What does a blog post cost with a freelancer or an AI writer?
A freelance blog post of about 1,300 words costs roughly $70 to $600 in fees, and an AI tool costs about $5 to $17 a post in subscription. The gap is smaller than it looks, because the AI draft needs more of your time. Here is the short version, worked out in the sections below (all prices checked 24 October 2026):
| Option | Cash per post | Your time per post |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer, Upwork rates | $67 to $283 | About 1.25 hours (our assumption) |
| Freelancer, EFA per-word rates | $325 to $585 | About 1.25 hours (our assumption) |
| AI tool, you edit | $4.75 to $17.25 | About 2 hours (our assumption) |
| AI tool plus a paid copyeditor | $44 to $69 | About 1 hour (our assumption) |
A 2025 Ahrefs survey of what marketers actually pay shows AI-assisted posts costing far more than the subscription alone. In its report on AI content costs (published 18 June 2025), 879 marketers said what they pay for an average blog post. Using range midpoints, Ahrefs put the average at $131 for marketers who use AI and $611 for those who don't. Those are self-reported ranges, and Ahrefs sells AI content tools.
What do freelance writers charge for a blog post?
Between about $20 and $85 an hour on Upwork, or 25 to 45 cents a word from members of the Editorial Freelancers Association. The two sources measure different markets, so use both as bookends.
Upwork's cost page for blog writers says blog writers on Upwork cost $15 to $35 an hour, based on typical rates from certain historical contracts worldwide. It lists typical rates of $20 an hour for beginners, $41 for intermediate writers and $85 for experts. The Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 rate chart, based on a survey of more than 1,100 members about their 2025 work, gives a median range of 25 to 45 cents a word for work-for-hire blog posts. The same chart puts writing pace at one to three 250-word pages an hour.
Turn those into a price for one 1,300-word post, close to the 1,312-word average in Orbit Media's 2026 survey (more on that below):
- By the word (EFA): 1,300 x $0.25 = $325; 1,300 x $0.45 = $585.
- By the hour (Upwork): if the writer takes as long as Orbit's average respondent, 3 hours 20 minutes, that is $67 for a beginner, $137 for an intermediate writer and $283 for an expert.
The hourly figure is our assumption about speed. EFA's one to three pages an hour would put a 1,300-word post at roughly 1.7 to 5.2 hours, so real invoices vary widely. Ask for a per-post price up front.
What do AI blog writing tools cost per post?
A few dollars a post, if you use the plan you pay for. These are the entry plans on four tools' pricing pages, checked 24 October 2026:
| Tool and plan | Monthly price | What it includes | Per post at 4 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEOWriting.ai Starter | $19 billed monthly ($14 billed yearly) | Up to 50 articles | $4.75 |
| Koala Starter | $25 (20% off with annual billing) | 45,000 words a month | $6.25 |
| Frase Starter | $49 month to month ($39 billed yearly) | 10 articles a month | $12.25 |
| Jasper Pro | $69 per seat billed monthly ($59 billed yearly) | 1 seat; no article count listed | $17.25 |
We used four posts a month because that is the top of a realistic pace for a small team; our guide to how often a small team should publish explains why. If you published each plan's full allowance instead, the cost per article would drop to cents. That is the trap. The subscription is cheap, so the real cost is the time it takes to turn a draft into something you would sign.
Where does the editing time go?
Into checking facts, adding what only you know, and cutting what any blog could say. AI makes the draft faster; it doesn't remove that work. Orbit Media's 2026 blogging survey of 1,042 content marketers, by Andy Crestodina (published 8 September 2026), found:
- 92.4% now use AI for blogging.
- The average post still takes 3 hours 20 minutes to write, down from a peak of 4 hours 10 minutes in 2022.
- 13.9% say their blog delivers strong results, an all-time low in the survey.
- Replacing human editors with AI is among the practices Orbit found correlate with weak performance; a formal process with human oversight correlates with better results.
So with AI nearly universal, the average post still took over three hours. Google's guidance on generative AI content (updated 1 October 2026) says why the editing can't be skipped: "It is critical to manually factcheck and review all AI-generated content for accuracy and trustworthiness before publishing." Its spam policies list using generative AI to generate many pages without adding value as an example of scaled content abuse. Our post on whether Google penalises AI content covers that guidance in full.
A freelancer's draft needs review too, but less of it if the writer knows your field. The EFA chart puts copyediting of business and marketing text at 5 to 10 pages an hour, so a 1,300-word copyedit alone is 30 minutes to an hour. Fact-checking claims about your product and competitors comes on top.
The full cost of one post, worked out
Add your own time at a rate you choose. We used $50 an hour for a founder's time; swap in your own. The time estimates are our assumptions, shown so you can change them.
| Option | Cash | Your time (assumed) | Total at $50 an hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upwork intermediate writer ($41 x 3h20m) | $137 | Brief 30 min, review 45 min | $200 |
| EFA-rate writer (25 to 45 cents a word) | $325 to $585 | Brief 30 min, review 45 min | $388 to $648 |
| Frase Starter, 4 posts a month, you edit | $12.25 | Edit and fact-check 2 hours | $112 |
| Frase Starter plus EFA-rate copyeditor (3 to 4 cents a word) | $51 to $64 | Fact-check 1 hour | $101 to $114 |
| Write it yourself, no tool | $0 | 3h20m (Orbit's average) | $167 |
The copyeditor figure is EFA's median range for copyediting business and marketing text, 3 to 4 cents a word, so 1,300 words costs $39 to $52. Two things stand out. At $50 an hour, an AI draft you edit costs about half of an intermediate freelancer and a fraction of an EFA-rate writer. At $150 an hour the two converge: about $312 for the AI path and $324 for the Upwork writer. Above about $166 an hour, the freelancer is cheaper. The cheapest option depends on whose hours are scarce.
Which should a small team choose?
Pick by what the post needs; the fee comes second. Use this table:
| The post needs | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your product facts, pricing or setup steps | AI draft, you edit | You hold the facts; the draft only saves typing |
| Interviews, original data or a strong opinion | Freelancer or you | An AI tool can't run the interview or hold the opinion |
| A regulated or technical topic | Specialist freelancer | Errors cost more than the fee |
| Steady posts on topics you know well | AI draft plus a paid copyeditor | Keeps your time to the fact-check |
| Ten posts this month | Fewer posts | Each post still needs the review below; Google's spam policies name generating many AI pages without adding value |
The same trade-off shows up in social posts; our comparison of LinkedIn ghostwriters and AI works through it for founders' LinkedIn accounts.
A 30-minute review checklist for any draft
Run this on every draft, whoever wrote it. It is the part of the cost you can't outsource.
Check every number and name
Open the source for each statistic, price and quote. If you can't find it, cut it.
Check every claim about your product
Features, limits and prices go stale fastest. Compare each one with what the product does today.
Add one thing only you know
A number from your own work, a mistake you made, a customer question. This is what a summary of the top results can't copy.
Cut the generic sentences
For each paragraph, ask whether a competitor could publish it unchanged. If so, add a number, a named example or a step from your own work, or delete it.
If you start from a draft, start from a good one. Our guide to free keyword research with Google's own tools helps you pick the topic first. Siela's SEO Blog Writer checks search volume and cost per click, the top 10 Google results and People Also Ask, checks product facts, and writes an outline you approve before it drafts each section in your brand voice. It saves the draft to your notes and does not publish, so the review above stays with you.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to use AI or hire a freelance blog writer?
In cash, AI is far cheaper: entry plans we checked on 24 October 2026 cost $19 to $69 a month, against $67 to $585 for one freelance post by our estimates. In total cost it depends on your hourly value, because an AI draft needs more editing and fact-checking. At $50 an hour the AI path wins; above about $166 an hour, a mid-priced Upwork writer comes out cheaper.
How much should I pay a freelancer for a 1,500-word blog post?
The Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 chart gives a median range of 25 to 45 cents a word for work-for-hire blog posts, which is $375 to $675 for 1,500 words. Upwork lists typical blog writer rates of $20, $41 and $85 an hour for beginner, intermediate and expert writers. Agree a per-post price before work starts.
How long does it take to edit an AI-written blog post?
No study we found isolates editing time for AI drafts. Orbit Media's 2026 survey found the average post takes 3 hours 20 minutes to write, even though 92.4% of respondents use AI. The EFA chart puts a copyedit of marketing text at 5 to 10 pages an hour, so a 1,300-word copyedit takes 30 to 60 minutes before any fact-checking.
Can I publish AI blog posts without editing them?
Google's guidance on generative AI content, updated 1 October 2026, says it is critical to manually fact-check and review all AI-generated content before publishing. Its spam policies list generating many pages with AI without adding value as scaled content abuse. Unedited drafts also risk wrong facts about your own product, which cost more than the time saved.
Sources
- Editorial Freelancers Association: Editorial Rates (2026 Rate Chart) (updated 4 May 2026)
- Upwork: Blog Writer Hourly Rates (checked 24 Oct 2026)
- Orbit Media: Blogging Statistics 2026 (Andy Crestodina) (8 Sep 2026)
- Ahrefs: AI Content Is 4.7x Cheaper Than Human Content (18 Jun 2025)
- SEOWriting.ai pricing (checked 24 Oct 2026)
- Koala AI pricing (checked 24 Oct 2026)
- Frase pricing (checked 24 Oct 2026)
- Jasper pricing (checked 24 Oct 2026)
- Google Search Central: Guidance on using generative AI content (updated 1 Oct 2026)
- Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search (updated 28 Aug 2026)
- Ahrefs: AI Content Helper (checked 24 Oct 2026)