# Offshore development team cost: compare with hiring in-house

> The true cost of an in-house developer is more than salary: recruitment, benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, office space, management time and the months a role stays unfilled. A dedicated offshore team bundles these into one monthly rate. Tell us the roles, seniority and working hours you need, and Infikey replies with a team proposal you can compare like-for-like.

- Interactive version: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator
- Type: free estimate request (no automated price; an Infikey engineer replies)
- Category: Team & outsourcing
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-05
- Publisher: Infikey Technologies (https://infikeytechnologies.com)

## Options on the estimate form

- **Roles you need** (required): Front-end developer, Back-end developer, Full-stack developer, Mobile developer, QA / test engineer, DevOps / cloud engineer, UI/UX designer, Project manager / scrum master, Data / AI engineer
- **Team size**: 1 person, 2–3 people, 4–6 people, 7–10 people, More than 10
- **Seniority**: Mid-level, Senior, Mixed, with a tech lead
- **Engagement**: Dedicated full-time team, Part-time / shared, Fixed-scope project
- **Expected duration**: 1–3 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, More than 12 months / ongoing
- **Working-hours overlap**: UK / Europe hours, US Eastern hours, US Pacific hours, UAE / Gulf hours, India hours, Flexible / async
- **Compare with hiring in**: United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Australia, Elsewhere
- **Technology stack (optional)**

Request an estimate: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator?team_size=2_3&seniority=mixed&engagement=dedicated&duration=6_12&overlap=uk&compare_with=uk#estimate

## Pre-fill the form from a link

Add these query parameters to https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator (pre-filled page), https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator.md (this plain-text page) or https://infikeytechnologies.com/api/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator (JSON).

| Parameter | Meaning | Accepted values |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `roles` | Roles you need | comma-separated list of frontend, backend, fullstack, mobile, qa, devops, designer, pm, data_ai |
| `team_size` | Team size | one of 1, 2_3, 4_6, 7_10, 10_plus |
| `seniority` | Seniority | one of mid, senior, mixed |
| `engagement` | Engagement | one of dedicated, part_time, project |
| `duration` | Expected duration | one of 1_3, 3_6, 6_12, ongoing |
| `overlap` | Working-hours overlap | one of uk, us_east, us_west, gulf, india, flexible |
| `compare_with` | Compare with hiring in | one of uk, us, uae, europe, australia, other |
| `stack` | Technology stack (optional) | free text |

- Product squad: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator?roles=frontend%2Cbackend%2Cqa%2Cdesigner%2Cpm&team_size=4_6&seniority=mixed&engagement=dedicated&duration=ongoing&overlap=uk&compare_with=uk
- Mobile app team: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator?roles=mobile%2Cbackend%2Cqa&team_size=2_3&seniority=mixed&engagement=dedicated&duration=6_12&overlap=uk&compare_with=uk
- One senior developer: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator?roles=fullstack&team_size=1&seniority=senior&engagement=dedicated&duration=6_12&overlap=uk&compare_with=uk
- AI & data team: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator?roles=data_ai%2Cbackend%2Cdevops&team_size=2_3&seniority=senior&engagement=dedicated&duration=6_12&overlap=uk&compare_with=uk

## The hidden costs of hiring in-house

| Cost | In-house | Dedicated offshore team |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Salary | Paid by you | Included in the monthly rate |
| Payroll taxes, pension, insurance | Paid by you | Included |
| Recruitment fees and time to hire | Paid by you; roles can stay open for months | Team assembled by the provider |
| Laptops, software, office space | Paid by you | Included |
| Leave, sickness and attrition cover | Your risk | Provider replaces or covers |
| Scaling up or down | Slow, with notice periods | Agreed in the contract |

## When an offshore team works well

- You have a product roadmap and need steady capacity, not a one-off project.
- You can give a few hours of overlap each day for stand-ups and reviews.
- You want to keep product ownership while the provider handles hiring and HR.
- You need skills that are scarce or slow to hire locally, such as DevOps or AI engineering.

## How to compare proposals fairly

1. Compare fully loaded in-house cost (salary plus taxes, benefits, equipment and recruitment) with the provider’s monthly rate.
2. Check who the engineers are: CVs, interviews and a trial period.
3. Agree working hours, communication tools and reporting.
4. Confirm IP ownership, NDAs, security practices and notice periods in the contract.

## FAQ

### Is an offshore development team cheaper than hiring in-house?

For teams in high-cost locations such as the UK, US, UAE or Western Europe it usually is, once taxes, benefits, recruitment and equipment are counted. Send your requirements and we will reply with a like-for-like comparison.

### What does fully loaded employee cost mean?

Salary plus everything else an employee costs: employer taxes, pension, insurance, benefits, equipment, software, office space, recruitment and management time.

### How do you handle time-zone differences?

Teams agree a daily overlap window for stand-ups, reviews and questions, and work asynchronously for the rest of the day. Choose your preferred overlap in the form.

### Who owns the code written by a dedicated team?

Ownership is set by the contract, so make sure it assigns intellectual property in the work to you and includes confidentiality terms before development starts.

### Should I interview offshore developers before hiring a team?

Yes. Ask for profiles, interview the proposed engineers or tech lead, and consider a short trial period before committing to a long engagement.

## Get expert help

Infikey Technologies replies to every estimate request with a scoped, costed plan: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/offshore-team-cost-calculator#estimate

More free calculators: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools.md

## Disclaimer

This form only collects your requirements so Infikey can prepare an estimate. It does not produce a price, quote or offer, and any estimate we send is indicative until agreed in a signed proposal. Nothing on this page is financial, legal, tax, investment or other professional advice. Infikey Technologies Private Limited, Infikey Technologies LLC and their directors, employees and affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of this tool or its results, and accept no liability for any loss or damage, direct or indirect, arising from its use or from reliance on its results. Verify all figures independently and seek professional advice before making any decision. Use of this tool is at your own risk.