Full-time remote PHP developers vs. freelancers: What is the difference?

PHP is an integral part of web development in today’s fast-moving business environment and is essential to securing the right talent for your project. Whether you are a startup aiming to establish your online presence or an enterprise scaling your operations, choosing between a full-time remote PHP developer and a freelance PHP developer is a critical decision.

In this blog, we will look at the pros and cons of each option and examine how cost-effective it is, how flexible it is, and how scalable it is. If you are looking to hire PHP developers for ongoing, long-term projects or are finding PHP developers for specialized, short-term tasks, we will provide the insights you need. You will also know which hiring model serves your vision and facilitates the delivery of great web applications.

Why should you hire a PHP developer?

PHP developers are essential if you are willing to establish and improve your digital presence. PHP developers are experts when it comes to creating dynamic web applications, scalability, and security, and they help you achieve your goals in the most efficient way.

What are their roles and responsibilities?

• Web application development: Writing and maintaining dynamic web apps in PHP so they are fast and responsive.

• Database management: Creating data structures that help to improve the application performance by working with databases like MySQL to manage and create.

• Integration: Making application capabilities extendable by implementing third-party services and APIs, thus giving apps seamless user experiences.
• Code maintenance: Debugging, repeating old, or completing new code in order to update or better it in terms of performance, security, and reliability.

Whether you are looking to find PHP developers for a specific project or hire a remote PHP developer for ongoing support, these professionals bring valuable expertise to your team.

Pros and cons of hiring full-time PHP developers

When deciding to hire PHP developers in a full-time remote role, you must carefully assess the advantages and disadvantages to ensure you make an informed decision.

Pros

• Loyalty and commitment

Full-time developers are more dedicated to the organization they work for. Their loyalty and motivation come from having a deep understanding of your company’s culture and goals, which in turn helps them focus better on your projects.

• Easier management and communication

Having a team that works full-time makes managing and communicating tasks much easier to handle. When developers are available full-time during specific hours, it is efficient for you to coordinate assignments, share updates, and find a fix. This consistency promotes stronger team cohesion and efficient project management.

• Stability and reliability

Long-term projects do well with full-time PHP developers as they bring stability and reliability. They have a focused approach to your company’s needs for reliable outcomes and ongoing maintenance. Once you find PHP developers for full-time roles, you primarily benefit from their in-depth knowledge of the codebase, which is crucial for projects requiring consistent support and updates.

Cons

• Less flexibility

Fixed schedules and predefined responsibilities often characterize full-time positions, and this can constrain flexibility in meeting unexpected project changes or emergency tasks.

• Increased risk of burnout

Burnout is a common fate of full-time developers in high-pressure environments. When there are always heavy workloads or tight deadlines, this risk escalates.

• Higher labor costs

Full-time PHP developers are exorbitant when hiring, including salaries, benefits, taxes, and overhead expenses. This financial commitment can be a real strain on the budget, especially if you are a startup or a small business.

Pros and cons of hiring freelance PHP developers

Pros

• Flexibility

Freelance PHP developers offer significant flexibility in terms of project engagement. They can be hired on a project-by-project basis, and you can scale them up or down depending on your project needs without long-term commitments.

• Cost-effectiveness

Hiring freelancers is cheaper than hiring full-time developers. Lower overhead costs can mean lower rates for the client for freelancers. For startups or small businesses, this is particularly beneficial because they have little or no budget.

• Access to specialized skills

The niche expertise of freelancers, which is not available in-house, can be brought in to help them out. This gives businesses the ability to attract a vast talent pool for a specific project requirement, and the final product beneficially improves.

Cons

• Lack of commitment

With freelancers, you may not get the level of commitment that you might get from full-time employees. It usually works on a project basis, so if they decide they do not want to take on future projects, there could be continuity and accountability issues.

• Communication challenges

If you work with freelancers, the communication aspect can sometimes be challenging because they might be in different time zones and have varying availability to keep in touch. As a result, project timelines become delayed, and misunderstandings occur.

• Quality inconsistency

The quality of work done by freelancers can differ significantly. The difference between a dedicated team that conformed to company standards and freelancers that could have varying levels of skill and professionalism is that results could be inconsistent across projects.

Why do businesses prefer to hire remote full-time PHP developers over freelancers?

Businesses in the U.S. increasingly prefer to hire remote PHP developers over freelancers due to the stability, continuity, and dedication that remote full-time employees provide. More than 79% of 400 U.S. CEOs surveyed plan to bring their corporate teams to full remote or hybrid setups in the next three years, signaling the increasing significance of stable remote arrangements. 

Unlike freelancers, full-time remote PHP developers are more integrated into the company’s long-term goals and workflows, ensuring consistency and collaboration across projects. Moreover, research has demonstrated that 22% more feedback is provided to software engineers working with a team, even remotely, and this results in higher-quality code and faster productivity. This preference shows that businesses want to have a middle ground between the flexibility of remote work and the reliability and commitment of full-time developers.

How does Global Squirrels help you hire PHP developers?

Global Squirrels is a staffing and payrolling platform that helps you hire and manage both full-time employees and freelancers efficiently. Our platform handles all the HR functions of the talent you want to hire, which include offer letter or agreement generation, payroll management, benefits administration, performance management, task & timesheet management, and compliance with all local and international labor and tax laws. Unlike other staffing agencies that charge 50% more than the true value, our platform enables you to save up to 20% on hiring.

Our platform ensures that all your business requirements are met by offering the following plans suitable for hiring both full-time remote PHP developers and PHP freelancers.

Orange Plan

The Orange plan is for businesses looking to find and hire PHP developers who meet all the requirements. Our platform does this by asking you to sign up and choose the Orange plan. This is where you will be asked to fill in details such as job title, budget, educational background, skills, and the countries you wish to hire remote PHP developers. Once you submit your request for a new resource, you will receive curated profiles within 2 to 5 working days, from which you can choose the ones you wish to interview. Once the interview is completed, you can provide feedback and choose the candidates you wish to hire. Once the onboarding process begins, our platform will handle all the HR functions such as payroll management, benefits administration, performance management, task and timesheet setup and management, and compliance with local and international labor and tax laws.

Purple Plan

The Purple plan is for businesses looking to onboard their already sourced candidates. Once you confirm the candidate, our platform will begin handling all HR functions mentioned above in the Orange Plan.

Are you ready to hire PHP developers? Request a demo today!