This calculator vs. tracking quotes in a spreadsheet
Effective hourly rate, a cost rise, a discount ask, fixed-vs-hourly, a kill fee, and a price ladder are each ordinary arithmetic. This page names no specific product — it compares against the generic method of building that arithmetic in a spreadsheet, and says where a spreadsheet still wins.
What each approach actually does
A spreadsheet can reproduce every formula this calculator runs: total hours to an effective rate, a target price at a chosen hourly rate, what a cost rise or a client's discount ask does to that rate, fixed pay minus what the same hours would earn billed hourly, what finishing beats a kill fee by, and a price ladder across a range of target rates. Building it means one formula per scenario, in its own section, and a new section the next time the quote needs a decision the sheet does not already have.
This calculator keeps all six of those scenarios wired to the same quote, so typing one number — the price, the hours, a requested discount — recomputes every panel at once instead of six formulas one at a time. A shareable link carries the whole quote in the URL itself, so sending someone the scenario is a link instead of a file two people have to keep in sync. And when you do want the numbers in a sheet, the page exports a spreadsheet-safe CSV, a Markdown review, or a JSON report in one click, so building the sheet is optional rather than the only way in.
| Question | Where to answer it |
|---|---|
| What does this quote actually pay per hour, once every task is counted? | This calculator's effective-rate panel — typed once, not re-derived per scenario. |
| A client asks for 10% off, or a cost rose before the work started — what happens to my rate? | The discount-ask and cost-rise tables, recomputed from the same quote. |
| Should I bill this fixed or hourly, or take a kill fee instead of finishing? | The fixed-vs-hourly and kill-fee comparisons, on the same screen. |
| I track many quotes over months and want them all in one place. | A spreadsheet — export each review as CSV and append it yourself. |
| My fee structure has a wrinkle this calculator doesn't model (a rolling retainer discount, revenue share). | A spreadsheet you build yourself — it can represent any rule you can describe. |
| Is my data uploaded anywhere? | No. Everything runs in your browser; your figures stay on this device. |
Common questions
Can a spreadsheet do this math instead?
Yes. Effective hourly rate, a cost rise, a discount ask, fixed-vs-hourly billing, a kill fee, and a target-rate price ladder are all ordinary arithmetic you can put in a spreadsheet. Building it means one formula per scenario, and rebuilding a section the next time the quote needs a decision the sheet does not already have — a client asking for 10% off, a mid-project cancellation, a cost that rose before the work started.
What does a spreadsheet not do that this calculator does?
Keep all six scenarios wired to the same quote so a discount ask, a kill fee, and a cost rise recompute from one edit instead of six separate formula updates. It also produces a shareable link that carries the whole quote in the URL itself, and CSV, Markdown, and JSON exports for the moment you do want the numbers in a sheet, without building the sheet first.
Is a spreadsheet ever the better choice?
Yes, for tracking many quotes over time in one place, or for a fee structure this tool's inputs cannot represent — a retainer with a rolling discount, a multi-currency contract, revenue share instead of a flat price. A spreadsheet you build yourself can represent any rule you can describe. This calculator trades that flexibility for a form that already has the right fields for one quote's effective rate, right now.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. A shareable link carries your figures in the URL itself rather than sending them to a server, and the optional local history and usage counters stay on this device.
Open the Quote Margin Check calculator, read how to calculate your effective hourly rate, or see this calculator vs. Bonsai for a comparison against client-management software instead of a spreadsheet.