Frequently Asked Questions

FairPrice is an anonymous budget matching tool for freelancers, consultants, and service providers. It eliminates awkward price negotiations by having both parties submit their budget ranges privately, then using an algorithm to find if there's a fair match.

Great question! Open negotiation suffers from several problems:

• Anchoring bias: The first number mentioned sets the baseline, disadvantaging whoever speaks first
• Strategic lying: Clients lowball, freelancers inflate—honesty gets punished
• Time waste: You discover misalignment after hours of proposals and calls
• Money left on table: If a client accepts your quote too quickly, you probably undercharged

FairPrice uses anonymous submission (like a sealed-bid auction) where game theory proves honesty is the optimal strategy. See detailed comparison →

Both parties submit a budget range (minimum and ideal price). The algorithm:

1. Checks for overlap: Does your range intersect with theirs?
2. If yes: Calculates the midpoint of the overlap (fair price)
3. If no: Tells both parties the budgets don't align (no awkwardness)

Example: You submit $3k-$5k, client submits $4k-$6k. Overlap is $4k-$5k. Fair price: $4,500.

$50 one-time payment for a lifetime license. No subscriptions, no per-project fees, no hidden costs. Create unlimited projects forever.

Not currently, but you can explore the demo on the homepage to see how it works. We keep the price low ($50 lifetime) to make it accessible to everyone.

At $50 for unlimited lifetime use, even a single project can pay for itself. Consider: if FairPrice helps you earn just $100 more on one project (by avoiding anchoring bias), you've already doubled your investment. Most users find it pays for itself on the first use.

Yes! If FairPrice doesn't work for you, email us within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked.

No! Your clients just click your link, enter their budget range, and see results instantly. No sign-up, no email required, no friction. This makes it easy for you and convenient for them.

Absolutely not. All budgets are encrypted and hidden until both parties submit. This is the core feature—anonymity prevents anchoring bias and gaming.

FairPrice shows you the fair price (or tells you there's no match). From there, you proceed however you want:

• If it matches: Use the fair price as your starting point, discuss scope, sign contracts
• If it doesn't match: You both know it's not a fit—no hard feelings, no time wasted

FairPrice doesn't replace your workflow—it just handles the uncomfortable budget alignment step.

No. Each project link is one-time use for security and privacy. Once the client submits their budget and you both see results, the link expires. You can create unlimited new projects instantly.

Project links expire after 30 days or when used (whichever comes first). After 30 days, all data is automatically deleted for privacy.

Yes. All budget data is encrypted using industry-standard Fernet encryption. Data is automatically deleted after 30 days. We don't sell or share your information with anyone.

No. Since both parties submit anonymously and simultaneously (technically, you submit first but they can't see it), there's no way to "game" the algorithm. The optimal strategy is honesty—this is proven by game theory (sealed-bid auctions).

FairPrice creates enforced fairness even when trust is low:

• If the client lowballs, they might miss a match entirely (hurts them, not you)
• If you inflate your rates, same result—potential good match becomes a no-match
• Both parties are incentivized to be honest to maximize the chance of a good outcome

This is why sealed-bid mechanisms work better than open negotiation—honesty is the dominant strategy.

Early feedback suggests the opposite! Clients appreciate:

• The professionalism ("this is clever and modern")
• That it removes their awkwardness too (they also hate lowballing or overpaying)
• The transparency of the process

Pro tip: Frame it as "I use a budget matching tool to make sure we're aligned before wasting your time on a proposal."

Budget alignment isn't relationship-building—it's gatekeeping. You still have calls, proposals, and collaboration AFTER you know it's a financial fit. Removing the awkward money conversation actually improves relationships (starts on mutual respect).

Would you rather spend time building a relationship with someone who can't afford you?

You still can! FairPrice gives you a starting point:

• If it matches at $4,500, that's your baseline
• You can still discuss scope changes, payment terms, timeline discounts
• But now you negotiate from a fair foundation, not an anchored one

Think of it as a pre-negotiation alignment check.

Confidence ≠ accuracy:

• You can confidently quote $5k, but what if the client's budget was $8k? You left $3k on the table.
• Confidence doesn't solve information asymmetry (clients have more data than you)
• Even confident freelancers waste time on misaligned prospects

FairPrice isn't about replacing confidence—it's about maximizing your confident rate by finding clients who can actually afford it.

Email us at [email protected] and we'll help you out. Most issues are resolved within 24 hours.

We're always improving! Send feature requests to [email protected]. We prioritize features that help the most users.