By Brijesh Shukla · 6 August 2026 · 7 min read
Three models, three risk profiles
Fixed-price projects move delivery risk to the supplier and suit well-defined scope. Dedicated monthly developers move flexibility to you and suit continuous or evolving work. Hourly retainers suit maintenance and unpredictable small tasks. Most businesses need two of the three at different stages.
- Fixed price: best for defined builds; change requests are priced separately
- Dedicated developer: best for ongoing roadmaps; rolling monthly agreement
- Hourly retainer: best for maintenance, fixes and small enhancements
What a dedicated developer costs
A full-time dedicated developer working in your tools and your stand-ups typically starts around $1,600 or £1,300 per month for mid-level skills, rising for senior engineers, DevOps or specialised AI work. Compare that against a domestic hire loaded with recruitment fees, benefits and notice periods, not against a freelance hourly rate.
The pitfalls that actually cost money
Failed offshore engagements rarely fail on skill. They fail on unclear acceptance criteria, no overlap hours, an absent product owner on the client side, and no documentation habit, so knowledge lives in one head and leaves with it.
- Define acceptance criteria per task before work starts
- Insist on a minimum daily overlap window
- Assign one internal decision maker who can unblock quickly
- Require code in your repository from day one
- Ask for written handover documentation as a standing deliverable
How to run a two-week trial
Before committing to a quarter, run a paid two-week trial on a real but non-critical piece of work. Judge it on communication quality, code review feedback, how questions are asked, and whether estimates held. Those four signals predict the next twelve months better than any interview.
