Baked vs hiring freelancers
Freelancers are flexible, and a great one is gold. The hard part is finding them, keeping them, and joining up the work of several people. Here is how it compares.
Side by side
BakedFreelancers
CostA flat monthly plan: $8,999 a month for Basic, $12,000 for Pro. YC companies get 10% off ($8,099 or $10,800), and referrals take off another 10% each.Hourly or per project. It varies a lot with who you find and how much changes.
Finding peopleOne team. Book a call and send your first request as soon as you're in.Searching, vetting portfolios and trial projects, for each skill you need.
Range of workBrand, product design (web and mobile), marketing sites, full-stack web apps, launch videos and pitch decks, in Framer or code. Full-stack dev is part of Pro.Usually one specialty each, so brand, product, web and code mean several people.
ReliabilityA studio team rather than one person.Depends on one person's other clients, holidays and availability.
Joining it upOne team keeps brand, product and site consistent.You manage the handoffs and keep everyone's work consistent.
CommitmentNo contracts. Pause or cancel any month.Flexible, though good freelancers get booked up.
When Baked makes more sense
- You need several skills, brand, product, web, code and video, to work as one.
- You don't have time to find, brief and manage several people.
- You want work to keep moving every week, without gaps.
When freelancers makes more sense
- You need one small, clearly defined piece of work.
- You already have a freelancer you trust who knows your product.
- Your budget is for a one-off task rather than ongoing work.
Questions
Is Baked more expensive than freelancers?
Can Baked work alongside our freelancers or team?
Yes. Work runs in a private Slack channel, and anyone on your side can join it.
Who you'd work with
- Nick, founder and creative director17+ years in product and marketing design, including Meta.
- The teamSenior designers who have worked at Meta, Netflix, HubSpot and Expa, and been founding designers at 25+ startups.
- Since 2023Three years in, Baked has grown from one person to a team of 10, worked with 150+ clients, all without a single cold email or DM.
- ClientsWe work with 11 YC companies, 8 from the current S26 batch, including Inkbox, Stoa, tash, OpenTag, Belvedir, Spaceflow, Coach AI and Context Dev. Text.AI, Orchid and Menza are from W26.
Next steps
See if it fits in a 30-min call, or start today on a plan.
Also: Baked vs hiring a full-time designer · Baked vs a design agency