Published rates are usually a starting number attached to the cheapest possible person. Here is what actually moves the price.
The range
Developer rates commonly start near ten dollars an hour. Senior developers typically start around twenty five. Specialist work such as mobile, AI or infrastructure sits higher again. Monthly engagements are quoted against capacity rather than a public rate, because the work varies.
What pushes a rate up
- Seniority, which mostly buys fewer wrong turns
- Scarce stacks, where the pool of people is small
- Direct client communication, rather than working through a manager
- Work with compliance or security requirements attached
What pulls it down
- Clear, written requirements that do not move
- Longer engagements, which reduce idle time between projects
- Flexible timelines that let work be scheduled sensibly
Where cheap gets expensive
The cost of a developer is not the rate, it is the rate multiplied by how long the work takes, plus whatever it costs to fix later. A junior at half the price who takes three times as long, then leaves behind code nobody can extend, was never the cheaper option.
Ask for a rate and an estimate together. A rate on its own tells you almost nothing.
Tell us what you are building. We reply by email, usually the same working day.
