the same basis.
One project is noise. Twelve projects is a quarter's work, and the annual difference is the figure that decides whether to change the way you quote.
Below the break-even in pieces, the piece rate pays more; above it, days do. Quoting that way is defensible, and it is a sentence a client can follow.
SAMPLE DATA, NOT A VERIFIED CLAIM: the starter record is an 85-dollar piece rate against a 420-dollar day rate over fourteen pieces and four days. Replace these values with your own source before you rely on anything.
What breaks first
Comparing an ideal project with a real one
Per-piece pricing flatters small clean jobs and day rates flatter long messy ones. Both sides need typical numbers or the comparison just expresses a mood.
Forgetting the rework on the piece side
Pieces get revised, and a piece rate that assumes one attempt is a rate that shrinks with every round. Count the pieces after revisions, not before.
Ignoring what a day rate includes
A day rate that swallows admin, calls and meetings is a discount on your own time. Either charge for those days or take them out of the comparison deliberately.
What you pay otherwise
| The usual route | What it leaves out | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing per piece on long jobs | The difference between piece work and day work on everything over the break-even | the project margin |
| A rate-calculator subscription | Monthly fee for arithmetic you run once per rate review | $8–$18 a month |
| Quoting from instinct | A structure chosen by how the last job felt rather than by the numbers on a binder sheet | a quarter of work |
| This page + the free package pricing comparison binder | Computed in your tab, result on screen before you type anything | $0 |
Try the free package pricing comparison binder right here
Load the starter rates and change the pieces per project to 6 to see the ranking reverse.
FIRST-LOAD · sample record filed
Take it into the free package pricing comparison binder
The companion app runs the same logic with a numbered intake, three starter records, a stateful share link, the one-time printable layer, and the local history shelf.
Open the free package pricing comparison binder →Keep the work if you will use it again
The full comparison: both structures across twelve projects, the difference, the break-even in pieces and what is excluded, unlimited re-runs.
The on-screen result is free and complete. The one-time layer adds a tangible file you keep and the saved history that comes with it.
Boundary: This compares figures you enter; it is not financial, tax or contractual advice and it does not account for tax, expenses or insurance. Rates, tax treatment and contract terms vary by jurisdiction and by client — confirm the numbers with an accountant and put the agreed structure in writing before starting work.