What is Retainer?
The short answer
A retainer is a recurring monthly fee that reserves a set amount of an agency's or freelancer's time for ongoing updates, improvements and support.
Retainer, explained
It makes sense when there is a steady stream of work; for a site that rarely changes, pay-as-needed is often cheaper.
Questions people ask about Retainer
What is Retainer?
A retainer is a recurring monthly fee that reserves a set amount of an agency's or freelancer's time for ongoing updates, improvements and support.
Related terms
A website maintenance plan is an ongoing service covering updates, backups, security monitoring, uptime checks and small changes for a monthly fee.
Hourly rateAn hourly rate bills web work by the time spent; it suits open-ended work but makes the total cost uncertain.
Web design agencyA web design agency is a company with designers, developers and strategists who plan, design and build websites for clients, usually on a quote-based project fee.
Freelance web designerA freelance web designer or developer is an independent professional hired per project or per hour to design or build a website.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.