Hire Part-Time Developers

Are you looking for a part-time Android developer or web programmer?
We know how to find them. Read on — and learn more about it.
Are you looking for a part-time Android developer or web programmer? We know how to find them. Read on — and learn more about it.
Hire part-time developers in just 24 hours

Recruiting the most promising developers with perfect time/money balance is the dream of every outsourcer. But like they say, not all dreams come true.
What if this one just might?
Perfect part-time software engineers might be the missing piece of the puzzle in your business — so why don’t you learn how to find and manage them?

Why hire part-time remote web developers?
Recruit senior developers for less
Senior developers are a top choice for quality work, but they don’t come cheap. According to Glassdoor, the average US salary of a full-time senior developer is $117,157/yr. Of course, you might even have the budget for this — but why spend so much when you can hire a senior part-time programmer and get the same level of expertise for less?
Senior developers are a top choice for quality work, but they don’t come cheap. According to Glassdoor, the average US salary of a full-time senior developer is $117,157/yr. Of course, you might even have the budget for this — but why spend so much when you can hire a senior IT developer part-time and get the same level of expertise for less?
Access to highly specialized developers

Hiring a full-time developer with expertise in a particular tech stack could make a significant hole in your budget. Part-timers, on the contrary, are more flexible and cheaper. One could easily find several remote, part-time software developers for all the needed technologies — if they are top-notch, you won’t even feel the difference.
Save additional costs
Remote employees bring no extra charges. You don’t spend money on insurance, paid vacations, and equipment maintenance — you pay only the fixed rate to your full- or part-time full-stack developer.
Faster Time-to-market

Highly specialized part-time programmers will speed up your company’s development so you can get your product to the market faster, gaining an advantage over competitors!

Is there a better process to hire part-time developers?
While there’s no foolproof way to recruit a programmer part-time on Upwork, we do have some tips that can help you get started.
Understand the development process
Understand the development process
First, you don’t need to know the ins and outs of coding. But you do need to have an idea of what the development process for your project entails. If possible, get someone in your company that can help you set achievable goals and expectations.
State your requirements
State your requirements
What technologies do you need? What platforms should it be compatible with? Be as specific as possible. Ignoring this step increases the risk of hiring an ill-fitted candidate who may deliver low-quality work. And this mistake could cost you more money, time, or even loss of business. So, what should you define first?
The nature of your project: web development or mobile app development, native or cross-platform?
Certifications and/or level of expertise
Frameworks, SDKs, APIs, and libraries your project requires
Budget
Working hours and project timelines.
Where can you find part-time developers?
Maybe you know someone who knows some dedicated part-time developers for hire. That’s awesome if it works out fine. Other options include:

But to have better chances of finding what you need, check out vetted platforms. Some of them allow you to screen and hire part-time developers yourself. The top-rated ones vet their developers even before you ask for one.
Review applications
Review applications
Vetted platforms like lemon.io extensively screen their pool of developers so you can find the best-fitting candidates with minimal effort! You must review each application thoroughly if you’d like to hire devs for multiple projects. What to look out for?
The developer’s previous projects
Past clients (who you might reach out to)
Feedback, reviews, and ratings (if any).

Interview candidates
It’s time to get answers to the hard questions. What technologies have they used in the past? Do they have the soft skills you need? If the interview process goes well, you’ve already started building a connection with your part-time developer.
Offer a test task
It’s time to get answers to the hard questions. What programming technologies have they used in the past? Do they have the soft skills you need? If the interview process goes well, you’ve already started building a connection with your part-time developer.
Finalize pertinent details
Things to tackle at this stage include:
- Scope of work
- Clear guidelines
- Rates
- Milestones and deadlines.
An hourly rate for developers depends on how much time your project would take and, of course, on the dev’s level of expertise. Rates differ from country to country. Let’s look at some of them.
United States
In-house developers’ salary
Senior developers
It’s no surprise that programmers in the US charge higher. According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a senior US developer is $117,157/yr.

Mid-career developers
Don’t get your hopes up either on mid-level developers. They earn a whopping $78,639 yearly.

Junior developers
Juniors are slightly more affordable ($63,250/yr) — but are you willing to place the future of your company at the hands of a newbie?

Part-time developers’ salary
Senior developers
On Upwork, the rates of part-time senior software developers are between $50 and $165+/hr. Numbers could be higher if you’re hiring a narrow profile specialist, for instance, a part-time Rails developer.

Mid-level developers
Mid-career programmers in the United States charge $45/hr or more.

Entry-level developers
The hourly rates of junior specialists are between $30 and $50+.

If you’re considering hiring a dev from somewhere close to the United States, another region to look at would be Latin America.
Latin America
In-house developers’ salary
According to Statista, the median annual salary of developers in this region starts from $6,729. But that’s only in Argentina. In Panama, you’d need around $24,100 to find a software developer.

Part-time developers’ salary
Senior developers
Part-time senior developer jobs in Latin America pay slightly less. Experienced programmers’ rates are between $45 and $75+/hr, but it’s not out of place to see some experts charging up to $125 per hour.
Mid-level developers
Mid-career devs in Latin America earn between $15 and $25+/hr.

Junior developers
You can find newbies that charge $10/hr — but think of the quality first.

What about developers’ salaries in Europe?
What about developers’ salaries in Europe?
In-house developers’ salary
The median salary of European software developers starts from $47,300/yr.
In Munich, it can be as high as $82,700/yr. Can you afford to pay that much?

If not, there’s another way to get qualified developers without breaking your piggy bank. Yes, you guessed right — I’m talking about part-time remote software developers!
Part-time developers’ salary
Senior developers
Seasoned European developers on Upwork charge between $50 and $100+ per hour.

You’ll find mid-level programmers for $30 – $60 per hour.
Mid-career developers

Junior developers
The hourly rate of an entry-level programmer is as low as $5 – $20+/hr.
Best sites to hire part-time developers
With a pool of over 350 developers, Lemon.io excels at matching clients with the perfect candidates for each project.
Clients are typically matched with competent developers within 48 hours. With more narrow-profile devs, the matching might take up to 72 hours. Looking for a part-time remote Java developer or someone even more specific? Worry not: Lemon.io can help.
FYI: the platform mainly works with developers from Europe. From the remotes’ hourly rates we listed earlier, you’d know this means skilled developers at fair price.
The blessed match doesn’t happen by luck. It’s a detail-oriented vetting process (thorough background check, language assessment, test task, and an interview) that helps to find the best talents.
Not sure if that’s a good thing? 98% of Lemon.io clients have hired the first candidate they were offered!
The hourly rate of Lemon.io developers ranges between $45 and $85.
What clients are saying


Upwork does not vet its freelancers, but one can look into the Job Success graph, analyze reviews and choose devs with background in the needed tech stack.
Clients are typically matched with competent developers within 24 hours. The matching might take up to 48 hours with more narrow profile devs. Looking for a part-time remote Java developer or someone even more specific? Worry not: Lemon.io can help. What’s more? Intellectual property rights on Upwork are clear. Once you (the client) pay, the code is yours.
To further ensure the quality of work, Upwork has recently added Expert-Vetted talent badges for professionals evaluated by the Upwork technical talent managers.
Upwork clients include top companies like Tesla, Amazon, and The Motley Fool.
What clients are saying


Freelancer is another top platform where you can find part-time remote developers, boasting millions of registered users who work from home.
Freelancer offers you many payment options: credit cards, Skrill, PayPal, WebMoney, GiroPay… Besides, the contractors can create invoices for external clients.
Plenty of devs work for reasonable prices — but the web itself does not give any quality guarantees.
Unlike vetting platforms like Lemon.io, Freelancer is a bidding one: you choose your match out of many unchecked candidates with their offers.
Freelancer is fast as well. Ideally, programmers respond to your proposal within the same day.
What clients are saying

For an in-depth review of more platforms, read our post on the best sites to hire freelancers.
Organizing a smooth and transparent collaboration with a part-time remote developer
Now you have the information you need, it’s time to take action. Hit the hire button below, and we’ll match you with the best part-time programmer for your project.
Want to learn more? Here's our FAQ for you.
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Can a software developer work part-time?
They surely can. Even though there are increasingly more software engineers who work full-time, the majority of them still vote for remote or part-time. Software developers don’t need many tools to start working: most often, a good internet connection and a powerful laptop are everything they need. If you don’t need anything extra, you can surely pick some petty projects and cope with them intermittently — making a break from your main occupation, for example. Numerous marketplaces (bidding and vetting) let developers choose their weekly (or daily) workload and plan their routine accordingly.
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How many hours do programmers usually work?
When deciding on a potential career path in the IT industry, it’s important to research different options and work expectations. Computer programmers code software and other applications to meet the needs of clients and employers. By learning more about working as a computer programmer and the types of hours they work, you can make important decisions about whether to obtain a computer programming job. For everyone choosing their road in the IT business, it’s necessary to consider different working conditions, variants, and prospects.
Most often, computer engineers devote their work an average of 40-45 hours weekly, which results in eight hours daily, Monday through Friday. Most commonly, IT engineers work between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m or similar schedules common for office culture (making amendments for colleagues from different time zones and striving to keep the 2-4 hours’ overlap). Nevertheless, numerous IT pros fulfill extra work hours to meet deadlines, resolve errors, and control multiple projects at a time. Due to that, computer programmers can work an additional 5-10 hours weekly, making their total around 50 hours.