Charge for the hours a client takes, times what an hour costs you, plus your margin. This calculator works it out from your posts, networks and services, with no market averages: only your numbers.
Free tool by Mydrop, no signup
Free social media agency pricing calculator
Charge for social media management by the hours a client takes, times your hourly cost, plus your margin. Enter your scope to get the retainer.
1Posts for one client
2Extra services, hours a month
3Your cost per hour and margin
Time assumptions: 45 min per post, 10 min per extra network, 3 h planning per client
Charge per client
US$2,080 a month
26 h × US$40 = US$1,040 of work, at a 50% margin
Hours a month26 h
Mydrop Starter per clientUS$3.80US$19 a month ÷ 5 clients
Margin after tool cost49.8%
All 5 clientsUS$10,400US$5,181 a month left after costs
Three packages
- PostingUS$1,280Posts on every network, planning and approvals16 h
- Posting + communityYour scopeUS$2,080Adds community management and reporting26 h
- Full serviceUS$3,200Adds ads management and content shoots40 h
Win the client, then run it on Mydrop
Approvals, a portal per client and reports for all your clients on one flat plan, never per seat.
Every starting number is an example to replace with yours. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
How to price a social media retainer
Price the hours, not the posts
Count the time a client takes each month: posts, adapting them per network, planning, approvals and calls. Multiply by what an hour costs you.
Put the margin on top
Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin). At a 50% margin, $1,000 of work becomes a $2,000 retainer, so half of every invoice is yours.
Tools are a cost per client
Divide your tool bill by your clients. A flat plan costs less per client with every client you add; per-channel and per-workspace plans grow with each one.
Example: 12 posts a month on 3 networks, community management and reporting, US$40 an hour, 50% margin = 26 hours a month, charge US$2,080 a month
Time per task is an assumption you can change; no market rates are used. Mydrop prices from mydropai.com/pricing. Page checked on 21 October 2026.
Reference
Where the hours of a retainer go
Each task, the time the calculator starts from, and what Mydrop does for it.
| Task | Starting assumption | What it covers | In Mydrop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creating a post | 45 min per post | Caption, visual, links and scheduling for the first network | AI captions in each brand's voice |
| Each extra network | 10 min per post | Adapting the caption, size and tags for one more network | One composer, a caption per network, real previews |
| Planning, approvals and calls | 3 h per client a month | The monthly calendar, client review, edits and check-ins | Clients approve from a link or WhatsApp, with reminders |
| Community management | 8 h a month | Replies to comments, messages and mentions | One inbox for comments and messages |
| Reporting | 2 h a month | Pulling the numbers and writing the monthly report | Branded reports, sent on a schedule from Pro |
| Ads management | 6 h a month | Setting up, watching and reporting paid campaigns | Not in Mydrop: runs in each network's ads manager |
| Content creation and shoots | 8 h a month | Photo or video shoots, editing and design | AI images and videos, with a monthly allowance |
Starting assumptions are examples to edit, not Mydrop data or market averages. Time a week of your own work and enter it under Time assumptions.
Deliver what you sell
Run every retainer in Mydrop
Plan, approve, publish, reply and report for every client from one workspace, on one flat plan.
Start free
Free plan, then US$19 a month flat. Never per seat.
Questions
Agency pricing, answered
Hours a month × your cost per hour ÷ (1 − your margin), rounded up. For example, 26 hours at US$40 an hour with a 50% margin is US$2,080 a month.
Posting covers posts on every network, planning and approvals. Posting + community adds community management and reporting. Full service adds ads management and content shoots. Price each one from its own hours.
It depends on the brand and the format. The calculator starts at 45 minutes per post and 10 minutes per extra network as assumptions; time a week of your own work and replace them.
Your tool bill divided by your clients. Mydrop's plans are flat (US$19, US$59 or US$249 a month), so 10 clients on Pro cost US$5.90 each. The tool cost calculator compares 8 other tools.
A retainer prices the whole month: planning, approvals, replies and reports, not only the posts. The calculator shows the hours behind each package, so you can quote either way.
Yes. No signup, no limit, and your numbers never leave your browser.
Price it here. Deliver it in Mydrop.
Approvals, client portals, reports and the inbox for every client on one flat plan. Free to start.
