How to Find a Reliable Developer (And Why Cheap Often Costs More)

If you're a founder building a SaaS product, chances are you've already typed something like "hire Laravel developer" into Google and been met with a wall of profiles ranging from $10/hour freelancers on Fiverr to agencies quoting £50,000 before you've even described the problem. It's a minefield. And I say that as someone who sits on the other side of that equation.

I've been building web applications for over 25 years. I've seen clients come to me after a bad hire more times than I can count — sometimes with half-built projects, sometimes with live products held together with digital duct tape, and occasionally with no code at all and a lighter wallet. So let me share what I genuinely think you should know before you hire anyone.

The Vibe Coding Trap

Before we talk about hiring developers, let's talk about something that's become increasingly common: founders building their own products using AI tools. Tools like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and various AI-assisted builders have made it genuinely possible for a non-technical person to put together something that looks and even functions like a real product.

And honestly? That's brilliant. If you can validate an idea quickly without spending thousands, you absolutely should. I have no issue with vibe coding as a concept — it's a great way to get something tangible in front of users fast.

But here's where it gets tricky. AI tools are excellent at generating plausible-looking code. They're much less reliable at generating correct code — especially when it comes to security, scalability, database design, and edge cases. The moment something breaks in a way the AI can't explain or fix, or when you need to integrate a payment provider properly, handle user authentication securely, or scale beyond a handful of users, you're going to need a real developer.

And if that developer has to wade through AI-generated spaghetti to figure out what's going on, you're going to pay for that time. Often a lot of it.

The lesson: vibe coding is a fantastic starting pistol. It's a terrible finishing line.

Why "Cheaper" Usually Isn't

This is the part founders sometimes push back on, but hear me out.

When you hire a junior developer at a lower day rate, you're not just getting less experience — you're often getting someone who doesn't yet know what they don't know. They'll build something that works right now, in the conditions they tested it in. But they may not think about what happens when 500 users sign up at once, or what happens when a certain input breaks the database query, or whether that file upload is actually secure.

More importantly, a junior developer will typically build what you ask for. A senior developer will build what you need.

That distinction sounds subtle, but it's enormous in practice. I regularly have conversations with clients where I push back on a feature request — not because I can't build it, but because after understanding their actual goal, there's a simpler solution that'll serve them better and cost less to maintain. That kind of thinking only comes with experience.

Senior developers bring:

• Architectural thinking — How will this scale? How will it be maintained? What happens when requirements change in six months?
• Security awareness — Not as an afterthought, but baked in from the start.
• Business understanding — The ability to translate your goals into technical decisions, not just technical tasks.
• Honest communication — Telling you when something is a bad idea, even if you really want to do it.

You might pay twice the day rate for a senior developer. But if they take half the time, produce cleaner code, and don't leave you with a system that needs rebuilding in 18 months — you've saved money.

What to Actually Look For

So how do you find someone reliable? Here's what I'd genuinely recommend:

Look at their communication first. Before their portfolio, before their tech stack, before their price. How do they respond to your initial message? Are they asking questions about your business, or just quoting you a number? A developer who asks good questions upfront is worth ten times one who just says yes to everything.

Ask for examples of problems they've solved, not just things they've built. Anyone can show you a pretty interface. Ask them about a time a project went wrong and how they handled it. The answer will tell you a lot.

Check for specialisation. A developer who works primarily in Laravel and the TALL stack (which is my world — Laravel, Alpine.js, Livewire, Tailwind CSS) will be faster, more opinionated in a good way, and less likely to introduce unnecessary complexity than a generalist who picks up whatever's needed. Specialisation isn't a limitation — it's expertise.

Avoid anyone who can't explain things in plain English. If a developer can't describe what they're building without jargon, that's usually a sign they're not fully across it themselves — or they're not interested in making sure you understand. Both are red flags.

References and repeat clients matter. Anyone can do a good job once. Developers with repeat clients and genuine referrals have demonstrated they're pleasant to work with over time.

Where to Find Good Developers

Honestly, the best developers I know are mostly found through communities and word of mouth. Places like the Laravel Discord, Twitter/X, and local tech meetups are worth your time. If you're in the UK, communities like those around Laravel UK are a good starting point.

Freelance platforms can work, but go in with your eyes open. Read proposals carefully. Favour those who've asked questions over those who've just sent a templated pitch. And if the hourly rate seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Agencies can be a good option if you need a team or a longer engagement, but make sure you know who will actually be working on your project — not just who's on the sales call.

A Final Thought

I know it can feel risky to spend more on development than you planned. Especially in those early stages when the product isn't generating revenue yet. But think of it less like a cost and more like a decision that compounds. Good technical foundations make every future feature cheaper and faster to build. Bad ones do the opposite — and they get more expensive to fix the longer they're left.

If you're not sure where to start, feel free to reach out. Even if I'm not the right fit, I'm always happy to point someone in the right direction. That's just how this community works best.