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Unstale vs a freelancer or agency
Most upgrades are still done by a contractor billing by the hour. That works well in some cases and badly in others. Here's the difference, and the questions to ask whoever you hire.
A freelancer or agency can do anything: the upgrade, new features, deployment, infrastructure. You usually pay for their time, so if the upgrade turns out harder than expected, you pay for that too. Unstale only does upgrades, at a price fixed before you pay, with a refund if the result doesn't pass your tests. If the upgrade is the whole job, a fixed price is usually cheaper and always more predictable. If it's part of a bigger piece of work, a good freelancer may suit you better.
Side by side
| Typical freelancer or agency | Unstale | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | By the hour or day, against an estimate. Some quote fixed prices after a paid discovery phase | One fixed price, agreed before you pay: $1,500, $4,500 or $12,000 by code size |
| Getting a quote | Calls, a proposal, sometimes a paid audit. Often days to weeks | A free written scan within one business day. No sales call |
| If it takes longer | Usually you pay for the extra time | We absorb it. The price doesn't change once accepted |
| If the result is wrong | Depends on the contract; read it | Full refund if it fails your tests or build, or you reject it within 14 days. Regressions fixed free for 30 days |
| Access needed | Often staging, production or server access as well as the code | Repository only, through @unstale-bot. Never production, passwords or secrets |
| Scope | Anything you agree: features, deployment, infrastructure | The upgrade only. No features, redesigns or deployments |
| Knowledge of your business | A long-term freelancer learns your product and users | We see the code and your tests, nothing else |
| Communication | Meetings, stand-ups, chat | Async: a pull request with plain-English notes; email for questions |
Which one to choose
A freelancer or agency is better if
- The app has no tests and needs someone to click through it by hand
- The upgrade comes with new features or a redesign
- You need deployment, server or database work done too
- You want one person who stays with the product long term
Unstale is better if
- The upgrade is the whole job
- You need the cost agreed before anyone starts
- You don't want to hand out production access
- You'd rather review a pull request than manage a contractor
Five questions to ask whoever you hire
- Is the price fixed, and what would change it? Get the answer in writing before work starts.
- What happens if our test suite fails afterwards? Who fixes it, and who pays?
- What access do you need? An upgrade rarely needs anything beyond the repository.
- How will we review the changes? One huge commit is hard to check; a pull request with notes isn't.
- What if something breaks a week after we deploy? Ask for a fix period in the contract.
These questions apply to us too. Our answers are on the pricing page and in the refund policy.
Find out what your upgrade will take
A free report on what breaks, and a fixed price, within one business day. No sales call.
Get a free upgrade scan