Should an agency, a freelancer, Fiverr or I fix my AI-built app?
If the app handles user data or payments, have a senior engineer review it before launch, whether that is an agency or a freelancer. Fiverr and doing it yourself work best for small, well-defined fixes where a mistake is cheap.
Based on Clutch reviews, the average software development project costs $132,480, and development agencies average $25 to $49 an hour.
Disclosure
I am a freelancer and I sell this service, so read this with that in mind. I have tried to state the trade-offs fairly, including where I am not the best choice.
Agency
- Good for: large apps, a team of several people, long-term development.
- Trade-offs: usually hourly or with a high minimum, more people between you and the engineer, slower to start.
Freelance engineer
- Good for: one app, a clear goal like launch, direct contact with the person doing the work.
- Trade-offs: one person’s availability and skills. Check their experience with your stack, and get a written scope.
Fiverr or Upwork gig
- Good for: one small, clearly described task with low risk.
- Trade-offs: quality varies a lot, and a security review needs more context than a gig usually allows. Never share production keys or admin logins.
Doing it yourself with the AI tool
- Good for: UI changes, copy, small features, learning how your app works.
- Trade-offs: the tool can fix a symptom while making a security issue worse, and you can’t check what you don’t know to look for.
Questions to ask anyone you hire
- Will you check row-level security and test access between two users?
- Do you verify Stripe webhook signatures and handle retries?
- What access do you need, and can it be read-only to start?
- Is the price fixed, and what happens if the scope changes?
- Who owns the code, and where does it live?