For businesses in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the UAE, Devvista is a software development and growth agency that supplies and manages dedicated full-stack developers and web product engineers. Work is billed hourly, by the team, or as a fixed-price project.
A full-stack developer works on both what the user sees and the server behind it, so one person can carry a feature from screen to database. Below: when that is the right hire, when it is not, the cost, how to check a candidate and how hiring works from your country.
What our full-stack developers build
Web products from first release
The first version of a product: accounts, the main workflow, a database and a deployment, built by one or two people who see the whole system.
Features across front end and back end
New features that touch the screen, the API and the data together, without handing work between teams.
Admin tools and dashboards
Internal screens for staff to manage records, with the permissions and audit trail that keep changes safe.
MVPs and prototypes
A small working version that tests demand before the full budget is spent. Our SaaS development service covers products built to grow.
Maintenance of an existing product
Fixing bugs and adding features to a live web app that one person needs to understand end to end.
Full-stack developer or a specialist team: how to choose
One generalist is cheaper to coordinate, and specialists are deeper in their field. The table sets out when each wins.
| Situation | Full-stack developer | Front-end and back-end specialists | Our view |
|---|---|---|---|
| An MVP with a small budget | A strong fit: one person carries a feature end to end | More coordination than the job needs | Start with full-stack |
| A product with heavy interface work | Possible, with a front-end specialist alongside | A strong fit for polish and accessibility | Add a specialist at scale |
| A system with heavy data or integrations | Possible for modest scale | A strong fit with a backend engineer | Add a backend lead |
| Ongoing small changes to a live app | A strong fit: one person knows the whole system | Handovers slow small tasks | Keep one full-stack owner |
See our hire frontend developers and hire backend developers pages for the specialist roles, and our guide to dedicated teams versus project work for the engagement models. Our hire offshore developers page covers working with a remote team. Our Discovery89 travel booking case study shows a React and Node.js product built end to end.
Common full-stack combinations and what each suits
Full-stack describes the reach, not the tools. The table lists the combinations buyers ask about, with what each suits and what to confirm.
| Combination | Typical tools | Suits | Confirm with the candidate |
|---|---|---|---|
| JavaScript throughout | React or Vue with Node.js | Teams that want one language | Who maintains the typed API contract |
| React with a Python backend | React with Django or FastAPI | Products with data or automation beside the app | How the two sides are deployed |
| Server-rendered app | Laravel or Django templates with light scripting | Business apps where speed to build matters | How the interface will grow |
| Next.js app | Next.js with a database layer | Marketing-led products needing search visibility | Where the server code runs |
The combination matters less than whether the developer has shipped a live product with it and can show how it is tested and deployed.
What it costs and how you can hire
Hourly rates for full-stack developers run from $10 to $100 by developer level, and fixed prices from $500 to $100,000 by complexity. We state the price before work starts, in US dollars.
| Model | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated full-stack developer by the hour | Looking after a live web product with fixes and features every month | By developer level |
| Small full-stack team | A product build needing a full-stack lead plus a specialist or tester | Hourly, per person |
| Fixed-price build | An MVP or feature set with a written screen and rule list | By complexity |
| Scoping first | You have a product idea and need screens, a data model and a plan before building | A short engagement that ends in a written spec |
Illustration (an estimate, not a quote): a full-stack MVP for a client portal, with accounts, a project dashboard, file uploads, notifications and an admin area, at an assumed $40 an hour:
| Work | Hours |
|---|---|
| Screens, data model and written spec | 24 |
| Accounts and permissions | 28 |
| Dashboard screens | 48 |
| File uploads and storage | 22 |
| Notifications | 18 |
| Admin area | 30 |
| Automated tests | 28 |
| Deployment and handover | 14 |
| Total | 212 hours, about $8,480 at $40 an hour |
Without the admin area the total falls; with payments or integrations it climbs. Send your screen list and we will price your own.
Which full-stack developer profile you need
Full-stack is a range, so match the profile to how much of the system one person must own.
| Profile | What they do | Ask to see |
|---|---|---|
| Full-stack developer | Builds features from screen to database to a spec | A feature they shipped end to end |
| Senior full-stack engineer | Designs the whole system and the data model | A design note and a live product |
| Full-stack with DevOps skills | Builds and also deploys and monitors the product | A pipeline and the alerts on it |
| Full-stack tech lead | Owns the product and reviews other developers | A review they wrote |
Common situations and what to hire
Full-stack hiring fits particular stages.
| Your situation | What to hire | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An MVP to test demand | A full-stack developer on a fixed-price build | Scope is kept small so the first release ships quickly |
| A live product with steady small changes | A full-stack developer by the hour | One person who knows the whole system speeds small fixes |
| A product outgrowing one developer | A tech lead plus specialists | Hand-offs are planned before the team grows |
What the first month of a full-stack hire looks like
- Week one: access to the code and hosting, with a written feature list and data model agreed.
- Week two: accounts and the first screens connected to real data.
- Week three: the core workflow end to end, with tests.
- Week four: deployment, monitoring, a review against the spec and a plan for the next release.
How to check any full-stack developer before you hire
Ask every shortlisted developer the same questions and compare the answers side by side. Vague answers are the first filter.
- Which parts of this product would you hand to a specialist, and why?
- How do you decide what goes in the browser and what stays on the server?
- How do you test a feature that spans screen, API and database?
- How do you manage changes to a live database?
- How would you deploy this, and how would you roll back?
- Who owns the repository and hosting at handover?
- Ask for a small paid trial task before you commit: one feature built across screen, API and database, with a test and a note on how it is deployed.
Steer clear of any offer that skips the scoping step, however attractive the price.
Mistakes to avoid when hiring full-stack developers
Full-stack hires disappoint when the job is too wide.
- Expecting one person to match a specialist team on a large product.
- Skipping tests because one person holds everything in their head.
- Having no second person who can read the code.
- Letting one developer hold the only deployment access.
Hiring from the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the UAE
This page serves buyers of full-stack developers in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the UAE. You will see progress on a board and in regular demos, wherever you are.
Who this is for, and who it is not
| A good fit | Not a fit |
|---|---|
| A business with a web product that needs one developer to own features end to end | A request for one person to build a large platform alone |
| A team adding a generalist by the hour | A project needing developers on site |
| Owners who approve a written feature list and staged releases | A plan with no review of the code by a second person |