How quotes work

No tier games.
Real quotes.

You can't price something honestly without knowing the scope. So we don't. Every quote is generated from your actual project — line-by-line — and shown alongside the comparable Upwork freelancer rate.

Methodology

How the quote engine arrives at your number.

01

Scope analysis

Your description is parsed for complexity signals: authentication, payments, multi-tenancy, AI features, integrations, realtime requirements, scale targets. Each detected signal contributes to the complexity score.

02

Reference fidelity

"Build me something like Stripe" is meaningfully harder than "build me a landing page." Reference URLs apply a fidelity premium of 5-40% based on the engineering depth of the example.

03

Timeline modifier

Rush delivery (front-of-queue) adds 50%. Standard cadence is the default. Extended (relaxed) timelines apply a 15% discount. Choose what serves you.

04

Comparable benchmark

Every quote is paired with the current Upwork freelancer rate for similar scope, sourced from active marketplace listings. Your CFO sees the savings before they see the bill.

Sample quotes

Three real scopes. Three real numbers.

A landing page

Single-page marketing site, hero + features + CTA, mobile-responsive, deployed.

Standard scope, no auth
  • Web Engineering — base scope $97
  • Standard timeline $0

Total

$97

Delivery

24 hours

vs Upwork

7692% less

$400$1.2k

A SaaS dashboard

Multi-tenant dashboard with auth, Stripe billing, three integrations.

AuthenticationPaymentsMulti-tenant3 integrations
  • Web Engineering — base scope $297
  • Authentication (+25%)$74
  • Payments and subscriptions (+40%)$149
  • Multi-tenant isolation (+60%)$312
  • Integrations (3) (+15% each)$187

Total

$1k

Delivery

72 hours

vs Upwork

5984% less

$2.5k$6.5k

A native mobile app

iOS + Android RN app, push notifications, IAP, store submission.

Both platformsPushIAPStore submission
  • Mobile Engineering — base scope $597
  • Both iOS and Android (+60%)$358
  • In-app purchases (+30%)$286
  • Store submission (+15%)$188

Total

$1.4k

Delivery

5 days

vs Upwork

5986% less

$3.5k$10k

What every quote includes

No hidden line items. Ever.

Always included

  • Two structured revision rounds
  • Source code, deployment, documentation
  • Human review on every deliverable
  • Runbook for your team

Never included

  • Retainers or monthly minimums
  • Per-seat fees
  • Agency markup
  • Unbounded scope creep

Payment

  • Stripe Checkout for deposits
  • Escrow on engagements over $5,000
  • Refund window before delivery starts
  • Net-15 invoicing on enterprise plans
How quotes work · Zenith Build