Freelancer Hiring Costs: What Founders Should Know About Budgeting, Costs and Hidden Tradeoffs
Hiring a freelancer to build your MVP can feel like the fastest, cheapest route—but is it really?
If you're a startup founder juggling product ideas, tight timelines and limited funding, it’s tempting to avoid extra costs and just hire a solo developer on Upwork or Fiverr. But what starts as a simple, affordable solution often spirals into missed deadlines, unclear scope, and costly do-overs. In this article, I'll break down what freelance development really costs, what red flags to watch for, and how to budget smartly from day one—so your startup doesn't build technical debt right from the get-go.
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