Originally published on ayurchenko.xyz.

Six independent product designers who publish their prices, read on 7 November 2026, give these ranges: $50 to $180 an hour, $900 to €1,500 for an audit of about a week, $15,000 for a three-week UX audit, and €2,500 to $8,000 a month for part-time work. Six sellers are a sample, not the market. One designer’s comparison estimates a full-time senior product designer in the US at $14,000 to $19,000 a month and a design agency at $15,000 to $40,000. Every outside figure below is linked to the page it came from.

Prices by type of work

Type of work Price in this sample Who states it, and how
By the hour $50 to $180 Utkarsh Panwar publishes $50; Batzorig prices by the engagement and states an implied $120 to $180; Dejan Veljanoski’s comparison estimates $80 to $150 for freelancers
UX or product audit, about a week $900 to €1,500 Bear Liu, an audit of one product problem, US$900; Utkarsh Panwar, a UX audit, from $900; Julia Slipenchuk, a product and UX audit for when users leave, €1,500; my Product Diagnosis, of the product and the decisions behind it, from $900
UX audit, three weeks $15,000 Alora Tishok, $15,000
Design system audit $700 to $12,000 My Consistency Review, an inventory of what ships, from $700; Batzorig, a design system audit, from $12,000
One flow or a sprint Sprints from $2,500 Bear Liu, a sprint from US$2,500; Julia Slipenchuk, from €3,000
Part-time, monthly €2,500 to $8,000 Julia Slipenchuk, €2,500; Bear Liu, from US$4,000; Utkarsh Panwar, from $4,500; Batzorig, from $6,000 for one day a week; my fractional product design, from $8,000
Building a design system $8,000 to $40,000 My design system work, from $8,000, about a month; Batzorig, from $40,000

Against an agency and a full-time hire

Dejan Veljanoski publishes a comparison on his hiring page. These are one designer’s estimates, not survey data, but they are the clearest public numbers I found:

Option Cost a month Time to first screens
Full-time senior product designer, US $14,000 to $19,000 About three months to hire, then two weeks
Design agency $15,000 to $40,000 Three to six weeks
Freelancer by the hour, at $80 to $150 $10,000 to $20,000 Days, once matched

These are not like for like. Part-time work buys an agreed number of days; a salary buys every day, and what the hire learns stays in the company; an agency brings several people. Compare what each would own, not only the monthly sum. More: Fractional or full-time product designer.

Why one audit costs $900 and another $15,000

  • Scope. The number of flows, user types and platforms in it. Utkarsh Panwar quotes his audit on exactly those.
  • Depth. A pass over the screens is quick. Interviews, analytics and a look at the decisions behind the screens take weeks.
  • Output. A list of issues, a plan of what to keep, cut and change, or redesigned flows.
  • Who does it. Years of experience, and whether they have worked in your kind of product before.

How to compare two quotes

  • Check that both describe the same scope: the same flows, the same platforms.
  • Ask what you hold at the end: a report, Figma, or working code.
  • Ask who does the work: the person you spoke to, or someone they hand it to.
  • Ask what the fee becomes if you continue. Some designers, Bear Liu and me among them, credit an audit toward the next piece of work.
  • Prefer a fixed price when the scope can be written down, and hourly only for open-ended work.

What I charge

Service Price What it is
Product Diagnosis From $900 One week, a written plan: what to keep, cut, change and do next
Consistency Review From $700 An inventory of what the product actually ships, in 3-5 working days
UX redesign Quoted per flow Flow by flow, each priced after an audit
Design system work From $8,000 Usually about a month
Fractional product design From $8,000 a month Part-time, an agreed number of days a week
Design and build From $8,000 A first working version, designed and built by me
Consultation $250 Up to two hours

The fee for a Consistency Review or a Product Diagnosis is credited in full toward the work that follows, if it starts within 30 days. That work is quoted separately.

Questions founders ask

How much does a freelance product designer charge per hour?

In this sample, Utkarsh Panwar publishes $50 an hour, Batzorig states an implied $120 to $180, and one designer’s comparison estimates $80 to $150 for freelancers. Many, me included, do not sell by the hour: audits have a fixed price, redesigns are quoted per flow, longer work is monthly.

How much does a UX audit cost?

On the pages above, a UX or product audit of about a week costs $900 to €1,500, a three-week UX audit $15,000, and a design system audit from $12,000. They check different things, so compare what each one covers.

Is a fractional designer cheaper than a full-time hire?

Per month, often: €2,500 to $8,000 for part-time work on the pages above, against $14,000 to $19,000 for a full-time senior designer in the US by one designer’s estimate. They buy different things: part-time days, or every day and knowledge that stays in the company.

Should I pay by the hour or a fixed price?

A fixed price when the scope can be written down, so you know the total before work starts. By the hour for open-ended work, like support or small fixes.

What does a product designer cost for an MVP?

Design alone is usually monthly work, €2,500 to $8,000 a month on the pages above, or a fixed project. Designing and building a first version with me starts at $8,000, with the scoping week counted in.

Sources

All read on 7 November 2026. Prices change; check the page before you compare.

Comparing quotes for your product? Send me the scope and I’ll tell you what I would charge for it. If it’s not a fit, I’ll say so. Write to me through ayurchenko.xyz.