A dedicated PHP developer, or a small team, who works to understand your existing code first and change it second. They do not treat it as a blank page to rewrite. Each developer is vetted on real codebases before they see yours. They work inside your tools and stand-ups, and you can scale up or down monthly without a hiring cycle. You meet the developer who would maintain your code before anything is signed.
Interview before signing · Scale monthly
Try before you commit
Work together on a real brief for up to 14 days, then decide whether to scale.
Hiring a PHP developer through PixelCrayons gets you a vetted Laravel or Symfony specialist inside your codebase. They work in your code, tickets and release process from day one. They use modern PHP 8.x, with database and API work included. A named coordinator and escalation contact back them. You interview the developer first and scale monthly.
Real projects for real clients, with results we can show.
Direct prices for brands and companies buying for themselves.
This is not a developer who has only ever started fresh. Their job includes the code that is already there. They understand it, patch it safely and extend it without breaking what works.
Practical notes for managing the role: the week, the interview, the setup and the limits.
In the early weeks, a good PHP developer spends a lot of time reading. They run the app locally and trace the main request paths. They map where the business rules really live, often spread across controllers, helpers and database triggers. Once they understand it, a normal week settles into tickets and code review. Small clean-ups make the next change easier. They add tests around code before changing it. They update Composer packages in planned batches and watch the error tracker after each release. Expect them to ask why something was built a certain way before they change it.
Skip the puzzle. Give them a real, anonymised piece of your code, or something like it. Ask what they would change first and what they would leave alone. A strong candidate spots the risky part and suggests adding tests before touching it. They argue against a rewrite unless there is a clear reason. Ask how they would upgrade an old Laravel or Symfony app across major versions. Good answers mention deprecation logs, code checks with PHPStan or Psalm, and upgrading in steps. Be wary of someone who blames the last developer at length, or wants a new framework in their first answer.
Have a working local setup ready, ideally Docker or Laravel Sail, with a README that really works. Provide a cleaned copy of the database, since many bugs only show with real data. Grant access to the code, the ticket system, the error tracker and staging. Add read access to live logs. Write down how releases work, even if the honest answer is 'someone uploads files over FTP'. Share the known problem areas and the parts of the code nobody wants to touch. The developer will find them anyway, and it is faster if you point.
A PHP developer can keep an app healthy and extend it, but some problems belong elsewhere. If the server is too small or badly set up, you need someone with server skills. If nobody can agree what the software should do, that is a product decision, not a coding task. If the front end is a large JavaScript app, a front-end specialist will move faster there. And your business may have outgrown the app's core design. Then a maintainer will keep patching symptoms. That needs a design review and a planned rebuild.
We sign an NDA and you tell us about your code, your tech stack and the gap.
We confirm when your proposal will arrive and put forward the developer whose track record fits. You interview them on your framework, older code or database before anything is signed.
You confirm the scope, the payment and the access we need. Nothing starts before this.
You grant code access. They review your code and join your stand-ups.
Bring in a second PHP developer when the backlog grows, and drop back to one when it shrinks. You resize month to month.
You make requests, give approvals and see the weekly review in your Prism workspace. Each decision is written down with the result it was meant to bring. See how Prism runs the work →
Meet the people who will do the work before you sign
Hiring a developer on your own gets you their skills. Hiring through a PHP development company adds cover and code review. So the work keeps going when life happens.
Every developer in our team has shipped work inside live codebases before yours. That work met our own delivery standards. It was reviewed weekly and held to the same code review standard you will see. A track record tells you more than a whiteboard test. It shows how someone really reads code they took over, not how they solve a puzzle.
A named coordinator and escalation contact back your PHP developer, along with a named second developer. The second developer is briefed on your work from day one. They follow the setup notes and decision log the first developer keeps. If the first developer is away or leaves, the second steps in without a slow start. A stranger never opens your code blind. A lone freelancer cannot offer that. A single in-house hire has nobody to cover a sick week.
Your code, your ticket system, your stand-ups, your release process. Dedicated means working to your branching and release routine. Tickets never get lost in another team's queue.
You get a weekly written review in Prism, tied to what shipped. Pull requests are reviewed against a written standard. Security patches are logged, not assumed. Wondering what the monthly invoice bought? The merged pull requests and patch log show you before we have to.
An in-house PHP hire is still right when the role is permanent, full-time and central to your business. We will say so when it is. This page covers every other case.
| Hiring it yourself | Through PixelCrayons | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a working developer | A full recruiting cycle: sourcing, technical interviews, notice periods and onboarding | Eligible work can typically start two to three business days after scope, payment and required access are confirmed |
| Vetting | CV checks and a take-home test: you find out the truth once they are in your code | A track record on real codebases, held to our own standards and reviewed weekly |
| Management work | All yours: sprint planning, code review, package checks and cover | A named PM handles the admin; you review pull requests and set priorities, not cover gaps |
| Scaling | A new hiring cycle each way: months to find a PHP developer, severance to let one go | Resize monthly: add a developer or step down after a conversation |
| Risk when it doesn't work | A poor hire works in your live code until someone catches it, then an exit | If the fit is wrong, we propose someone else; they get the setup notes, not a blank start |
Shine buys back, refurbishes and resells used mobile devices and electronics. Our developers work as part of its team on the internal platform that runs its finance, production and stock. They add modules and links to other tools, and are moving the code from Core PHP to Laravel without taking it offline.
Read the full case studyShubham consistently excels with punctuality, quick adaptability to feedback, and a proactive drive that enhances system efficiency. He supports the team reliably, even during late hours, without compromising quality. His clear communication and dedication make him a key contributor to our success.
Founder & CEO
An entrepreneur at heart. He links business analysis, strategy, clear goals and ROI to practical technology.
LinkedIn →
Technical Manager
Brings technical work, client updates and project management together, so work moves smoothly from brief to launch.
LinkedIn →Every engagement
Know who coordinates your engagement, who owns the work and how to escalate an issue.
All engagements. Roles may be combined and vary with your engagement.
Each one says where it applies and links to its full terms.
For eligible managed specialists. Up to 14 calendar days or 80 logged working hours, whichever comes first. End within the trial and pay nothing for eligible trial hours. Continue beyond it and those hours are billed at the agreed rate. Unpaid trial work remains ours if you stop.
Eligible managed-specialist roles only, one trial per customer. Not offered for AI, chatbot, prompt, automation, API-integration or QA work. Brand and graphic designers, brand strategists, video editors, content writers, copywriters and content marketers start with a paid pilot.
Full termsAt least four hours a day inside your core working hours. Two hours plus a daily written handover for the US West Coast.
Managed specialists only; not a staffing promise for project teams.
Full termsYour materials remain yours. Bespoke deliverable rights, licences and handover are agreed before work starts.
All engagements.
Full termsKnow who coordinates your engagement, who owns the work and how to escalate an issue.
All engagements. Roles may be combined and vary with your engagement.
Full termsA freelancer can be the right choice for a single, well-defined task. We are set up for work that needs an accountable team: a named coordinator, delivery reviewed by QA and a senior lead before release, and continuity arrangements written into the engagement. Confidentiality, ownership and escalation terms are agreed in writing before work starts.
Your engineers work at least four hours a day inside your core working hours. We set the window with you before the engagement starts and hold it for as long as the engagement runs. For the US West Coast the live overlap is two hours each morning, with a written handover at the end of every Indian day. We do not run night shifts: engineers who work nights leave quickly, and keeping the same people on your team matters more to us than a longer overlap.
For eligible managed specialists, yes: up to 14 calendar days or 80 logged working hours, whichever comes first. Stop within it and eligible trial hours are free; continue and they're billed at the agreed rate. Unpaid trial work stays ours. Project work and other roles get a paid pilot with scope, acceptance criteria, duration and fee agreed first.
Cancellation, notice and any renewal terms are written into your proposal or statement of work before you accept it. If an engagement ends early, we hand over completed, paid-for work and list any unfinished work separately. For an eligible specialist trial, you can stop within the trial window and pay nothing for eligible trial hours.
How we handle claims, credentials and your data: group credentials, dated ratings, how case figures are signed off, client permissions and data handling.
Most PHP hires take over existing code rather than start fresh. So our vetting skips the puzzle. It tests judgement on real, often older, code: what to change first and what to leave alone.
Once we have a complete brief, we confirm when your proposal will arrive. You interview the developer before anything is signed. Eligible work can typically start two to three business days after scope, payment and required access are confirmed. If your code has gaps in tests or notes, expect the first fortnight to go on understanding it.
An NDA comes first, then access to your code and environments. Next comes a written review of your current code, so you see what they found. The first sprint's priorities are agreed before anything ships. From week one they join your stand-ups. So onboarding runs through your own sprint process instead of beside it.
Every pull request is reviewed against a written standard before it reaches your team. You get a weekly review in Prism on what shipped and what is next. Security and package patches are logged with the reasons, never applied silently. Agencies placing a PHP developer on client code get all of this in their own templates.
Yes, one is the normal start: a single PHP developer covers most backlogs comfortably. A second developer joins when the scope needs it, such as a database specialist or a front-end developer. The monthly resize works in both directions. We would rather start with one PHP developer and grow than sell you a team too soon.
Tell us early and we will propose someone else. The new developer gets the setup notes, decisions and open pull requests. So a switch costs days, not a restart. If your code needs a rewrite rather than a maintainer, we will say so. The proposal names the PHP developer who would cover. It also says whether that cover is part of the monthly rate.
Tell us about your code and the gap, then interview the developer who would actually maintain it. If you really need a project rather than a person, we will say so on the first call.
Interview before signing · Scale monthly
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