How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Web Developer?

Cost to Hire a Web Developer

Websites are growing exponentially in the count and are almost in every nook and corner of our lives. Whether for running a business, personal branding, administrative or any other purpose imaginable, every organisation or entity wanting to reach out to people needs a website.

Building a website is often considered an oversaturated field of expertise. This is also the reason why the cost of web development varies so widely depending upon project size, tech stack, developer experience, location and several other factors.

If you ask how can I hire a developer quickly for my next web project without really bursting-open the budget, you need to consider several cost factors first. Here we provide a brief guide on how much it costs to hire a web developer.

Full Tech Stack considerations

One key factor that largely impacts the web development cost is the chosen technology stack. Some tech stocks are common, and you can easily come across large pool of developers for them.

Some are high-level stacks represented by a small population of developers; hence, hiring them can be expensive. Here are some tech stack options.

    • MEAN: MEAN stack comprises four key technologies: MongoDB for database, Express.js for middleware, Angular for frontend and Node.js for backend development.

    • MERN: MERN stack comprises MongoDB for database, Express.js for middleware, ReactJS for frontend and Node.js for backend development.

    • LAMP: It is the tech stack often used for revamping an old website with changes and value additions. It consists of Linux for the operating system, Apache for HTTP server, PHP for server-side programming, and MySQL database.

    • Serverless or cloud-based: Cloud-hosted and cloud infrastructure-based web applications are built with this tech stack. Apart from excellent cloud-powered scalability, this tech stack also ensures lower hiring costs.

    • Ruby on Rails: It is preferred by many small businesses and startups because of its dynamic nature and lightweight development. This language is widely preferred for developing a simple MVP website with an incremental development focus.

Hiring Model considerations

Now the cost of web development also varies based on the hiring model. You can either opt for freelancers, an in-house team of developers or remote hiring with a variable impact on development cost.

    • Freelancers: There are several leading platforms for hiring skilled freelance developers, such as Upwork, Toptal, Fiverr, and several others. Since there is always a concern for credibility when hiring freelancers, it is best to hire developers recommended by someone who has already availed of their services.

    • Remote hiring: Hiring remote developers hourly can expose you to the large talent pool. Hiring from reputed web app development services with a great cost advantage is always advisable. For this hiring model, you must ensure meticulous planning to keep the development hours within budget.

    • Hiring in-house team: You can recruit developers directly or through a staffing agency. Through an experienced IT outstaffing agency, you can easily access many developer talents who are already screened.

Experience & Seniority factors

Another crucial factor that impacts the cost of hiring to a great extent is the experience or seniority of developers.

Entry-level developers are likely to cost less compared to senior developers with years of experience or developers working as top-level executives for leading development firms.

In this respect, it is essential to remember that experience is not just a generic and straightforward consideration.

This can be evaluated in multiple ways apart from just the years a developer has experience. The number of companies developers worked for, and the ranking and reputation of those companies both tremendously affect the cost of hiring developers. Experience is also tested through technical tests by seeing how fast they solve a problem.

Here are different hiring options based upon developer experience and seniority.

    • Entry-Level Web Developers: The entry-level app developers began their career as developers and are still validating their knowledge and learning new things through actual project exposure. They mostly work as juniors or interns under the senior developers in the team.

    • Junior Web Developers: Junior web developers are comparatively advanced professionals with a relatively strong command of skills, but they still lack exposure to domain-specific development requirements or technology shortcuts.

Generally, for passion for excelling with their skills and learning new things, they are preferred by many development projects.

    • Mid-level Web Developers: Mid- or intermediate-level web developers are skilled enough with a deep and thorough knowledge of coding language and multiple skills.

They can also work on a project and guide it to the desired completion without much guidance from seniors. They only need help from seniors in case of mission-critical or complex issues.

    • Senior Web Developers: These are the most sought-after web developers having at least five or more years of a consistent experience across multiple web projects across the niches.

They are known for great problem-solving skills for shaping the web user experience. They can easily assess and predict problems and find an appropriate get-around for them. 

    • Team Leaders: The most experienced and skilled developers with top-notch experience and the broadest exposure are chosen to lead the web development teams.

Apart from their core skills, they also need great communication, collaboration and project management skills for their web projects. They are often regarded as developers responsible for the entire team output, productivity and adherence to project deadlines.

Wrapping Up

Since web development is so vast, figuring out the actual cost of hiring developers is never an easy task.

But by analysing the above-mentioned cost factors and variables, one can compare the actual cost attributes of the web project at hand and come up with a more precise estimate.

Are you an Entrepreneur or Startup?
Do you have a Success Story to Share?
SugerMint would like to share your success story.
We cover entrepreneur Stories, Startup News, Women entrepreneur stories, and Startup stories

Read more business articles from our guest authors at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn