What it costs to find out: nothing.
Every project is different enough that a published figure would be wrong for most people reading this. So the number you get is yours, it is fixed before anything starts, and working it out costs you nothing.
$0
We look at it
You describe the problem and we read the system it lives in. This is not a discovery call with a salesperson: the engineers who would do the work go through what exists, what it touches, and where the difficulty actually sits.
$0
You get a scope and a price
What gets built, what it costs, and how long it takes, in writing within three business days. The number is fixed at this point rather than estimated. You keep the document whether or not you go ahead, and you are free to take it elsewhere for a second price.
Fixed
The price holds
If the work turns out harder than we judged, that is our problem and the price does not move. It moves only when the requirements do, and then we re-scope and re-price the difference before touching anything.
Fixed-scope work is invoiced in US dollars against milestones, net 14 days. Longer engagements can run monthly instead. VAT is excluded where it applies.
3toggles, an agency, or a marketplace freelancer
| Criterion | 3toggles | Agency | Marketplace freelancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who scopes it | The engineers who build it | A salesperson, then a project manager | Whoever bid |
| Who writes the code | The same people, throughout | A rotating team, often juniors | The freelancer |
| What the first look costs | Nothing, and you keep the scope | Nothing, but it is a sales call | Varies |
| Markup on engineering | None | Typically 30 to 60 percent | Platform fee |
| How the price is set | Fixed before work starts | Estimated, then billed as it goes | Hourly |
| Time to first line of code | Days | Weeks | Days |
| When it breaks at 2am | A direct line to the people who wrote it | A ticket queue | Depends whether they answer |
| Depth of bench | Engineers pulled in as the work needs them | Deep, and billed whether used or not | One person |
Who scopes it
- 3toggles
- The engineers who build it
- Agency
- A salesperson, then a project manager
- Freelancer
- Whoever bid
Who writes the code
- 3toggles
- The same people, throughout
- Agency
- A rotating team, often juniors
- Freelancer
- The freelancer
What the first look costs
- 3toggles
- Nothing, and you keep the scope
- Agency
- Nothing, but it is a sales call
- Freelancer
- Varies
Markup on engineering
- 3toggles
- None
- Agency
- Typically 30 to 60 percent
- Freelancer
- Platform fee
How the price is set
- 3toggles
- Fixed before work starts
- Agency
- Estimated, then billed as it goes
- Freelancer
- Hourly
Time to first line of code
- 3toggles
- Days
- Agency
- Weeks
- Freelancer
- Days
When it breaks at 2am
- 3toggles
- A direct line to the people who wrote it
- Agency
- A ticket queue
- Freelancer
- Depends whether they answer
Depth of bench
- 3toggles
- Engineers pulled in as the work needs them
- Agency
- Deep, and billed whether used or not
- Freelancer
- One person
The pattern is the same down every row. You deal with the people who write your code, you pay for engineering rather than the structure around it, and the line to them stays open after launch.