RateLens
lead
engineer
Overview
RateLens is a rate transparency tool designed for creative professionals. Users anonymously submit what they charged for specific project types—broken down by discipline, scope, experience level, and region—and anyone can search that data before quoting their own next job. No names, no emails, no public profiles; submissions are never tied to a visible identity. The tool aggregates submissions into median rates, ranges, and counts for each filtered combination, helping freelancers and small studios quote confidently without exposing their own salaries.
The MVP includes a database of submissions across disciplines (illustration, photography, music production, coaching, writing, design, and others), a login-gated submit form, a browse and filter interface, shareable permalink pages for specific rate combinations, and moderation guardrails to keep data clean and trustworthy.
Mission
RateLens — Business Plan
What we're building
RateLens is a rate transparency tool for creatives: creative professionals anonymously submit what they charged for specific project types, and anyone can search that data before quoting their own next job. No names, no emails, no public profiles — submissions are never tied to a visible identity.
Current focus — the MVP
The first working version we build now:
- Database schema — disciplines (illustration, photography, music production, coaching, writing, design, other), project type (free text with autocomplete from past entries), scope, hours or deliverable count, region, experience level (0-2, 3-5, 6-10, 10+), rate charged, currency, auto-set submission date.