The verdict in three sentences
If you paid 15,000 to 40,000 EUR for an unfinished app and your freelancer has gone silent, do not restart development blindly: begin with a 3 to 5 day code audit costing 1,000 to 3,000 EUR. The audit tells you whether a rescue and stabilisation (3,810 to 10,670 EUR at Kolonell) is enough, or whether a rewrite is cheaper, which becomes the case once more than 40 % of the code must be redone. Before the audit even starts, secure access and code ownership, because without a written licence agreement the freelancer keeps the rights.
First emergency: recover access and rights
In 7 out of 10 abandoned projects we see, the client does not hold all of their access. Every day counts: an unrenewed domain or hosting contract can take the service down or wipe the database.
| Item | Where it usually is | Risk if missing | Action in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code repository (GitHub, GitLab) | Freelancer's account in most cases | Code missing, impossible to audit | Written transfer request, then formal notice |
| Hosting (Hetzner, IONOS, AWS) | Freelancer or client account | Shutdown at renewal, data loss | Account transfer or emergency migration |
| Domain name | Registrar, in the buyer's name | Loss of domain and email | Request the AuthCode transfer key |
| Database and backups | Production server | Permanent loss of customer data | Immediate export, encrypted copy on your side |
| Third-party accounts (Stripe, Brevo, Apple, Google) | Opened by the freelancer | Payments or emails blocked | Change of owner, rotate API keys |
| Usage rights to the code | Contract or amendment | Under German copyright law the author keeps the rights; you only get the usage rights agreed | Written grant of exclusive usage rights, otherwise legal advice |
A point often missed: under German law (UrhG), copyright itself cannot be sold, and paying an invoice does not automatically grant you exclusive, unlimited usage rights. You need a written clause granting exclusive, transferable rights to use, modify and sublicense the code. If it does not exist, have an amendment drafted before investing in the rescue.
Rescue or rewrite: the numbers behind the decision
The audit measures code quality, test coverage, security, architecture consistency and dependency health. It produces an estimate of the share of code to redo, which drives the decision.
| Audit outcome | Share of code to redo | Recommendation | Indicative Kolonell budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy but unfinished | Under 20 % | Rescue and finish | 3,810 to 6,100 EUR | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Moderate technical debt | 20 to 40 % | Stabilise, then extend | 6,100 to 10,670 EUR | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Heavy debt, weak security | Over 40 % | Rewrite, keeping the database and designs | 6,100 to 10,670 EUR depending on scope | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Abandoned framework, no documentation | Over 60 % | Full rewrite | App grid: 3,810 to 10,670 EUR, more if complex | 10 to 14 weeks |
| Working but no tests or backups | Variable | Secure before any change | Costed in the audit, included in the rescue budget | 2 to 3 weeks |
The 40 % rule comes from a simple observation: working on fragile code costs about 1.5 times more per feature than new development, because of ramp-up time and regressions. Above that threshold, a targeted rewrite is cheaper and leaves you with code you control.
Mini case study
Jonas, managing director of a B2B logistics company in Berlin, paid a freelancer 28,000 EUR for an ordering portal for his 300 business customers. The freelancer says the project is 70 % done and has not replied for two months.
- Kolonell audit: 2,400 EUR, 4 days. Result: 55 % of the code to redo, no written usage-rights clause, hosting in the freelancer's name.
- Rescue option: 55 % of 28,000 EUR to redo, with a 1.5 factor on fragile code, about 23,000 EUR of estimated work.
- Targeted rewrite keeping the database and approved designs: 9,500 EUR, delivered in 10 weeks.
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With the audit, Jonas invests 11,900 EUR in total instead of about 23,000 EUR, and gets code whose usage rights are granted by contract from day one. The 28,000 EUR already paid cannot be recovered technically, but a formal claim remains an option with his lawyer.
FAQ
Can you audit without the source code?
No, the audit requires repository access or at least a full server copy. Otherwise we start from the live app and the database to estimate a rewrite, with a 20 to 30 % uncertainty margin.
How long does the audit take?
3 to 5 business days for an app of 10,000 to 50,000 lines of code, delivered with a written report, a vulnerability list and a costed comparison of both scenarios.
Can the freelancer claim the code after the rescue?
Without a written rights clause, in theory yes. Hence the need for an amendment or legal advice before the rescue. At Kolonell, exclusive usage rights to the delivered code are in the contract from the start.
Can the app stay online during the rescue?
Yes in most cases: we start with a security pass (backups, critical updates) in 1 to 2 weeks, then work on a staging environment.
What maintenance budget after the rescue?
Our plans range from about 50 EUR (Basic) to 180 EUR (Premium) a month. A customer-facing business app usually fits the Standard level, about 110 EUR a month.
Let's scope your project. Send us what you have (access, contract, app address): we scope a 1,000 to 3,000 EUR audit and a rescue at 3,810 to 10,670 EUR over 6 to 12 weeks through our free quote request. 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.
