Guide · Choosing a supplier · Quebec SMBs
Freelancer, agency or offshore team: how to choose your developer
In short
The hourly rate alone is misleading: compare the scope delivered, who will maintain the software and what you own at the end. Published rates in Quebec range from about $25 to $80/h for an offshore team, $80 to $160/h for a senior developer in Canada and $125 to $250/h for a local agency (Witify, 2026). In every case, require a price per stage, the source code and the access in your name.
How much does a developer cost in Quebec?
| Model | Approximate rate | Makes sense when… |
|---|---|---|
| Offshore team | $25 to $80/h | The need is very well specified and you have in-house technical oversight |
| Senior developer (Canada) | $80 to $160/h | You already have a clear picture of what needs to be built |
| Local agency (Quebec) | $125 to $250/h | Complex processes, need for end-to-end support |
I don’t bill by the hour: each stage has a fixed scope and price — from $4,500 for a first task, then in phases of about $6,000. You know what you’re paying before work starts.
Freelancer, agency or offshore: pros and risks
| Option | Advantage | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance developer | You talk to the person who writes the code; low overhead | Dependence on a single person |
| Local agency | Full team: project management, design, development | Higher price; you rarely talk to the person who writes the code |
| Offshore team | Low rates | Time zone, language, demanding oversight; hard to take over if things go wrong |
The risk with a freelancer is dependence. My answer: the code and the access in your name, documentation delivered with every phase, and widely used technologies that other developers can take over.
Questions to ask before signing
- Have you ever taken over software written by someone else? Can you show me one in production?
- Who will write the code, and who will answer me when something crashes?
- Is the price fixed per stage, or hourly? What isn’t included?
- What will I be able to use at the end of each stage?
- Will the code, the hosting and the accounts be in my name?
- What happens if you get sick or close your business?
What the contract should include
- The scope: screens, calculations, reports and data brought over, for each stage.
- Payment per stage, tied to usable deliverables.
- Assignment of the copyright in the code, in writing and signed: without it, the outside developer remains the owner (Copyright Act, s. 13).
- The access: hosting, database, domain name and accounts in your company’s name.
- Personal information: who has access to it and how it’s protected (Quebec’s Law 25).
- After delivery: maintenance, response times, price of improvements — see the maintenance guide.