The real cost of software development in the Philippines
Traditional dev shops charge by the hour and optimize for billable time. We charge per dedicated developer in the Philippines and optimize for how fast you ship.
What software development rates in the Philippines actually look like
Full Scale's rate is $35/hr and up, fully loaded, per senior engineer working full-time on your team. That single number covers salary, government-mandated benefits, HR, payroll, equipment, workspace, and management, everything a US hire would tack on separately. Most clients land 50-70% below what the same seniority costs to hire in the US.
Want the local pay breakdown behind that rate? See our software engineer salary guide for the Philippines.
Most companies overpay for engineering because they're buying the wrong thing
Tell us about your project and see how much you could save.
We've eliminated the hidden costs that make traditional hiring expensive
No Recruiting Fees
Traditional recruiters charge 20-30% of first-year salary. That's $30K+ per senior developer.
With Full Scale: $0 recruiting fees. Ever.
No Benefits Overhead
US benefits (health, 401k, PTO) add 30-40% to base salary costs.
With Full Scale: All benefits included in flat monthly rate.
No Management Overhead
Agencies add project managers who mark up rates and slow down communication.
With Full Scale: Direct access to your engineers. No intermediaries.
No Turnover Costs
US tech turnover averages 13-15% annually. Replacement costs 6-9 months of salary.
With Full Scale: 93%+ annual retention. Your team stays stable.
No Office Expenses
Workspace, equipment, internet, utilities add $10-15K per employee annually.
With Full Scale: Fully equipped workspace included.
No Training Costs
Onboarding and training new hires takes 3-6 months of reduced productivity.
With Full Scale: Senior engineers productive from week one.
Here's what building a 5-person team actually costs
Traditional US hiring
Team composition:
- • 2 Senior Full-Stack Developers
- • 1 Frontend Developer
- • 1 QA Engineer
- • 1 UI/UX Designer
Annual costs:
- Base Salaries:$635,000
- Benefits (35%):$222,250
- Recruiting Fees (25%):$158,750
- Office/Equipment:$60,000
- Turnover/Replacement (15%):$95,250
Full Scale team
Same team composition:
- • 2 Senior Full-Stack Developers
- • 1 Frontend Developer
- • 1 QA Engineer
- • 1 UI/UX Designer
Annual costs:
- Monthly Rate x 5 Engineers:$364,000
- Recruiting Fees:$0
- Benefits/HR:Included
- Office/Equipment:Included
- Turnover:Minimal (93%+ retention)
Your Savings: $807,250 in Year 1
That's 69% less than US hiring for the same caliber of senior talent.
We stand behind every engineer we provide
If an engineer isn't the right fit:
Why we can offer this:
We maintain a pool of 350+ vetted senior engineers. If someone isn't working out, we have qualified replacements ready. Our 93%+ annual retention rate means this rarely happens, but when it does, we handle it fast.
Why tech leaders choose Full Scale over other offshore providers
| What you care about | Traditional offshore | Full Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Transparency | Hourly rates hide true costs | Flat monthly rate, all-inclusive |
| Talent Quality | Junior devs marked up as senior | The level you hired (<3% acceptance) |
| Communication | Project manager bottleneck | Direct access to your engineers |
| Stability | High contractor turnover | 93%+ annual retention rate |
| Speed to Hiring | Weeks of searching | 1-2 weeks from call to coding |
| Recruiting Fees | 20-30% of first year | $0 ever |
| Billing Model | Incentivizes slow work | Dedicated engineer, predictable monthly cost, no billable-hours incentive |
| Management Control | Managed service model | You manage directly |
How we actually operate
Every claim we make about our process has a page behind it, with the real numbers.
The model itself
After 8 years of perfecting it
Staff augmentation means the engineers join your team and you manage the work directly. Full Scale has run this model for eight years. Here is why it beats project outsourcing for building a long term team.
Read itWhere it does not fit
Including the cons, from the people selling it
The real pros and cons of staff augmentation and offshore development, written by the company that sells it, including the cases where Full Scale is the wrong call.
Read itHow we train
41 of our 75 courses are about AI
More than half of Full Scale's internal course catalog is now about AI: 41 of 75 courses are tagged Applied AI, and the ten most-enrolled are all AI. The material is built by 22 Full Scale employees rather than bought in.
Read itWhen it goes wrong
Four of five pass the improvement plan
When a Full Scale developer is not performing, they go on a documented improvement plan, and about four out of five come through it. Here is what the plan involves and what happens when it does not work.
Read itRetention
93% are still here a year later
Full Scale holds engineer retention above 93% a year out. Here is how we calculate that number and the five things we do to keep it there.
Read itHow we interview
The actual rubric, published
Full Scale publishes the scorecard its engineers are graded against in a live technical interview, including the dimensions candidates fail on most often.
Read itFrequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about working with Full Scale.
See exactly what your team would cost
Book a 15-minute call. We'll discuss your technical needs, team structure, and timeline. Then we'll send you transparent pricing for the exact engineers you need.
We won't pressure you or pitch you, just clear pricing and honest answers.
"Full Scale has been a cornerstone in the success of our lending platform. Their development team's exceptional skill set and commitment to quality have not only met but exceeded our expectations in every project."
