The verdict in three sentences
A dedicated offshore/nearshore team of 4 to 6 devs, managed by a French-speaking agency, costs 12,000 to 28,000 EUR/month by seniority — all-in (salaries, taxes, workstation, management). Against in-house hiring, you avoid 4 to 6 months of lead time, employer charges and turnover risk, while keeping IP ownership and quality governance. This is the model of scale-ups that want to scale their product without blowing up their burn.
Monthly cost of a dedicated team, profile by profile
A managed team is built modularly. Here is a 2026 order of magnitude, all-in, per role and month.
| Profile | Managed monthly cost | Loaded in-house equivalent (France) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior developer | 2,500-3,200 EUR | 4,500-5,500 EUR | -40 % |
| Mid-level developer | 3,500-4,500 EUR | 6,000-7,500 EUR | -40 % |
| Senior developer | 4,800-6,000 EUR | 8,000-10,000 EUR | -40 % |
| Tech lead / architect | 6,000-7,500 EUR | 10,000-13,000 EUR | -42 % |
| QA / tester | 2,800-3,800 EUR | 5,000-6,500 EUR | -42 % |
A typical team (1 lead + 2 seniors + 1 mid + 1 QA) comes to about 21,000 EUR/month, versus over 36,000 EUR loaded in-house — that is 180,000 EUR/year saved.
In-house hiring vs a managed team
Beyond salary, compare total cost and time to start.
| Criterion | In-house hiring | Managed nearshore team |
|---|---|---|
| Time to build | 4-6 months | 2-4 weeks |
| Recruitment cost | 15-25 % of annual salary | Included |
| Charges & workstation | +45 to +50 % of gross | Included |
| Turnover / replacement | 2-3 months lost | Replacement within 2 weeks |
| Scalability (+/- devs) | Slow and rigid | Monthly and flexible |
| Technical management | On you | Handled by the agency |
The managed model turns a rigid fixed cost into a steerable variable cost, while removing HR risk.
Governance, quality and IP ownership
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A dedicated team without governance is a risk. Demand: mandatory code review (approved pull requests), CI/CD with automated tests, dev/staging/prod environments, velocity reporting (points, burndown), and above all a full IP assignment clause with a Git repo on your organization. The ramp-up (3 to 6 weeks) serves to onboard the team on your codebase, conventions and roadmap.
Mini case study
Sophie, founder of a fintech scale-up in Paris, must accelerate her roadmap without raising funds. Hiring 4 devs in-house: 4 to 6 months of lead time + 25,000 EUR recruitment + 36,000 EUR/month loaded. She opts for a managed team of 5 at 22,000 EUR/month, live in 3 weeks. Over 12 months: 264,000 EUR versus 432,000 EUR in-house — 168,000 EUR saved and 5 months of time-to-market gained.
FAQ
What does a dedicated team really cost? Count on 12,000 to 28,000 EUR/month for 4 to 6 devs by seniority, all-in. That covers salaries, charges, workstation, tools and management — no month-end surprises.
How long to be operational? 2 to 4 weeks to build the team, then 3 to 6 weeks of ramp-up on your codebase. On average, full velocity is reached after 6 to 8 weeks, versus 4 to 6 months for an in-house hire.
What if a developer leaves? The agency handles replacement within 2 weeks with handover, whereas in-house a replacement costs 2 to 3 months of lost knowledge. This is a major advantage of the managed model.
Do I keep code ownership? Yes, with a full IP assignment clause and a Git repo on your organization. You keep 100 % of the code and rights, with no dependency on the agency.
Can I vary the team size? Yes, monthly: adding or removing a profile is decided with short notice (often 30 days). That is what makes the model fit roadmap peaks and launch phases.
Let's scope your project. Specify the target team size, profiles (front, back, QA, lead) and your roadmap: we size a dedicated team with a fixed monthly cost. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
