Quick summary
Where to hire web developer help: Upwork for one well-defined job, Toptal or an agency if you want candidates screened for you, a development subscription for a steady list of work on a live web app, or a full-time employee if there are years of full-time work ahead.
What it costs: Upwork says web developers on its marketplace typically charge $15 to $50 an hour. Clutch puts most agencies at $25 to $49 an hour and its average web project at about $66,500. A full-time US web developer's median wage is $92,650 before benefits.
What to test: that they have built a web app people log into, that they can explain how each customer only sees their own data, and how they deploy and undo a change. Then run a short paid trial.
Hire a Web Developer at a Glance
| Where to hire | What it costs | How fast | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance marketplace (Upwork) | About $15 to $50 an hour, Upwork says | Days | One well-defined job, if someone can review the code |
| Vetted network (Toptal) | A higher hourly rate, quoted per developer | Toptal says a shortlist within 24 hours | Skipping the first round of vetting |
| Web development agency | Most at $25 to $49 an hour; average project about $66,500 (Clutch) | Weeks, after scoping | A large build with a fixed deadline |
| Development subscription | A flat monthly fee | Days | A live web app with a steady list of features and fixes |
| Full-time employee | A median $92,650 a year in the US, before benefits | Months | Years of full-time work ahead |
Before you hire, ask every candidate these three questions:
- Question 1, "Show me a web app you built that people log into." A marketing site and a web app are different jobs. You want someone who has built logins, saved data and, if you charge customers, payments.
- Question 2, "How do you make sure each customer only sees their own data?" A good answer names a check on the server for every request, not just hiding buttons on the screen.
- Question 3, "How do you deploy a change, and how do you undo it if it breaks?" A good answer mentions a preview or staging copy, a quick rollback and checking for errors afterwards.
Then run a short paid trial on a real task, in a code repository your company owns.
Need a web developer, not a website?
A senior developer on subscription: $2,995 a month, as many requests as you like, each shipped within 2 business days, and your money back if the first 14 days don’t prove it.
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This guide is for founders and business owners who need someone to build or improve a web app, such as a SaaS product, a customer portal or an internal tool. It is written for non-technical readers. If you already know your stack, our guides to hiring a Next.js developer, a Node.js developer or a full stack developer go deeper.
Website or Web App? Decide What You Are Hiring For
"Web developer" covers two very different jobs, and the first step is knowing which one you need.
- A marketing website. Pages, text, images, a blog and a contact form. A designer using a website builder such as Webflow, Squarespace or WordPress can usually do this, and you can edit it yourself afterwards.
- A web app. Something people log into and use: a SaaS product, a dashboard, a booking system, a customer portal. It has a database, user accounts, rules about who can see what, and often payments and integrations. This needs a web developer, and the skills that matter are the ones you cannot see on the screen.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics splits the job the same way the industry does. Front-end web developers "create the technical features for a website's look." Back-end web developers are "responsible for the overall technical construction." For a web app you need both, either from one full stack developer or from two people who work well together.
The Types of Web Developer
Front-end developer
Builds what people see and click in the browser: the pages, forms, buttons and how they behave on a phone. Usually works in React, Vue or a similar tool. Hire one on their own if the back end already exists and works.
Back-end developer
Builds the server, the database and the rules behind the screens: logins, permissions, payments, emails and connections to other services. Most of the risk in a web app lives here, because it is where customer data is stored and protected.
Full stack developer
Does both, so one person can take a feature from the database to the screen without handing it off. This is usually the best fit for a small or early web app. See our guide to hiring a full stack developer.
Where to Hire a Web Developer
A freelance marketplace, such as Upwork
The cheapest way in and the widest choice. You write the job post, read proposals, interview and test, and you manage the work. It suits one well-defined job, such as a new feature or a fix, especially if someone on your side can review the code. Our comparison of Toptal vs Upwork covers how the two differ.
A vetted network, such as Toptal
The network screens developers before you meet them and sends you a shortlist. Toptal says it accepts the top 3% of applicants, sends a shortlist within 24 hours, and gives you up to two weeks to try a developer and pay only if you are satisfied. Expect to pay more than on a marketplace. See Toptal alternatives for other networks.
A web development agency
A firm that builds the whole project with its own team and process, usually from a quote. You get project management and more people at once, at a higher price. Ask who will actually write your code and how changes after the quote are priced. Our guide on agency vs freelancer helps you choose.
A development subscription
A flat monthly fee for requests worked one at a time. It suits a live web app with a steady list of features and fixes, where you want to change priorities each week without a new quote. It is not a team working in parallel. See developer as a service.
A full-time employee
Someone who works only on your product and knows it deeply. It makes sense once there are years of full-time work ahead and you can afford the salary, benefits and the weeks it takes to hire. Our guide on how to hire a software developer covers the process.
How Much It Costs to Hire a Web Developer
| Route | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer on Upwork | Typically $15 to $50 an hour | Upwork |
| Web development agency | Most at $25 to $49 an hour; average reviewed project $66,499; typically about 9 months | Clutch |
| Vetted network | Not published; quoted per developer | Toptal |
| Full-time US web developer | $92,650 median salary; about $132,000 with benefits by our estimate | BLS |
| Full-time US software developer | $135,980 median salary | BLS |
Two things are worth knowing about these numbers. First, Clutch says most web development projects on its site cost less than $10,000, so its average is pulled up by a smaller number of large builds. Second, people who build complex web apps are often hired with the title "software developer" rather than "web developer", and the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts that median at $135,980, well above the web developer figure.
The full-time estimate works like this. Benefits made up 30% of private employers' compensation costs in June 2026, and salary the other 70%, so a $92,650 salary comes to roughly $132,000 a year in total by our estimate, before recruiting.
What moves the price more than the rate is how clearly you describe the work. A short, written request with the checks that prove it is done saves more than shaving $10 off an hourly rate. Our guide to writing software requirements shows how.
How to Interview a Web Developer
You do not need to read code to tell a strong web developer from a weak one. Ask about the parts of a web app that go wrong most often, and listen for specific answers.
Questions that show real web app experience
- "Show me a web app you built that people log into. What did you build, and what did someone else build?"
- "How do you make sure each customer only sees their own data?" OWASP ranks broken access control as the number one web application risk in its 2025 Top 10.
- "How do you deploy a change, and how do you undo it if it breaks?"
- "How will you show me what you changed?" Look for small, regular deliveries with a short written summary, not one big reveal.
- "Which parts of this work are you weakest in?" A good developer names one honestly.
- "What would you need from me to start?" Strong developers ask about access, priorities and how you will check the work.
If you are taking over an existing app, ask the candidate to look at the code before they quote. A developer who suggests a full rebuild before seeing the code is guessing. Our guide to code audit services covers what that first look should include.
Red Flags When You Hire a Web Developer
- Only marketing sites in the portfolio. Fine for a website, a risk for a web app with logins and payments.
- No questions about your users or data. A developer who quotes before asking who logs in and what they can see has not thought about the hard part.
- The code lives in their account. If the repository or hosting is in their name, you do not control your own product.
- Long silences. Weeks with nothing you can click through is how budgets disappear. Ask for working software every week or two.
- Everything is "easy". A good developer tells you what is hard and what it will cost before they start.
Which Option Should You Choose?
Cheaper than a developer, and you can edit it yourself. Bring in a developer only when people need to log in or pay.
The lowest rate and the fastest start. You do the vetting, managing and testing.
Screened people and a process, at a higher price. Agree how changes are priced before you sign.
A flat monthly fee, requests worked one at a time, and priorities you can change each week, with no hire to make yet.
Deep knowledge of your product. Budget for the salary, benefits and the time it takes to hire.
How StackTie Fits
StackTie is a development subscription for founders who have a web app and more to build than people to build it. You add requests in plain English to your own Trello board, they are worked one at a time in the order you set, and every request comes back within 2 business days as a pull request with a plain-English summary of what changed and why. Big projects are split into smaller requests that each ship on their own. One senior developer, Michael, leads every build, so you always know who is writing your code. Everything we build belongs to your company and lives in your own accounts, there is no contract, and there is a money-back guarantee if it is not a fit. The subscription covers web apps, SaaS products, portals, dashboards, integrations, payments and fixes; it is not for native iOS or Android apps or a whole team working in parallel. The price and what is included are on the homepage.
