How to Find and Hire Dedicated Web Developers in 2025

Three things to consider before searching for web app development experts

The process of hiring a web developer doesn’t start when you post a job opening or have your first call with an outsourcing company. Your search begins with clarifying the details that define your further steps.

We’ve defined three main things to consider before you go into action based on our experience.

1. Project requirements and scope

Begin by outlining what kind of project you need a web developer for. This means creating a list of specific requirements for your web solution.

For instance, if you’re building an eCommerce platform, you may need features like shopping carts, payment integrations, user accounts, and a product catalog. For a company blog, you may focus more on content management system (CMS) integration and easy navigation.

2. A perfect web developer portrait

Now that we have the requirements, we can better understand the experience, knowledge, and technical skills expected from a web developer. The next step is to assemble a profile description covering the necessary hard and soft skills.

While we can’t define specific soft skills for your web developer, we can provide a “cheat sheet” detailing the common web project types and the required tech stack.

3. Budget and timeline

Lastly, define how much you can spend, from developer rates to additional software or hosting fees, how soon you need a web developer to join the project, and when you want your MVP to launch. This will later help you choose where and how to search for engineers.

After this short preparation, we can move on to the actual search. So, the first questions to answer are how to find web developers and where to look for them.

How and where to find web developers?

Fortunately, there is more than one way to search for web developers, each suited for specific business goals and available resources.

Using freelance platforms

Companies with smaller projects often choose to hire freelance web developers. Platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr offer a broad pool of professionals for various projects with different budgets. Through their interfaces, you can easily search for engineers by criteria like location, experience, or tech stack and manage secure collaboration and payments.

Hiring through job boards

This traditional approach to hiring web app developers works well for companies looking to build an in-house team.

It’s especially suitable for organizations that already have a tech team, plan to scale, intend to launch multiple projects, or need ongoing support for complex website development. To find in-house talent, you need to go to job boards such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and We Work Remotely.

Exploring professional networks

Another way to find top talent in web app development is through professional networks like LinkedIn or GitHub. This approach can open up more opportunities to find the best engineers and check their recommendations (LinkedIn) and code samples (GitHub).

Outsourcing web developers

When you hire dedicated web developers by outsourcing to companies like Giraffe Software, you free yourself from recruitment and quality control—it’s already covered. Moreover, outsourcing provides access to professionals with diverse skills, making it faster and more likely to find the perfect match.

This is the go-to option for companies with complex projects or those that want to focus on their business goals rather than the management overhead associated with direct hiring.

Depending on your project requirements, business needs, and available resources, you can opt for one of these methods or combine them.

How much do web developers cost?

Well, the costs differ. They vary depending on the web developer's field, seniority, and location. Web development projects can also be billed hourly and on a project basis, likely resulting in different pay rates.

Let us explain each factor that affects web developers' costs and provide some examples of those costs.

All the costs below are based on Glassdoor data.

Cost by focus area

Web developers have different domains:

• Frontend developers who work with the visual interface and the client-side logic
• Backend developers who handle the server-side logic and database management
• Full-stack developers who are skilled in both frontend and backend development

Depending on which you’ll need, here are the hourly rates you can expect:

Cost by experience level

Another critical factor that influences engineer rates is their seniority. Your costs will vary depending on how experienced you want the specialist to be. Here are the approximate rates of web developers based on experience level.

Rates based on location

Due to economic differences between countries, location can lower or raise the cost of hiring a web developer. Here are a few countries from different parts of the world for comparison.

Don't forget to assess the price-to-quality ratio when choosing a country for your web developer search.

Project-based vs. Hourly rates

Some web developers work on an hourly basis, while others prefer payment for the whole project. Both options are acceptable, and the choice entirely depends on your project's nature and budget.

For instance, the project-based model is the way to go if you clearly understand what functionality you need and a fixed budget. However, hourly payment will suit you better if you don’t have a predefined scope and want to build an MVP before turning it into a full-fledged product.

We know how confusing all these cost-related questions might be. So, if you need more insights on how to reach high web development quality that won’t stretch your budget, reach out to us for a custom quote tailored to your needs.

Why is outsourcing the best way to hire web app developers?

It’s common practice to leave finding the right web app development talent to a specialized vendor. In fact, 79% of respondents in a Deloitte survey reported having their app or software development outsourced. Here’s why it’s such a good idea.

Benefits of outsourcing web developers

Here are some key advantages if you decide to hire dedicated web developers:

• Outsourcing is often cheaper than hiring in-house because you don’t have to pay operational costs, benefits, and overhead.
• Companies like Giraffe Software offer teams of engineers with varying skills from different locations, ensuring your project has the right talent tailored to its needs.
• Since outsourcing companies have well-set processes and pools of resources, custom web development is often faster than building an in-house team.
• Outsourcing allows businesses to scale their development resources up or down as needed for project success.
• Established outsourcing companies, like Giraffe Software, offer additional services, like quality assurance, UI/UX design, DevOps, or business analysis.

“But can you get the same benefits with freelancers or in-house engineers?” We predicted this question and prepared a comparison table to show you the differences.

Freelancers vs. Outsourcing vendors vs. In-house web developers

How to overcome team integration and security challenges of outsourcing

Successfully integrating outsourced web developers into your team goes beyond using the right tools.

While setting clear goals and maintaining open communication are vital, a real connection can be hampered by language barriers or misalignment between client management and the outsourced team. It's essential to address these challenges head-on.

Encourage regular video check-ins to build rapport and ensure everyone feels connected. Additionally, consider organizing occasional visits to the outsourcing team.

Many companies have shifted away from this practice after the pandemic, but face-to-face meetings can significantly strengthen relationships and enhance understanding.

Don’t forget to keep your vendor’s engineers’ time zones in mind. Aligning working hours can make communication smoother and allow quicker feedback.

Security is just as important in outsourcing, so you should partner with vendors who prioritize their reputation and maintain high security standards. Reputable outsourcing companies know that a security breach can seriously damage their credibility.

That's why they often employ stringent security measures that can even exceed those of in-house teams.

While standard measures such as secure communication channels and access restrictions are essential, the focus should be on the vendor's overall security culture and proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks.

Regular security assessments and protocol updates show that the company is committed to providing a secure environment for your sensitive data.

Web development outsourcing models

Different vendors can follow different outsourcing models: they can stick to a single one or mix them up, depending on the project. At Giraffe Software, we offer three models to accommodate our clients’ needs: time & material, fixed price, and cost plus.

Time & material

When we’re contracted for web app and website development, we often work on an hourly basis, which lets us adjust easily as your project evolves. This model works well for smaller projects or ongoing support, allowing you to kick things off quickly.

Keep in mind that larger projects can lead to higher costs without clear limits. Choose this approach when you need flexibility and want to grow your project gradually.

Fixed price

If you're looking for predictability, the fixed price model might just be what you need. This option helps you stick to a budget while ensuring that deadlines and results are clear from the beginning—an excellent choice for startups.

Cost plus

This pricing structure is based on the developers’ salaries plus a markup. With no recruitment headaches and complete control over project management, it's particularly well-suited for larger enterprises that require more flexibility.

How to outsource custom web development to Giraffe Software

Outsourcing web developers is an excellent opportunity to access top talent with reasonable time and money investments. We know this because Giraffe Software has been offering software outsourcing services for eight years now. Allow us to show you how we approach web development outsourcing.

Our process is simple and ensures high-quality results along with comfortable collaboration. Here’s how it works:

At Giraffe Software, we help our clients grow and stand out from the competition with our custom web app development services. With 120+ successful projects across industries like eCommerce, FinTech, and eLearning, we’ve built web solutions that serve people and bring revenue, like AUDENTES, MEGAMARKET, and OCAM.

So, why choose Giraffe Software for your web application development? Well, we can name at least four reasons:

1. Exceptional quality. Our team consists of experienced experts, with 80% at the middle or senior level, ensuring top-notch results backed by a perfect 5/5 rating on Clutch and GoodFirms.
2. Time savings. Our efficient processes can reduce development time by up to 30%, allowing you to launch your product faster.
3. 100% job success rate. We have a proven track record, ensuring you receive expert services that meet your expectations on time and within budget.
4. Advanced applications. We develop SEO-friendly single-page apps and progressive web apps that provide seamless, fast experiences across all devices.

Whether you’re launching a new project or enhancing an existing one, we’re here to turn your ideas into impactful, polished web products.

Ready to get started? Let’s build your web solution together!