Where to look
- Marketplaces such as Upwork, Fiverr and Kwork — reviews and payment protection, but with fees.
- Referrals from people who have already launched a project.
- Developers' own sites with real, working projects you can open.
- Professional communities — local Telegram chats and groups where developers share their work.
How to brief a developer
A good brief makes quotes accurate and comparable. It answers six questions:
- What should the product do, in a few sentences?
- Who will use it?
- What is the one main action — order, book, upload, pay?
- Examples you like, and why.
- The deadline, if there is one.
- A budget range — it helps the developer suggest what fits.
What to ask before hiring
- Show me a working project similar to mine — not a mock-up.
- What exactly will you deliver, by when and for what price — in writing?
- Who owns the code and the accounts?
- How will I see progress?
- How much do changes cost after launch?
Red flags
- A price without any questions about your task.
- Full prepayment for a large project.
- Code and servers registered to the developer, not to you.
- No written scope — “we'll figure it out as we go”.
- Promises of guaranteed results, such as “top of Google in a month”.
How to compare quotes
Make sure the quotes describe the same scope: the same screens, features and integrations. Check what is included — design, hosting setup, testing, documentation — and what support after launch costs. A much cheaper quote often leaves something out; a much more expensive one may include a team you don't need.
How to protect yourself
Agree on a written scope and price, pay in stages — for example 50% before and 50% after each stage — and get access to the code and servers from day one. That is exactly how I work. If you are not technical, a small paid first stage is the best test of a developer: you see the quality of the work and the communication before committing to more.
The first week
- A short kick-off call to confirm the scope.
- Accounts created in your name: server, domain, code repository.
- The first demo you can click, within days rather than weeks.
Choosing between a freelancer and an agency? See freelance developer or an agency.
Questions
Freelancer or agency?
A freelancer is usually cheaper and you talk to the person writing the code; an agency suits large projects with many parallel tasks.
Should I sign an NDA?
If the idea or data is sensitive, yes; a good developer won't mind.
How much does it cost to hire a developer?
It depends on the project and the country. I work with fixed prices per stage — bots from $200, websites from $300, web apps from $1,500 — and $15 an hour for changes.
How do I check a developer if I'm not technical?
Open their working projects, ask for references and start with a small paid stage.
What should a brief include?
What the product does, who uses it, the main action, examples you like, the deadline and a budget range.