By the Tuncer Technologies team ·
The Philippines is a popular place to find developers: strong English, a time zone that overlaps with Asia, Australia and part of the U.S. working day, and rates well below most Western markets. But "hiring a Filipino developer" can mean three very different arrangements, and choosing the wrong one costs more than the hourly rate saves.
This guide compares them honestly and shows how our own team works, with published prices.
Three ways to hire
1. A freelancer from a marketplace
Good for small, well-defined tasks. You manage the work yourself, check the code yourself and carry the risk if the person disappears. Published rate cards commonly put Philippine developers at roughly USD 15 to 40 an hour, depending on seniority and skills.
2. A dedicated developer through a staffing firm
A staffing or employer-of-record firm hires a full-time developer who works only for you. You direct their work daily. This suits companies that already have a technical lead and a long product roadmap.
3. A development team on fixed prices or a retainer
You buy outcomes instead of hours: a fixed-price item with a written scope, or a monthly block of hours worked from an agreed backlog. The team handles design, code, testing and deployment. This suits businesses without an in-house technical lead.
We are option 3. We are not a staffing agency and do not place exclusive full-time staff.
What we build with
Our team in Davao City builds and runs its own products: the Rundzee marketplace (customer, rider and merchant apps on the App Store and Google Play, an operations portal and the backend) and Rundzee Oracle on Google Play. The stack we use every day:
- Mobile: React Native and Expo, TypeScript
- Web: React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS
- Backend: Supabase and PostgreSQL, Laravel
- Releases: App Store and Google Play publishing, including review responses
Our prices for development time
Philippine orders are handled by Poseidon Distribution OPC, Davao City, and paid in pesos; U.S. orders by Rundzee, LLC, paid by card in USD. Prices are as of 24 October 2026; the checkout always shows the current price for your country.
| Item | What you get | USA | Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Fix Pack, 3 dev hours (/store/L07) | React, React Native, Next.js, Laravel or Supabase fixes in one codebase | USD 149 | PHP 4,900 |
| General development (/store/T06) | Approved feature or repair work, estimated before work starts | USD 40 / hour | PHP 1,500 / hour |
| Development retainer, up to 40 hours (/store/T08) | Coding, fixes, integration, testing, deployment and coordination; weekly progress and timesheet | USD 1,600 / month | PHP 60,000 / month |
| Development retainer plus, up to 80 hours (/store/T09) | Scheduled allocation of up to 80 development hours | USD 3,200 / month | PHP 120,000 / month |
| Technical consultation (/store/T02) | Remote technical advice with follow-up notes, 1-hour minimum | USD 50 / hour | PHP 1,500 / hour |
| Custom mobile MVP (/store/D07) | Up to 5 agreed screens, one core workflow; final quote after discovery | USD 5,995 | PHP 180,000 |
Retainer limits, so there are no surprises: work comes from an approved backlog, unused hours expire at the end of the month, and a retainer is not exclusive full-time staffing.
See the 40-hour development retainer
How to vet any developer (including us)
- Start with a small paid task. A 3-hour bug fix tells you more than an interview.
- Keep accounts in your name. Code repository, cloud, domain, Apple and Google developer accounts.
- Ask for a written scope and estimate before any work, and approve changes in writing.
- Ask to see live work. Apps in the stores and websites you can open today.
- Agree on communication. Our default is email and tickets with written updates, during Manila business hours (UTC+8).
- Protect personal data. If the developer will handle customer data, agree how it is accessed and stored.
FAQ
How much does it cost to hire a Filipino developer?
Published rate cards commonly show about USD 15 to 40 an hour for Philippine developers. Our general development rate is USD 40 an hour (PHP 1,500 in the Philippines), and our 40-hour monthly retainer is USD 1,600.
Can I get a dedicated full-time developer from you?
No. We work as a team on fixed-price items and retainers. If you need one person working only for you every day, a staffing or employer-of-record firm is the better fit.
Do you work with U.S. and Australian clients?
Yes. U.S. clients are billed by Rundzee, LLC in USD, and other countries see their price in the store. Work runs by email and tickets, so time zones matter less.
Who owns the code?
Custom work you pay for is delivered to your repository and accounts. Our own reusable products are licensed, not sold, unless you buy exclusive rights under a separate quote.
Can I start with a small task?
Yes. The Bug Fix Pack (3 dev hours, USD 149) is a low-risk way to see how we work on your codebase.
Are you a Filipino freelancer or developer? We do not hire through this page, but you can refer website and app projects to us through our free partner program and earn a share of what we actually receive (no income is guaranteed): partners.tuncertech.com/join/freelancers.