Five ways to staff a software project, priced in three different units, which is why the comparison rarely gets made properly. This page puts them side by side and says which one suits which situation.
The table, by engagement model
| Model | Cost | Unit | Buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff augmentation, junior | Rs 1,000 - Rs 1,600 | per hour | A pair of hands inside your process |
| Staff augmentation, mid-level | Rs 1,500 - Rs 2,400 | per hour | Independent delivery on defined work |
| Staff augmentation, senior | Rs 2,200 - Rs 3,600 | per hour | Design authority and review |
| Staff augmentation, specialist | Rs 2,800 - Rs 4,500 | per hour | Security, data or mobile depth |
| Fractional CTO, advisory | Rs 40,000 - Rs 1,00,000 | per month | One to two days of direction |
| Dedicated engineer, junior | Rs 1,20,000 - Rs 1,80,000 | per month | Full-time capacity |
| Dedicated QA engineer | Rs 1,20,000 - Rs 2,20,000 | per month | Test ownership |
| Dedicated engineer, mid-level | Rs 1,80,000 - Rs 2,80,000 | per month | Full-time delivery |
| Fractional CTO, embedded | Rs 2,00,000 - Rs 3,50,000 | per month | Six to eight days, in your standups |
| Dedicated team lead | Rs 2,50,000 - Rs 4,00,000 | per month | Coordination and review |
| Dedicated engineer, senior | Rs 2,80,000 - Rs 4,20,000 | per month | Architecture and hard problems |
What an in-house hire really costs
The salary is roughly sixty to seventy percent of the cost. Add statutory contributions, a laptop, software licences, recruitment, and the weeks before the person is productive.
Then add the part nobody budgets: a single engineer with no reviewer ships code nobody checks. The first serious architecture mistake is usually more expensive than the salary saved.
In-house makes sense when the software is the business and the team will outlive any single project. Below that, it is an expensive way to buy capacity.
What an agency really costs
An agency bundles project management, design, testing and account management into a price. You pay for all of it, whether or not you need it.
The trade is risk. An agency that has shipped the same kind of system before will avoid mistakes a first-time team makes, and that is worth a premium on a fixed-scope build.
Agencies suit projects with a defined end: a store, an app, an integration, a migration. They suit poorly when the work is exploratory and the scope is genuinely unknown.
What a dedicated team really costs
A dedicated team is a monthly commitment for named people, working only on your work, inside your tools.
It is the cheapest model per unit of output once the workload is continuous, because nothing is re-sold and nothing is marked up per project. It is the most expensive model if the workload is intermittent, because idle months are still billed.
The threshold is roughly six months of continuous work. Below that, a fixed-scope project is usually better.
Staff augmentation, and when it is the wrong tool
Augmentation is the right answer when you already have a team, a process and a queue of defined tickets, and you need throughput.
It is the wrong answer when you have no technical lead. Hours bought without direction turn into code without architecture, and the bill arrives later at a much higher rate.
The model most businesses should start with
A fractional CTO for one or two days a month, plus a fixed-scope project.
The CTO decides what to build and reviews the output; the project delivers it. That combination costs less than a full-time hire and avoids the most common failure, which is building the wrong thing competently.
Move to a dedicated team when the roadmap is longer than two quarters. Move to in-house when the software is the product.
FAQ
Is a dedicated team cheaper than hiring? Usually per unit of work, and usually more expensive per person. The difference is that you can stop.
Can we mix models? Yes, and it is common: a fixed-scope build with two augmented engineers and an advisory CTO.
What is the notice period on a dedicated team? Thirty to sixty days is normal. Ask before signing, because it decides how quickly you can shrink.
Are the engineers ours to direct? Inside an agreed scope, yes. They remain employed by the vendor, which is what keeps the compliance and payroll burden off you.
Do you support overseas clients? Yes, with overlap hours agreed in writing before the engagement starts.
Team models in Noida
We staff engagements from Noida and will say plainly when a fixed-scope project is cheaper than a monthly team. Call 7840002466 or describe the roadmap through the contact page.
For build costs by category, the software cost comparison is the companion page.
