Magento Developer Hourly Rate: How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Magento Developer?

Everyone who has ever calculated ecommerce website costs knows that a web developer hourly rate forms a fair share of the budget. And if you’re developing your store on such an expensive yet powerful platform as Magento (aka Adobe Commerce), different price tags can affect the final project development costs.

Truth be told, Magento developer rates depend on their expertise, location, and your chosen engagement model. You might find a freelancer in India charging $15/hour or partner with a US-based developer for $200+/hour.

As a certified Magento development agency, we know how confusing it must be to find accurate prices, so we’re here to share some insider tips on Magento developer rates not only at our company but also around the world.

What defines the cost of a freelance Magento developer, where can you find experienced engineers, and which staffing options you have as a business owner — read more in this article.

Magento Developer Hourly Rate Breakdown

According to Clutch, Magento developer hourly rates can be anywhere from $50 to $250 per hour depending on their experience, certifications, and location. 

So don’t get surprised if a senior Magento developer in the US will charge you at least five times more than a professional of the same level of expertise in East Europe. Take a look at the approximate pricing map:

A Magento developer salary is primarily affected by three variables: the developer’s level of expertise, geography, and role in a project. Let’s look at each of them individually. 

By Project Role

Finding an engineer is like getting the right key to the keyhole: you might need some more narrow Magento specialists to meet your specific project needs or come up with a solution to any complicated task. 

Apparently, the fee for their services might vary depending on their role in your project. Here are the possible options you might see in the market:

• Front-end Magento developers deal with a “surface” of your website that a user interacts with. They build Magento themes and templates, decide where to place the checkout and/or “Add to Cart” button, and generally make a website accessible, intuitive, and visually appealing. The front-end developer hourly rate for Magento might range from $25 to $85 per hour.
• Back-end Magento developers work on the server-side of the website. They arrange all the functionalities behind the scenes: write code, make updates and changes, integrate extensions, and create custom modules. The backend developer hourly rate for Magento varies from $35 to $100 per hour.
• Full-stack Magento developer deals both with the front-end and the back-end. Full-stack developer freelance hourly rate can be anywhere between $40 and $150 per hour.
• Magento solution architect maps out your ecommerce architecture and the logic under the hood of your website. Just like an architect in a construction project, they plan and create scalable, flexible, and well-documented tech solutions and designs for Magento sites. Freelance architect hourly rates might range from $80 to $300.

Each developer should be aware of the latest Magento technologies and updates. Their knowledge and expertise can be proven with prior projects and years of experience. Magento also issues certifications that add value to the developer’s portfolio; but more on that further in the article.

By Location

Talent.com reports that the average Magento developer salary in the USA is $117,000 per year or $60 per hour. With more certificates and years of experience, a developer climbs up the career ladder and can charge $150-200/hr as a senior consultant and even $300-500/hr as an architect. 

But why pay the US rates if you can offshore? Surprisingly, the location defines Magento developer cost too.

Apparently, ecommerce website costs in the US are much higher. North American Magento specialists charge the highest rate of $100-275 per hour. West European developers follow with the rate of $40-125, and East European developers — at $20-50. The cheapest Magento freelancers can be found in Southeast Asia at $15-20 per hour. 

Here’s a more specific breakdown of the cost of a Magento developer per country. 

• In the USA and Canada, Magento developer hourly rate starts at $100 and can reach up to $275. 
• Magento programmer hourly rates in the UK and Germany vary from £40 to £50 and $50 to $100 respectively. 
• In Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and other parts of East Europe, the average Magento developer rate per hour is $35-$60.

Insider tip: while it is true that you get what you pay for, don’t get misled by the low cost of Magento developers in East Europe. The cost of hiring developers in Ukraine, Poland, or Hungary is lower for reduced corporate taxes and living expenses. Yet, these countries are renowned for a large pool of tech specialists and especially of Magento top talents.

By Level of Expertise / Certifications

Adobe certifications are a huge asset to Magento developers and revolve around real case scenarios that might occur during the project. Businesses can use them to quickly assess an engineer’s experience and map them to specific job roles. 

Adobe certifications can get quite expensive and are valid only for two years. So expect to see a higher Magento expert pricing as compared to their non-certified counterpart. 

Ever since Adobe updated its certification program in August 2020, you might find three levels of certifications all of which dictate Magento developer price per hour:

Adobe Certified Professional — $25 to $65 per hour

Adobe Certified Expert — $35 to $75 per hour

Adobe Certified Master — $60+ per hour.

While hiring a Magento developer, look for the certification badges. They are paramount no matter whether you cooperate with a freelancer or outsource your work to a reputable Magento development agency. 

Magento Developer Staffing Options: In-house vs Agency vs Freelance

There are three staffing options you can choose to hire a Magento developer: in-house vs agency vs freelance. Let’s see the pros and cons of each development solution to help you make the right decision!

In-House Team

In-house team of Magento developers works within your company. A business owner employs a developer to fulfill their responsibilities on premises and constantly control the technical side of your project. 

Usually, a company hires a Magento in-house development team when they have an ongoing project that needs daily support and development. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of choosing this option.

Pros

• You are surrounded by trustworthy people with a high level of engagement who understand your company’s culture and business objectives.
• With an in-house development team at your office, the entire project progress becomes much faster. You can assign the tasks and troubleshoot rapidly, ask developers in-person to customize features or change the design, and generally manage priorities and deadlines much faster.  
• In-house team is more dedicated than other sourcing options. You can be sure that you have professionals by your side who will not be distracted by other projects and/or clients.

Cons

• Hiring certified Magento developers in your team can be challenging. Most experts work in big development agencies
• It’s also difficult to evaluate the level of a developer’s skills without having the necessary technical knowledge. 
• Having an in-house team also costs a pretty penny. It doesn’t matter if your team is working on a custom design or making small changes to optimize the store performance, you have to pay them the same salary. Not to mention sick pay, vacation days, health insurance, and refresher course costs. 

Agency

Agencies can be your offshoring or nearshoring option. Magento development agencies usually gather together real professionals in the field and are powerful think tanks for particular projects. They have vast experience working with diverse clients across industries and will manage your project from start to finish.

Merchants often hire a Magento development agency on a per-project basis. They are a perfect fit if you have more than one task (which can be completed by a freelancer) and less than a long-term visionary project requiring ongoing support (for which you’ll need an in-house team).

Let’s take a look at the specific advantages and disadvantages of recruiting an agency:

Pros

• Magento development companies are aware of all the tools and latest technologies on the market. They can apply that knowledge in practice and provide superior user experience and reduce development costs.
• Programmers working in the development agency are Magento certified and have solid expertise to troubleshoot any kind of problem. 
• If you are not sure about your project scope of work, you can use the development company’s services for initial work and after some time decide whether to continue the cooperation or not.
• Trustworthy development agencies always have an ecommerce project manager who plans, executes, and monitors the project delivery (keep in mind: Elogic provides a project manager free of charge to the clients).
• Agencies often offer technical support and maintenance even after the development stages are finished.

Cons

• There is a risk of overlapping roles, tasks, and responsibilities, which may result in loss of time and budget overruns for the project.
• Usually, many agencies offer 24/7 assistance. However, because the team is not working on-site, their response to occurring technical problems may take more time. 
• You won’t be the only client of an agency, so expect to receive less attention and dedication to your brand. Agencies will follow your ecommerce requirements document closely, but they will be less devoted to your long-term business objectives.

Freelancers

A freelancer is a self-employed programmer who provides development services and earns an income on a per-project basis. Unlike agencies, freelancers undertake smaller projects with fewer deliverables and often require supervision or guidance of a merchant. 

Freelancers are a flexible staffing option working great on highly specialized yet single tasks. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of hiring a freelance Magento 2 developer.

Pros 

• Most freelancers are likely to charge less than an outsourcing agency since they don’t have the overhead expenses outsourcing companies have. 
• You can hire freelancers for a short amount of time for certain tasks and functions. 
• You can hire freelance developers in various parts of the world and reap the benefits of foreign currency fluctuation that can reduce your overall budget for the project.

Cons 

• Freelancers are likely not to be available whenever you need them, as they can be busy doing some other projects from other companies. Communication delays are common things at any phase of the project.
• Freelancers might not be as committed as your in-house team or development agency, as one job is not solely their priority. 
• Freelancers can also intentionally or unintentionally mishandle or leak sensitive information to the parties concerned.  
• Some freelancers are not credible and sometimes promise more than they can manage, for that very reason you should avoid working with programmers that do not have a good ranking.

How to Find Experienced Magento Developers

If you want to hire Magento developers, start with well-known online talent platforms such as Clutch, Toptal, Upwork, and Magento partners. Let’s talk in detail about each platform.

Clutch

Clutch offers a list of 200,000+ agencies in 500+ categories. With Clutch, you can easily explore top services across industries to find the right solution for your business. The platform includes verified reviews, data-driven content (industry trends and insights), and a leader matrix that shows how companies compare in a particular market. We recommend taking into account the number of projects successfully completed by this specialist and their feedback from clients.

Magento developer hourly rate on Clutch: from $50/hr to $150/hr depending on a company’s location.

Toptal

Toptal is a big and fast-growing network, that provides the talented freelancers to execute and integrate into your company for any technology stack. An internal team of experts reviews your request and matches your company with talent that has experience relevant to the role that you need. You have the possibility to have a trial period to decide whether freelance programmers meet your business requirements. Toptal has worked with companies in Japan, Switzerland, Canada, United States, Germany, United Kingdom, and more. 

Average freelance developer hourly rate on Toptal: $60/hr – $210/hr based on a freelancer’s level of expertise.

Upwork

With Upwork, you can explore the various ways to connect with top-rated remote programmers and agencies. Upwork’s team of experts generates a shortlist of qualified professionals in different spheres from a vast talent database all around the world with the help of AI matching technology. Then you get a shortlist of candidates that should be a great fit for your company. You’ll be able to analyze the profiles, project portfolios, and ratings so you can find the perfect match for your project. 

Average freelance developer hourly rate on Upwork: $35/hr – $90/hr based on a freelancer’s location and level of expertise.

Magento Certified Partners

We also recommend checking official Magento partners on the Magento website. Magento provides a list of trusted consulting companies that help merchants deliver superior customer experiences on the Magento platform. Magento Solution Partners are trained, certified, and trusted companies with a strong knowledge of the Magento platform. They build leading B2C and B2B projects for global brands, SMBs, and enterprises. 

Conclusion

There’s a sea of options while hiring Magento developers and a lot of variability in their pricing. 

Magento developer cost in the US may seem sky-high, while the freelance hourly rate for developers might be a tempting but risky option for a reputable business. If you’re budget-sensitive, going offshore or nearshore can save you a pretty penny while delivering the same quality of code.

Elogic is a trusted Magento partner with 200+ ecommerce experts and dozens of successfully completed projects worldwide. Based in Tallinn, Estonia, we commit to the highest delivery standards on a wide range of services — from development to consulting — and will fulfill your project requirements to the fullest.

Magento Developer Hourly Rate FAQ

How much does a Magento developer cost?

Magento developer rates vary from $50 and $250 per hour depending on their experience, location, and job role. Offshore Magento developers will cost the cheapest ($15 to $35/h); while the price for nearshore and onshore engineers is higher ($35-$80/h and $70-$150/h respectively). Senior Magento consultants might charge up to $200/h, and solution architects – up to $300/h in the US.

What is the salary range for a senior Magento developer?

Magento developer salary depends on their certifications and location. Their median annual salary ranges from $117,000 to $150,000 in the US, from $83,000 to $110,000 in West Europe, and from $62,000 to $104,000 in East Europe.