Transparent hourly pricing from $9 to $16 per hour
Two rates. One for direct, focused work with me as a single engineer. One for production SaaS, AI agent systems, multi-tenant platforms, and any engagement that legitimately needs more than one role to ship well.
No hidden fees. No agency markup pretending to be an engineer. You see the rate that matches the shape of the work, and the scope is written down before billing starts.
7+
Years shipping production code
50+
Apps, websites and SaaS builds
10+
AI / automation systems live
24h
Typical response window
Direct Rate
Solo Direct Engagements
You work with me directly. No overhead, no middle layer.
Best for focused, well-scoped work where I am personally executing the build, fix, or improvement end-to-end. Same engineer scoping, building, and shipping.
Ideal for
- Single-stack feature work (Next.js, Laravel, Node, WordPress)
- n8n workflow build-outs and OpenAI integrations
- Bug fixes, refactors, and performance work
- Plugin, theme, or module customisation
- Code reviews and pair-debugging sessions
Always included
Team / Specialist Rate
Multi-Stack & Specialist Work
When the work needs more than one role — design, ops, or specialist coverage.
Best for production-grade SaaS, multi-tenant platforms, AI agent systems, and engagements that pull in a small team plus infrastructure, design, QA, or DevOps coverage.
Ideal for
- Multi-tenant SaaS architecture (Laravel + Node + Redis)
- AI agents, browser automation, agentic infrastructure
- WhatsApp API platform builds and integrations
- Cybersecurity-aware hardening and compliance work
- Long-running production support with SLAs
Always included
Engagement models
Three honest ways to work together
Each engagement uses one of the two hourly rates above, plus a structure that fits the shape of the work.
Hourly Retainer
Bank of hours per month. Use them across builds, fixes, automation tweaks, and ongoing improvements. Unused hours roll forward one month.
- 10 / 20 / 40 hour packs
- Mix direct + team rates
- Priority over ad-hoc requests
Fixed-Scope Project
Scoped on a real conversation, not a template. You get a written scope, a fixed price derived from the underlying hourly tier, and a clear delivery timeline.
- Locked deliverables
- Stage-based payments
- Bug-fix window after launch
Automation / AI Sprint
One- to three-week focused sprint to ship an n8n workflow, OpenAI integration, or agent loop. Outcome-oriented, with a clean handoff at the end.
- Workflow mapping + build
- Testing + monitoring
- Runbook + handover
Cost framework
Six factors that decide which rate applies
Most clients can predict the right rate from this list before the scope conversation. The factors compound — a multi-tenant Laravel build with a tight SLA almost always sits at the team rate, regardless of size.
Stack complexity
Multi-service builds (Laravel + Node + Redis + queues + sockets) sit at the team rate. Single-stack work usually fits the direct rate.
AI / agent surface
Deterministic workflows are cheaper to ship than open-ended agents. Agent loops need guardrails, observability, and validator passes that take real engineering time.
Multi-tenant + security needs
Tenant isolation, audit trails, OWASP-plus hardening, and compliance constraints raise the work into specialist-rate territory.
Speed and SLAs
Tight timelines, production-critical fixes, and on-call expectations need focused capacity, which is priced into the team rate.
Support expectations
If post-launch support, maintenance windows, or strategic iteration are part of the scope, a retainer is usually cheaper than buying hours ad-hoc.
Existing codebase health
Stepping into an existing system is often direct-rate work, but legacy codebases with deep technical debt may need specialist coverage to stabilise first.
Frequently asked questions about pricing
See service scopeWhy is $9 per hour so much lower than market rates?
It is the direct rate when you are working with me only — one engineer, no overhead, no agency margin, no project manager layer. Most of my multi-tenant SaaS, agentic AI, and security-sensitive work runs at the $16/hr team rate because it pulls in more than one role. The direct rate is for focused builds where a single engineer is the right answer.
What is included in the $16 per hour team rate?
Project management, QA, deployment, and the ability to bring in specialist coverage (DevOps, design, security, or extra engineering hours) without renegotiating the contract. Most production SaaS work — Laravel + Node platforms, AI agent systems, WhatsApp API builds — sits at this rate because that is the realistic shape of the work.
Do you work on fixed-price or hourly engagements?
Both. Smaller, well-defined builds work well as fixed-scope projects derived from the underlying hourly tier. Evolving products, support-heavy work, and AI / automation work usually fit a retainer or sprint model better because the requirements move as we learn.
Can you take over an existing project from another developer?
Yes. A large part of my work is stepping into existing products, websites, automations, and operational systems to stabilise, improve, or extend them. Initial diagnostic and recovery work is usually billed at the direct rate.
What technologies do you charge the same rate for?
Next.js, React, Node.js, Laravel, PHP, WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, Python, n8n, OpenAI, Postgres, MySQL, Redis, Docker, Arduino / ESP / Raspberry Pi for IoT, Pine Script / MQL5 for trading systems. The rate depends on the engagement shape, not the technology.
Do you offer post-launch support and maintenance?
Yes. Most clients move to a small monthly retainer after launch for bug fixes, refinements, and operational adjustments. It is significantly cheaper than per-incident hourly billing.
How do you bill — weekly, monthly, milestones?
Hourly engagements: weekly invoices with a logged time report. Fixed-scope: milestone-based, typically 30 / 40 / 30 split. Retainers: monthly in advance, with the previous month's usage report attached.
Do the rates change for long-term or large engagements?
Yes. Annual commitments and large retainers (40+ hours / month sustained) get negotiated rates. The published rates are the starting point, not the only rate I work at.
Ready to start?
Send the brief. I will reply with the rate and timeline within 24 hours.
A short message with what you are building and what you need helps me pick the right rate and structure on the first reply. No template form, no sales call required.