In this post, you’ll find a crowd-sourced and research-backed overview of freelance rates across industries like IT, marketing, engineering, life sciences, and creative services. We’ve gathered data from the Freelancers in Belgium community, industry surveys, and reliable reports to offer a broad picture of what freelancers charge per hour or day.
While market rates are a helpful benchmark, we always recommend pricing based on the value you deliver, your expertise, and your client type.
That said, we know that especially for those just starting out—or branching into new services—having a sense of freelance rates in Belgium is useful to avoid underpricing and undervaluing your work.
If you know of other data sources or updated reports we should include, please email us at: info@freelancersinbelgium.be.
Average rate for freelancers in Belgium
According to UNIZO’s Freelance Focus report, hourly rates for freelancers in Belgium typically range between €50 and €90, depending on the type of assignment. Average rate: €70.
UNIZO (Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers) is an organisation representing self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs in Flanders and Brussels. Their Freelance Focus report offers valuable data on the freelance landscape, including pricing, client relationships, and challenges freelancers face.
UNIZO categorizes them into
- consultancy (e.g., market research, HR),
- technical/ICT (e.g., engineering, web development)
- intellectual work (e.g., copywriting, design, translations).
As shown in the chart, rates vary significantly across fields.
Source: Freelance Focus 2024
Rates for creative professionals
According to data of Creative Shelter, a Belgian platform that helps freelancers in the creative sector invoice their clients legally and efficiently—while optimising income through copyright-friendly invoicing and tax benefits.
Hourly rates in the creative sector vary based on experience, niche, and client type. The overall average is €75 per hour (excl. VAT). Here’s a breakdown by activity:
Photography: €110/hour*
Copywriting: €70/hour
Audiovisual work: €60/hour
(Digital) Graphic design: €60/hour
The average daily rate for creatives using Creative Shelter is just under €500/day (excl. VAT):
Photography: €640/day
Copywriting: €470/day
Audiovisual work: €450/day
(Digital) Graphic design: €440/day
*Photography rates are higher as they often include post-production and travel costs. The median hourly rate for photographers is lower at €80/hour.
Source: Het uurtarief van freelancers
Marketing
Freelance marketing director Ilse Van Dyck has made an independent active dashboard via Lookerstudio with the rates. Please note that this survey was mostly active in 2022.
On 18/3/2025 the average rate was 590.83€ per day.
You can see breakdown of marketing field, experience, client type etc. here.
Source: Looker Studio
You can also fill in the survey and directly see the impact via this form.
Insights into Digital (Marketing) Freelancers
Ariad, a digital talent agency connecting marketers, designers, and tech professionals with leading companies, has published valuable insights into daily freelance rates in Belgium’s digital marketing sector.
Their data shows that the global average daily rate for freelancers in digital marketing in Belgium is €628. To provide more context, here’s a breakdown by specialty based on their recent findings:
| Speciality | Average daily fee |
|---|---|
| CRM or Marketing Automation Expert | €673 |
| Digital Comms, Content or Social Media | €540 |
| Digital Marketing generalist | €579 |
| Digital PM, PO, Scrum Master or Agile Coach | €750 |
| Performance/Growth Marketing, SEO or CRO | €545 |
| UX, Web, Mobile or Service Designer | €628 |
| Web or Digital Analyst | €575 |
| Other | €670 |
About the data:
The figures are based on Ariad’s 2023 Digital Talent Survey. Over 300 respondents participated, including those in permanent positions, temporary roles, and freelance contracts. While some questions varied by employment type, all responses in the report are representative across job categories, industries, and contract types unless otherwise noted.
Source: Income & Insight 2023 Report by Ariad
Overview of freelance hourly rates across key roles in the IT, life sciences, and engineering sectors
This data comes from SThree, an international recruitment and staffing company specialising in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). SThree regularly publishes market insights based on their extensive network of professionals and employers across Europe.
IT
| Speciality | Min Rate (€) | Average Rate (€) | Max Rate (€) |
|---|
| Java Development | 65 | 73 | 80 |
| .NET Development | 55 | 70 | 80 |
| Architecture | 60 | 95 | 110 |
| DevOps | 45 | 65 | 90 |
| Business Analysis | 55 | 78 | 120 |
| Information Security | 55 | 85 | 120 |
| System Engineer | 50 | 70 | 100 |
| Project Management | 70 | 85 | 100 |
| Testing | 55 | 70 | 85 |
| Agile | 65 | 80 | 95 |
| Business Intelligence | 60 | 80 | 100 |
Life sciences
| Speciality | Min Rate (€) | Average Rate (€) | Max Rate (€) |
|---|
| QA Support | 40 | 58 | 105 |
| QA Packaging | 50 | 55 | 60 |
| QA Consulting | 45 | 60 | 110 |
| QA Validation | 45 | 56 | 80 |
| QC Consulting | 30 | 45 | 65 |
| Technical Support | 40 | 56 | 80 |
Engineering
| Speciality | Min Rate (€) | Average Rate (€) | Max Rate (€) |
|---|
| Automation Engineering | 50 | 66 | 80 |
| Supply Chain Management | 55 | 72 | 85 |
| Project Engineering | 55 | 78 | 95 |
| HSE (Health, Safety, Env.) | 55 | 70 | 90 |
| Planning | 55 | 72 | 85 |
| Design | 40 | 56 | 72 |
Source: STEM Market in Belgium: The best sectors and rates for Freelancers (published 30 August 2024)
Community-sourced rates from Freelancers in Belgium (2024-2025)
Here are professions mentioned in the Freelancers in Belgium group and the average rates mentioned from 2024. Please note you need to be on FB and a member of the Freelancers in Belgium group to view the source.
- Business Analyst: Day rate: €500 – €750 source
- Accountant: The hourly rate is 25€ for a junior profil up to 60/70€ for a high skilled accountant source
- Project/Campaign manager Day rate €500-€650 source
- IT Project Manager: Day rate €600-€800 source
- Cloud Security/Network Security Engineer: junior €550-€650, mid €650-€750 senior €800-€1000 source
Cross-Border Rates: What Freelancers Earn Nearby
If you’re working with international clients—or considering it—it’s helpful to understand what freelancers charge in nearby countries. To keep things relevant and digestible, we’ve focused on a few key markets close to Belgium.
Rates from France, Spain & Germany
According to Malt’s 2022 report, daily rates for freelancers vary significantly across job categories and countries. This data highlights the disparity in freelancer earnings across Europe, with Germany offering the most competitive rates. Numbers from Belgium are missing.
Source: Malt Freelancing in Europe 2022
What freelancers earn in the Netherlands
Knab, a Dutch online bank focused on freelancers and entrepreneurs, provides a detailed overview of freelance earnings across the Netherlands. Their data covers 70 common freelance professions and 330 specialisations, revealing an average hourly rate of €81 for freelancers in the country.
Source: Knab Zzp Uurtarievenboekje 2025
Freelance Day Rate Directory for the UK
Freelancing.Support has created a helpful directory of UK-based organisations that regularly publish day rate benchmarks and pricing data for freelancers across various industries. While rates vary widely by role, the average freelance day rate in the UK typically falls between £300 and £500.
Source: Freelancing.Support – Day Rate Benchmarks
About Freelancers in Belgium
Freelancers in Belgium is the largest community for freelancers in the country, bringing together thousands of independent professionals to share knowledge, opportunities, and support. We host events, share resources, and create a space where freelancers can learn from one another.
Want to get involved? Here’s how:
- Join the Facebook group: Connect with 16K+ freelancers, ask questions, and join the conversation https://www.facebook.com/groups/freelancersinbelgium.
- Explore our resources: From guides to surveys, we regularly publish helpful content to support your freelance journey: https://freelancersinbelgium.be/blog/
- Subscribe to our monthly newsletter Freelance Forward Facts: Get updates on events, resources, and community highlights straight to your inbox: https://freelancersinbelgium.be/newsletter-freelance-forward-facts/
👉 You can find all the links at www.freelancersinbelgium.be
Disclaimer
The rates listed in this post are based on community insights, surveys, and third-party reports. They represent averages and ranges, not fixed or recommended prices. Every freelance project is unique, and your rate should reflect your experience, expertise, value provided, and business goals.
We strongly encourage freelancers to use value-based or package pricing where possible, and not to base their pricing solely on market averages.
Freelancers in Belgium is not liable for how this information is used.
If you spot an error, have updated figures, or know of a relevant benchmark report we should include, please let us know at info@freelancersinbelgium.be.