HIRING GUIDES

Hiring development professionals

Websites, apps and automations built by independent developers. 13 guides, each with a sourced cost range, the questions to ask, and the red flags.

Typical rates in development
$2,000–$30,000per project8 guides
$55–$110per hour4 guides
$1,500per month1 guide
All cost guides
Photo showing technology, computer and code.$2,000–$15,000 per projectAPI developer

What an API developer builds, what connecting your systems costs, and how to hire one who documents the interface so the next developer isn't stuck.

Photo showing service, computers and repair.$500–$5,000 per projectAutomation specialist

What an automation specialist actually automates, what a workflow build costs, and how to hire one who saves you hours without building a fragile house of cards.

Photo showing code, html and digital.$60–$180 per hourBackend developer

What backend developers actually build, what their rates buy, and how to hire for work you'll never see.

Photo showing ecommerce, online and shop.$2,000–$20,000 per projectE-commerce developer

What an e-commerce developer builds beyond a store theme, what a real online-selling build costs, and how to hire one who thinks about checkout and taxes, not just design.

Photo showing programming, html and css.$50–$160 per hourFrontend developer

What frontend developers build, what their hourly rates cover, and how to judge one when you can't read code.

Photo showing software developer, web developer and programmer.$60–$180 per hourFull-stack developer

What a full-stack developer really does, what their hourly rate buys, and when one generalist beats hiring a front-end and back-end pair.

Photo showing ux, prototyping and design.$5,000–$80,000 per projectMobile app developer

What building a mobile app actually involves, why the price range is so wide, and how to hire a developer who ships to the App Store and back-office alike.

Photo showing laptop, macbook and codes.$35–$90 per hourQA tester

What a QA tester actually does, what their hourly rate buys, and how to hire one who finds the bugs your users would have found first.

Photo showing catch, pc and it.$500–$3,000 per monthSEO specialist

What an SEO specialist actually does, what a monthly engagement buys, and how to hire one who reports on traffic instead of promising rankings.

Photo showing man, computer and screen.$1,000–$12,000 per projectShopify developer

What a Shopify developer builds, what a store setup or custom theme costs, and how to hire one who keeps your monthly app bill from eating your margin.

Photo showing office, work and desk.$1,500–$15,000 per projectWeb developer

What a web developer actually builds, what a real website costs, and how to hire one without getting burned.

Photo showing artificial intelligence, robot and ai.$1,000–$10,000 per projectWebflow developer

What a Webflow developer builds, what a custom site costs, and how to hire one who hands you a site you can actually edit yourself.

Photo showing wordpress, lanyards and blog.$800–$8,000 per projectWordPress developer

What a WordPress developer really does, what a custom build costs, and how to hire one who won't leave you buried in plugins and security holes.

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