A software developer in the US bills roughly $45 to $120 per hour through a vetted marketplace, with most mid-level contracts settling between $70 and $95. Agencies charge $100 to $200 per hour for the same work with a project manager attached, and full-time base salaries run from about $85,000 to $175,000. The spread is wide because the title covers everything from a junior maintaining a CMS to a systems engineer holding up a payments platform.
Vetted marketplace
$45–120
per hour · USA, 2026
Vetted marketplace · like HireDeveloperUSA.com
$45–$120/hour
Development agency
$100–$200/hour
In-house full-time · base salary
$85,000–$175,000/year
Add 25–40% for benefits, payroll taxes and overhead before comparing with hourly software developers rates.
Junior
$45 – $65/hour
Mid-level
$65 – $95/hour
Senior
$95 – $120/hour
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Between $45 and $120 per hour through a vetted marketplace depending on seniority, $100 to $200 per hour at an agency, or $85,000 to $175,000 as a full-time base salary.
Per hour, no. Over a year, often yes: a full-time hire adds 25 to 40 percent in benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, and management overhead on top of base salary, and you carry that cost whether or not there is work.
Most first versions built by one senior developer over three to four months land between $45,000 and $80,000. Adding a second developer shortens the calendar but rarely lowers the total.
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