Hire the best Open Source developers

The first step to determining the cost to hire an open-source developer will be to define your needs. Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.

Cost factor #1: project scope

The first variable to consider when determining scope is the nature of the work that needs to be completed. Not all open-source projects are created equal. Open-sourcing a simple web service will typically take less time than launching a new open-source web development framework. 

Tip: The more accurately your job description describes the scope of your project, the easier it will be for talent to give you accurate cost estimates and proposals.

Cost factor #2: open-source developer experience

Choosing the right level of expertise for the job is closely tied to how well you determined the scope of your project. You wouldn’t need an advanced programmer to maintain the code documentation and maintenance of your open-source project listing on GitHub. On the other hand, building an open-source software development platform from scratch will require a skilled programmer. 

Beyond experience level, you need to consider the type of experience the talent possesses. Generally speaking, an open-source developer is any developer familiar with the process of hosting a project on a remote repository such as GitHub, GitLab, or SourceForge. The following table breaks down the rates of the typical types of open-source developers you can find on Upwork. 

Rates charged by open-source developers on Upwork

Type of Developer	Description	Hourly Rate
Web development	Front-end development (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript). Back-end development (e.g., databases, web servers, cloud storage). Experience with CMSs (e.g., WordPress), JavaScript frameworks (e.g., React), and/or app-specific frameworks (e.g., WooCommerce).	$30-120+
Mobile development	iOS app development (e.g., Swift, Objective-C, Xcode, Cocoa Touch). Android app development (e.g., Java, Kotlin, Android SDK, Android Studio). Hybrid app development (e.g., Flutter, React Native, Ionic).	$30-120+
Embedded systems	Programming languages (e.g., C, C++, Rust). Experience programming microcontrollers (e.g., Arduino), microcomputers (Raspberry Pi), and other hardware. Robotics, IoT, and operating-system-level code.	$50-120+

Cost factor #3: location

Location is another variable that can impact an open-source developer’s cost. It’s no secret that you can leverage differences in purchasing power between countries to gain savings on talent. But it’s also important to factor in hidden costs such as language barriers, time zones, and the logistics of managing a remote team. The real advantage to sourcing talent remotely on Upwork is the ability to scan a global talent pool for the best possible person for the job. Location is no longer an obstacle. 

Cost factor #4: independent contractor vs. agency

The final variable regarding talent cost is hiring an independent contractor vs. an agency. An agency is often a “one size fits all” model, so you’ll often have access to a designer, a project manager, an engineer, and more. When hiring individuals you have total autonomy regarding who is responsible for which part of the project, but you’ll need to source each of those skills separately.

The trade-off between hiring individuals vs. hiring an agency is the level of administrative overhead you incur personally in coordinating tasks among all members of the team. Project scope and personal preference will determine which style is a better fit for your needs.

Open-Source Developer Tips and Best Practices

Choose the right open-source license for your needs

MIT, Apache 2.0, and GPLv3 are examples of other open-source licenses. Using a license is as simple as copy-and-pasting it into your repository. Open-source licenses differ from typical intellectual property licenses in that their goal is to help others contribute to and use your work without needing to seek special individual permission to do so. That said, these licenses still place restrictions on how source code can be copied, used, and distributed, usually to discourage abuse of the open-source license (e.g., someone charging others for free code you developed). 

For example, the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) allows unlimited copying, distribution, and changes to the source code. You can even charge someone for software built partially with technologies open sourced under the GNU GPL, but only if you provide a copy of the GNU GPL so that others can see which part of your code is technically open source and available for free. This also gives you a chance to justify why you’re charging for your fork of the original source code. 

Write clear contributing guidelines

Maintaining an open-source project on a remote repository will of course become more challenging as more people become interested in your project. It helps to have clear guidelines for how developers can contribute to your project. You can include these guidelines in a README file along with your project description or in a separate CONTRIBUTING file. 

Contributing guidelines should communicate expectations for contributors such as:

• Procedure for submitting a new feature suggestion
• Bug report best practices
• How to set up a test environment for a new feature
• Types of contributions you’re looking for
• Project roadmap
• Contact information

The more detailed your CONTRIBUTING file, the easier it will be to manage your open-source project. 

Don’t forget to include a code of conduct

If your goal is to build a community around your open-source project, adopting a formal code of conduct can go a long way toward encouraging the type of behavior you wish to see within this new community. 

A code of conduct usually provides guidelines for how contributors and community members should interact with one another. You can establish community standards such as:

• Demonstrating empathy and kindness toward others
• Offering constructive criticism and receiving it gracefully
• Abolishing derogatory language and harassment 

A code of conduct will give you a handy tool to use to moderate discussions about your project in your online communities. You can enforce it by banning offenders and removing comments on the grounds of violating your code of conduct. 

Don’t want to write your own code of conduct? There are plenty of drop-in open-source code of conduct documents available on the web (e.g., Contributor Covenant, Citizen Code of Conduct). Copy and paste the one that best suits your needs.