PHP Developer Rates UK

Why there is no single price for “a PHP developer”

A two-day PHP upgrade, a three-month build and an ongoing monthly retainer are different purchases, even when the same developer does them. The useful question is not “what is the rate?” but “what will this piece of work cost, what is included, and who carries the risk if it turns out bigger than expected?”

This page explains the pricing models used, what moves the price, and the current rates. For how the work itself runs, see hire a PHP developer.

Current rates

• Day rate: [[DAY_RATE]] [[VAT_NOTE]]
• Code audit: from [[AUDIT_FROM_PRICE]], depending on the size of the application.
• Support retainer: from [[RETAINER_FROM_PRICE]] per month, depending on the hours and response expectations agreed.
• Minimum booking: [[MIN_BOOKING]]

The four pricing models

Fixed-scope projects

One price for a clearly defined result: upgrading to a supported PHP version, building a defined integration, delivering an audit. Fixed prices work when both sides can describe “done” in advance. They include an allowance for the unknowns that experience says will appear, which is why they are sometimes higher than a naive count of days.

Day blocks

Time bought in days for work whose size is not yet clear, such as taking over an application from a developer who has left. Progress is reported in writing so you can see what each day produced. Day blocks often turn into a fixed-price phase once the picture is clear. See rescue and takeover.

Code audits

A time-boxed review with a written report: risks, priorities and a recommended first sequence of work. Useful before a rewrite, a purchase, a new hire or a big feature. See code audit.

Monthly retainers

A set amount of time each month for a live application: patches, dependency updates, small changes, monitoring and incident response, from a developer who already knows the code. See Laravel support, which covers plain PHP applications too, and maintenance.

What changes the price

• The state of the code. Tests, documentation and a working deploy process make every change cheaper.
• Access. Missing credentials, an unavailable previous developer or an uncooperative host add time.
• Integrations. Each third-party system adds its own testing, failure handling and support.
• Risk. Code that handles money, stock or personal data needs more testing than a marketing page.
• Deadlines. A fixed date with a fixed scope leaves less room to absorb surprises.
• Support afterwards. Whether bug fixes and help after launch are included or separate.

What is included as standard

Written proposals and scope, work committed to your repository, tests around risky changes, documented deploys, release notes and a handover document. There is no separate charge for account management because there is no account manager.

Comparing quotes fairly

When comparing a freelancer, an agency and a permanent hire, compare the same things: who actually does the work, their seniority, what testing and documentation are included, who owns the code and accounts, and what happens after launch. An hourly rate without an estimate of hours is not a price. A fixed price without written assumptions is not a commitment. More on choosing an arrangement is on freelance PHP developer.

Getting a price for your work

Send a short brief and, if you can, read access to the repository. You will get a written quote with the model, the price or estimate, the assumptions and what is excluded. Businesses nearby can also meet in person; see PHP developer Leicestershire.