The verdict in three sentences
When the freelancer who built your order management app vanishes, the priority is not to rewrite but to recover access and have the code audited, for 5,000 to 15,000 USD in Miami in 2026 (2,500 to 7,000 EUR in Nice). The audit tells you whether you can stabilise within 3 to 6 weeks with a dependency upgrade, or need a partial rewrite, justified once more than 40% of critical code is fragile. An owner who decides without an audit is picking at random between two options whose cost can differ by a factor of 1 to 4.
The first 72 hours: secure what you can
Before any estimate, take back control. Many SMEs discover at this stage that the domain name, hosting or code repository is registered in the developer's name.
| Asset to recover | Where to look | Risk if missing | Typical delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) | Freelancer's account, invoices, emails | Code lost, full rebuild | 1 to 15 days |
| Hosting and server access | AWS, DigitalOcean, Heroku invoices | App unreachable during an outage | 1 to 7 days |
| Database and backups | Hosting console | Loss of order history | Immediate with server access |
| Domain name and DNS | Registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare) | Site down at renewal date | 1 to 10 days |
| API keys (payments, email, SMS) | Config files, vendor accounts | Payments blocked, notifications cut | 1 to 3 days |
| Contract and IP assignment | Signed quote, terms | Code ownership disputed | Legal check |
If the original contract does not include an IP assignment or work-for-hire clause, get one in writing. Under US copyright law, an independent contractor owns the code unless rights are expressly assigned.
Audit, stabilise or rewrite: 2026 ranges
The figures below are market estimates for Miami and, for comparison, for Nice on the French Riviera. They depend on code size, age and tech stack.
| Step | Nice (market estimate, excl. VAT) | Miami (market estimate) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code and architecture audit | 2,500 to 7,000 EUR | 5,000 to 15,000 USD | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Dependency and framework upgrade | 5,000 to 20,000 EUR | 8,000 to 30,000 USD | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Urgent security fixes | 1,500 to 6,000 EUR | 3,000 to 10,000 USD | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Documentation and critical tests | 3,000 to 10,000 EUR | 5,000 to 15,000 USD | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Partial rewrite (critical modules) | 15,000 to 60,000 EUR | 25,000 to 90,000 USD | 2 to 4 months |
| Post-takeover maintenance | 400 to 1,500 EUR per month | 800 to 2,500 USD per month | Ongoing |
Rule of thumb: if the audit shows that less than 40% of critical code (orders, payments, invoicing) is problematic, stabilise. Beyond that, or if the framework has been unmaintained for over 2 years, a partial rewrite often costs less over 3 years than continuous patching.
What a good takeover audit must deliver
A useful report runs 15 to 30 pages and answers an owner's questions, not just a developer's. It should include a dependency inventory with versions and known vulnerabilities, a module map rated by business criticality and technical state, a risk list sorted into urgent, to schedule and acceptable, and pricing for two scenarios, stabilisation and partial rewrite, with a timeline.
For a company that wants a lower budget or a French- and English-speaking nearshore team, Kolonell takes over custom web applications: when the audit points to a rebuild, a simple app is priced at 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) and a medium app at 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR), with the code assigned to the client.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Marc, owner of a wine wholesale SME (illustrative scenario), has used since 2021 a B2B ordering app built by a freelancer who has been unreachable for 3 months. The payment module stopped working after the payment provider's update. The audit, billed 4,500 EUR, shows that 25% of critical code needs rework and that the framework is still maintained. Stabilisation option: 12,000 EUR of upgrades and 4,000 EUR of tests, 16,000 EUR in total over 5 weeks. Full rewrite quoted by a local agency: 55,000 EUR. With 1,800 EUR of orders lost per day of downtime, Marc chooses stabilisation and saves 39,000 EUR, plus maintenance at 600 EUR a month. A Miami distributor in the same spot would face roughly 1.5 times these amounts.
FAQ
How much does a code audit cost to take over an app in Miami?
Expect 5,000 to 15,000 USD depending on code size and the number of modules, for 1 to 2 weeks of work. A small app under 20,000 lines usually stays below 7,000 USD.
What if the freelancer refuses to hand over the code?
Start with a formal demand letter citing paid invoices and any assignment clauses. Without a written assignment, negotiating a rights buyout, often 1,000 to 5,000 USD, can be faster than litigation.
Should an undocumented app always be rewritten?
No, missing documentation can be fixed for 3,000 to 10,000 EUR. A rewrite mainly makes sense when more than 40% of critical code is fragile or the framework is abandoned.
How long does stabilisation take after a takeover?
On average 3 to 6 weeks for an order management app, with a freeze on new features during that period. The first security fixes often ship in week one.
How do we avoid going through this again?
Require a Git repository in the company's name, shared admin access, maintained documentation and a maintenance contract with a reversibility clause. These four measures cost less than 5% of the app's annual budget.
Let's scope your project. Send us whatever you have recovered (access, repository, screenshots): we assess the takeover, then price stabilisation or a rebuild from 2,500,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA depending on complexity. 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.
