- The cost of hiring developers offshore can range from $12 to $80/hour, depending on the country, seniority, hiring and engagement model, and other factors that affect the final price you’d pay.
- The top countries to hire offshore developers are India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, and Colombia.
- The best platforms and companies to find offshore developers include The Scalers, Toptal, Upwork, BairesDev, and Arc. Choosing one or the other depends on the type of team you want to build, the amount of control and ownership you’d like to have over your engineers, your quality requirements, and other specific considerations.
- Follow a clear, structured process when hiring offshore developers: define requirements → choose location → select model → evaluate partners → assess and pick the best candidates and start working with them.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably weighing your options for building or expanding your tech or data team offshore. Maybe you’ve tried outsourcing before and hit the usual pain points (inconsistent quality, high turnover, or developers who never really understood your product). Or maybe this is your first time looking to hire offshore developers, and you want to get it right from the start.
Either way, this guide is for you.
We’ll break down where to hire offshore developers, what they cost across the most popular markets, and compare the platforms and companies that can help you find the right talent, including offshore partners that also handle all the heavy lifting for you.
More importantly, we’ll cover how to choose the right engagement model, because whether you hire a freelancer for a one-off task or build a dedicated team that grows with your product, that decision shapes everything from cost to code quality to retention.
We hope you find it helpful!
How much does it cost to hire offshore developers?
This is one of the first questions every decision-maker asks, so let’s address it up front. Here’s how the most popular offshore locations compare in terms of cost:
Offshore development rates by country in 2026
| Country | Junior ($/hr) | Mid-level ($/hr) | Senior ($/hr) | Best value for |
| India | $15-25 | $25-40 | $45-50 | Scale + depth of talent |
| Vietnam | $18-28 | $25-40 | $35-50 | Mobile and web development |
| The Philippines | $12-20 | $20-30 | $35-40 | IT-BPO services |
| Poland | $25-40 | $35-55 | $50-80 | Nearshore solutions |
| Romania | $20-35 | $30-45 | $40-65 | Multilingual EU teams |
| Colombia | $20-35 | $30-45 | $40-55 | US time zone alignment |
Sources: Upwork, Arc.dev, PayScale, Clutch (2026)
A note on pricing: These hourly rates are useful for comparing markets, but they represent mainly short-term or outsourcing work. That said, hourly billing isn’t exclusively a short-term arrangement. As Ryan Chana, Head of Global Advisory at The Scalers, points out: “It also depends on the business model. Consulting agencies, for example, place their engineers with clients and bill them on an hourly basis, even for long-term engagements.”
If you want to build a dedicated offshore development team through a partner like The Scalers, the pricing model may differ. For instance, we offer a monthly all-inclusive fee covering salary, benefits, infrastructure, recruitment, HR, and admin. This model simplifies accounting and eliminates the hidden costs that often plague hourly arrangements.
For a deeper dive on offshore rates, read our guide to offshore software development rates by country.
Other factors affecting the cost of hiring offshore developers
Besides location, these are the factors that affect the final price you’ll pay for hiring offshore developers:
- Expertise and technology stack. If you want to hire data engineers (one of the most in-demand role types in offshore teams) or a developer with a very specific skill set, you may need to pay more than if you just need a generalist.
- Seniority. This may sound obvious, but a professional with 10 years of experience will command a higher salary than one with 3-5 years.
- Industry-specific experience. Developers who have worked with companies similar to yours, especially in niche industries like legal or EdTech, will likely be more expensive.
- The overheads/operating model. Some providers advertise low rates but pile on recruitment fees, office costs, and admin charges later.
- The quality and track record of your offshore partner. A partner with top talent and a strong track record will charge more, but you get better productivity, output, and lower turnover, which saves you money long-term.
Where to hire offshore developers?
Here’s a quick overview of the countries and companies we’ll cover in this article before diving into the details:
Top countries to hire offshore developers
- India. Best for scalable tech teams with in-demand skills (e.g., data engineering) and strong experience working with Western companies.
- Vietnam. Best for mobile development and mid-size offshore development teams.
- The Philippines. Best for cost-effective developers in support functions, such as IT-BPO.
- Poland. Best for nearshore development and EU-based projects.
- Romania. Best for cybersecurity projects and multilingual EU teams.
- Colombia. Best for US companies that need real-time collaboration and startups scaling in the Americas.
Top platforms/companies to hire offshore developers
- The Scalers. Best for building dedicated development teams.
- Toptal. Best for accessing elite freelance developers.
- Upwork. Best for quick freelance hiring.
- Baires Dev. Best for building engineering teams in Latin America.
- Arc. Best for vetted full-time remote developers and contract work.
Top countries to hire offshore developers in 2026
Here’s an in-depth look at some of the top offshore locations you can choose to build your team:
1. India
India has the world’s second-largest community of software engineers, trailing only China and surpassing the US. With 5.8 million software engineers living and working in tech hubs like Bangalore, it has become an attractive destination for organisations seeking offshore developers with hard-to-find skills at a lower cost than what they’d pay at home in Europe or the US.
The country’s tech ecosystem is growing fast. India is home to more than 1,800 Global Capability Centers (GCCs), and the tech sector has seen 17% YOY workforce growth, adding 180,000 new jobs in the past year. Google, Microsoft, and Amazon all run R&D operations in Indian cities, which speaks to the depth and maturity of the talent available.
You won’t struggle to find offshore software engineers with 5-10+ years of experience in any tech stack and specialised domain (data engineering, full-stack development, cloud computing, AI/machine learning…). All while maintaining cost-effective operations: companies that offshore to India report savings of 25-40% on the total costs per engineer.
Regarding time zone differences, Indian time is GMT+5.5 with no variations for daylight saving time. This time difference provides an overlap of at least six hours daily with many global locations, which is very beneficial for collaboration. For companies that prefer asynchronous workflows, the gap can become an advantage: your Indian team ships code while your local team sleeps.
2. Vietnam
Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing offshore destinations in Asia. The country now has over 500,000 software developers, with Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang serving as the primary tech hubs.
The government has invested heavily in STEM education and digital infrastructure, which explains why the country produces over 57,000 IT graduates annually and why major technology firms (Samsung, Intel, LG) have established R&D operations in the country. That’s not a coincidence: these companies saw the talent pipeline forming and moved early.
English proficiency has improved in the past years, but still lags behind India and the Philippines for business-level fluency. Where Vietnam shines is in web and mobile app development. You can hire offshore developers with niche skills in these fields at rates that undercut most Eastern European markets.
3. The Philippines
The Philippines has built one of Asia’s fastest-growing developer communities, with 200,000 specialists (and counting). Major tech corporations have been quick to capitalise on this growth, with companies like Amazon and Apple establishing innovation centres in Manila and Cebu City.
What sets Filipino developers apart is their expertise in IT-BPO services, proficiency in English and the country’s historical ties to Spain and the US. This cultural familiarity makes these professionals attractive to businesses from these regions, who prefer working with teams that understand their business practices and communication styles.
The trade-off is that the talent pool is smaller and less specialised than India’s in areas like data engineering. But for companies that need skilled developers and offshore web developers working on customer-facing products or support engineering, the Philippines punches above its weight.
4. Poland
Poland’s engineering talent pool comprises approximately 500,000 professionals, concentrated in Warsaw and Kraków.
As per the N-iX Tech Market in Poland: 2024 Analytical Report, Warsaw hosts over 103,000 developers, Kraków has 56,000+, and the latter ranks #1 among large European cities for human capital. Polish developers are strong in .NET, Java, Python, and DevOps, and most are fluent in English.
The catch: Poland is considered more of a nearshore destination than an offshore one, and rising salaries are bringing it closer to Western European rates. For EU-based companies needing GDPR compliance and minimal time zone differences, Poland is an excellent choice. If you’re looking for greater cost-effectiveness, countries like India and Vietnam are your best bets.
5. Romania
Romania has approximately 150,000 IT professionals concentrated in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca.
The country stands out for its multilingual workforce, with developers fluent in English, French, and German, which makes it attractive to Western European clients looking to build teams that speak their language. These developers have built a strong reputation for working in cybersecurity and AI/automation projects.
While Romania may not yet match the scale of established offshore destinations like India or Poland, it offers compelling advantages: competitive pricing compared to Western Europe, EU regulatory compliance, and favourable time zones for European businesses.
6. Colombia
Colombia has become a popular offshoring location in Latin America over the past decade. The country has around 85,000 developers spread across cities such as Bogotá and Medellín.
The region’s tech growth and dedication to innovation can’t be fully understood without acknowledging its startup ecosystem.
In 2025, Colombia climbed to 36th place in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index (its fourth consecutive year of growth) with an ecosystem expansion rate of over 22%, the fastest in Latin America. Medellín grew by more than 40%, the highest growth rate among South America’s leading ecosystems and the strongest of any Colombian city, reinforcing its position as a rising innovation hub with a solid pool of engineering talent.
Colombia’s biggest draw for US companies is time zone alignment: Bogotá operates on EST, enabling real-time collaboration during US business hours.
Top platforms and companies to hire offshore developers in 2026
Here’s an in-depth look at some of the top platforms and companies you can choose to hire offshore developers:
1. The Scalers
The Scalers builds dedicated offshore software development teams in India. Since 2014, they’ve set up over 130 offshore tech and data teams in Bangalore for organisations based in the US, Europe, and Australia.
Their approach to offshore software development differs from that of freelance platforms and outsourcing firms. They build tech teams with offshore software developers and data engineers who work exclusively for their partners and who are fully aligned with their goals, mission, and vision.
Companies looking to hire dedicated offshore developers for long-term product development will find The Scalers a strong fit.
2. Toptal
Toptal is a freelancing platform that connects companies with the top 3% of global tech talent across various fields. Since 2010, they’ve served over 25,000 clients, including major brands and startups like Zendesk, Shopify, and Motorola.
They are known for using a rigorous vetting process that sources premium talent at premium rates. Organisations use Toptal when they need the best freelancers for critical projects and prioritise quality over cost.
3. Upwork
Upwork is the world’s largest freelance marketplace with over 5 million clients and 12 million registered freelancers. The platform covers virtually every skill level and budget range, so it is accessible for projects of all sizes and complexity levels.
Unlike specialised platforms, Upwork offers a self-managed hiring process where companies can browse profiles, post jobs, and handle negotiations directly. It’s an excellent option for organisations looking for quick access to a vast freelance talent pool.
4. BairesDev
BairesDev operates from San Francisco and helps companies hire top LATAM tech talent. They work across more than a hundred sectors and tackle complex projects in real estate data management software, educational technology platforms, among others.
Their services cover the entire software development lifecycle, from initial conceptualisation to final implementation. Given that Baires Dev hires just specialists located in LATAM, their offering attracts US companies that need remote nearshore developers in their time zone.
5. Arc
With Arc, companies can hire offshore remote developers and other technical professionals working from anywhere in the world. The platform offers both freelance and full-time remote hiring options with built-in vetting processes.
Beyond recruiting, they handle secure payments and compliant global hiring through trusted EOR partners. Companies that need vetted developers quickly for either contract work or full-time positions often find Arc a good fit.
Dedicated offshore teams vs. freelancers: Which model fits best?
As you may have noticed in the previous section, we’ve listed offshore development companies like The Scalers (which builds dedicated offshore teams) with platforms like Toptal or Upwork (which are freelance marketplaces).
The decision to go either route shapes your entire offshore experience, from cost, quality and retention, to product outcomes. So, what model best fits your needs?
- Freelance developers (via Upwork, Toptal, Arc) work on an hourly or project basis on well-defined tasks: building a feature, fixing a bug or designing a prototype. You get flexibility and fast start times. The downsides are that freelancers juggle multiple clients, have limited investment in your product or project’s success, and when they leave, their knowledge of the codebase leaves with them. As Ryan Chana puts it: “By nature, freelancing is short-term and very transactional.”
- Dedicated offshore teams (via The Scalers) work full-time, exclusively on your product, as an extension of your existing team. The engineers you hire understand your business goals, are embedded in your processes and company culture, come up with innovative solutions, and stick around. “You get engineers who work on the product and iterate on it”, says Chana.
If you need engineers who stay for the long term, hiring a dedicated offshore team makes more sense. If you need a task done fast with no ongoing commitment, freelancers are fine.
How to hire offshore developers step-by-step
To hire the right talent, you need a plan. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you should do to start building your new offshore team:
Step 1: Define what you need
What roles are you filling? What tech stack and seniority level? Think about what kind of team you need over the next 12–18 months and whether your product requires specific domain expertise. Write it all down: role descriptions, must-have skills, compliance needs, and your timeline.
Step 2: Choose your location
Not every offshore market will suit your needs. Match the country to your priorities: time zones, talent pool, cost, and other factors that may be important for you. If you are based in the US and want to host live standups with your offshore team, Colombia is a good choice. If you run async workflows and want extended development coverage, India is an ideal offshore destination. The country profiles earlier in this article will help you decide.
Step 3: Select your hiring and engagement model
Building a dedicated offshore development team works best for ongoing product development and companies scaling engineering capacity. Hiring freelancers or setting up a remote team via outsourcing is an excellent solution for completing temporary, project-based tasks. The model you pick will also narrow down who you should partner with.
Step 4: Find the right offshore partner
A trusted offshore development partner handles everything on the ground: recruitment, onboarding, HR, legal compliance, office space, equipment, and ongoing team engagement. To verify whether they are the right fit for you, check their track record (ask for case studies), talk to CTOs who’ve worked with them, look at retention rates and time-to-hire.
Step 5: Pick the best talent and start working
Your partner will screen candidates and recommend that you get involved at the final stage. They’ll send you profiles, CVs, technical assessments, and interview notes, but you have the final say. Once you’ve picked your engineers, manage them the same way you do your in-house team: set priorities, review code, ship features. The key is treating your offshore developers as full members of your product team, not remote contractors in a silo.
For more insights, read our guide to hiring offshore Indian programmers, which includes a section that explains these steps in more detail.
Common challenges when hiring offshore developers (and how to avoid them)
Offshoring works, but it does come with a few challenges. These are the most common ones:
Communication gaps aren’t only about language
Most offshore developers excel in English and use it in business contexts without any problems. The friction comes from how people communicate. Does someone flag a problem early or wait until it blows up? Does “yes” mean “I agree” or just “I heard you”?
You can fix this by setting communications standards from day one. Define how your team reports blockers and what “done” means in practice.
Time zone differences can help or hurt (it depends on your process)
Your offshore team in Bangalore can ship code while your local team in the US sleeps. This means extended development hours! However, this only works if handoffs are clean.
Companies that struggle with time zones usually have a process problem. Async-first documentation and clear task ownership solve most of it.
Knowledge loss might be an issue
When a freelancer finishes a project and moves on, everything they learned about your product and codebase goes with them. The same thing happens with outsourced teams that rotate engineers across clients.
With a dedicated team, you avoid this because your developers stay long-term. They build up context over months and years, the same way your in-house engineers do. If retention matters to you (and it should), consider working with an offshore partner that has a low attrition rate.
Hire offshore developers with The Scalers
If you’re considering building an offshore team from the ground up or adding the right talent to your existing team, we can help.
In the last 10 years, we’ve developed an offshore model that addresses the common concerns tech leaders have about offshoring and offers organisations of all sizes with everything you need to build a world-class tech team.
Working with us means:
- You get a fully dedicated development team sourced from the best Indian tech talent in Bangalore, ‘The Silicon Valley of Asia.’ Our rigorous 7-step recruitment process ensures you get top offshore developers who match your exact requirements.
- You enjoy a dedicated office where your developers can work in a modern space and have access to the best equipment and tech appliances.
- You have the ongoing support of a CHO, a professional responsible for your team’s daily well-being and for planning events, celebrations, and workations where you can meet your team in-person.
The Scalers took the time to understand our needs and acted on them. We really needed good talent and The Scalers got us just that. From day one we’ve had a real collaboration and constant engagement. It’s been a game changer.
If you want to know more about how we can help you hire offshore developers, fill out this form. One of our senior executives will contact you shortly to talk about your new tech team.
FAQs
When you work with an offshore development partner like The Scalers, you can hire offshore developers who work just for you, understand your product inside out, and stay long-term. Platforms or marketplaces like Upwork or Toptal are better for short-term or freelance projects.
India is known for its vast pool of skilled engineers with expertise in in-demand technologies. Poland provides high-quality EU-based developers with strong technical skills, and Colombia has a young engineering workforce with timezone alignment for US organisations.
The Scalers ensures new hires are fully set up and ready to contribute from day one. Employee attrition is 11%, compared to the market average of 34% among Indian offshore development companies.
Of course. Thanks to Bangalore’s vast talent pool, we can hire offshore app developers for your company, even those with experience in your industry, no matter how niche it is!
The best way to hire offshore developers for specific technologies is to work with an offshore partner with experience in hiring specialists in that particular tech stack. One of the best ways to verify if an offshore partner can help you find the right talent is to check its case studies.
If you’re considering building an offshore software development team, you should follow these steps: define what you need, choose a suitable offshore location, select a hiring and engagement model, evaluate offshore partners, and pick the best candidates for your team.
The costs of hiring offshore software developers depend on several factors, including the country where your engineers are based, their seniority and tech stack, the hiring model you choose, and your offshore partner’s pricing structure.
Ready to hire offshore developers?
Schedule a call with one of our experts and tell us what you need. With The Scalers’ offshore model, you can hire dedicated developers who work exclusively for you and operate inside your workflow from day one.
