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Introduction
When considering the cost of custom Python development, it's important to understand how much you're paying per hour and how that translates into your total project budget. In this article, we'll take a look at how much it costs to develop custom Python projects depending on the complexity of the project.
Get a realistic estimate for custom Python development costs
The best way to get an estimate is by speaking with an experienced Python development agency. An experienced team of engineers will be able to give you a ballpark estimate based on your requirements and how long it might take them to complete your project. (We often do these by comparing your project to past projects that are similar in size to other clients' projects by pulling actual hours spent.)
Custom Python Development Rates
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Hourly Rate: The hourly rate for custom Python development ranges from $150-$250 in the US and UK. Asking how much a web app costs is like asking how much a car costs-- you might need a Yugo, or you might need a Mercedes Benz.
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Offshore hourly rates are significantly less. This is a good choice if you have experience managing a development team and this is not your first project. Sometimes clients who choose offshore resources struggle with communcation and time zone issues. Also, the quality of deliverables can suffer if the team is not comprised of senior engineers.
Fusionbox hourly rates are between $175 an hour, and $195 an hour depending on the kind of work you need. For smaller, one-off projects, we charge at the higher rate. For longterm projects, we charge the lower rate. You are always getting senior engineers, so the quality and speed of development is always high.
What influences Python development rates and costs?
The cost of custom Python development depends on several factors:
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The number of developers involved in the project. The more people you have working on your project, the more expensive it will be.
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The complexity of the application and its requirements. More complex apps take more time to build, which increases costs.
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Your involvement in the project. If you can be actively involved and answer questions quickly, that will speed up the tiimeline.
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If we are taking over a project with existing code, the quality of that code makes a huge difference in the cost of development. Sometimes we can start working with the existing Python code base right away, and sometimes we need to upgrade to a newer version, or rewrite existing code, or rearchitect a database.
Sprint-by-sprint model.
It can be almost impossible to know exactly how much each feature is going to cost up front. That being said, we understand that no one has a blank check. However, you want the flexibility to go into a project and change course as needed, especially on long projects where your requirements might be loosely defined or may change with market demands.
Pricing everything up front and trying to write out requirments is a waterfall method that has been proven over and over again not to work. (You want to use the agile process). And, it requires change orders and rigidity to a project that it going to limit creative problem solving, and being responsive to user testing that you are performing along the way.
Fusionbox uses a sprint-by-sprint engagement model for our contracts and pricing. That means that we give you an estimate on how many weeks we think a project will take based on a short discovery process, and then get started. You test us out for two weeks, pay for those two weeks, and then use that time up, and pay for the next sprint, and so on.
Most of our clients are on this model and have worked with us happily for years, but if you find out we may not be the best fit for your needs, you aren't tied to a long contract.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a custom Python consultant and need an estimate on the cost, our team is here to help. We can review your requirements and provide you with a realistic quote based on the complexity of the project. If you have any questions about this process or would like to get started now, please contact us!