Malt Fee Calculator

Most freelancers assume Malt works like Upwork or Fiverr — taking a cut from your earnings. It doesn't. Malt charges its commission to the client, not you. The rate is tiered: 10% for new platform clients, dropping to 5% after a 6-month relationship, and just 2% if you bring your own clients onto Malt. You quote €800/day, a new client pays ~€880 — your €800 lands in full. Compare that to Upwork (10% from your earnings) or Fiverr (20% from your earnings): the difference compounds fast at senior-level rates.

The real deductions are on your side, not Malt's: processing (1.5–3% depending on method) and your own taxes. At €800/day, after 2% processing and a 19% tax reserve:

• France TVA: 20% · Germany MwSt: 19%
• At €700/day × 160 billable days/year: roughly €18,000 more than the same volume on Fiverr

Malt supports two contract types — each with different risk and scope dynamics:

• TJM (daily rate): Log days worked, invoice per day, client approves. Scales naturally as scope expands. Standard for tech and consulting.
• Fixed-price: Agree on deliverable + total price, invoice on completion. Requires strict scope discipline. Best for clearly-defined design or content work.

TJM — Taux Journalier Moyen — is how Malt and French clients benchmark freelancer cost. To earn €5,000/month net after 2% processing and 20% tax reserve, you need to bill ~€6,375 gross.

• 10 billable days/month → TJM of €638/day
• 8 billable days/month → TJM of €797/day
• Most freelancers price by market feel — the right approach is to work backwards from your income goal.

Malt's search placement is driven by a profile score. A dormant profile with 10 old reviews ranks lower than an active one with 5 recent ones. Four factors dominate:

• Profile completeness — photo, bio, skills, portfolio, availability status
• Verified reviews from completed missions (recency matters more than volume)
• Response rate to client messages
• Activity recency — update availability regularly, respond within 24 hours, request a review after every mission

Malt Boost is a paid visibility feature that increases your placement in client search results. It amplifies what's already there — a sparse profile boosted is still a sparse profile.

• New profile (few reviews): Boost can bridge the credibility gap and accelerate early traction
• Established freelancer (strong review history): Organic ranking typically performs as well
• Rule: build profile quality first, use Boost as a multiplier — not a substitute

Malt's client base is predominantly French enterprises and mid-sized companies, with growing presence in Germany, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Average mission value: €3,000–€30,000+.

• Dominant categories: tech (dev, data, cloud), design, marketing
• Best for freelancers with 3+ years of expertise, commanding €300+/day B2B rates
• Not suited for early-career freelancers — Upwork's global marketplace gets you more work below €250/day
• Non-European freelancers: fewer relevant opportunities and more friction on every payment