You will not find a standard range of freelancer rates, just as you won't find a standard range of developer salaries in the United States.
The $20-30/hr job listing you shared will not attract any experienced Python developers. Experienced Python developers can easily secure jobs with $100K+/year salaries and benefits in any medium sized city. That job listing is searching for entry-level Python engineers who don't yet understand their value in the marketplace. It is not representative of standard freelance rates. The job listing requests a good command of the English language, so it's not even clear that they're targeting only Americans with the listing.
Generally speaking, the best paid freelancers do not find jobs via public job listings. They use their reputation and network in combination with their unique skillsets to find contract jobs with companies who need them.
The best freelancers also negotiate their rates for each contract. Their rate can vary significantly depending on how many other opportunities that have, the difficulty of the work, and other factors.
Personally, I don't know any full-time freelancers who charge less than $80-90/hr. Below this hourly amount, it becomes more financially beneficial to find a full-time job.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to find accurate information about freelance rates from the public internet. Smart companies will not post a high hourly rate on job listings because they could miss opportunities for candidates to negotiate lower rates. Smart freelancers will not advertise their typical rate because it will impact their opportunity to negotiate or change their rates in private conversations with new employers.
The optimal strategy is to constantly look for new contract jobs, raising your asking rate until companies are telling you "No" more than "Yes". This is how you will find your market rate.
But that also means that these advertisements won't find any good developers. These super-low rates are clearly trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
The best bet is that these ads are aiming at developers from poorer countries where rates are much lower.
On the one hand, yes, but on the other, if it's remote anyway, developers in Eastern Europe/Asia/Africa should also be able to earn Western European/American rates.
Well said. As someone who's been contracting full time for over a decade, I have never used a public job listing to find a gig (nor would I). Not only are the rates low, they are usually non-negotiable. I've always gotten my gigs via my network and word-of-mouth.
As you said, it allows negotiation in rate, and when you come recommended you already have a leg up on negotiation. After a while you tend to figure out what you're able to charge, and its highly dependent on the client.
Public companies, and especially startups will pay a higher rate. I tend to get around ~125/hr in my MCOL Midwest city (highest has been 150/hr at a startup). That's about where the limit is for me in my location.
Private companies tend to be more stingy. I normally can get ~110/hr out of them. I will never take less than 100/hr, and never have. When your network is big enough you don't need to take every gig and can say no if you don't like the terms. I have to turn down more gigs than I take as it is because I'm so booked up with work.
I would also add that rates are certainly location dependent. On the coasts I would expect a higher rate than I get in the Midwest just because of cost of living. Certain cities also are more accepting to contractors than others (mine is). All of this will have an impact on what kind of rates and gigs you can get.
The $20-30/hr job listing you shared will not attract any experienced Python developers. Experienced Python developers can easily secure jobs with $100K+/year salaries and benefits in any medium sized city. That job listing is searching for entry-level Python engineers who don't yet understand their value in the marketplace. It is not representative of standard freelance rates. The job listing requests a good command of the English language, so it's not even clear that they're targeting only Americans with the listing.
Generally speaking, the best paid freelancers do not find jobs via public job listings. They use their reputation and network in combination with their unique skillsets to find contract jobs with companies who need them.
The best freelancers also negotiate their rates for each contract. Their rate can vary significantly depending on how many other opportunities that have, the difficulty of the work, and other factors.
Personally, I don't know any full-time freelancers who charge less than $80-90/hr. Below this hourly amount, it becomes more financially beneficial to find a full-time job.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to find accurate information about freelance rates from the public internet. Smart companies will not post a high hourly rate on job listings because they could miss opportunities for candidates to negotiate lower rates. Smart freelancers will not advertise their typical rate because it will impact their opportunity to negotiate or change their rates in private conversations with new employers.
The optimal strategy is to constantly look for new contract jobs, raising your asking rate until companies are telling you "No" more than "Yes". This is how you will find your market rate.