Fractional Engineer — $150/hr
Your idea. Built.
At a fraction of the old cost.
Problems that used to require a team of developers and months of waiting? I solve them in days. AI-powered development means one senior engineer now delivers what used to take five — and you don't have to go offshore to afford it.
Free Assessment
Should you hire a developer — or build it yourself?
5 questions. 2 minutes. Find out if custom software makes sense for your situation.
Who hires a fractional engineer?
Solopreneurs with a vision and no technical team
You know exactly what you need built but you don't write code. You've looked at agencies ($20k+ for an MVP) and offshore shops (cheap but painful). I sit in the middle: a senior US engineer who moves fast because AI handles the grunt work. Your custom tool, your dashboard, your automation — built right the first time.
Startups that need to ship yesterday
You can't wait 3 months to hire a full-time engineer. You can't afford an agency. You need working software this week, not a proposal deck. I plug in, build, and ship. No onboarding overhead, no equity negotiation, no benefits package. Just hours worked and code shipped.
Business, sales, and support teams with unsolved problems
Your dev team has a roadmap a mile long and your internal tool request is stuck at the bottom. You need a custom report generator, a CRM integration, a workflow that connects three systems that don't talk to each other. I build the tools your team needs without competing for engineering bandwidth.
Small businesses tired of duct-taping spreadsheets together
Your "system" is a Google Sheet, three Zapier automations, and a prayer. It worked when you had 10 customers. Now you have 200 and it's breaking. You don't need enterprise software — you need a custom tool that does exactly what your business does. That's what I build.
Don't pay the price of the offshore experience
Offshore development shops charge $30-50/hr and bill twice the hours. You spend half your time in Zoom calls explaining requirements across time zones, reviewing code that doesn't match what you asked for, and managing a project manager who's managing another project manager. The "savings" evaporate.
I charge $150/hr and move 5-10x faster because I use AI to handle the repetitive work. You talk directly to the person writing the code — no layers, no miscommunication, no 12-hour feedback loops. Same timezone. Same language. Same page.
| Fractional Engineer | Offshore Dev Shop | US Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $150/hr | $30-50/hr | $200-400/hr |
| Actual project cost | Lower — AI multiplies output | Higher — 2-3x the hours | Highest |
| Communication | Direct, same timezone | Through project managers, 12hr delay | Through account reps |
| Who writes the code | 25+ year senior engineer | Junior devs, high turnover | Mix of senior and junior |
| Rework | Minimal — built right the first time | Frequent — lost in translation | Moderate |
What kind of software do you build?
Custom web applications
Dashboards, internal tools, customer portals, admin panels. Built with modern frameworks that are fast, secure, and maintainable.
Workflow automation
Replace the spreadsheet + Zapier + email chain with a real system. Data flows where it needs to go without manual intervention.
API integrations
Connect your CRM to your billing system to your support desk. Make your tools talk to each other instead of copying data between tabs.
MVPs and prototypes
Go from idea to working product in days, not months. Test your concept with real users before committing to a full build.
AI-powered tools
Document processing, intelligent search, automated content, custom chatbots that actually know your business. AI that works, not AI theater.
Fix and rescue projects
An offshore team left you with a mess? A contractor ghosted mid-project? I pick up where they left off, clean up the code, and finish the job.
How it works
Step 1
Tell me what you need
A 30-minute call. You describe the problem in plain English — no technical jargon required. I ask questions until I understand the workflow, the pain points, and what "done" looks like. You get a scope estimate and timeline before any work starts.
Step 2
I build it — fast
Using AI-powered development tools, I move at the speed that used to require a team. You see progress daily, not monthly. I share working builds as I go so you can give feedback on the real thing, not a mockup.
Step 3
You own it
Source code is yours. No vendor lock-in, no monthly licensing fee to keep your own software running. I hand off with documentation and walk you through how to maintain it — or I stay on for ongoing support at the same hourly rate.
$150/hr. No surprises.
You pay for hours worked. No retainer, no minimum commitment, no hidden fees.
Most small projects (internal tools, automations, integrations) take 2-6 hours. An MVP typically takes 4-8 hours. You'll know the estimate before we start, and I bill against actuals — not the estimate.
Book a discovery callQuestions people ask
I'm not technical. Can you still help me?
That's the whole point. You describe what you need in plain English — "I need a dashboard that shows me X" or "I need this spreadsheet to update automatically." I handle the technical decisions. You don't need to know what a database is. You just need to know what problem you want solved.
How are you cheaper than offshore if your rate is higher?
Speed. AI-powered development means I produce 5-10x the output per hour compared to a traditional developer. A project that takes an offshore team 200 hours takes me 30-40. Multiply that by rate and the math works out — often cheaper total cost, dramatically better quality, and zero lost-in-translation headaches.
What if the project scope changes?
It always does. I bill hourly specifically for this reason — you're not locked into a fixed-price contract that punishes you for changing your mind. We adjust scope as you learn what works. The estimate updates, you approve it, and we keep going.
What happens after the project is done?
You own the code. If you need changes later, I'm available at the same rate — no "maintenance contract" upsell. Most clients come back for additional features once they see what's possible. Some keep me on a few hours a month for ongoing support.
Tell me what you need built. I'll tell you how long it'll take and what it'll cost — before any work starts.
Book a discovery call