Pricing
Simple, transparent pricing.
No marketplace markup. No hidden platform fees. Every engagement starts with a 2-week paid pilot - you pay after the milestone is delivered, not before.
Engineering team pricing includes a team lead.
No marketplace markup. No hidden platform fees. Every engagement starts with a 2-week paid pilot - you pay after the milestone is delivered, not before.
Engineering team pricing includes a team lead.
Base rate is $20/hr for senior full-stack engineers. Specialization adds a transparent upcharge: AI/ML engineers start at $31/hr, staff-level from $37/hr. Crews include a tech lead at no extra fee. All rates are fully loaded - no recruiting fees, no bench costs, no overhead surprises.
From a single engineer to a full AI team. Month-to-month after the first 3 months - scale up, scale down, or walk away.
~$3,200/month · 160 hrs
Includes
Tech lead + 2 engineers · ~$30/hr blended
Everything in Solo, plus
ML lead + 2 AI engineers · ~$42/hr blended
Everything in Crew, plus
Startups
MVP Sprint - fixed scope, defined timeline, full crew for 4-8 weeks
Agencies · Hourly
Solo white-label specialist, ~$3,200/mo · your brand, your client
Agencies · Crew
White-label delivery crew, ~$14,500/mo · NDA-protected, fully invisible
Sprint
Fixed-scope AI project - model training, pipeline, or integration sprint
Talent marketplaces charge 3-6x more and leave management to you. In-house hires take months and cost $150K+ before they're productive.
| Crewlane | Toptal | Turing | Andela | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior engineer rate | From $20/hr | $60-$150/hr | $95-$250/hr | $20-$100/hr |
| Model | Self-managed crew | Individual freelancers | Individual contractors | Individual placement |
| Tech lead included | Yes, embedded | No | No | No |
| Time to start | 5 business days | 1-2 weeks | 1-4 weeks | 2-4 weeks |
| Talent source | Single-company bench | Global marketplace | Global marketplace | Africa-focused |
| Risk model | Pay-after-delivery pilot | Pay upfront | Pay upfront | Pay upfront |
| White-label | Built-in for agencies | No | No | No |
| Replacement | 48-hour guarantee | Re-match process | Re-match process | Re-match process |
Side-by-side comparison for a 3-person team over 12 months. No benefits, no recruiting fees, no bench risk.
Monthly cost comparison
Monthly cost comparison
Every engagement starts with a 2-week paid pilot tied to a specific milestone you define. We ship first - you pay only after the milestone is met. If we don't hit the target, you owe nothing. After the pilot, billing is monthly in arrears with transparent time tracking. It's the most honest answer to "how much does it cost to hire developers" - you see the work before you pay for it.
The initial engagement is 3 months. After that, it's month-to-month - scale up, scale down, or walk away with 30 days' notice. No long-term contracts, no lock-in. The 3-month minimum ensures the crew has time to fully integrate and deliver meaningful results.
Monthly invoicing with detailed time tracking visible to you in real time. Dedicated developer cost per hour starts at $20/hr for mid-level engineers - that's 160hrs/month standard, billed flat. Crew plans are flat monthly rates. No surprise charges - the rate you see is the rate you pay.
Yes. Add engineers or reduce headcount with 2 weeks' notice. Going from a solo to a crew, or adding AI specialists to an existing team, takes about 5 business days. Your software development team cost adjusts the next billing cycle - no penalties, no renegotiation.
We guarantee a replacement within 48 hours. Since all engineers come from our own 120-person bench - not a marketplace - we know every person's strengths and can match quickly. No re-recruiting, no downtime. Affordable dedicated developers shouldn't mean accepting whoever's available - replacements come from the same vetted bench.
No. The published rate is fully loaded - it includes the engineer's salary, benefits, equipment, workspace, management overhead, and the embedded tech lead for crew plans. When comparing offshore engineering team rates, most quotes don't include management overhead or tech lead cost. Ours does. No recruiting fees, no platform fees, no setup costs. What you see is your software development team cost, complete.
30-minute discovery call. We'll recommend a crew structure and budget for your situation - or tell you we're not the right fit. No pitch deck. No pressure.
Book a strategy call
Solo from $20/hr · Crew from $90/hr