Hire a full-time developer when you have a backlog of product work that needs someone in the business every day. Most small businesses don't have that. They have questions, broken workflows, software that almost works, and the occasional project. That is what Your On-Call Tech Person is for: $249/month, someone to turn to. Development is quoted separately.
What you actually pay for with a full-time hire
A developer hire is salary, benefits, management time, and the risk that you guessed the wrong role. You also have to keep them busy. If the work is occasional — a website issue, a vendor proposal, an integration that should already exist — you are paying for a seat you only need some of the time.
An on-call developer is the opposite shape. You pay a small monthly fee for access, context, and a timely first reply. When something needs to be built, you get a quote from someone who already knows the systems. You approve it before anything starts.
What $249/month includes — and what it does not
- Direct email access to the same person, not a ticket queue.
- An initial response within 24 business hours.
- Troubleshooting guidance, software advice, and a second opinion.
- A faster quote when the right next step is to build something.
It does not include unlimited development hours, 24/7 coverage, or someone logging in to fix everything for you. Hands-on implementation is available. It is billed separately.
When hiring is the better call
Hire if you are shipping a product every week, you need someone in standups, or you already know the next year of engineering work. An on-call retainer is the wrong tool for that. If you are deciding whether you even need a developer, start with the on-call developer service and see what the work actually is.
