NewStats: 3,264,459 , 8,183,779 topics. Date: Wednesday, 11 June 2025 at 07:55 AM 204222

I've seen this trend among developers/designers and almost everyone in the tech space. When approached with a gig/job, instead of mentioning what they will charge for it, they end up asking the client questions like: "What is your budget?", "How much do you want to pay?", etc.

In my opinion, questions like these mostly come from non-professionals. A professional who knows their worth, values their time, energy and resources -- will be straight to mention what they want to charge for a project.

You know better for goodness's sake. You're in the know of what the project will cost because you know what is involved. It's your skills that will be put to use!

It's better you mention your price and then let the client negotiate their way through. The question: "what's your budget" presents you as being open to any offer. Only hungry and desperate developers do that.

Stop it and be professional.

DevLaive:
I've seen this trend among developers/designers and almost everyone in the tech space. When approached with a gig/job, instead of mentioning what they will charge for it, they end up asking the client questions like: "What is your budget?", "How much do you want to pay?", etc.

In my opinion, questions like these mostly come from non-professionals. A professional who knows their worth, values their time, energy and resources -- will be straight to mention what they want to charge for a project.

You know better for goodness's sake. You're in the know of what the project will cost because you know what is involved. It's your skills that will be put to use!

It's better you mention your price and then let the client negotiate their way through. The question: "what's your budget" presents you as being open to any offer. Only hungry and desperate developers do that.

Stop it and be professional.

There is this idea social media has given, that asking a clients budget automatically means the client will tell you an amount that is way higher than the original price.

But from my experience as a fullstack developer when i ask this question the immediate response is "how much do you charge for the website"

Its kind of like a trick that no one ever falls for and if anyone falls for it the likeliness of them budgetting more than the worth is almost 0

Even if i go to buy something today which in most cases i already know the price range from what others have informed me, if anyone asks me my budget

1. i will definately not tell them because im not stupid instead i will call a ridiculously low price for you.
2. It will show me that this person is not trustworthy because he is trying to trick me.
3. This person is still new if not he would have come to a conclusion that this doesnt work.

Rather tell the person your price even if he planned to spend more, the fact you saved him that cost the customer will come back or even refer you to a friend.

Business is about building customers not cashing out instantly

Wb21:


There is this idea social media has given, that asking a clients budget automatically means the client will tell you an amount that is way higher than the original price.

But from my experience as a fullstack developer when i ask this question the immediate response is "how much do you charge for the website"

Its kind of like a trick that no one ever falls for and if anyone falls for it the likeliness of them budgetting more than the worth is almost 0

Even if i go to buy something today which in most cases i already know the price range from what others have informed me, if anyone asks me my budget

1. i will definately not tell them because im not stupid instead i will call a ridiculously low price for you.
2. It will show me that this person is not trustworthy because he is trying to trick me.
3. This person is still new if not he would have come to a conclusion that this doesnt work.

Rather tell the person your price even if he planned to spend more, the fact you saved him that cost the customer will come back or even refer you to a friend.

Business is about building customers not cashing out instantly

Thank you. You really nailed more on my points above. It's just sad how new and inexperienced developers feel making money entails outsmarting potential clients.

It's not that simple, the prices are never fixed.
A service can have a pricing structure that varies from 300K to 3M.

Clients often struggle to articulate their precise requirements, leading them to request additional features even after the contract has been finalized.
Understanding their budget will enable you to provide a suitable quotation, especially if your pricing is based on the number of hours you anticipate spending on the project.

Nipeks:
It's not that simple, the prices are never fixed.
A service can have a pricing structure that varies from 300K to 3M.

Clients often struggle to articulate their precise requirements, leading them to request additional features even after the contract has been finalized.
Understanding their budget will enable you to provide a suitable quotation, especially if your pricing is based on the number of hours you anticipate spending on the project.

Not entirely true. If a client gives you a specification of what they want in the project, the onus lies on you to give a price range. If they accept to pay after negotiating, then you've won the project. But asking for a budget and then delivering the project based on their budget doesn't speak well of you. People will see the project and judge it based on what they see.

If a project is poorly done due to the client's budget, people will conclude that you as the developer lack the skills and aren't professional. They won't ask the budget.

I have politely declined several projects not because I didn't want the money. But because the money is not worth the energy I'll put in to make the work perfect. I can't just deliver a project for the money of it. I love doing good things.

DevLaive:


Not entirely true. If a client gives you a specification of what they want in the project, the onus lies on you to give a price range. If they accept to pay after negotiating, then you've won the project. But asking for a budget and then delivering the project based on their budget doesn't speak well of you. People will see the project and judge it based on what they see.

If a project is poorly done due to the client's budget, people will conclude that you as the developer lack the skills and aren't professional. They won't ask the budget.

I have politely declined several projects not because I didn't want the money. But because the money is not worth the energy I'll put in to make the work perfect. I can't just deliver a project for the money of it. I love doing good things.

For instance, when a client requests the development of an application similar to WhatsApp, the allocated budget will significantly influence my approach.

A client with a limited budget may lack understanding on aspects such as end-to-end encryption, which might seem like a minor feature to them but fundamentally alters the entire architecture of the application.
Consider the video and voice calling functionality, a client with a restricted budget might be open to utilizing a third-party API like Twilio or Agora, which may be cost-effective in the short term.
In contrast, a client with a larger budget may prefer to avoid being tied to a third-party. The implementation of a custom TURN media relay server using coturn and the establishment of Mesh WebRTC Architectures for calls will considerably affect the overall cost.

Should I only accept projects from high budget clients?
Does the exclusion of unneeded features or the use of third-party APIs equate to a poorly done job?
I don't think so.

Here is where costing in cost ing is needed. It should be the programmer that should give the client a quote. This can best be done by how long it will take x your rate per hour plus the cost of deployment and .

MindHacker9009:
Here is where costing in cost ing is needed. It should be the programmer that should give the client a quote. This can best be done by how long it will take x your rate per hour plus the cost of deployment and .

Exactly... Give the client options based on what you know. Not to ask a client their budget. It doesn't make any sense at all.

You're assuming your potential client will be technically inclined to know all these?? If they have the technical knowledge, they probably won't you. It's your responsibility to break down everything and give them price options.

Nipeks:



For instance, when a client requests the development of an application similar to WhatsApp, the allocated budget will significantly influence my approach.

A client with a limited budget may lack understanding on aspects such as end-to-end encryption, which might seem like a minor feature to them but fundamentally alters the entire architecture of the application.
Consider the video and voice calling functionality, a client with a restricted budget might be open to utilizing a third-party API like Twilio or Agora, which may be cost-effective in the short term.
In contrast, a client with a larger budget may prefer to avoid being tied to a third-party. The implementation of a custom TURN media relay server using coturn and the establishment of Mesh WebRTC Architectures for calls will considerably affect the overall cost.

Should I only accept projects from high budget clients?
Does the exclusion of unneeded features or the use of third-party APIs equate to a poorly done job?
I don't think so.

DevLaive:
You're assuming your potential client will be technically inclined to know all these?? If they have the technical knowledge, they probably won't you. It's your responsibility to break down everything and give them price options.

Correct

DevLaive:
You're assuming your potential client will be technically inclined to know all these?? If they have the technical knowledge, they probably won't you. It's your responsibility to break down everything and give them price options.

I pointed out that the client might not fully grasp certain elements of the project. I encounter a diverse range of clients, whether knowledgeable or not.

It's important to consider the client's budget, as it will inevitably arise. I'm not even saying it's always a must to ask but WHY NOT?
Ask yourself what is more logical: understanding the client's budget upfront and tailoring your approach accordingly, or making assumptions and providing a less accurate estimate or do you just enjoy disagreeing.

Your initial post says asking client for budget is unprofessional and that is a false statement. You can say you don't like it but professionals often check in with clients about their budget, maybe not in the "How much do you want to pay?" tone but it's a usual part of the conversation.

Nipeks:


I pointed out that the client might not fully grasp certain elements of the project. I encounter a diverse range of clients, whether knowledgeable or not.

It's important to consider the client's budget, as it will inevitably arise. I'm not even saying it's always a must to ask but WHY NOT?
Ask yourself what is more logical: understanding the client's budget upfront and tailoring your approach accordingly, or making assumptions and providing a less accurate estimate or do you just enjoy disagreeing.

Your initial post says asking client for budget is unprofessional and that is a false statement. You can say you don't like it but professionals often check in with clients about their budget, maybe not in the "How much do you want to pay?" tone but it's a usual part of the conversation.

Well, you're entitled to your opinion. But I'd rather present a range of prices to give my potential clients options. I don't have to tailor down my services based on a client's budget. It won't speak well of me if it turns out poorly. Not because of my incompetence, but because of client's budget.

If a client says they want an e-commerce website and, when asked about their budget, they respond with ₦10,000, how would you respond to them? Is it:
1. That's fine.
2. You need to increase your budget.

Will it not be better to just give the client a quote based on how long it will take you for the coding X your rate per hour, plus hosting and cost.

MindHacker9009:
If a client says they want an e-commerce website and, when asked about their budget, they respond with ₦10,000, how would you respond to them? Is it:
1. That's fine.
2. You need to increase your budget.

Will it not be better to just give the client a quote based on the how long it will take you for the coding X your rate per hour, plus hosting and cost.

Thank you for this! It's better this way. It's my time and energy for goodness' sake.