Costs in PKR
Agency, freelancer or in-house: what each really costs
A freelancer in Pakistan costs PKR 8,000 to 25,000 a month, an agency PKR 15,000 to 70,000, and an in-house hire above PKR 150,000. The real difference is coverage: freelancers stop during exams, weddings and Eid, and a month of silence costs more than the saving. Count posts delivered, not the rate.
The numbers
| Route | PKR per month | Posts you can expect | What breaks first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | 0 plus your evenings | 4 – 12, dropping over time | You stop after week six |
| Student or part-time freelancer | 8,000 – 18,000 | 6 – 10 | Exam season, no cover |
| Experienced freelancer | 18,000 – 35,000 | 8 – 16 | They take a bigger client |
| Small agency retainer | 15,000 – 70,000 | 8 – 20 | Account manager churn |
| Full in-house team | 150,000+ | 20 – 40 | Cost, then hiring, then turnover |
Figures as of August 2026. Source: Rates observed across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, 2026, plus Islamabad Digital Marketing's own price list..
| Route | Monthly cost (PKR) | Pieces published | Cost per piece (PKR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer at 20,000 | 20,000 | 10 | 2,000 |
| Islamabad Digital Marketing Starter | 15,000 | 8 edits + 8 graphics | 1,875 per edit |
| Islamabad Digital Marketing Growth | 35,000 | 16 | 2,190 |
| In-house trio at 180,000 | 180,000 | 30 | 6,000 |
The freelancer row assumes every promised piece was delivered. In practice it usually is not, which is where the real cost sits.
Figures as of August 2026. Source: Islamabad Digital Marketing price list, August 2026, and observed freelance and salary rates in the twin cities..
What these numbers actually mean
Compare on months delivered, not on the monthly rate. The most common story we hear from new clients in Bahria Town and F-11 is the same: they paid PKR 12,000 a month for eight months and got about four good months of posting. That is PKR 24,000 a month for what actually shipped, which is more than our Starter, from someone who never wrote a title or answered a DM. Ask any freelancer what happens in the week they have a wedding to attend.
Freelancers win on one thing genuinely: a single specialist doing one deep skill. If you need a great editor and nothing else, and you already write, post and reply yourself, a good freelance editor is the right buy and an agency is overkill. The moment the job becomes 'somebody must open this account every working day, whatever else is happening', a single person becomes a single point of failure and the price stops being the deciding factor.
The honest disadvantage of agencies here is dilution — the agency that takes forty accounts per person gives every account fifteen minutes. That is why we cap intake and sometimes make people wait. When you are comparing, ask directly how many accounts the person handling yours is responsible for. The answer to that question predicts the quality of your next six months better than the price does.
About these numbers
Agency, freelancer or in-house: what each really costs
A freelancer in Pakistan costs PKR 8,000 to 25,000 a month, an agency PKR 15,000 to 70,000, and an in-house hire above PKR 150,000. The real difference is coverage: freelancers stop during exams, weddings and Eid, and a month of silence costs more than the saving. Count posts delivered, not the rate.
Where do these figures come from?
Rates observed across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, 2026, plus Islamabad Digital Marketing's own price list. Islamabad Digital Marketing price list, August 2026, and observed freelance and salary rates in the twin cities. Everything is dated so you can see how current it is, and we update the tables rather than quietly leaving old numbers up.
Is advertising budget included in any of these prices?
No. Wherever a management or service fee is quoted here, ad spend is separate and paid directly to the platform. We never mark up an ad budget and neither should anyone else.
Checked and updated
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