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If you’re building something new, you’ve probably heard the same advice: file early and protect your IP. But no one tells you how expensive it actually is.
In 2025, hiring a patent lawyer for an application still runs between $5,000 and $15,000+, even for something “simple.” That’s just to get something drafted and filed, with responses, revisions, and international filings costing extra. When you’re working with pre-seed or angel funds (or bootstrapping entirely), that’s a painful line item.
Luckily, there are now more options than ever to get quality patent support at a price that won’t derail your runway. Whether you’re a solo inventor with one idea or a founding team staring down a product roadmap full of innovations, these are the places we recommend looking.
If hiring a law firm feels like overkill (or over-budget), Lawtrades is a solid middle ground. It’s a curated platform that connects startups to freelance attorneys, many of whom have big law or in-house experience but now work independently.
Enjoy transparent pricing, clearly defined scopes, and flexible engagements with no retainers or long-term commitments required. It’s particularly useful for early-stage teams who need short-term help with a single filing, provisional cleanup, or portfolio review.
Best for: Founders who want expert patent support without hiring a firm (or paying firm-level rates).
UpCounsel connects individuals and businesses to solo attorneys and boutique firms, often at rates far lower than traditional firms. For patent work, UpCounsel offers flat-fee packages for things like provisional applications, patentability searches, and even complete filings. You post your need, get proposals from vetted attorneys, and compare based on experience, reviews, and pricing.
While it’s not as tailored to startups as Lawtrades, it’s a practical option, especially for solo inventors or first-time founders who want to keep costs predictable and avoid being upsold.
Best for: Solo inventors or startups looking for affordable, one-off patent help without compromising on legal credentials.
Priori Legal connects businesses to a vetted network of attorneys and boutique firms across various specialties, including intellectual property. While it’s not exclusively focused on patents, the platform does include patent attorneys with both technical backgrounds and startup experience.
The matching process is more structured than on UpCounsel: you submit a project request, and Priori recommends attorneys based on scope, industry, and budget. It’s designed to feel more like adding trusted external counsel than hiring a freelancer off a gig site.
Expect slightly higher rates than some marketplaces, but with more consistency and a stronger focus on long-term fit, which is especially helpful if you're planning to build out a patent portfolio over time.
Best for: Startups with early traction or in-house teams looking for reliable patent counsel without locking into a big-firm relationship.
Legal.io is a platform built initially for in-house legal departments to scale their teams with on-demand talent. It’s not a pure marketplace; instead, it functions more like a legal staffing solution, but it's increasingly used by startups and growth-stage companies looking for vetted, specialized counsel.
Unlike platforms where you scroll through profiles, Legal.io matches you with candidates based on your needs, whether that’s a one-off provisional review or a part-time patent advisor. Most professionals on the platform have in-house or big law experience and work on flexible terms.
It’s not ideal for solo inventors or very early-stage founders, but it’s a strong option once you start treating IP as part of your broader legal strategy.
Best for: Post-seed startups or lean in-house teams who want vetted patent counsel without the cost of a full-time hire or a large firm.
Graphite (formerly SpareHire) connects startups and enterprises with freelance professionals across domains like finance, legal, and strategy. While it's not exclusively focused on law, the platform does include vetted legal consultants, occasionally including patent agents or attorneys with technical backgrounds.
Unlike legal-specific platforms, Graphite is better suited for scoped consulting projects than full patent filings — think: IP audits, freedom-to-operate research, or strategy planning before a funding round or acquisition.
If you're looking for someone to help evaluate whether something should be patented or help clean up your IP story before diligence, this can be a cost-effective option.
Best for: Startups needing fractional help with IP strategy, not hands-on drafting or filing. Best used alongside a filing partner, not instead of one.
When cash is tight, it’s tempting to file a $199 patent application. But in patent law, cutting corners early means you’ll often pay for it later, whether in rejections, delays, or worse, a patent that doesn’t protect your invention.
Here are a few options we recommend avoiding (or approaching with serious caution).
Yes, there are some decent registered patent agents on Upwork, but there are also a lot of unqualified "patent writers" who are neither registered nor trained in U.S. patent law. Fiverr is even riskier — many listings offer suspiciously cheap “patent applications” that are just filled-in templates with no real strategy or legal insight.
These platforms market “patent application packages” at founder-friendly prices, but what you actually get is minimal. You’ll usually fill out a generic form, and someone with limited IP experience will turn it into a basic filing. There’s no conversation about competitive landscape, no claim strategy, and no effort to future-proof the application for pivots or product updates.
The most common issues we’ve seen:
Even worse, if your application gets rejected or challenged later, there’s no one on the hook to fix it. These services aren’t built for follow-up, and often outsource to mystery vendors with no accountability.
Hiring a great patent lawyer doesn’t have to mean blowing your entire runway. If you’re strategic about what work needs a lawyer, you can protect your core IP without wasting your budget. Use these tips to meaningfully reduce patent costs in 2025.
Most attorneys charge by the hour, and drafting the first version of your application is one of the most time-consuming (and expensive) parts. With Patentext, founders and inventors can generate a complete first draft in-house using AI trained specifically on patent language and structure.
It’s not a legal replacement, but it gives your attorney a huge head start, reducing hours spent “translating” your technical explanation into patent-speak. That means fewer billable hours, faster turnaround, and more budget left over for strategy, revisions, and filings.
Patent agents are registered with the USPTO and can do everything a patent attorney can, except represent clients in court or give legal advice beyond patent prosecution. But for drafting and filing a patent, they’re fully qualified.
Because they’re not attorneys, agents typically charge lower rates. Many have advanced STEM degrees and specialize in technical filings, making them especially valuable for deep-tech or engineering-heavy inventions.
Provisional applications are one of the most effective ways to defer major patent expenses while still securing an early filing date. They’re cheaper to file (just $60-$300 in USPTO fees, depending on entity size), don’t require formal claims, and give you 12 months to test your idea, iterate, raise funding, or scope out competitors.
That said, to obtain the priority date, the USPTO still has the same requirements for the content of provisional applications as they do for non-provisionals. This means you’ll still have to disclose your technology with rigorous detail to obtain a solid priority date.
Luckily, using a tool like Patentext, you can generate a solid, technically sound patent draft on your own. That draft can be filed as a provisional immediately, then expanded into a non-provisional later with the help of a lawyer or agent once you're ready (and funded).
Not every product feature needs a patent. Instead of filing five weak applications, invest in one or two strong ones that cover:
Once you’ve filed your provisional, use the 12-month clock to figure out what’s worth converting to a non-provisional. You might find that some ideas aren’t worth the extra $10K+ in legal spend.
Affordable patent help does exist — you just have to know where to look. Whether you're bootstrapping or backed by angels, the smartest move is to be strategic: save on what you can, invest where it counts, and avoid the platforms that cut corners at your expense.
Patentext was built to help startups take control of their IP early without increasing their burn rate. Use it to draft high-quality patent applications in-house, fast, which you can take to a patent attorney or agent for refinement and filing.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Patent laws are complex and vary by jurisdiction. For personalized guidance, consult a qualified patent attorney or agent.
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