Freelancer vs. Agency: How to Hire the Right Laravel Developers

Considering Laravel for your next web development project, but need clarity on whom to hire: Freelancer or Agency? Who can bring the best for your project, while also reducing the development costs and not compromising on the quality? Well, this is the most common concern of businesses today. Earlier, when it was only one option, the agency’s one, there was no such confusion. But now with the growing number of freelancers around the world, you might feel a bit overwhelmed with the choices in front of you. 

So in this blog, we will try to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the development costs associated with Laravel developers. And how to hire Laravel developers for your next project. You can follow these actionable insights to make informed decisions. Whether it is a startup or a well-established business, these steps are vital to ensure that you hire the best talent. Let’s get started. 

What Are Dedicated Laravel Developers?

Dedicated Laravel developers work exclusively for your project. They offer the following services: 

• Custom web app development 
• API integration
• Maintenance and support for your existing Laravel applications
• Performance optimization 
• Scaling of Laravel apps
• Integration with third-party services and platforms 
• Laravel application development and customization

Reasons to hire dedicated Laravel developers: 

• Cost-effective solution as compared to hiring an in-house team of developers
• Access to a global pool of talent 
• Flexibility to scale up or down your Laravel development team based on the project’s needs
• Faster deployment of web applications
• Ability to focus on core business activities 

5 Factors Influencing the Cost of Hiring Laravel Developers

The cost of hiring a Laravel developer depends on multiple factors, like: 

1) Project Complexity: The complexity of your Laravel project plays a crucial role in determining the overall cost of hiring a developer. You can categorize a project into three levels- 

• Simple projects– Basic websites that require minimum customization and functionalities fall under this category of projects. These can be developed by junior-level developers and are less expensive. 
• Medium complexity projects– Applications that require third-party integrations like payment gateways, e-commerce applications, CMS applications, and membership portals require a certain level of expertise in Laravel, thus demanding a higher cost than basic projects. 
• High complexity projects- SaaS applications and enterprise-level applications that demand many functionalities and real-time features are categorized as higher complexity projects. These kinds of projects demand a high level of developer expertise, and thus, the project cost goes higher than medium complexity projects. 

2) Developer Experience and Skill Level: Developer experience plays another part in determining the overall cost of your Laravel project. A junior developer is cost-effective but comes with a learning curve. An experienced developer saves training costs on your part but charges high as they are already skilled. So you need to remember, the more developer experience, the higher they will charge for their services. A basic cost breakdown is as follows: 

• Entry level-  $20-$40
• Mid level-   $40-$60
• Senior level-    $60-$100

Hiring a senior level developer for a basic project would put a lot of unnecessary pressure on your budget, while hiring a junior developer for a complex project would require training on your part and may lead to inefficiencies. It is therefore very important to choose the right developer based on your project.

3) Geographical Location: The cost of developing a project also depends largely on the geographic location of Laravel developers. A basic cost breakdown of developer costs according to the region is: 

• South Asia (India, Bangladesh)- $20-$50
• North America (USA, Canada)-  $70-$150
• Western Europe (UK, France)-  $50-$100

If you are looking to hire cost-effective yet experienced Laravel developers, you can try in countries like India. However, there might be slight differences in time and work culture. So consider that as well. 

4) Hiring Model: So there are three hiring models: Freelancer, In-house, and Outsourcing. The cost of your project depends on the model you select. Freelancing works best for startups and small businesses where you don’t want to spend much, but also don’t want to compromise on the quality. Generally, they charge on an hourly basis or per project, making them a budget-friendly option. 

Then there are in-house developers. They are perfect for those organizations that want continuous technical support and maintenance. They come with additional costs like employee benefits, salary, and insurance. 

The third option is web development agencies, which is best for those businesses that need a team of expert Laravel developers. Choosing an agency gives you benefits like efficient project management, quality, and long-term support. However, they may charge high due to their structured development process and reliability. 

5) Project Timeline: The development time of the projects plays a significant role in shaping the overall cost. If you are on a tight deadline, you may need to hire additional staff, and pay premium rates to the developers already working on the project. While on the other side, a longer project timeline reduces the cost of developers as they are free to work at their pace. 

Where Can You Find the Best Laravel Developers for Hire?

1. Web Development Agencies: Many reliable web development agencies like Brain Inventory offer Laravel software staff augmentation with considerable experience. These agencies provide flexible hiring models and cost affordability to develop your web application projects. 
2. Freelance Marketplaces: Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal and Freelancer.com offer a vast pool of talented Laravel developers. You can even enable filters for candidates based on different criteria like reviews, expertise level, client rating etc. 
3. Job Portals: Job portals like Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn help you in hiring the best in-house talent. You can make your business profile on these job portals and even make connections to get useful recommendations from people in the same industry. These platforms showcase some of the best Laravel developers and let you hire them without any hassle. 
4. Developer Communities: You can find the best developers in Laravel-specific communities, forums, and GitHub repositories. Try being active in these communities as it can help you connect with Laravel professionals and discover the appropriate talent for your next project. You can even take recommendations for the best laravel development company here. 

5 Tips for Hiring a Cost-Effective Laravel Developer

When hiring a Laravel developer for your project, it’s essential to strike a balance between cost-effectiveness and technical proficiency. Regardless of your business size, streamlining the hiring process can help you avoid unnecessary expenses that often result from unstructured or impulsive hiring decisions. So here are 5 key tips which you can consider to hire laravel framework programmers without breaking your bank. 

1. Bring Clarity in your Project Scope: Before you even start out with the hiring process, you must define the project requirements like features, functionalities, deadline, budget, and expected outcome. A well-prepared project scope minimizes the chances of error, resulting in a reduced development cost. Also, get some clarity on the type of website you need to build– a simple or a complex one. This decision can further help you in determining the required skill level of the candidate.
2. Choose the Hiring Model: You can choose one from the three hiring models available today– freelancing, in-house, and outsourcing. Freelancers work remotely but are budget-friendly. While in-house developers come with the advantage of reliability and better collaboration. However, they come with additional costs. Outsourcing to a genuine software development company is a balanced solution where you not only get access to reliable and experienced professionals but also pay industry rates. So you can stay assured that the budget will not exceed your limits.
3. Assess Experience and Technical Skills: Select an experienced Laravel developer to prevent technical issues and ensure code quality. Their portfolio, past projects, and client reviews speak volumes about their expertise with the Laravel framework and web development. Look for basic projects and complex projects in their portfolio. Ask questions about the coding they did. This will give you an idea about their technical expertise, whether they can handle your project requirements, and meet the deadlines.
4. Offshore Professionals for Cost Savings: Now that you are flexible to hire from any part of the world, why not use this to cut down on the costs? Many countries provide talented Laravel developers, like from India, you can hire them to reduce the development costs while not compromising on the quality. While developers in the United States or Europe may charge anywhere between $100-$150 per hour, developers from a country like India come with similar skill levels and charge $50-$100 per hour.
5. Ask for a Trial before Committing: You are signing in for your dream project, so why take the risk? Before you send them a final hiring letter, ask them to pass a small coding test or complete a trial project to ensure the developer you have chosen is fit for your project goals.

Hire Skilled Laravel Developers on Budget From Brain Inventory

At Brain Inventory, we provide experienced Laravel developers. And we don’t just say it. We have a proven record of successfully delivered projects, and all 5 star ratings from our clients. So stay assured of getting top-notch software solutions customized as per your business.

Contact us to discuss your project and schedule a meeting to learn more about our company!