Hey everyone,

We’re a small team of three developers, each with around two years of experience, and we’re just stepping into freelancing. We recently got an inquiry for a project similar to AstroTalk (for iOS & Android) with features like:

• Chatting (1-on-1 )
• Audio & Video Calls
• User Profiles
• Wallet System
• Payment Gateway Integration

We plan to build this using React Native for the app and Node.js for the backend.

Our Questions:

1. How much should we charge for a project like this? Since we’re new to freelancing but experienced in development, we don’t want to undervalue ourselves. Should we go for fixed pricing or hourly rates?
2. What should we keep in mind before fixing the deal? Any red flags to watch for?
3. How can we avoid payment issues from the client side? We’ve heard horror stories of freelancers getting ghosted after delivering work.

Since this is our first freelance project, we’d appreciate any advice from experienced freelancers. What mistakes did you make early on that we should avoid?

i used chatGPT to make this post but seriously we need advice

Thanks in advance!