Devvista is a software development and growth agency; companies in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the UAE come to us for dedicated PHP developers and upgrade engineers. Engagement is hourly, as a team, or for a fixed-price build.
PHP runs a large share of the sites businesses depend on, including WordPress, which wordpress.org describes as open source software, and frameworks such as Laravel, a batteries-included PHP framework according to laravel.com. Below: the kinds of PHP work, what each costs, how to check a candidate and how hiring works from your country.
What our PHP developers build
Custom web applications
Business systems built from scratch or on a framework such as Laravel, with accounts, roles, forms, reports and integrations.
Legacy PHP upgrades
Taking an old PHP application to a supported PHP version, with tests added first, security fixes made and dead code removed, so the business can keep relying on it.
WordPress and WooCommerce work
Themes, plugins and shops on WordPress, where PHP is the language underneath. Our hire WordPress developers page covers that side in more detail.
Integrations and APIs
Connections between a PHP system and accounting, payments or logistics services, with retries and a visible failure list.
Performance and security reviews
Finding slow queries, outdated packages and unsafe input handling in an existing PHP system, and fixing them in priority order.
What kind of PHP work is it? A guide to the right profile
PHP covers very different jobs. Naming yours first decides who to hire, and the table maps the common ones.
| Job | Typical stack | Best profile | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A content site or shop | WordPress, WooCommerce | WordPress developer | Plugin sprawl and missing updates |
| A custom business application | Laravel or another framework | Laravel or framework developer | Business rules buried in screens |
| An old system that must keep running | Plain PHP on an older version | Upgrade and rescue engineer | No tests and unsupported versions |
| Connecting two systems | PHP service or plugin | Integration developer | No handling of failed calls |
Our hire Laravel developers page covers the framework route, and our guide on staff augmentation explains hiring by the hour.
What it costs and how you can hire
Rates for PHP developers follow one scale: hourly from $10 to $100, or fixed from $500 up to $100,000 depending on scope. Quotes are in US dollars.
| Model | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated PHP developer by the hour | Looking after a live PHP system month by month | By developer level |
| Small PHP team | A project that needs a PHP developer, a front-end developer and testing together | Hourly, per person |
| Fixed-price build | An upgrade, an integration or a small app with a written scope | By complexity |
| Scoping first | You have a legacy system and need an assessment before deciding to upgrade or rebuild | A short engagement that ends in a written spec |
Illustration (an estimate, not a quote): upgrading a legacy PHP business application to a supported PHP version and adding tests, at an assumed $40 an hour:
| Work | Hours |
|---|---|
| Code audit and risk list | 24 |
| Test harness around key flows | 40 |
| Version upgrade in steps | 56 |
| Replacing unsupported packages | 32 |
| Security and input fixes | 28 |
| Performance fixes on slow queries | 24 |
| Deployment and handover | 12 |
| Total | 216 hours, about $8,640 at $40 an hour |
A smaller application falls below that, and one with no tests and heavy custom code rises above it. Send an outline of the system and we will price your own.
Which PHP developer profile you need
PHP hiring goes wrong when the profile does not match the job, so decide first whether it is content, custom or rescue.
| Profile | What they do | Ask to see |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress and PHP developer | Builds themes, plugins and shops | A plugin and a theme they built |
| Framework developer | Builds custom apps in a framework such as Laravel | An app and its tests |
| Upgrade and rescue engineer | Moves old code to supported versions safely | An upgrade they carried out |
| Integration developer | Connects PHP systems to other services | An integration with retries and logging |
Common situations and what to hire
PHP projects start from a handful of common positions.
| Your situation | What to hire | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An old PHP system the business depends on | An upgrade and rescue engineer, then maintenance hours | Tests first, then a staged move to a supported version |
| A new custom web application in PHP | A framework developer on a fixed-price build | A framework such as Laravel provides much of the plumbing |
| A WordPress site that has outgrown its plugins | A WordPress and PHP developer | Custom code replaces plugin sprawl where it earns its place |
What the first month of a PHP hire looks like
- Week one: access to the code and server, a risk list and a written plan.
- Week two: a test harness around the flows the business cannot lose.
- Week three: the first upgrades or fixes, each guarded by the tests.
- Week four: a security and performance review, a report of what remains, and the plan for the next stage.
How to check any PHP developer before you hire
These questions work for any PHP hire. Look for answers that are specific and honest about trade-offs.
- Which PHP version will the code run on, and how will you keep it supported?
- How do you add tests to code that has none?
- How do you protect against unsafe input and outdated packages?
- How do you handle a failing call to another system?
- Do you recommend upgrading or rebuilding this system, and what is the reason?
- Who owns the repository and hosting at handover?
- Ask for a small paid trial task before you commit: a short audit of one real module, with the three biggest risks ranked and one fixed with a test.
A promise of results before the work is scoped is a sales line. Ask what the estimate rests on.
Mistakes to avoid when hiring PHP developers
PHP work often goes wrong at the start.
- Rebuilding a working system before assessing whether an upgrade would do.
- Keeping an unsupported PHP version because nothing has broken yet.
- Adding plugins or packages without reviewing their updates.
- Hiring a WordPress developer for a custom app, or the reverse.
Hiring from the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the UAE
Clients in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the UAE hire PHP developers from us, with no local offices involved. Time zones and review dates are agreed up front, and work runs from written specs and video calls.
Who this is for, and who it is not
| A good fit | Not a fit |
|---|---|
| A business with a PHP system it depends on and needs upgraded, secured or extended | A request to rebuild a working system before any assessment |
| A team adding a PHP, WordPress or framework developer | A plan to stay on an unsupported PHP version |
| Owners who approve a risk-ranked plan and staged changes | A project needing developers on site |