The timeline, step by step
Day 0 · Brief
Send the quote form or book 20 minutes with Victor. Tell us the stack, seniority, team size, start date and how you run your team (rituals, code review, tools). We sign an NDA before you share anything sensitive.
Day 0–1 · Quote
You get your quote by email with the monthly price per developer and an offer PDF with the terms. No sales sequence before you have a number.
Within 48 hours · Shortlist
Three profiles per seat, matched to your brief. Each card shows the coding test result on your stack, soft-skill notes, English level, past US work and availability.
Days 3–10 · Your interviews
Run your normal technical interview with the profiles you like. Most teams do one technical round and one culture conversation. You pick who joins.
Start date · Onboarding
The developer joins your Slack, repo and standups. We share a week-one checklist with you so the first PR lands in days, not weeks.
Weeks 1–2 · Risk-free
If it isn't working in the first two weeks, you don't pay for them. After that, free replacement within 90 days.
Every month · Check-in
A short check-in with Victor: what's working, what to change, whether to add or end a seat. Month to month with 30 days' notice.
Week-one checklist for your team
The fastest ramp-ups we've seen do these five things. Copy them into your onboarding doc.
- Accounts ready on day 1: Slack, Git, ticketing, VPN if needed
- A buddy on your team for the first two weeks
- One small, real ticket in the first 48 hours
- Your coding standards and review rules in writing
- A 30-minute check-in at the end of week one
The contract in plain words
No surprises once you sign.
- NDA before you share anything
- Month to month, 30 days' notice
- 2 weeks risk-free, 90-day free replacement
- IP assigned to you
- One invoice a month per developer, in USD
Five ways to add a senior engineer. Here's how they stack up.
In-house is the gold standard until you count the weeks and the recruiter fee. Here's the side-by-side, with typical numbers.
| Criteria | TopDevCrewSenior LATAM, managed | In-house US hireFull-time employee | Freelance marketplaceHourly contractors | LATAM staffing agencyTypical agency | Premium talent networkCurated platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First profiles | 48 hours | ~49 days to an accepted offer, then ~2 weeks' notice | Days, but you do the screening | 3 days to 3 weeks | 48 to 72 hours |
| Senior cost per month | $6,900 per developer, flat | $16,600 to $22,000 loaded | Hourly rate plus platform fees | ~$6,000 – $11,200 | ~$5,600 – $24,000 |
| Who screens | We do: code, soft skills, English | You and a recruiter | You | The agency | The platform |
| Seniority | Senior only, 6+ years | You choose | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Commitment | Month to month, 30 days' notice | Full-time employment | Per contract | Month to month or project minimums | Varies |
| Risk cover | 2 weeks risk-free, free replacement for 90 days | Probation; recruiter fee of 15–25% of salary | None | Trial common; replacement 30–180 days | Trial common |
| Time-zone overlap with ET | Full working day | Same office | Anywhere, often none | Usually good | Varies by country |
| Payroll and compliance | Included | Yours | Usually yours | Included | Included |
Typical ranges from public pricing pages and rate guides, checked October 2026. In-house cost: BLS wage data for software developers (May 2025, 75th percentile) in 12 East Coast metros, times 1.28 for employer costs (BLS, June 2026). Time to hire: recruiter-reported average for senior engineers in 2026. The TopDevCrew price is a flat rate per developer, the same whatever the stack; only the size of the team moves your quote.
Questions tech leads ask us
How fast can someone start?
Profiles arrive within 48 hours of your brief. Start dates depend on your interviews and the developer's notice, often one to two weeks.
Do they work inside my tools?
Yes. They join your Slack, repo, ticketing and standups, and follow your code review rules.
Can I scale up or down?
Yes. Add developers with a new brief, or end a seat with 30 days' notice.
How much does a senior developer cost?
$6,900 per developer per month, all-in. It is a flat rate, the same whatever the stack, so your own number is that rate times the developers you need. It arrives by email the moment you send the quote form.
Is there a minimum contract?
No. Month to month with 30 days' notice. No deposit and no minimum number of developers.
What if the developer isn't a fit?
The first 2 weeks are risk-free: if it isn't working, you don't pay for them. After that, we replace the developer for free within 90 days.
Skip the sales rep. Talk to the CEO.
Tell us what you're building, your stack and when you need people. Three matched profiles within 48 hours, and a straight answer on whether we're the right fit.